What video card to get for my husband?

[Flowergemw]

I'm not a gamer but my husband is. He spends all of his free time at his desk. So I want to surprise him with a great graphics card for Christmas which doesn't sound like a turbo jet engine. He bought the GeForce 8800 GTX 3 years ago and it crashed about a month ago. He has a $99 one that's not as great but still sound like an air force base. Could you help recommend me at least 3 that would....
1. Be a great present to him
2. Make minimal sound
3. Does not burn a giant hold in my purse.
Thanks.

 

[hunter315]

Do you know what resolution he tends to play at? If not, how large is the monitor? We can figure out the resolution from that. Whats your budget for this?

HD5770s perform well, and run cool, and will cost between 160 and 175, it will also be compatible with games for many years to come
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010380048%20106793261%201067950041&name=Radeon%20HD%205770
HD5850s perform even better, on par with a GTX285 which tends to run around $300, they will cost you between 260 and 290 depending on which ones are in stock
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010380048%20106793261%201067949753&name=Radeon%20HD%205850

 

[obsidian86]

what is your budget?

 

[Flowergemw]

Wow, you guys are quick! Well, I think I want to stay within the range of $200-$300, if possible but I guess I can tighten the belt a littke if it's a good one.

I think he has a LG Flattron Wide 22" monitor which the website said it have a 1680 x 1050 resolution.

I thought the higher the model number, the better the performance/quality the product. Is this not true for graphic cards?

 

[obsidian86]

the ati 5770 will do perfectly

 

[brockh]

While an HD 5770 ($159-174) will be fine, I think an HD 5850 ($259-279) would be the sweet spot. I'd be happy if I got a 5770, but I think I'd be gleaming if I got a 5850. Especially since he's used to higher-end judging by when he got his 8800 GTX. Since he's a gamer, he may upgrade in the future, and I think the 5850 offers a better upgrade path. When prices come down, he can add another card and it'll last him a good while longer assuming he has a CrossFire capable motherboard, if not, the 5850's performance is good regardless. The 5770 doesn't really add much room if he wants to increase his resolution/monitor size.

 

[rhys216]

He will be happier with a ati 5850, and it will last him allot longer, but it will push your budget.

 

[Flowergemw]

Ok, so I don't know what type of motherboard he has since he built the box himself and have it shipped here and the only thing I know is that the cooling fan is extremely loud and I sit across from his pc and it feels like I'm sitting across from the air vents cause I get blasted from that thing. How can I tell (My Computer properties?) without physically trying to open his box?

 

[tomvertommen]

What a gift...I wish my girlfriend comes up with ideas like that...If you can spare it, get him the 5850, but I bet if a 5770 suits your purse better he would be very happy with that one too.

 

[obsidian86]

if its 3 yrs old with a 8800gtx it should have a pci x16 slot

 

[obsidian86]

i would also think the 5850 price will drop a bit before xmas

 

[Flowergemw]

Well, I really don't like him playing so much but he doesn't ask for much in the material sense so it's the least I can do for him.

Thanks everyone for your help! It sounds like the ATI5850 sounds like the card for him.

 

[brockh]

Ok, so I don't know what type of motherboard he has since he built the box himself and have it shipped here and the only thing I know is that the cooling fan is extremely loud and I sit across from his pc and it feels like I'm sitting across from the air vents cause I get blasted from that thing. How can I tell (My Computer properties?) without physically trying to open his box?

Well, the easiest way to tell is downloading a small program called CPU-Z which can be used without a formal install out of the download folder. After you get the name of the motherboard (which is in the motherboard tab in the program, coincidentally) you can delete the file and empty the recycle bin and no one should know the difference. Really though, it's not necessary to know. An HD 5870 is a little overkill for that resolution, and either an HD 5770 or HD 5850 is a big enough upgrade to not have to worry about it having CrossFire support.

I'd say on the low-end: either the ATi HD 5770, HD 4890, or NVidia GTX 260 216SP.
On the high-end: the ATi HD 5850.

Whatever your budget appeals to will guide the way. They're all very good upgrade options and your husband will be happy with any of them I am sure. They will all be more power efficient and more quiet as well, which will make you happy. Also, you can manually turn down any fan on the computer (including the GPU fan) when not needed! Maybe he just likes everything well ventilated?

