Which card for upgrade?

[Canuck1]

This is the situation:
current card: EVGA 7950GT
PSU: Corsair 520HX modular
mobo: Gigabyte P35

My stuff is fairly old so I am not sure I should invest much in the video card. What do you guys think? I also use Windows XP but thinking of getting Windows 7. I also dual boot Linux but I'm getting less concerned about ATI support because it's improving yet really slow progression.

I am trying to decide on a budget but not sure. I guess, between $100 and $170.

If $170, I'm think the HD 5770 might be recommended. If so, which version, the reference pcb design or these new designs also called V2 shroud? Then there's ones like the Vapor-X. Which 5770?

If I go for a cheaper card, which one? HD 4850, 4770 or? I thought the HD 5750 might be too weak for what you get. But, I like that the HD 5xxx series of cards are lower power and less heat. I don't really care much for the DirectX11 stuff. I usually went with Nvidia although my current card is used, it works fine. But, Nvidia's current cards are too expensive and run too hot/high power. I don't mind ones like the GTS 250 but I think they are also expensive for being an older generation. I DON'T want to buy a used card, too risky.

Please recommend???!? Oh yeah, some examples with brand and model # is helpful, too. Just keep in mind if you recommend one at newegg, I might not be able to get the same one if you are looking at newgg.com. I can only get cards from Canadian vendors. Thanks.

 

[rolli59]

HD5770 would be my first choice but then again if you are on low resolution HD4850, HD5750 or GTS250 all come into play. Both GTS250 and HD4850 can be had for about $100 with the HD57xx cards a little more expensive.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-geforce-gtx-480,2598-3.html

The above link covers it all

 

[megamanx00]

Depends on your resolution and CPU. Since you have a P35 board I'm assuming you can install a quad core in there (at least after a BIOS update). I like those custom sapphire cards

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102824

but if you were interested in selling it down the line then you may want to go with an XFX model for their double lifetime warranty.

 

[Canuck1]

Oh yeah, I forgot to provide my monitor's resolution! That would help, huh?

1680 x 1050.

The cpu is a bit old but still okay, I guess: Q6600, G0 stepping.

 

[rolli59]

For that resolution and CPU HD5770. You could even run HD5850 but that is over your budget.

 

[Canuck1]

So, for $150 to $200, the card to choose is definitely HD 5770. But, which one and what kind of cooler/shroud? The full one or one of these redesigned ones?

If I decide I can only spare $100 to $120 (max.), then which card? I thought, probably HD 4770 or HD 4850. I thought maybe HD 4770 because A) it is GDDR5 B) runs cooler and at lower power and C) it might be more quiet

I also was wondering about the brand name and thought to try for XFX or Sapphire. I think if it's a HD 4xxx series card, to go with XFX and if it's 5770 then, it can be either. Comments?

 

[rolli59]

You can not go wrong with XFX's warranty. The current prices of HD4770 and HD4850 makes the 4850 a better buy based on performance. People here have been recommending MSI Hawk and Asus CuCore in the HD5770 cards along with the other two you mentioned.

 

[Canuck1]

rolli, I was wondering about that but I also read the HD 4770 runs cooler and on lower power but can be overclocked easier. But, some HD 4850s, like the 1GB Gigabyte customized version, can run at around the same temps but only slightly higher power. It seemed interesting. I'm leaning towards XFX for the warranty, anyways, unless that Gigabyte is worth looking into or nothing else jumps out at me.

I like that there's a lot of choices if I go with XFX and there's decent prices for whatever model I go for. I was also wondering about reference pcb or ver. 2 shrouds regarding the HD 5770. This stuff is complicated! I was wondering if I should go for the reference shroud version. Maybe just look at XFX HD 4770, HD 4850 (compare the XFX w/ the Gigabyte ver.) and XFX HD 5770 (only if I boost the budget).

Whatya think?

 

[rolli59]

XFX is a good choice on all of those cards. I personally would go with the HD5770 it is the upgrade that is going to last you the longest.