Wanting to get a graphics card to play games a few years old

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
T

tytbone

Honorable
Dec 15, 2013
5
0
10,510
Hi, I recently purchased a new (used) computer off Craiglist for $120 - Win7, Intel Core 2 Duo, 4 gig of Ram, Adobe CS6 software included. My main reason for purchasing was to use the CS6 software, but I'd also like to play some "older-ish" games like Dead Island or Crysis 2 (not the latest and greatest), and my Geforce 8500 GT will barely run Crysis 1.

I'm only looking at spending between $50-60 (/maybe/ up to 75$) on a card, but again I'd like to avoid framerate chugs on games like the ones listed above. For $50 each, I found an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 and an ATI Radeon HD5450 on Craiglist near where I live. Should I pursue either of these or would I find better deals online? What should I go after for that price?
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
quilciri

quilciri

Splendid
Mar 16, 2012
4,104
4
23,965
The 260 is a much stronger card than the 5450. The 200 series only supports up to DirectX10, but at this performance level, you're going to want to turn off most dx11 features anyway.

I recommend a HD 7750 instead of either card. Same performance as the 260; uses much less power (which given that we don't know the make/model of you PSU, could be vitally important); and it isn't dependent on having a pci-e power connector (the 260 needs two)

FYI, 182w peak consumption for the 260, 43w peak for the 7750.

PowerColor Radeon HD 7750 1GB Video Card ($59.99 @ Newegg)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
T

tytbone

Honorable
Dec 15, 2013
5
0
10,510


I'm a bit uneasy about the mail-in rebate. Could you suggest one or two alternatives for about $60, or provide me with a positive review of Newegg's rebate system? ;) EDIT: I guess it would need to be the manufacturer, so AMD? EDIT2: Oh, nope, PowerColor.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
quilciri

quilciri

Splendid
Mar 16, 2012
4,104
4
23,965
Fair enough. Without rebates, then, the cheapest 7750 is $85
PowerColor Radeon HD 7750 1GB Video Card ($84.98 @ SuperBiiz)

There is also the 6670, not quite as strong as the 7750/260, but still much stronger than the 5450.
XFX Radeon HD 6670 1GB Video Card ($64.99 @ Newegg)

There is also a $15 mail in on that 6670, which would make it $45 after the song & dance.

THe 6570 is slightly slower than the 6670 (you don't really need 2gb on this card, but it's the cheapest one available)
Diamond Radeon HD 6570 2GB Video Card ($57.50 @ B&H)

The Nvidia cards unfortunately aren't really competitive in this range.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
T

tytbone

Honorable
Dec 15, 2013
5
0
10,510


Thank you, this is closer to what I'm thinking price-wise. I don't need the games to look great (heck I'm enjoying Crysis on something like 800x600 lowest settings); my main focus is avoiding a sluggish framerate.

Just FYI, I'm someone who before this was coming off a 9 year old machine - WinXP, 1 gig ram, nVidia 7600 GT - so almost anything is a step up.

 
Upvote 0 Downvote
T

tytbone

Honorable
Dec 15, 2013
5
0
10,510


I feel silly asking this, but I've been out of the loop for almost 9 years: should I be worried that I won't have the right slot for the machine on my motherboard? Is PCI-E now the standard slot type on motherboards, or are there more possibilities? (My last machine didn't even have a PCI-E slot, just PCI and AGP)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
quilciri

quilciri

Splendid
Mar 16, 2012
4,104
4
23,965
That's a good question to ask. Pci-e is the standard for video cards now (and some other internal devices). ATX or Full ATX boards will also have original PCI slots. MicroATX boards will have PCI-e slot(s); some have original PCI slots as well. AGP is no longer used.

The LGA 775 platfom (core 2) has PCI-e slots.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
T

tytbone

Honorable
Dec 15, 2013
5
0
10,510


Solid, thanks.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom