Building a new PC for games: Need graphic card for 170 USD

[jameel720]

Building a new PC for games:

Thinking like:

Amd Phenom ll x4 965 Black Edition
Corsair 2 GB DDR3 RAM 1600 Mhz PC12800 XMS3
MSI 870A-G54 Socket AM3
Cooler Master Hyper TX3 CPU Cooler Fan For AMD Intel
COOLER MASTER EXTREME POWER 350W Power Supply SMPS



I have a Nvidia Geforce 9400 gt graphic card 1 GB. Want to buy another graphic card and use both the graphic card
.[ if possible ]

Monitor is Acer G195 HQL = Resolution is 1366 v 768

And a Graphic card for playing all the latest games like: Dirt 2, COD, Black Ops, BFBC Vietnam, prince of persia & all the latest releases.

Please suggest Graphic card around 170 USD

Please suggest for any changes in above options.


Thanks.

 

[4745454b]

? Are you serious? Your plan is to match a 965 up with only two gigs of ram and a 350W POS PSU? First, dump the fan. Run the stock one. Second, bump the ram up to 4GBs. Third, drop the 350W Coolermaster and buy a nice 380-520W. Whatever makes the most sense at the time you buy it because its on sale. Stick with Antec, Corsair, Enermax, and Seasonic. You might need to cut into your $170 for GPU fund to do this. I would drop down to one of the lower x3 or Athlon x4s to keep the GPU budget high enough. Perhaps the Athlon 640 with a GTX460 or 6850.

 

[stingstang]

I agree. At least 4 GB of RAM, keep the cooler(I have no idea why 4745 doesn't think it's better than the stock), up the PSU to over 450, buy an athlon II x3, spend what is left on the graphics card, if there is anything left. I wouldn't suggest getting another 9400...it's a pitiful little card.

 

[mdd1963]

Most modern AM3 boards with AMD chipsets do not support SLI, so I'd recommend a single GTX460 (1 gb) for about $150-$160....

Bump your ram to 4 gb when possible, and get a better PSU...

 

[4745454b]

I didn't say it wasn't better. I'm saying if there is a budget issue run the stock fan. Aftermarket HSFs are cheap. The hyper 212+ can be had for $30. Spend that $30 on a better GPU or more ram, and upgrade the sink later when budget allows it.

 

[jameel720]

Thanks you all for the reply

I got:

Corsair ram 4 gb 1333 mhz
Processor AMD 550 [ Suggest ]
PSU = 460 w [ please suggest if require more - 600 w ]
Graphic Card GTX 460 1 GB [ Or another equal good quality ]

Mother Board [ Suggest ] --- [ I have MSI 890 - G65 ] [ Please suggest if any alternative ]


Please suggest the alternative in the same Price range .

Thanks

 

[Toronto]

You don't need a gtx 460 for 1366x768.

 

[4745454b]

And that 460W could be crap. I can point you to links where PSUs are tested where they only output HALF of what they claim, looking at you Diablotek.

 

[aznshinobi]

As of now I don't even think you should get a 550. Drop the 550 and pick up a 955. Much better deal now that it is so cheap. The MSI board is good, but I think you could save a bit more by just going with the 870's.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157198&cm_re=870_extreme3-_-13-157-198-_-Product

IT's a great board has all the features the MSI board has basically, cept a diff SB/NB, but its still just as good and cheaper too!

As for the PSU, don't try ink in a crappy PSU. In the end you'll suffer by it blowing up (like some rosewills do) not being able to supply the power. Just the end result is lots of hassles. I recommend (if you want to cheap out) this Antec Earthwatts 650w 80+. Only 70$ with a 5$ promo code and 15$ MIR.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371015

As for your GPU the 460 is good enough, I think a 5770 would be smart too. But a 460 is good enough to run your most demanding games at THAT resolution.

Anyway to top it all off as I said above, I think you should really get a 955 instead of a 550, unclocking is cool and all, but not guaranteed if you think it is. I tried to cheap out, I ended up unable to unlock it. It was a fail.

 

[joelmartinez]

I thought the rule of thumb was don't mix AMD and Nvidia

Go with the 6850 and 955

 

[aznshinobi]

^ not neccesarily true. only in dual card configs will you see problrems arise. The 460 would be the cheaper route if he just stays at that resolution.

 

[joelmartinez]

Oh sorry a nooby misunderstanding okay then the nvidia route would be more desirable

 

[real world]

If you live near a Microcenter then your best bet is to pick up one of their CPU/free mobo combo's for $100. Get an Athlon II x4 640 with a free Biostar mobo.

http://cart.microcenter.com/cart.aspx

If that link doesn't work, just go here and look at the ad banner up top, or on the bottom right of the screen. www.microcenter.com

AMD Athlon II X4 640 3.0GHz Boxed Processor $95.99

Biostar A780L3G AM3 760G mATX Motherboard Free

Pick up this 500w Rosewill PSU from Newegg for $49. Use coupon code EMCZNNW43 for $5 off.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182199&nm_mc=AFC-C8JUNCTION&cm_mmc=AFC-C8JUNCTION-_-EMC-122810-Latest-_-PowerSupplies-_-17182199-L06A&PID=3463938&AID=10521304

If that PSU isn't enough juice for your liking, then opt for this Antec 650w Earthwatts unit that's the same price after rebate and coupon code.

