Can anyone recommend a quiet and cool-running card for decent gaming?

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Lokwassen

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I'm saving up for a proper gaming machine later this year, so for now, just looking for something to get me through my gaming addiction. I don't need to max out all settings. Just something that can play modern games (Bioshock 2, Mass Effect 2) at 1920 x 1080 resolution with respectable frame rates (min. 25fps).

It's for a small-ish PC, mid-tower case and MicroATX mobo (Asus M4A785-M). CPU: AMD Athlon II X2 245, Memory: 2gb ddr2 800mhz for now (might buy another 2gb stick if necessary), PSU: 550W (more than necessary I think)
 
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jerreece
At 1920x1080 you don't want to skimp much on video cards.

To play with high graphic settings, and keep playable FPS I'd recommend the ATI 5850 (for cool/quiet performance).

Alternatively, you could save money (and run lesser FPS) by going with the MSI GTX 460 1GB Cyclone. It's being rated very well on every site that's reviewed it so far. I would not go any lesser of a video card than this at 1920x1080.

If cool and quiet is your goal, stay away from GTX 470/480. :)

Here you can compare the GTX 460 1GB vs the ATI 5850 more directly:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/180?vs=164

HIS - ATI 5850 $270 + Free Ship (USA)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161330&cm_re=ati_5850-_-14-161-330-_-Product...
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jerreece

jerreece

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At 1920x1080 you don't want to skimp much on video cards.

To play with high graphic settings, and keep playable FPS I'd recommend the ATI 5850 (for cool/quiet performance).

Alternatively, you could save money (and run lesser FPS) by going with the MSI GTX 460 1GB Cyclone. It's being rated very well on every site that's reviewed it so far. I would not go any lesser of a video card than this at 1920x1080.

If cool and quiet is your goal, stay away from GTX 470/480. :)

Here you can compare the GTX 460 1GB vs the ATI 5850 more directly:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/180?vs=164

HIS - ATI 5850 $270 + Free Ship (USA)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161330&cm_re=ati_5850-_-14-161-330-_-Product

MSI Cyclone GTX 460 1GB $225 - $20 MIR = $204 [MSI Rebates take a LONG time though]
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127510
 
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Lokwassen

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Oops, I didn't think it was asking too much of a card to run games decently in 1920 x 1080. I also have a monitor that maxes out at 1600 x 1200, hopefully that one's not too demanding. Well, thanks jerreece :), I'll check those cards out.
Btw, I added some extra info on my original message. Hope that helps.
 
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jerreece

jerreece

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BioShock 2 shouldn't be to bad on either card. Mass Effect 2 however, ran noticeably better with my GTX 470 (or my former GTX 260 SLI which performed the same) than with a single GTX 260.

The 5850 and 460 will both play Mass Effect 2 perfectly fine, but know that in some parts of ME2 it can slow down FPS a bit. It's got a few tough scenes. :)

Honestly the ATI 5850 is probably your best option (for most game titles). It'll perform very well at 1920x1080 (keep you above your 25FPS minimum). Your motherboard only has a single PCI-E GPU slot. The GTX 460 would do well, but at 1920x1080 isn't going to run max settings with FPS being above 25fps all the time.

The GTX 460 1GB (Palit Sonic Platinum version) did VERY well with BioShock 2 though. :)
http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/palit_gtx460_sonic_platinum/10.htm

New Titles:

Metro 2033
http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/palit_gtx460_sonic_platinum/6.htm
Mafia 2 Demo
http://www.legitreviews.com/images/reviews/1386/mafia2_benchmarks.jpg

 
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jerreece

jerreece

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If you're referring to this:

I also have a monitor that maxes out at 1600 x 1200
Click to expand...

That was an edit he must have added later. Because prior to that all he mentioned was 1920x1080.
 
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jyjjy

jyjjy

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No I'm referring to gaming at 1080p. He said he looking for a card to tide him over, isn't looking to max out settings and wants something that delivers 25fps+ in games like Bioshock 2 and Mass Effect 2. An HD5770 is the obvious answer. Hell, even an HD5750/HD4850/GTS 250 might cover that.
 
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jerreece

jerreece

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Again, his post has been edited.

Also, if he's planning to replace this video card "later this year" what's the point in wasting (yes, wasting) $100 on a "tide me over" video card when he can spend $200 on a GTX 460 1GB and use it for his future gaming system? When he builds that new system, he could choose to go SLI and would hands down have a great machine for playing at his current 1080p resolution.

He's going to be spending this money "later this year" anyhow. That's sometime in the next 3 months if I go by calendar year. It would be a complete waste to suggest a lesser card that he may be replacing that soon.
 
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jerreece

jerreece

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Crossfire 5770's would be great. But honestly, the GTX 460 is just so hard to pass up right now. With two of them beating a GTX 480 by 20% in cases, they're just fantastic. Plus, a single 460 compared to a single 5770, to me it's easily worth the price difference.

But then again, I use a GTX 470 for a reason. I don't like 30FPS. I like 60+ :)

I originally typed up some details in one of my original posts to him about Crossfire/SLI setups, but realizing his current setup was a single PCI-E setup I decided not to get into all that for now.
 
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Lokwassen

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xD I'm sorry. I know it's September, but my mind is still in March. It's just so hot here. You're right, 3 months is too soon. I'm going to wait till deep into next year or whenever the next Deus Ex comes out. And I wont be upgrading this PC all that much, I'm building a beast from the ground up. This one IS just to time me over, sorry for confusion. =)
 
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jerreece

jerreece

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No harm no foul. :) If you game with your 1600x1200 monitor, the ATI 5770 that jyjjy suggested is perfectly suitable. And with Bioshock 2 in particular the 5770 would do fine there too (as it's not much different than the original Bioshock graphically).

Just take into mind what you want to do with the "new" video card next year. Do you want to replace it, or do you want to use it as part of the future system. That's for you to decide. :)
 
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jyjjy

jyjjy

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He is right though. If you can afford it a GTX 460 would be a good choice. Adding another in SLI when you do upgrade will give you performance similar to an HD5970. By then they will likely be significantly cheaper as well.
That said if you would just rather leave the card in your current system an HD5770 for $140-150 seems to be what you are looking for(or better than what you requested even.)
 
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