What graphic card is good paired with a Pentium e6500?

[Stag1928]

Hello everyone, I am new here and I have a question about a video card since I am not too Tech savvy.
My question is is what is a good video card to pair with a pentium e 6500 with a 2mb cache and a 1066 fsb? I've read some things saying that you should try and get a balance between parts as to not bottleneck your system. I have around an $80 price range and I was thinking of a radeon hd 3850 or 3870 because I've read they beach their 4600 series counterparts as far as power goes.

Thanks in advance

 

[Bluescreendeath]

The E6500 can handle a 4870 or GTX260 without significant bottlenecks.

Around that price range, you can either get:
=New=
9600GT or 3870

=Used from Ebay/Amazon=
4830 or 9800GT
8800GTS 512mb or 4770
maybe a 4850

 

[welshmousepk]

its the budget bottlenecking you there, not your CPU

you could get something like a 5770 amd still be running a very good system.

for that price range though, a 9600gt would probably be the way to go.

 

[Stag1928]

Thanks a lot guys=D the other thing i read was that the 9600gt topped the 3870 but I can prolly find a good deal for the 9600gt on ebay

 

[Stag1928]

OH one more question before I forget, does it matter if its a 512 mb or a 1gb? I dont know if it comes in a 1gb for ddr2 but If i recall correctly, I saw someone say that512mb vs 1gb doesnt really matter so much in lower end cards and its kind of a gimmick but im not to sure

Thanks again

 

[Bluescreendeath]

1GB is for higher end cards that can use them.

Cards such as the 9600GT or 3870 won't need 1GB of RAM. The 4850, 5750, GTS250/9800GTX comes close to needing more than 512mb, but 512 is still sufficient for those cards.

Only cards such as the 4870, GTX260, 5770, or higher can actually use that much memory effectively.

 

[Stag1928]

Alright cool, thanks again =D

 

[Stag1928]

I just read something that said that an 8800gts is better than an 8800gt which is better then the 9600gt, what are your guys' thoughts on this? It seems like an 8800gts is much cheaper on ebay then the 9600gt too

 

[welshmousepk]

yes, 8800gt is a very good card. if you can get one cheap its a good buy.

 

[Bluescreendeath]

I just read something that said that an 8800gts is better than an 8800gt which is better then the 9600gt, what are your guys' thoughts on this? It seems like an 8800gts is much cheaper on ebay then the 9600gt too

The 8800GT is basically the same as a 9800GT, and both outperform the 9600GT.

The 8800GTS G80 320mb is weaker then the 9600GT. The 8800GTS G80 640mb performs the same as a 9600GT. The 8800GTS 512mb is a G92 core and performs better than both the 9600GT and the 8800/9800GT, coming close to a 9800GTX in performance.

If it's an 8800GTS 512mb, you should get it if it's under $75. Otherwise, just get a newer generation card such as the 4850. The 4850 performs better and costs about $85 used on ebay.

 

[marcellis22]

1GB is for higher end cards that can use them.

Cards such as the 9600GT or 3870 won't need 1GB of RAM. The 4850, 5750, GTS250/9800GTX comes close to needing more than 512mb, but 512 is still sufficient for those cards.

Only cards such as the 4870, GTX260, 5770, or higher can actually use that much memory effectively.

Hey Bluescreen,
Memory delineates the resolution and color depth of the monitor size, it has NOTHING to do with the GPU, other than the frame rate it can handle while trying to do the job at hand...

 

[welshmousepk]

i think thats his point though. since you are unlikely to run a 9500gt at the sort of resolutions/texture settings that would require 1gb of VRAM

 

[Bluescreendeath]

^ Yep.

Speaking practically, lower-mid end cards can't handle higher resolutions/settings so there is no point in getting 1GB of VRAM for them when 512mb will suffice.

 

[rockyjohn]

If you can afford a little more, $100 after a $20 mail in rebate, plus taxes and shipping, then I recommend the BFG GTS 250 on sale at Fry's. BFG also happens to be my preferred manufacturer and they provide a lifetime warranty. The GTS 250 will be 50% to 80% faster than the 9600 GT, depending on the game - he are the relevant charts with the 9800 GT thrown in as well for comparison:

http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/gaming-graphics-charts-2009/compare,1195.html?prod%5B2465%5D=on&prod%5B2450%5D=on&prod%5B2473%5D=on

An the listing on Frys - don't know how long it will be on sale - would not expect too long - and note that it is the 1 GB version:

http://www.frys.com/product/5866223

 

[welshmousepk]

if you aren't already confused by all these numbers OP, the GTS250 recomended above is a rebadged 9800GTX. so its certainly one fo the more powerful options at that price range.

 

[rockyjohn]

The GTS 250 1 GB card is not a rebadged 9800 GTX, or even the faster 9800 GTX+, while similar in most respects it has a reengineered board that is substantially smaller and uses significantly less energy. This article provides more detail - and note how it is compared with faster cards, not slower ones like the 9600 GT (which by the way is a good card):

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3523

By the way, what size PSU do you have? Just checking to see if it will handle the larger graphics cards.

