MSI 250 GTS 512

[beelphegor]

Hello,
I've been using Tom's Hardware as my go to source when upgrading my computers, for about 5 years now. This is however my first ever post. In the past I had a job and money to be able to experiment and learn through trial and error. No longer do I have this "luxuray". So i have to be very careful with how I spend my money.

I recently downloaded the Final Fantasy 14 benchmark and realized my system fails horribly. So I hope that the cheapest fix would be to get a new g-card. I have done some research and decided that the MSI 250 GTS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127495
Is most likely my best buy.

My Current Specs:
CPU: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 6400+ (2 CPUs), ~3.2GHz
RAM: 2x2g
Mobo: Asus M2N-SLI Deluxe (not sure if pciex16 are 2.0 or 1.0)
G-card: msi 8600gts
Resolution : Lowest possible FFXIV will let me run it in.

I do not need this game to shine, I just want it to function. I really hope this card will work, or any other suggestions would be appreciated. I really can't afford an all new rig. If this is a good card then I might just buy a second one to SLI later.

 

[Dane Bouwer]

dear beelphegor

the gts 250 is just a little bigger than the 8800 GT, with only 12 more processing cores, but slower core clock....

I would recommend the GTX 260 : for only $199.99

www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130434&cm_re=gtx_260-_-14-130-434-_-Product

the card is a bit more expensive, but with almost double the amout of processing cores, and great core speeds, its a real steal, and from a great brand name as well!

the game will run perfectly, smoothly and will "shine" the way that you'd want it to!! don't just play the game, but enjoy every minute of it!!

you've got a good CPu, enough RAM, why not put a mother like this in it!! I promise you it would be totally worth it!!

for $85 more, you're getting about 150% more performance!!!

hope this opens a few eyes

Dane

 

[Maziar]

Hello,
I've been using Tom's Hardware as my go to source when upgrading my computers, for about 5 years now. This is however my first ever post. In the past I had a job and money to be able to experiment and learn through trial and error. No longer do I have this "luxuray". So i have to be very careful with how I spend my money.

I recently downloaded the Final Fantasy 14 benchmark and realized my system fails horribly. So I hope that the cheapest fix would be to get a new g-card. I have done some research and decided that the MSI 250 GTS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127495
Is most likely my best buy.

My Current Specs:
CPU: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 6400+ (2 CPUs), ~3.2GHz
RAM: 2x2g
Mobo: Asus M2N-SLI Deluxe (not sure if pciex16 are 2.0 or 1.0)
G-card: msi 8600gts
Resolution : Lowest possible FFXIV will let me run it in.

I do not need this game to shine, I just want it to function. I really hope this card will work, or any other suggestions would be appreciated. I really can't afford an all new rig. If this is a good card then I might just buy a second one to SLI later.

Hello and welcome to the forums
A GTS 250 is a great boost from your current card and can handle FFXIV fine,if you are looking for other recommendations then if your budget allows go with HD 5770,otherwise stick with GTS 250.

 

[namelessonez]

Yup The GTS250 would be just fine.
Having said that, the 5670 would be a choice worth considering
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127477

If you can shoot up the price by 10 bucks, get the 5750
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131354

Reasons:
1. You'll get DirectX11, while the GTS250 is DirectX10
2. Faster than the GTS250
3. More value for money at that price

Only thing is, the GTS250 is 256-bit, while both the ATI cards are 128-bit. Plus, nVidia has PhysX, though that depends from person to person. Many would say that PhysX isn't all that its made out to be, but I for one, am happy with it. I'm running the MSI GTS250 1 gig and have no complaints.

Keep your resolution in mind! Unless you're gaming at 1680x1080 or higher, a GPU with more than 512 mb won't make any difference, as the extra 512 mb gets utilized only on higher resolutions.

 

[beelphegor]

I'd rather stick with nvidia since my mobo has nvidia chipsets, i've heard bad things about mixing the two. Plus its a stigma thing, like seeing sonic the hedhog on a nintendo system

Admittedly, I know nothing of bottlenecking, and I also do not know how bad of a performance drop I would get from putting a pciex16 2.0 card in a 1.0 slot (i'm not sure but with my luck thats probably what my mobo has since it doesn't seem to specify it anywhere that I can find).

Can anyone allieviate my fears on those two points?

Cheaper is better, I just want to be able to play the game with a card that I could possible double up on in the future. Or am I wishing for too much?

 

[Maziar]

5670 isn't faster than GTS 250.
GTS 250 is comparable to HD 5750 in terms of performance

 

[namelessonez]

Considering the fact that FFXIV can be run at 1280 x 720, I suggest you stick with the GTS250. Check out this link on FFXIV:

http://www.ffxivcore.com/wiki/System_Requirements

The rest of your config is good enough, so there's no worry about bottlenecking. However, consider getting the 1gb version, should you plan on gaming at higher resolutions tomorrow.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127478

 

[jyjjy]

Your PCIE slots are 1.0a but that shouldn't be an issue.
What kind of power supply do you have? The GTS 250 is going to use much more power than your current card.

 

[beelphegor]

I understand that it is backwards compatable, but it has to effect it some how I would think. No effect at all? Or nothing noticable? Or nothing that will make it a bad purchase for what i need it for?
I have a 580w psu
I am also in the process of trying to dig up a good guide on bottlenecking, something that can explain it to me so I can make better decisions in the future. Anyone have any suggestions?
ty for all the quick responses

 

[Maziar]

There shouldn't be any noticeable performance drop using a PCI-E 2.0 card on PCI-E 1.0 unless you play at a resolution like 2560x1600 or higher.
As for bottleneck,well it depends on the games and the resolution that you play.
Higher resolutions benefit more from the VGA and less from CPU(Except for some CPU-limited games)

 

[beelphegor]

I will be playing at low resolutions. I think I've gotten a decent amount of info/opinions to go ahead with my orig decision. Thanks for the speedy answers everyone

 

[namelessonez]

....and your decision being?????

 

[beelphegor]

Best answer selected by beelphegor.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey