best gpu for intel core 2 duo E7300

Dumitrescu Bogdan

Honorable
May 20, 2013
30
0
10,530
hy, i'm not a big specialist in IT ( or in english ) but i really need to find a serious & well argumented answer from a real professional pc expert. I have a 5 year old pc :
cpu - intel core 2 duo E7300 ( 2,66 ghz )
memory - 4 GB ram ddr2 667 mhz ( maximum ram suported by mainboard )
gpu - hd 5670 512 mb ddr 5 128 bits
mainboard - gigabyte ep31-ds3L
psu - sirtec ( high power ) plus 500w
monitor - 1440 x 900

the only games that are not working by now are Saints Row 4 + need for speed most wanted 2012
these two games have lags, now matter how low i have reduced the resolution.

And finnaly the problem :
I need a graphic card with this specs :
- max price about 100$
- compatible with my pci-e 1.0
- a gpu that does not bottleneck my cpu
- work with latest games ( on low quality )

I'm ready to overclock my cpu if needed from 2,66 stock to max 3,66 - with cooler change -
Also the chosen card must by ready for a change ( maybe after a year i will change the cpu )

After market search i find that my possibilities are next : GT 630, 640, GTX 650, GTX 650ti, HD
6570, 6670, 7730, 7750, 7770. All with 1 gb memory ddr5 / 128 bits.

Finally ( i'm boring you ) i've make a test from a friend with a HD 7870/256 bits and need for speed most wanted 2012 stil have a litle lag - from time to time-

I really wait & pray to receive a good advice about wich card i should buy. Thank you for patient.
 
Solution
I dont believe the CPU would hold you back that much, I have an E8400 running sli GTS250's and it runs great.

The only significant upgrade you would see is if you purchased a 7770 or a 650Ti. The rest are too close to the performance of your 5670.
Your CPU will be holding back just about any video card update, the card you have is not that bad. The Radeon 7770 is best as it's just a plug and play setup since you already have the drivers installed, but you need to up the CPU speed as well. If you can overclock, do that but go slow to make sure you don't kill the CPU. Keep in mind that not all cards will work with a 1.0 pcie slot, you may need to contact the vendor support and check with them.
 
I dont believe the CPU would hold you back that much, I have an E8400 running sli GTS250's and it runs great.

The only significant upgrade you would see is if you purchased a 7770 or a 650Ti. The rest are too close to the performance of your 5670.
 
Solution

arkutakalin

Reputable
Oct 31, 2014
111
0
4,680
The best card which can fit to core 2 duo E8400 (my cpu is E8400) is GTX 750ti 2 GB right now. I have Asus EAH HD 4650 1 GB and core 2 duo E8400, and I have researched deeply. GTX 750Ti works amazing with core 2 E8400 duo processor. Because E8400/8500 processors are solid and even they are old, they are still powerful. Maybe cannot match with new generation i5-i7's but the best match is GTX 750ti. I will buy and use a new GTX with my pc.