 

[rhys216]

Well, the easiest way to tell is downloading a small program called CPU-Z which can be used without a formal install out of the download folder. After you get the name of the motherboard (which is in the motherboard tab in the program, coincidentally) you can delete the file and empty the recycle bin and no one should know the difference. Really though, it's not necessary to know. An HD 5870 is a little overkill for that resolution, and either an HD 5770 or HD 5850 is a big enough upgrade to not have to worry about it having CrossFire support.

I'd say on the low-end: either the ATi HD 5770, HD 4890, or NVidia GTX 260 216SP.
On the high-end: the ATi HD 5850.

Whatever your budget appeals to will guide the way. They're all very good upgrade options and your husband will be happy with any of them I am sure. They will all be more power efficient and more quiet as well, which will make you happy. Also, you can manually turn down any fan on the computer (including the GPU fan) when not needed! Maybe he just likes everything well ventilated?

I'm sure she's going to want the graphics card to last a few years, so a dx11 card with tessellation etc is the only way to go. ie 5770 or 5850.

FlowerGem rest assured the 5850 is the card to get, and would probably be the one HE would choose.

 

[demonnn]

ati 5770 without question... just for comparision. my 4770 is silent, so silent that i don't notice that my pc is on

 

[xbonez]

i'd say 5770, because its a little cheaper than the 5850 and performs really good.

i would have said 5850 but its availability is down in the dumps.

 

[bliq]

perhaps if the noise is what's getting to you, instead of popping the $260 for a 5850, just go for a 5770 and use some of the extra money on some quieter fans and/or a CPU fan. I went from a stock fan to a Hyper 212 Plus and the difference was night and day. A great investment of $30. Perhaps a new case with mounts for larger, quieter case fans. Antec 900 occasionally goes on sale for $70 here and there. Or maybe a fanbus so he can turn the fans down a little to lower the noise when he's not gaming.

 

[redgarl]

5850 at around 269$. The best performance you can get for that price.

 

[redgarl]

5770 is by far not really impressive. For 80$ more, you get a graphic card 2 times stronger. The 5850 is the best card for the money in the high end market right now.

 

[ominous prime]

For gaming I'd have to recommend the 5850. Although you'd be hard pressed to find one in stock at the moment.

The 5770 would offer an adequate performance boost as well though, was his 8800gtx satisfactory for his needs? Or was it time to upgrade regardless?

You're a very thoughtful person.

 

[pepperman]

5770 is by far not really impressive. For 80$ more, you get a graphic card 2 times stronger. The 5850 is the best card for the money in the high end market right now.

It's true, the aged 4870 (~$140) actually outperforms the 5770 (~$160) due to the 5770's crippled memory interface.

As many have said, your best bet is the 5850.

 

[Flowergemw]

For gaming I'd have to recommend the 5850. Although you'd be hard pressed to find one in stock at the moment.

The 5770 would offer an adequate performance boost as well though, was his 8800gtx satisfactory for his needs? Or was it time to upgrade regardless?

You're a very thoughtful person.

To answer your question about the geForce 8800 GTX, I think he did like it cause he didn't ask for his annual upgrade and used it for the past 3 years.

He would normally start complaining or make up excuses about something if he wants an upgrade. He doesn't drink, smoke, or gamble. So I count myself lucky. Only thing is, I would love for him to balance his free time with me and our two girls.

 

[Flowergemw]

I went on Amazon.com and did a search on ATI HD5850 and found 3 hits:
Diamond ATI Radeon HD5850 PCIE 1024 MB GDDR5 Video Card 5850PE51G by Diamond $289.99
Visiontek Radeon HD5850 1 GB PCI Express Card 900297 by VisionTek $259.99
PowerColor ATI Radeon HD 5850 1GB GDDR5 PCIe Graphic Card AX5850 1GBD5-MDH by PowerColor $269.99

You guys have been very helpful in advising me to get the 5850 but I don't know which one you are specifically talking about. Any assistance would be greatly accepted.

 

[Mousemonkey]

Avoid Diamond as their customer service is not so hot, apparently.

 

[brockh]

The VisionTek one will be fine. They're all the same card at this point, just variances in warranties/customer service.