Best Current Video Card Options For A 300W PSU

[idiotcanuck1]

I know this is a common question, but which current budget video card would you recommend for an older stock HP system (SR1920NX) with a Lite On 300W PSU. Currently it has a 7600GT PCIe card installed, and runs it without problems. I'm looking to get some performance improvement, without any major investment in an older chasis. TIA.

 

[Lmeow]

The ATi Radeon HD 5670 would be your best bet, it'll perform a lot faster and uses very little power. Make sure to remove your ForceWare drivers completely before installing the card.

 

[wa1]

^+1

 

[idiotcanuck1]

Thanks guys.
Any other alternatives that would compare to a 5670?

 

[JofaMang]

For low power usage + graphics power, there isn't much better. A 4670 will use the same power, and give half the performance (the older generation of that card) but for half the price.

What resolution are you using this card on, and what do you use it for (gaming, movies, spreadsheets, etc)

 

[ravigoteti]

how about a HD 4770, will it work on a 300W power? and is it better than HD 5670?

 

[JofaMang]

The 4770 will match or outperform the 5670 in general use, but will take more power to do it. I wouldn't personally use a 4770 with a 300w lite-on PSU.

 

[wa1]

for your old system, 4670/5670 is enough. No need higher than that, you only has 300W, don't push your PSU too hard...

 

[idiotcanuck1]

Thanks for all your input.
I found some decent deals on 4670 and 5670 cards. I also found a deal on a GT 240 512mb DDR5 card, that seems to have performance numbers, and a price, in between the two Ati cards. Is this also a viable option in my situation?

 

[Lmeow]

The HD 5670 is faster than the GT 240 GDDR5. As for the power consumption, it'll probably be relatively low as well, but I'd go for the HD 5670 anyway.

 

[idiotcanuck1]

How would you rate this GT 240 as compared to the HD 4670? I'm trying to balance performance with the economics of it. The 5670 is priced a bit higher than I was intent on spending, the 4670 is actually priced the same as the GT 240 now, but the GT comes with "free" games/utilities. If the 4670 is superior to the GT, in some aspects, I may go with it, or if the 5670 is that much better than both, I may just open the wallet a little.
Thanks again.

 

[JofaMang]

GT240 is stronger than the 4670, and has enjoyed fabulous price reductions since it was released.

 

[wa1]

5670>GT240>4670

 

[idiotcanuck1]

Thanks guys. I kind of thought that, but I wasn't sure if the GT 240 might have some glaring deficiency, that I didn't comprehend.

 

[idiotcanuck1]

I went with the GT 240. It was priced below a 4670, but came with 2 decent games and video editing software. A 5670 was significantly more, and I couldn't justify the extra cost considering my moderate gaming needs and the likelyhood that my older system would be a bottleneck for higher performance from it. Thanks again to all for the help!

 

[ravigoteti]

hey, mind sharing..where you bought the GT 240?

 

[idiotcanuck1]

hey, mind sharing..where you bought the GT 240?

It was at NCIX.com, I'm in Canada, though. Newegg.ca also had similar deals on three different GT 240's.

 

[JofaMang]

NCIX ships to the states as well, btw ravigoteti.

 

[ravigoteti]

oh ok, thanks for the info guys

 

[idiotcanuck1]

Best answer selected by idiotcanuck1.

 

[JofaMang]

Thanks Idiotcanuck1, that got me my silver graphics badge, WEEE~