wasif93

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Hello, what I want to know is what graphic card should i buy to get respectable frame rates in most recent games with atleast medium settings. The problem is i only got $120-130 to spend. Any ideas?
Specs of my pc are :Intel i5 2300, 4gb DDR3 Ram, 500 GB hard disk and a 19'inch lg lcd
 

AMutedScream

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I agree with Mr. Freeman. Up until recently I would've said a 6790 would've been a decent choice for you, but since the price drop of most of the 6850 series, there's really no reason not to save the extra and go with that. Alternately if you're not a fan of ATI's drivers (like myself), the price of several brands of NVidia's GTX460 have come down in price, and offers similar real world performance to the 6850.
 

RockHaven1

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I picked up a PNY Nvidia GTX550ti yesterday for $140.00 at a chain store retail price. You may need to upgrade your power supply for any of thses cards though. I didn't see where you posted that. may have missed it...However. I also picked up an antec 620 High Current gamer for 75.00 plus tax on Newegg.com. Same price as the 520 so I took the 620 instead. This is assuming you are an ATX form factor. I was actualy looking for a GTS450 for around $140.00...Found a Readeon 6770 for $180.00. If you look online though at Newegg etc...You will beat retail store pricing.
 

toneekay

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Hey, buddy. Listen to me.

THE HD 5770 1GB is by far and away the greatest budget card in existence. It has an insanely high data rate (far surpassing the cruddy 6770), is DX11 compatible, can be overclocked to incredible speeds (unlike is long time rival, the 4870), is faster than any other AMD x770-x790, and can max any game on the market at 1280x720 - although it is known to really struggle at higher definitions. Yes, the 5850 and 6xxx budget cards will handle full HD better than the 5770, but at 1440x900 and under, the 5770 will smoke 'em, partner.

It is a beast of a little card, and comes highly recommended.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127490&Tpk=5770

'Nuff said.

This is definitely the one to get. Dual fans and just ready to be clocked to the max.

It will purr like a kitten - trust me.

Please don't listen to this jibberish... Sure the 5770 was a beast of a card, BACK IN IT'S TIME... However, it will NOT smoke a 5850 or any of the 68xx and higher cards.
 

PCgamer81

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+1

Damn. I had no idea the 460 was that cheap.

OP: If you go Nvidia, definitely go with this one.

If you go AMD, go with my suggestion - although the 460 does beat it. In fact, it almost beats two 5770's.
 
Either suggested 6770/5770 would be great - both have some of the best coolers on the market, or you could stretch your dollar to an HD 6790 or 6850. The bump in performance is equal to the price hike - up to an HD 6870 if you want to splurge. Make sure your case will fit the card, and make sure your PSU is able to power whatever you go with.
 

PCgamer81

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It does struggle at higher definitions. I admit that. But for it's price and it's performance in 1280x720 it is a great buy. If he is planning to be gaming in higher definitions I would be reluctant to recommend it, and after seeing how much the 460 could be had for, I cannot recommend it at all, anymore. Unless the OP is determined to go AMD.
 

+1 great find! That is one incredible price.

OP - if you can snag one before they're sold out, THIS is the best bang for your buck.
 

PCgamer81

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+2

I had no idea they came that cheap or I would not have wasted my time raving about the 5770. Boy do I feel dumb.

OP: Remember when I said the 5770 was great for overclocking? This card can be clocked even higher - you can almost get it to a 480's performance if you know what you are doing. If I would have know they could be had for that, I would have snagged a couple of these bad boys instead of my 6970's and got me an SSD with the money I saved. :(
 

PCgamer81

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I would definitely recommend at least a good 500w PSU with some degree of 80+ certification if he wants the 460 and plans to overclock - that card is one of the best for overclocking.

I still cannot get over the $129.99 price tag. I am hurting inside because I have no need for it. I wonder if it can be hacked for to work as a physx card with my 6970's...

Does anyone know anything about that kind of thing?
 
@OP: without knowing how good your psu is, it's hard to recommend anything over radeon hd 6670 1 gb gddr5. it will serve you well with a 19" display.
depending on your location, these cards might be good choices, from the cheapest and least performing:
radeon hd 5670/6670 1 gb gddr5
5750/6750 1 gb gddr5
5770/6770 1 gb gddr5
and radeon hd 6850 1 gb gddr5.
his, msi offer good cooler for their cards with iceq turbo and twin frozr cards respectively. xfx cards are good too. asus cards are pricey, but their direct cu coolers are also good.
skip radeon hd 6790 and geforce gtx 550ti and gtx 460 if you can.
imo anything higher would be overkill.
 

PCgamer81

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OP:

If you are serious about obtaining a good GPU, and want one asap, this DelroyMonjo really stole the show with his recommendation of the 460.

It is without a doubt the one to get. DelroyMonjo is spot on with his recommendation.

Do you have a good PSU? How many watts? How much amperage per rail? Does it have some degree of 80+ certification? These are all questions you need to ask yourself before shopping for a GPU.
 

This depends on the OP's PSU, about which we still know nothing. If it's a cheap generic, he might be lucky even to run a HD6670 on it.

Edit:...which, fortunately, is a pretty decent card for the 1440x900, 1368x768, or 1280x1024 resolution his 19" monitor is likely to have. Keeping in mind he wants at least medium settings, the more powerful cards are well and good, but a HD6670 is a quick and easy, SAFE choice that will not disappoint.
 

good find!

+1
 

PCgamer81

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What do you think about the 460? At $129.99? Still recommend the 6850?

Isn't the 460 a million times better for overclocking? Even capable of rivaling the 480 when overclocked to the max?

And isn't about $80 more than the 460?

I haven't owned either card, so really I am not qualified to say either way - just putting those out there...

I do know that the 6850 is about 10% more powerful than the 460, but you have to look at other things.

Overclocking potential, scaling if he ever wants to add a second card, and price. As well as power requirements (which the 460 requires more power, unfortunately).
 
A non-overclocked GTX460 still draws at least 12.5A (else it wouldn't need two PCIE power connectors). Overclock it, and 14A seems entirely likely. Right there you're at the limit of one of even a modest PSU's +12V rails. What say we wait until we know more about the PSU? We already know the OP's budget does not allow for a PSU replacement.

Edit: Anyway, I'm off to bed. I will check this thread in the morning.