Dead 8800 GTS needs replacement

[Newbie237]

Hi,

I have a pretty old PC (~4 yeards old) with the following specs:
550W Antec True Power
nForce 680i SLI
Intel E6700 dual core (2.67GHx)
2x1024 DDR2-800 corsair
EVGA 8800GTS 640Mb
Regular AIR cooling
WinXP

And so my GPU seemed to have died on me...instead of replacing everything (since everything seems to still be working OK), I'd rather buy a new GPU- the question being which one ?

I'd rather stay with nVidia but I'm not set again going to ATI
No SLI, no overclock

I was looking at the GTX 460 (768 or 1Gb) since that would be a nice upgrade over what I currently have but have a few questions:

1) Will my PSU handle that or should I upgrade it as well (I'd rather not upgrade it unless I have to)
2) Any possible issue with my current MoBo
3) EVGA ? GeForce ? Other ?
4) Budget is ~$200 - since my card just died, this is rather urgent.
5) having the ability to run dual display would be nice (I currently run single display at 1280x1024 but would like to buy a second screen)

Thanks !

 

[jyjjy]

At your resolution I wouldn't consider anything more than an HD5770. It will already be overkill for your purposes. If you prefer Nvidia the new GTS 450 is a good choice. Only consider the GTX 460 if the new second screen you are considering will much higher res such as 1080p.
FYI even your old 8800GTS(or any card released in the last 6-7 years or so) could handle 2 screens easily.

 

[Newbie237]

Thanks, I was also looking at the 450 but thought the price difference between it and the 460 was such that I could go higher "just in case"...but you're right, might as well save myself a few bucks

what about the PSU ?
what about EVGA vs others ?

 

[jyjjy]

The power supply can handle any of these cards easily. EVGA is a good brand but for the best cooling I would recommend the ASUS DirectCU or MSI Cyclone. The factory OC on this card is impressive and make it a little faster than the HD5770(at stock);
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121394
Although you can save a bit of money and OC the card yourself if you want to(it's simple to do);
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121393
Speaking of overclocking an OC on your E6700 is a good idea. Putting it up to 3.3ghz should be very easy even on the stock cooler and will help in the more CPU intensive current games.

 

[Newbie237]

thanks a lot for the quick replies.

I'll go through all those cards and figure out which one I like best and I'll also very likely upgrade my LCD to 22'' or 24'' (and keep my current 19'' as secondary display). anyway thanks again.

 

[jyjjy]

Like I said if you are going to get a higher resolution monitor then the GTX 460 actually is appropriate.

 

[letsgetsteve]

remember the scaling that the gts 450 is capable of. if your not going to get a new monitor right away maybe start with just one gts 450 and then once you get another monitor then you can add on another 450. 2 X gts 450's are better then one 460 and not too much more money. just an idea

 

[Newbie237]

Best answer selected by Newbie237.