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?nm_mc=AFC-TechBargains&cm_mmc=AFC-TechBargains-_-NA-_-NA-_-NA&Item=N82E16817371015



Buy this Gskill Rip Jaws RAM, and apply coupon code DKMEM15 to get 15% off the price. So about $38 or so total.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231274



Here's a mediocre Samsung disc drive for $16. It'll do.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151192&nm_mc=AFC-C8JUNCTION&cm_mmc=AFC-C8JUNCTION-_-EMC-122810-Latest-_-CDDVDBurners-_-27151192-L04C&PID=3463938&AID=10521304

Coolermaster Elite 310 case for $40 delivered. I have two of these. Decent cases for the money.
http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Elite-Window-RC-310-RWN1-GP/dp/B002XIST2S/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1293687340&sr=8-3

Here's an option for a Vid card. Powercolor Radeon HD 5850 for $169 delivered.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131386&Tpk=powercolor%205850

If not try this HIS 6850 for $10 more.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161348

You'll need a Hard Drive too. Those are easy enough to choose from. I'm partial to Samsung spinpoints personally. Figure $50 for a decent 500GB drive.


My quick math puts the total at somewhere around $400-450 or so. Assuming you already have an OS and monitor of course.

 

[aznshinobi]

That 6850 is probably going to block slots on that board. I'm sorry to say but I'm just not a fan of Biostar or Micro ATX boards. Specially pretty low end boards =P I think with USB 3 expected mainstream next year. I say going with that board isn't the smartest idea. Just IMO.

The thing about Rosewill they're alright... But they've gotten bad reviews in some cases where the PSU blew up. Just a thought about rosewill. I say go with the PSU Real and i linked.

 

[real world]

I'm not a fan of either as well, but if the dude's on a tight budget, why not take a free mobo that you can always replace at some point. Afterall it is free. If he decides he needs some of the blocked slots down the road, then he can always upgrade to an ATX board of his liking. Microcenter does offer an MSI ATX board with that bundle, but it's more money. $30 more with a $10 rebate (so $20 AR). I've used a couple of those bundles inside some PC's I've built for my office here. For limited budgets, or limited uses, where you're not adding in much more than a GPU, they're fine. For someone with a little more coin, or larger needs, I'd invest elsewhere.

 

[aznshinobi]

Well the thing is.... I just don't think the Propus will handle those games real great. It's a great chip and all. But BFBC2 is a really cpu and graphic intensive game. Even on my 955 it practically maxes usage on every core at 80% for each core hen running it. And so I think going for a 955 would be beneficial when playing that game.

 

[mdd1963]

You cant really say that because CPU useage is at 80% that it doesn't 'handle it' very well; it is using the cores to good effect in a demanding game. 4 cores are best, ....currently.....; adds are a 600 MHz faster quad core would still be at 80% useage, this is merely how Win7 distributes the workload with a multicore processor/OS... (Typically, however, the i5 quad cores do crank out better framerates at most resolutions below 2560x1600, expecially at 1280x1024)

I can make my CPU useage on a single core jump to 35% by rapid/cicular mouse movements; doesn't mean the cpu cant handle it.

 

[aznshinobi]

Lol That's strange I don't get my CPU usage to 35% in circular motions. All I know is that when your CPU's usage reaches 100% in certain games. I start framerate lagging or just lagging in general.

However, since he is playing on a lower res. I cannot say. So I suppose the 640 is a viable option. =P

 

[real world]

BFBC2 on the PC is a unique game in and of itself, since it's a port, or console based game modfied for the PC. I've read about systems, and have friends who play with me, that eat up other games, but struggle with BFBC2 specifically. Even people with high end systems have problems, versus some others with lesser systems that might not. The one component issue that people point to with that specific game, is the performance of dual core versus quad core systems. It's been more or less agreed that a quad core is a must over all else. GPU takes a side seat to the CPU in that regard.

The Propus isn't the greatest I agree, but when you're talking limited budget, it's a great deal. Unless of course a buyer opts for the same $100 bundle on the Phenon II X2 560 Black Edition, and can unlock the other 2 cores. I've seen people type that it's fairly easy to do, but that it's not a guarantee to be successfull.

 

[aznshinobi]

Gawd, I love the idea of unlocking. But, that messed me up. Though that I'd take the chance and go for the unlock attempt for my first build. That failed. The Phenom II X2 unlock rate is about 1/2 I suppose maybe a bit more. Like say... 3/5? I mean if you willing to risk it they go for it. But if not just go with the Propus. As for the Propus Phenom thing, the Phenom's have a L3 cache and that actually really helps a lot during gameplay. Not other apps, but mostly during gameplay.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/athlon-l3-cache,2416-6.html

Arguably I do agree that on a budget the Propus is the best option. But maybe he has the budget to switch to a Phenom.

 

[real world]

I agree on unlocking. It would be nice if he told us what his budget is, as well as what components he needs specifically.