Need advice on new graphics card

[getignited114]

Looking to get the best deal possible.. I have about 200 to spend total and I currently have a 450w power supply(580w but people said its really 450w in reviews since its cheap) and most of them require at least a 500w power supply... SOOOOOOO I may need a PSU as well as a video card in my budget... I want a card that will be about 3x better than my current 3850 or so, Any suggestions?

Yes I looked at the article and completely disagree with it haha there is cards that are better that are cheaper on the article by far
Thanks.

 

[nforce4max]

Don't expect to find such results over your current card with that power budget. Two 3870 in crossfire can outperform in some benchmarks than a single 5770. 5850 is the best for you as there is one going for $140 on newegg but upgrading that psu is not negotiable sadly. If you want to keep power down then settle for something weaker like a 5770.

 

[getignited114]

Yeah I would have been able to get that 5850 and get this psu http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182199 but the 5850 is now sold out and when I asked them about it they had no ETA on when it will be back in stock...

 

[swifty_morgan]

not about the wattage. it's about the amperage. what is it on the one you have ?

 

[nforce4max]

Give us your systems specs and maybe you can cheat and just get the card but you may have to aim a little low. I get by just fine on my 550w antec unit due to it's quality. Here is mine gtx 460 1gb. 8800gt for dedicated physx, 5 mechanical drives, x4 820, and many fans. As for you your choice in that psu is a limiting factor due to it's poor quality. Just because it says 80+ rated ect doesn't mean that it is a quality unit, look for silver or at the least bronze rated units.

 

[megamanx00]

A 6850 would be fine IF your PSU can sustain that 450W. Unless it's supper crappy it should be o.k. A 5770 would be a safe bet though and it would be twice as fast as your current 3850.

 

[getignited114]

Current power supply is http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817170017
I recently upgraded everything other than my GPU so I have a phenom II x4 820 oc'd to 3.3ghz, 1 4gb stick ddr3 1333, asrock n68c-s mobo and a sata WD hd

With my current stuff just at idle in bios the +12 reads @ 11.7v and under load drops down to 11.54 (via cpuid hardware monitor)

 

[swifty_morgan]

what size monitor and what resolution ? and what games do you play ?

 

[megamanx00]

For $50 you can get this modular Antec PSU

Antec BP550 Plus 550W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371016

and then get this Sapphire 6850

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102908

That Antec PSU would allow you to run two 6850s in CF, or a single more powerful card latter on. With your current PSU, I wouldn't go beyond the power draw of a single 6850.

 

[getignited114]

what size monitor and what resolution ? and what games do you play ?

max is 1600x900 and I usually play with 1280×720 since its only a 20" anyway. I don't want to have to upgrade for a few years with this choice. @ megaman, is that antec better than the one I posted? I like the idea of how it is supposed to save energy since I leave my computer on 24/7

 

[sn0w]

I'd suggest saving up a bit more to get what you really need if you don't want to upgrade for a few years.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.630842

This might help...

 

[getignited114]

The 6870 is only 200 with 20 mail in rebate but I REALLY don't want to spend a lot of money lol my budget started at not wanting to spend more than 130 so I've already moved up 70 bucks xD I can afford the 6850 and power supply however I'd be broke if I did =\

 

[swifty_morgan]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130591

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814162078

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150534

these are just a few ideas. One of the psu listed would be good enough.... the antek or the one you listed both have enough to power what you have. all 3 of these video cards are a big improvement over what you have and 2 are faster than the 5850. the galaxy card looks like it might run with your existing power supply. worth a chance if you don't want to spend all the money at once. look at the review site below to see how it performs.

http://www.guru3d.com/article/radeon-hd-6670-review/

 

[sn0w]

Here's another power supply after mail-in rebate 49.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341017

evga 550ti 129.99 after mail-in plus free mafia 2 and a bunch of other goodies
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130625

I'm more of an nVidia person myself

 

[Bigmac80]

I would upgrade the power supply 1st honestly with atleast a 650 watt...But if you want you can try out the GTX 560 or amd 6950...You can probably fined one of the 2 for $200bucks..I know the 6950 1gb is around $200bucks but the 560 is around $250..

Keep in mind that these new cards usually require 2 6pins or 6 and 8pin pci connectors...And i doubht that your 450 watt power supply has 2 6 pin pci-e connectors...

 

[cburke82]

I'd suggest saving up a bit more to get what you really need if you don't want to upgrade for a few years.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.630842

This might help...

he 100% does not need a 700w PSU for a 6870 LMAO. You know who to trust for the PSU requirement AMD they make the card. I beleive that card is 400w-450w so his PSU is most likely fine and he can get a 6850/6870 without a new PSU and be running games at good FPS in no time.

EDIT: I looked it up its a 500w card but 700w is still over kill for that card

 

[cburke82]

The 6870 is only 200 with 20 mail in rebate but I REALLY don't want to spend a lot of money lol my budget started at not wanting to spend more than 130 so I've already moved up 70 bucks xD I can afford the 6850 and power supply however I'd be broke if I did =\

get the 6870 you will be fine for now later on you can upgrade you PSU that card does not pull that much power so even if it is only godd to 500w you are fine. Go to AMD's site and you can look up what you need for each card websites that sell PSU like newegg will always try to up sell you wile AMD will be giving you the real specs needed because first they made the card they should know and second if you allready purchased there card they made the sale and are now just telling you what they require.

I would still replace that PSU but it can get you by untill you have a little more cash. If you have a frys in your area I would go there you can swap out parts if they dont work.

I had the 500w version of this PSU

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817148041&cm_re=java_power-_-17-148-041-_-Product

At the time I had a 6870 and it worked fine. So I would say get the card best case from a brick and mortar that allows returns and then start saving for a PSU.