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What would be a good graphics card to get?

Last response: in Graphics & Displays
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The computer i got came with a pair of 8800GT cards in SLI one of them went bad so i switched to using only one and it has just gone bad also. It has only been ~ 2.5 years since i got the computer that has them. I think it might have gone bad from overheating but the card would mess up just after starting a game or not even when games were running at all so i dont really know if overheating was the cause or not.

Im mainly going to be using the card for 3dsmax, Maya, and Lightwave but also for some gaming as well.

This time around im not really looking for something as powerful (computer was a present and I'm on a budget now) but I am looking for something that is durable and will last a while. I also need it to be able to run 3D modeling programs without much lag . But im mainly looking for something thats durable.

The max i want to spend is probably 150 so i would prefer to stay in the 100-150 range.

Oh also on a side note i have had graphics cards in my older computers and they have lasted much longer. But the graphics card i got in the computer as a present was in a dell. Im beginning to not trust Dell that much after things i heard about them. Could the fact that my computer is a dell be what made the cards go bad so fast?

If anyone has suggestions for what card i should get it would be greatly appreciated.

Note: Ive been to other sites (Im looking around alot before i get a card as i am new to this) Some sites said to get a NVIDIA GTX 460 but people on the NVIDIA site says that the 400 series don't work well with non game 3d applications. If that is true what other cards are there that are like it?

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Graphics card Authority

I'm not sure about the 400 series struggling with 3D applications, but decent 400 series cards won't fall in your budget anyway (the GTX 460 is $170-$230 depending on memory size). Seeing that you were able to run two 8800GTs in SLi, you should be capable of running this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Just for evaluation's sake, do you know the model of your power supply? It's important that it's efficient enough and not going bad. It might even be the reason your 8800GTs aren't functioning anymore.

Thanks for the reply. That card you suggested was one that i got also. Except someone pointed me to tiger direct where its on sale for 10 dollars less. That card along with the 460 (people said it would be worth spending a little more for) are suggestions i got on more gaming orientied sites. Here the card you just showed on tiger direct
See Here

The other suggestion i seemed to get was the 9800 GT. That is what people on a 3d software board seemd to suggest. It was This Card

The power supply that came with this Dell is a 1KW power supply. Its here
See Here
Graphics card Master

3D Modeling runs best on workstation cards like the Quadro and Fire

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/quadro-5000-firepro...

However, take the workstation class outta the equation as you ran successfully w/ the 8800's. You'll definitely want CUDA support and that puts you between a 450 and 460.

Here's with the core clock OC'd from 783 to 925 for $139

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Next up is again the factory OC'd 460 which runs a bit more at $229-239

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

As for the 9800GT and 460/450 being in the same class......we're talking 2-3 tiers of performance difference

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gts-450-rad...





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Graphics card Authority

A Dell with a 1000Watt power supply. Now I've seen everything (or didn't want to bother thinking about that possibility)! The extra money for the GTX 460 is indeed worth the money, but the HD5770 is also priced fairly reasonable and meets your price range. If you want, you can spend more for the GTX 460. They are both great cards.

Also, I just use Newegg as a reference. You don't have to actually buy it from the site. I actually encourage buying away from the site if you live in California like I do.
Graphics card Master

bugmenot1983 said:
Thanks for the reply. That card you suggested was one that i got also. Except someone pointed me to tiger direct where its on sale for 10 dollars less. That card along with the 460 (people said it would be worth spending a little more for) are suggestions i got on more gaming orientied sites. Here the card you just showed on tiger direct
See Here

You need to look again. On Newegg the card is $140 with free shipping and there is a $15 mail in rebate. On Tigerdirect the card is $145 plus shipping and there is a $15 mail in rebate. But jack is right that you should probably go for an Nvidia card for CUDA. I wouldn't recommend paying extra for factory overclocked cards though. You can overclock easily on your own and get better results, no reason to pay someone else to do a poor job of it.

This was the topic mentioning the probelms with the 460.

See Here

People on the tiger direct website and newegg are both saying that the 9800 has overheating problems. They are complaining about a bad fan on it and the 460 seems to be the better option. The only thing preventing me from liking it is that topic mentioning its problems.

Becasue of that Article im leaning more towards the 5770.

If i were to get the 460 (i might spend a little more on it because Ive been getting lots of suggestions) what brand would be the best to get. So far ive heard that EVGA and XFX seem to be the best.
Graphics card Master

bugmenot1983 said:
This was the topic mentioning the probelms with the 460.

See Here

People on the tiger direct website and newegg are both saying that the 9800 has overheating problems. They are complaining about a bad fan on it and the 460 seems to be the better option. The only thing preventing me from liking it is that topic mentioning its problems.

Becasue of that Article im leaning more towards the 5770.

If i were to get the 460 (i might spend a little more on it because Ive been getting lots of suggestions) what brand would be the best to get. So far ive heard that EVGA and XFX seem to be the best.

I see lots of mention of the GTX480 in that thread but no mention of the GTX460. :heink: 

One last quick question if i were to go with the Radeon Card would there need to be any extra BIOS or compatibilty things that i would need to do? I know it has the same PCI-E slots as the NVIDIA cards, and im pretty sure theres the same six prong powerinupt in the back. The only thing im worried about is using a radeon on a dell designed for use with NVIDIA cards. I have had compatibilty issues with this Dell before so i dont know how it will handle the Radeon Card.
Graphics card Master

bugmenot1983 said:
If i were to get the 460 (i might spend a little more on it because Ive been getting lots of suggestions) what brand would be the best to get. So far ive heard that EVGA and XFX seem to be the best.

The best GTX 460 is the MSI Hawk followed by the Asus DirectCU and the MSI Cyclone.
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