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Cheap "gaming" card for father in law

Forum Graphic & Displays : Graphics Cards - Cheap "gaming" card for father in law

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ericmlaing   03-13-2009 at 05:17:33 PM

I'm looking to upgrade my father in laws current graphics card - some older, 256mb thingy (don't have the specs on it, but can find out).
He doesn't want to spend alot as the has a PS3 for playing his main games, just wants something that can handle say, COD4 and Bioshock easily.
Budget is <$100cdn
PCIe16 (not 2.0) it's an MSI 945P motherboard w/Pentium 4 3.0Ghz
Thanks.

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Bronze Graphics badge Bluescreendeath   03-13-2009 at 05:27:42 PM
- 0 +

7600GT $15 off ebay + S&H - FEAR, Oblivion, HL2EP2 on high
7800GT $25 off ebay + S&H - FEAR, Oblivion, HL2EP2etc maxed out
7800GTX/7950GT $45 off ebay + S&H - Bioshock, COD4 maxed out
9600GT $>80 on Newegg-Bioshock, COD4 maxed out, Crysis on med-high
4830 or 8800/9800GT ~$100 on Newegg - Crysis on High

Reply to Bluescreendeath
ericmlaing   03-13-2009 at 06:15:24 PM
- 0 +

Can't do things like the 9600 or the 4830 (they are 2.0)...
Need 512mb, PCIx16 (1.0 i believe it is)...
It looks like the 8600 GT is the best we can go. 512, PCI16, for $83cdn...or a Radeon 2600 Pro (newegg)

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Rain1406   03-13-2009 at 06:27:09 PM
- 0 +

2.0 is backwards compatible with 1.0 with very low reported loss in performance

Reply to Rain1406
ericmlaing   03-13-2009 at 06:37:32 PM
- 0 +

So does that mean I can use a 2.0 card in a non 2.0 slot and not have any real issues? Don't want to piss off the father in law ya know ;D

Reply to ericmlaing
jtt283   03-13-2009 at 06:44:21 PM
- 2 +

His PSU may be weak. Without knowing more about it (brand, model, age), the safest bet would be a 4670, which requires no auxiliary power connector.

A 2.0 card will work just fine in a 1.0 slot.

Message quoted 2 times
------------------------------ There is ALWAYS a drone. Exactly where, or how many drones you will encounter may vary, but that there will be at least one will not.
 Reply to jtt283
steckman   03-13-2009 at 06:46:55 PM
- 0 +

I run a PCI Express 2.0 card in a PCI Express x16 slot currently. The Radeon 4670 I have is a great card by the way. It absolutely destroys the 8600GT I had previously, is a very inexpensive card, and doesn't require a lot of power. As an added bonus, it is quieter than my Shuttle case fan.

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orangegator   03-13-2009 at 06:50:27 PM
- 0 +

jtt283 wrote :

His PSU may be weak. Without knowing more about it (brand, model, age), the safest bet would be a 4670, which requires no auxiliary power connector.

A 2.0 card will work just fine in a 1.0 slot.



+1 what he said.

Reply to orangegator
Bronze Graphics badge Bluescreendeath   03-13-2009 at 07:15:34 PM
- 0 +

7600GT < 8600GT < 7800GT < 7950, etc

The 8x00 series is just plain bad. The only good ones are the 8800s


Message edited by Bluescreendeath on 03-13-2009 at 07:15:47 PM
Reply to Bluescreendeath
iggybeans   03-13-2009 at 07:33:07 PM
- 0 +

I'd second the Radeon 4670. It doesn't draw that much power. It will work in a PCI-e 1.0 X16 slot and it's well under $100. The performance is fairly good. It would also offer him DX10 compatibility and speed up video decoding.

Reply to iggybeans
Dekasav   03-13-2009 at 10:16:03 PM
- 0 +

I second (or third, or fourth) the HD 4670. Runs nicely, doesn't need a power connector, pretty quiet. Should have no issues, and runs very well.

Reply to Dekasav
grieve   03-13-2009 at 11:20:50 PM
- 0 +

jtt283 wrote :

His PSU may be weak. Without knowing more about it (brand, model, age), the safest bet would be a 4670, which requires no auxiliary power connector.

A 2.0 card will work just fine in a 1.0 slot.



+1

Reply to grieve
cjl   03-13-2009 at 11:39:35 PM
- 0 +

The 4670 is an excellent choice - no connectors required other than just plugging it into the PCI-E slot, and quite good performance for the price.

------------------------------ Asus P6T deluxe
i7 965 @ 4.2GHz (200*21), 1.384V
12GB Corsair Dominator DDR3-1600 CAS 7
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boudy   03-13-2009 at 11:49:41 PM
- 0 +

The 4670 definitely. Low power consumption and nice bang for your buck.

Reply to boudy
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