Upgrading Graphics Card

[ssantmyers]

Hello,

I am trying to upgrade from a Nvidia 9300 Ge to something better but not outrageous

 

[mrjericho1991]

budget?your existing powersupply?resolution?

 

[sharpbrick]

^^ and also what you will be doing with it

 

[ssantmyers]

budget...between 1-200 dollars

screen resolution is 1980X1200, mostly used for Blu-ray movies and gaming (WoW, City of Heroes, Halo etc)

Power supply id Have to look up I am unsure at the moment, but I can tell u Processor is an Amd Quad Core 2.2

anything else you need know let me know...Im pretty handy with a computer I just dont know one card from another

 

[mrjericho1991]

if you got $100 budget!then hd 5750/gts 450/250 are available choices.
if you got $70 budget!then your best bet would be Hd 5670/9800gt.
here is hd 5670:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102871&cm_re=hd_5670-_-14-102-871-_-Product
here is gts 450:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130572&cm_re=gts_450-_-14-130-572-_-Product
here is gts 250:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814134078&cm_re=gts_250-_-14-134-078-_-Product
here is hd 5750:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161309&cm_re=hd_5750-_-14-161-309-_-Product
Here is Performance List:
1:GTS 450
2:HD 5750
3:GTS 250
4:9800GT
5:HD 5670.

 

[ssantmyers]

This one I was looking at Radeon HD 5770 CuCore 1024MB GDDR5 PCIe 2.1 x16 Video Card

would that work and be a viable option

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0327190

 

[mrjericho1991]

AT $200:
YOU HAVE This as Best:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150476&cm_re=hd_5870-_-14-150-476-_-Product
Its The Best Choice!nothing is better at this price neither hd 6850 nor hd 6870.

 

[ssantmyers]

Also power supply is only a 350w but thats easily changeable if needed

 

[mrjericho1991]

This one I was looking at Radeon HD 5770 CuCore 1024MB GDDR5 PCIe 2.1 x16 Video Card

would that work and be a viable option

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0327190

hd 5770 is not good choice for that resolution

 

[wannaturnuptheheat]

AT $200:
YOU HAVE This as Best:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150476&cm_re=hd_5870-_-14-150-476-_-Product
Its The Best Choice!nothing is better at this price neither hd 6850 nor hd 6870.

Take a look at his CPU again.

He would only be bottlenecking if he selected a 5870.

 

[ssantmyers]

Now not to sound like a complete noob but what are the difference between a PCI Express x16 2.1 and express x16...and will a 2.1 work

 

[mrjericho1991]

yes go with atleast 550w power supply from a brand like corsair to run that hd 5870.

 

[mrjericho1991]

pci express is backwards compatible no problem there.

 

[wannaturnuptheheat]

Now not to sound like a complete noob but what are the difference between a PCI Express x16 2.1 and express x16...and will a 2.1 work

What motherboard do you have?

Run CPU-Z if you're unsure, check the "Mainboard" tab and let us know the model.

EDIT: Although yes, if you have 2.1, it's fine.

 

[ssantmyers]

O.k. Cool. So just for clarification. on the 5770 that I posted earlier...is that just too much for my screen basically...I only ask because that it was someone else recommended and looking at stats n comparing it seems pretty much same as the 5870 that was posted

Again I apologize I just want to make the best choice

 

[ssantmyers]

Motherboard = M2N78-LA (Violet)

 

[sharpbrick]

the 5870 is a much better card over the 5770 but for what you are doing on it i would think the 5770 would do well for you

 

[ssantmyers]

Ok..I have no problem spending 200 on a card I just want to make sure its the best that I can get for what my computer will hold that is all that matters to me...

 

[sharpbrick]

for almost any card you get you will need a new psu and if you get a 5870 for under 200 and dont mind spending that much go for it you pc will last longer with out needing a upgrade and right now you will have a great time playing games and watching movies on a great card

 

[ssantmyers]

will a 550 work I dont need to go too something like an 800 do i

 

[sharpbrick]

yes that would work the minimum for the 5870 is 500w just check to see if i comes with 2 pice 6pin power connectors for the card also having 1 good 12v rail in the psu with good amps is a must if you are going to get that close to to the minimum

 

[ssantmyers]

Ok so if I combined the Radeon 5870...or the asus 5770 which ever with a CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W


that should provide the boost I am looking for if I am comprehending everything you guys are telling me

 

[sharpbrick]

yes that should be fine

 

[ssantmyers]

Now I know this isnt the right thread but one last question...does the fact that im running a 2.2 pose any problems even though it is a quad core..the cpu is fast enough to handle the demands?

 

[sharpbrick]

yes you are fine 2.2 times 4 = 8.8ghz most games only need a dual core running 2.5ghz to run fine. also at the resolution you are running most of the stress is on the gpu not the cpu so you should be fine. one last thought is that you could always get a nice cpu cooler and over clock if you feel you need a bit more power