What video card for $100-$170

[whitefang]

My friend is going to upgrade his video card, he has the nvidia 9400 GT these are his specs:

Processor: Regor 240 2.8 ghz dual core
MoBo: GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM
Ram: 2GB DDR2 800 mhz
PowerSupply: Antec BP-550 550W continous 3 rails (22A, 22A, 25A)
VideoCard: Sparkle 9400 GT 512MB DDR2

He plays games at a low resolution 1280 by 1024 for the most part. These are the cards I've been looking at.


$100 HD 4850 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102824
$130 HD 4860 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102866
$170 HD 5770 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150447

I heard the 4860 is a crippled 4890, if he gets it he will probably want to overclock it.

Didn't really think the 4870 was all that great of a price, and the 4860 just looks really nice. What do you guys suggest?

 

[darkjuggalo2000]

GET THE HD5770!!!!!

I have one and it rocks go with the xfx for the warranty and you can even overclock it if you want!!

I play crysis and get great frame rates never an issue with the 5770!! definately worth it!!!

 

[paperfox]

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/radeon-hd-5570,review-31806-7.html
I was gona say 5670 for 1280x1040 but if you want to max out crysis and be more powerfull/futureproof then a 5750/70 would be more than enough at your resolution.

 

[whitefang]

So you don't think getting the 4860 and overclocking it is a better idea? It's only $130 and I heard it can be overclocked to 4890 speeds.

 

[shadow187]

If he wants to save some money, then go ahead and grab an HD5770. It's not that much, costing $144 for the 512MB version (which is what he needs), and $125 for an OPEN box.

 

[whitefang]

Yeah I didn't think the $144 version was a good option, The cooler looks like crap and it's made by powercolor

 

[whitefang]

I would grab the open box one but he can't buy it yet, he's buying it in a week

 

[darkjuggalo2000]

I am telling you if you get the xfx 5770 you can overclock that as much as you want and xfx covers it by their warranty !!! a bargain and deffiantly future proof!! Its the next generation card 45nm technolagy and it can take you overclocking it!!! way more efficient overall just a better card...

this is what i have and with the free shipping it makes the cut!!! http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150447

 

[paperfox]

Having the power of a 4890 over a 4870/5770 at that low resolution wont make much of a difference. I recomend the 5770 because it has DX11 and is more futureproof because of it.

 

[whitefang]

Ok it looks like I'll be going with the 5770, if he doesn't end up with that much money though. What should he get instead?

 

[darkjuggalo2000]

If he cant get that much money than go with the 5750 and overclock to 5770 specs

 

[paperfox]

probly the 4850 because of the low resolution

 

[darkjuggalo2000]

Remember go with xfx brand!!!!

 

[darkjuggalo2000]

hmm... i would deffinatly go with the 5750 over the 4850 for the case of future upgrading you can allways get better hardware in the future when money comes your way but you want to be one generation ahead so your money is not going into gpu but other components instead such as processor, mobo, ram get the 5770 for 45nm stucture, direct X 11 and better stability in over clock!!!

 

[nrnx]

Get the XFX 5770l that will hold you over till you can upgrade the rest of your PC.

 

[darkjuggalo2000]

definatly stay in the 5700 series with your new purchase they will keep you up to speed for a while

 

[shadow187]

Ok it looks like I'll be going with the 5770, if he doesn't end up with that much money though. What should he get instead?

Even the Open Box version houses some kind of return policy. To be honest, there's kind of a fail-fail situation if he can't muster up an additional $20. An HD4850 for $100 is nice. The HD5750 is useless at the price of $130, because although it has DX11, it has no longevity if your friend buys another monitor a year down the road.

 

[whitefang]

Well he's playing with a 9400 GT right now so anything will be better. So we'll see in a week. I'll be checking the open box deals.

 

[darkjuggalo2000]

deffinatly worth a look at the open box deals however i dont see how the new series 5750 doesnt have longevity it is hdmi compatable and rated at higher resolution than your specs so.. i would think a new monitor would work even better with that card... shadow please provide emphisis on this... I have a 5770 running on a 23" monitor at 1650 X 1080 dpi..

 

[shadow187]

HD5750 = Slightly worse HD4850 + DX11 + Lower Power + Less Heat + Eyefinity.

The extra tech doesn't cover up for the blatant fact; it still sucks, by next-generation's standards, and it's somewhat decent (mid-level entry card) by last-gen's standards.

 

[darkjuggalo2000]

i understand but it doesnt sound like this person is trying to play crysis on very high with anti aliasing all the way up or anything obviously you are a hardcore gamer for an entry level gamer i would suggest the 5750,, and the 5770 will still give great framerates in crysis on very high with aa on 4x so i feel it has plenty of power...

 

[whitefang]

Remember darkjuggalo, I am trying to get the best video card for the price. The 5750 = trash for the price.

 

[Bluescreendeath]

Get a 5770, they go around $160ish

 

[whitefang]

Alright thanks. Hopefully an open box one will be available when he buys it next week.

 

[gamerk316]

Again, I think the 5770 is underpowered for its price; its basically a 4870 with DX11 support, and baed on the numbers I've seen, the 5770 is probably too weak to be a decent DX11 card. And really, if your friend is doing such a low resolution, DX11 probably isn't that big a concern...

For that resolution, anything over a 4670 is probably overkill. Even so, the 4850 is by far the best price/performance for that resolution.