And if the GTS 250 at $100 is too expensive for your budget, how about the 9800 GT on sale for $90 AR with free shipping:

BFG Tech BFGE98512GTGE GeForce 9800 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - Retail - $90 AR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143186

Note that this is a low power version - as such it does not need a PCIe power connector but has slightly slower clock speeds. Power requrements are:
350W PCI Express-compliant system power supply with a combined 12V current rating of 22A or more

Note that the GTS 250 is still the best deal if budget and PSU can support it.

 

[ionut19]

OH one more question before I forget, does it matter if its a 512 mb or a 1gb? I dont know if it comes in a 1gb for ddr2 but If i recall correctly, I saw someone say that512mb vs 1gb doesnt really matter so much in lower end cards and its kind of a gimmick but im not to sure

Thanks again

512 Mb DDR3 is a lot better then 1 Gb DDR2. Never buy a video card with DDR2. I hope that was a writing error.
Anyway i suggest you buy the 512 or 1Gb 4850/4870 witch are cheap or buy the next gen 5770. See where your budget fits. If you want more stability buy nvidia. Their drivers are a little more stable. But ati gives you more for less.
For up to 100$ i would go with this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102824
Costume heat sink, ram gets also cooled by the air from the fan.

 

[rockyjohn]

For up to 100$ i would go with this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102824

Why go with the slower 4850 for $100 when for the same money you can get the faster GTS 250, from a better manufacturer, BGF instead of Sapphire, and with a longer warranty - lifetime instead of only two years?

Here are the THG charts - the 250 wins in most games, substantially in some:

http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/gaming-graphics-charts-2009/compare,1195.html?prod%5B2465%5D=on&prod%5B2481%5D=on

And the GTS 250 is on the THG list for recommended graphics cards at $120 - or $20 more than it cost on sale - the 4850 is not on the list:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-310-5970,2491-3.html

The article states:

As fast as the Radeon HD 4850 and new Radeon HD 5750 (and notably cheaper), the GeForce GTS 250 has no real competition from the rest of the sub-$150 market at this time.

If you can afford $100, the BFG GTS 250 is the best deal.

 

[Stag1928]

My psu size is only 250 T_T but im looking to upgrade to like a 550m because i found one cheap

 

[Bluescreendeath]

^ ooo, you should look to upgrading your PSU first in that case.

If your PSU is a good quality brand, you can probably get away with a 5750 (performs equal to a 4850 but uses less power than a 4830)...

But for any higher end cards, you'll definitely need a better PSU

 

[Stag1928]

I will probably end up going with the 4850 though because it's cheaper, it's good and not too much of an overkill. The GTS 250 is good by all means, but Its more than I'm looking for and i'm on a tight budget atm but i may go for it if i see and good price drops and i get more comp games but for right now, the 4850 is perfect for my needs

 

[Bluescreendeath]

Yep. The 4850 is a good choice for ~$100. (You can find used ones on ebay for around $80)

You'll need to upgrade your PSU though.

 

[rockyjohn]

I will probably end up going with the 4850 though because it's cheaper, it's good and not too much of an overkill. The GTS 250 is good by all means, but Its more than I'm looking for and i'm on a tight budget atm but i may go for it if i see and good price drops and i get more comp games but for right now, the 4850 is perfect for my needs

But after rebate, the GTS 250 is the same price as the 4850 and gives you a better card. What do you mean the 4850 is cheaper?
And what do you mean overkill? In the range of the 4850 and GTS 250 - how can you have overkill? You just get better game play - faster FPS or the ability to use a little better settings.

 

[Stag1928]

This is the psu i was looking at, http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2475867&CatId=1078,it's enough for that video card and its more then enough for my rig plus it has a pci-e connector and its cheap, cheap cheap!! Oh, how do you think the 4850 will perform against crysis? im not looking for ultra high settings, just something reasonable to play with. Right now my 4350 is getting low with like 20-30 fps along with my crappy celeron proc. T_T

 

[Stag1928]

But after rebate, the GTS 250 is the same price as the 4850 and gives you a better card. What do you mean the 4850 is cheaper?
And what do you mean overkill? In the range of the 4850 and GTS 250 - how can you have overkill? You just get better game play - faster FPS or the ability to use a little better settings.

I guess overkill was the wrong word choice but all I mean is that from the prices I see on ebay of the 4850 and the GTS 250, the 4850 is cheaper and In my eyes, I don't see myself needing to spend the extra 25-30 bucks for the GTS 250 because I don't need as much of a powerful graphics card, Right now the 4850 is perfect for the games I play and i'm on like a really really tight budget due to the fact that my parent's get kinda mad because i spend too much time fooling around with computer stuff and spending money on parts when i need to spend more time studying for the SAT's. but like i said if the prices are close between the 250 and the 4850, i'll get the 250 but for right now the 4850 is the perfect price