Graphics card for under $130

[zoofie]

Greetings folks!
I have just finished school so im deciding to treat myself , in these rough times im not choosing anything expensive. Just simply a new card for my PC.
I'll quickly run down the factors im after :
1) Under $130 (£100)
2) Can run World of Warcraft on full with no problems
3) Is quiet!

Yeah i'd like to emphasise that i want it quiet , because i use a x1950 pro at the moment and its kinda loud
Anywayz , thanks very much all!
Regards , Zoof

 

[invisik]

^ +1

I think a 4670 should do the trick.

 

[dirtmountain]

"Contemporary mainstream graphic cards in popular MMORPG" Benchmarks
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/mainstream-cards-mmorpg.html

 

[megamanx00]

^ Keep in mind they benched WOW with 16x AF, so of course with a lower AF settings your scores are likely to be a bit higher, assuming your CPU can keep up anyway. You don't really need anything better than a 4670, but if you want to play other more demanding games latter on then you may as well go with a 4850 since it's within your budget.

 

[Jaysin]

Easily the 4850. It may be the best price/performance value on the market right now and its within your budget. Don't hesitate.

 

[zoofie]

Sorry for the lack of information. My PSU is an Antec 450 watt and i play at 1440x900 (19"). Yeah i heard great things about the 4850 but is it quiet?
P.S Sorry about my fussiness over quietness but theres nothing worse than a graphics card that sounds like a chainsaw

Thanks ,
Zoof

 

[dirtmountain]

^ most likely this card the HD4850 HIS ICQ. Has an excellent cooling solution and a reputation for pretty quiet running.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161244

 

[invisik]

A 4850 might be to much if you only play wow. If you play mre intensive games go for it, if not get a cheap 4670 or 4830.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127415 (4670) killer deal this wkend.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161260 (4830)

 

[dirtmountain]

4670s are usually pretty quiet cards, 4830s can be pretty noisy though. Check for specific reviews of any card you may pick to see if there's any tests on how loud they are. Judging from my own experience both playing and building rigs for WoW I would opt for the upper end of what you can afford. HD4770, HD4850, GTS250 1GB. A GPU in the 4830/9800GT class does just fine with most settings on medium, shadows towards the bottom with Vsync and triple buffering on in most areas. You'll drop to the 30-40 fps in Dalaran and in 25 man raids.....even lower in large PvP battlefields. I'd avoid GPUs in the 4670/9600GSO class unless you're willing to turn the settings even lower with your 1440x900 resolution.

 

[zoofie]

Cheers for your info guys!
Just wondering about an XFX 8800 GTS card? How would that do?
Thanks , Zoof

 

[dirtmountain]

The 8800GTS 512GB will outperform the 9800GT, but not perform as well as the 9800GTX+ or the GTS 250. Most 9800GTX+ are 65nm and need 2 6 pin PCIe power connectors, most GTS250 use 55nm and use a single 6 pin PCIe connector. Blame Nvidia for making it confusing.

 

[jeffredo]

^ most likely this card the HD4850 HIS ICQ. Has an excellent cooling solution and a reputation for pretty quiet running.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161244

Exactly the card I was going to link if the O.P. is in the U.S.. WoW isn't the cakewalk it used to be FPS wise. While a strong CPU helps in city locations (lots of player characters and NPCs running around), a decent GPU is still useful out in the "expansion zones" of BC and WotLK. Their textures and lighting effects do slow down a weaker GPU now. An HD 4850 is a good choice and the third party Arctic Cooling style cooler is very quiet and effective.

If you want good performance and as quiet as possible this is a very good option as well:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125258

Totally silent and still runs cool.

 

[AlphaOmegaX]

4870 is 130 on newegg. 120 After rebate last time I checked.

Sapphire but still. I'll pay the extra for an XFX but most people don't care.