Which graphic card > 8600GT

[jimmys_]

Hi.

I used to have the nVidia 8600GT with 256MB DDR3 RAM but unfortunately it died and I want to buy a new one.

My PC specs are:
MOBO: Intel DQ965GF
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6320
RAM: 2GB 667MHz
PSU: 350W

As you can see my PC is not a high end or any gaming PC. Despite that I still would like to play the latest games even in a just decent visual quality. So which graphics cards should I buy that will work on that PC? Actually any card better than the one I had would be fine.

 

[benski]

A GT 240 would be a cheap descent upgrade that would probably work on your existing power supply, or if you want to switch to an AMD card the 5670 is a good choice that will work on a 350w psu if it's descent. If you want to really cheap out you can find a used or referbed 9600 GT on ebay.

Might be easier to make a suggestion if you told us how much you want to spend, what the specs/manufacturer of your power supply is, and what resolution your monitor is.

 

[plznote]

A 5670.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102871&cm_re=5670-_-14-102-871-_-Product
A GT240 if you can risk a rebate.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130533&cm_re=gt_240-_-14-130-533-_-Product

 

[jimmys_]

I don't mind if it is nVidia/ATI.

About the PSU, I actually don't know anything but probably is just a cheap PSU.
My monitor is an LG 20" with 1680x1050 max resolution.

About the price, I actually don't want to spent a lot and by that I mean that if I buy a very good card then I'll have to upgrade my PC for it but in this case buying a new PC would be the best solution. So I just need a card that would 'fit' my PC specs. As I said with the 8600GT I was quite happy. The only game I tried but couldn't run was GTA IV but other than that everything else was playable more or less.

I've already looked for some cards on ebay, but overall (including shipping) would cost me the same as buying a new one from my local store. For example a used 9600GT from ebay costs more than a new ATI 5450. Of course I don't know which one is better.

So actually I would a little help on that too. Should I buy an older card (nVidia 8xxx, 9xxx, ATI 3xxx, 4xxx) or should I buy a new one (nVidia GTxxx, ATI 5xxx)

Thanks

 

[benski]

9600gt is a better gaming card than the 5450. The 5570 is probably the lowest radeon right now thats going to be as good as your 8600 was. The cheapest gaming card I can recommend is this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102829&cm_re=4650-_-14-102-829-_-Product

If you want somethign even cheaper than that then just get another 8600 off ebay, they are going for less that 20 bucks, it would still be better than a 5450.

 

[megamanx00]

I say 5670. Get it, be happy

 

[loneninja]

9600gt is a better gaming card than the 5450. The 5570 is probably the lowest radeon right now thats going to be as good as your 8600 was. The cheapest gaming card I can recommend is this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102829&cm_re=4650-_-14-102-829-_-Product

If you want somethign even cheaper than that then just get another 8600 off ebay, they are going for less that 20 bucks, it would still be better than a 5450.

5570 should be a good 50% faster if not more than his old 8600Gt, a 5670 will probably double the performance.

 

[jimmys_]

Thanks everyone for your comments. Your recommendations are really good and I'll check them out. I just want to ask one thing. I looked at ATI's website and some of the aforementioned cards require a minimum power supply of 400W. Is this going to cause any problems as my PSU is only 350W and it is probably a cheap unbranded PSU? On the other hand the nVidia cards (8600, 9600, GT 240) require only 300W.

 

[cthunder067]

Unless you upgrade, I wouldn't recommend running any card that requires a 400W PS.
On Newegg there are at least 2 430-450W PS that cost under $50 with rebates. Then you could upgrade to a 5670
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121362
It's currently out of stock, but u can find it on Amazon for the same price and rebate.

If you don't upgrade you can get this one from Newegg
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133321

 

[hogan773]

why would you get a $79 GT240 when you can get a $42 one?


I'm in the same boat (actually completely different boat - new build for a non-gamer)

It appears GT240 is pretty close to 5670 in performance and power draw. Do you think its worth $65 vs $40 to get the 5670? It appears 240 can't SLI, while I assume 5670 could Crossfire. Doubt though that I'll be a dual GPU guy in the future, esp using "basic" GPUs. 5670 has Eyefinity, but again, chances that I buy 2 more monitors and pimp out my home office so I can play Hawx are slim to none.

 

[cthunder067]

While I am a fanboi of Nvida cards, I would go with the 5670 even if you don't plan on pimpin out your home office just to play Hawx