GPU for Athlon ii x4 under $175

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psychoclown81

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Hi, i am in the process of assembling a budget gaming computer.

I have an AMD Athlon II x4 640 (3.0ghz, possibly O/C in the future)
4gb dual channel ddr2-800mhz memory
foxconn a74ml-k motherboard (amd 740g chipset, horrible radeon 2100 integrated graphics)

PSU isn't really a factor, i'm using an old one that i will upgrade based on GPU recommendations.

My budget is limited at about $175 U.S. (including tax+shipping) and i would like to know what card would be best for my system. I would really like to get an ATi/AMD card for the whole "AMD Vision" synergistic relationship stuff, but that doesn't mean i won't buy an nVidia card. I would be willing to buy a used card from ebay of a somewhat older series as long as it offers good performance for that price point. I plan on playing Microsoft Flight Simulator X, and lots of FPS games (CoD, as well as free ones, and maybe mess around with a little crysis). I would really prefer a card with a shrouded heatsink and front blower fan, so that all the hot air is directed outside of my case. Right now, some of the options that look appealing are:
1) a new HIS Iceq 5770
2) a used HIS Iceq 4850 or 4870
3) a used 4890
4) a used 4870x2

i haven't had a whole lot of luck finding nVidia cards for that price point, but if you can recommend a good one, i would be happy to buy it..

Thanks for your time :D
 

psychoclown81

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Thanks, that's pretty powerful and within my budget, but i'm worried that it's going to spew warm air inside my case with a cooler like that...
 

karma831

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The cyclone does spew the air in the case but most cards that do not have external exhaust blower types do. If you have a pretty decent case with some airflow its really not an issue.
 

psychoclown81

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That might be pushing it. With tax, i don't think i'll be able to buy that :(
 
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