What Video Card do I Need?

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dnrsslr

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My son wants to play some basic games on a computer I built. The motherboard has built in video GeForce 7025 / NVIDIA n Force 630A but some games are not running smoothly. The processor is AMD X4 640 with 4 GB RAM. In bios, we have 256 MB (max allowed) allocated to video. Windows 7, 64 bit. He is mostly interested in NBA, MLB, FIFA, etc.

MLB 2k10 has requirements:
Video Card: DirectX 9.0c compatible (see below):
ATI x1300 or better;
NVIDIA 6600 or better;
DirectX 9.0c compatible card with Shader Model 3.0 support.

NBA2k13 requires:
Graphic Card : Video card with 512 MB or more memory Nvidia Geforce 6800 or ATI Radeon HD 2400

What card should I buy? The motherboard has a PCI slot, a PCI Express x1 slot, and a PCI Express x16 slot. I found SPARKLE GeForce 210 Series 700039 GeForce 210 1GB 64-bit PCI Express x16 Video Card at newegg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814187209 It's $35. Would that be sufficient for these games?
 
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IRyannHD

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The GPU you found wont really be able to run much, especially for smooth gameplay that also has nice graphics as well, I recommend something like a 750, it's a little more pricey but with price/performance it's a beast of a card, for the money it is totally worth it, this card will also be able to run other games such as battlefield, call of duty and many more on decent settings, medium to high depending on the game. Another good option for a lower end card would be something like a GTX640 or AMD 6670.
 
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dnrsslr

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Thanks. Newegg does not seem to have any GTX640. Or did I search wrong? They have GTX650. It looks like they are PCI Express 3.0 x16. I don't think my motherboard slot is 3.0; I think it is 2 or 1. Will that still work?

When I searched AMD 6670, I found "ASUS HD6670-2GD3 Radeon HD 6670 2GB 128-Bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready". Open Box for $63.99 plus shipping. Thoughts?

His monitor only has VGA. Is that going to a problem? I think we could shift things to get him a monitor with DVI if needed.
 
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RastislavB

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The AMD HD6670 is a really good graphics card. My friend owns it and it's a real beast. It might be older but it still can play newer games and for that price it's an outstanding value. The model you have linked has a VGA connector so it will be all set. Now we don't know your motherboard model but with a little research I think your motherboard has a PCI Express x16 2.0 slot but don't worry as the 2.1 graphics card will work no problem. It will handle those games and even newer ones so you won't have to upgrade the graphics card for a few years.
 
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dnrsslr

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Thanks. BTW: the motherboard is ASUS M2N68-AM PLUS AM3/AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA Geforce 7025/nForce 630a Micro ATX AMD. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131613
 
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RastislavB

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I am very sorry but my assumption was wrong. That board has PCI Express 1.0 and some PCI Express 2.1 cards do not work in 1.0 slots. I will do some research for a better graphics solution but in the meanwhile can you give us your power supply model and specifications. If you don't understand the specifications you could send us a picture of the sticker on the power supply. Thank You.
 
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dnrsslr

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The power supply is OCZ 500SXS. I can also try to get a picture. How do I attach a picture?
 
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RastislavB

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Yeah that is an alright power supply. The best that I can recommend is a HD 5450. It uses little power and can handle those games if you don't play on max settings. That is a very old motherboard and maybe you should think about building a new computer if you have the funds of course. I say again this HD 5450 will be able to run in that motherboard but something higher will probably be bottlenecked by the bandwidth. Also make sure you have the latest BIOS version to ensure that the graphics card will run.
 
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dnrsslr

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I'd rather not buy a new motherboard for that computer. In our house, my wife and I share the newest computer and pass the older ones down to the kids. :)

I found PowerColor Go! Green AX5450 1GBK3-SH Radeon HD 5450 (Cedar) 1GB 64-Bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready Low Profile Ready Video Card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131338 It's $30 with a $20 rebate.

It's PCI Express 2.1. Is there a way I can know for sure if this will work in my motherboard?
 
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RastislavB

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Wow, I am terribly sorry I thought the 5450 was PCI Express 2.0 as my local computer parts shop listed it like so. Your other option would be an Nvidia Geforce 210 it's just a little weaker at around the same price. That one is PCI Express 2.0. Again sorry about the mistake but there is no sure way to know unless someone tested it on that board. There's no guarantee it will work but it is known that the HD 5450 doesn't like Nvidia chipsets like the nForce 630a very much.
 
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dnrsslr

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Well, I guess I'm going to try the PowerColor AX5450 card. $10 isn't much to risk! FWIW: I looked at PCPartPicker and it listed this card as compatible so we'll see what happens.

Thanks for your help!
 
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RastislavB

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Well then it may work, but yeah 10 dollars is nothing if you can afford to lose it. No problem.
 
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dnrsslr

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At first, it worked (terrible, low resolution) called it "generic". Then, I installed the software from the CD and it works great!

Video card: $10 after rebate

Hearing my son say "awesome": pricless


Thank you so much for your help.
 
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