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Need new Video card/PSU for Diablo 3

Last response: in Graphics & Displays
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Hello all,

I'd like to seek your advice on purchasing a new video card in order to play Diablo 3. Here is some info about my computer. I went to "can u run it.com" so that is why each bit of info says "minimum" for minimum requirements for the game, and "you have" to show what my computer has. I just copied and pasted the info below:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CPU
Minimum: Intel Pentium D 2.8 GHz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+
You Have: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 5200+
PASS

CPU Speed
Minimum: Info
You Have: 2.7 GHz

Bios Name
Minimum: Info
You Have:
Name: Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG
Version: Phoenix Technologies, LTD 5.17
Click here for the latest BIOS updates.

RAM
Minimum: 1 GB RAM (1.5 GB required for Windows Vista/Windows 7 users)
You Have: 3.0 GB
PASS

OS
Minimum: Windows XP/Windows Vista/Windows 7 (Latest Service Packs)
You Have: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Edition Service Pack 1 (build 6001), 32-bit
PASS Click here for the latest Windows drivers.

Video Card
Minimum: NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GT or ATI Radeon X1950 Pro or better
You Have: GeForce 6150SE nForce 430
Upgrade Suggested: Unfortunately, your Video Card does not meet this requirement. Click here to see some recommendations. Click here for the latest Video drivers.
Features: Minimum attributes of your Video Card
Required You Have
Pixel Shader version 3.0 3.0
Vertex Shader version 3.0 3.0
Dedicated Video RAM 256 MB 128 MB

Free Disk Space
Minimum: 12 GB
You Have: 239.6 GB
PASS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
According to the website's scan, everything with my computer is fine for Diablo 3 except the video card. I don't need anything super fancy, but I would like something fairly decent so I'm not freezing/glitching constantly. The Diablo 3 website recommends at least NVIDIA GeForce 260 or ATI Radeon HD 4870 or better. My power supply is only 220w so I would need a new one of those as well.

Upon my own research I found that EVGA 01G-P3-1556-KR GeForce GTX 550 Ti FPB Video Card is a good card and fairly cheap at $115, but the power supply unit recommended with it was another $100.

So my questions are:
1. Is my system good enough to handle the video card and PSU I mentioned above?
2. The PSU mentioned above is 600w, while the GTX 550 ti only requires 400w. Can I get a lower watt/cheaper PSU for that card?
3. What video card and power supply unit(that are pretty good) should I get that is compatible with my system. I hoping to spend around $150 or a bit more for both if possible so if you have some suggestions that would work I would be grateful.

Thanks for your time and consideration.

More about : video card psu diablo

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Graphics card Master

you crrently have a 220w psu? Do you have a slimline computer? Because if you do you are restricted to certian style power supplies and they don't go up to 600w , the largest slimline psu that I have seen is 400w. For a 550Ti you can run it on a 400w psu or a 500w psu , your choice. A $150 budget is going to be hard to get what you want , you may need to increase it a bit unless you can find some good bargans or rebates.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $10 rebate
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Ask the community

^^^ That PSU Cue mentioned is a quality buy.

Graphics card wise:

You can snatch up a 260GTX 216 core for around $80 give or take $10. My XFX Black Edition was $80, pre-overclocked ones will be in your best interest.

A Radeon 4870 will fetch around the same price on ebay, you could even snag a 4870 X2 for around $115 if your lucky, but thats a gamble on quality.

^^^These are a little older but still kickers.

On the newer end for AMD, DX11 end really, You have a few choices worth around $100 which is the 5770 & 6770 (same cards, just rebranded), 6790 & 6850 if you are stretching it.

For Nvidia you have, 550Ti (not recommended unless you can get it for about $100) and the 560 GTX if you are stretching into the 6850 area pricewise.

Thank you everyone for the info and replies.

Inzone, I do not have a slimline computer.

After taking your suggestions, links, and looking around a bit more here is what I think I've decided on:

PSU
CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2 (CMPSU-430CXV2) 430W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
$24.99 after rebate

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Video Card
EVGA 01G-P3-1556-KR GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) FPB 1GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
$119.00 after rebate

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...


I know you recommended the cx500 power supply, but this 430 is only $25 (half the price)!
Cuecuemore, why did you say you wouldn't go with the 550ti??
The GTX550ti received a 5/5 rating from 430 reviews on newegg.com so I definitely like that user feedback rating.


Again, I just want to be able to run Diablo 3 well. I won't be playing other games. I should have no problems running it with my system and the PSU and Video card I've mentioned above, correct?

Please add further comments/suggestions as I want to get quality items that will run Diablo 3 well(doesn't have to be amazing).

I greatly appreciate everyone's time and suggestions.
Graphics card Expert

^^ The 550Ti is not recommended because the HD6770 gives similar performance for ~$15 less and the HD6790 gives more performance for the same money.

So is this what you had in mind?

XFX HD-677X-ZNLC Radeon HD 6770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
$100 after rebate
------------------------------------------------
I also saw:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

PowerColor AX6790 1GBD5-DH Radeon HD 6790 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
$105 after rebate
------------------------------------------------
Again, I'm not very knowledgeable about computers. I see the HD 6770 or 6790 in there, but for all the other numbers listed such as "1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready", I don't really know what those mean or what I should look for.

Also, are there better brands? XFX, Powercolor, HIS, etc.? I want to get quality items that will last and have fewer problems.

Thanks
Graphics card Master

As far as power supplies go XFX , Antec , Corsair and SeaSonic are the top quality brands.
For AMD video cards it's XFX , Saphire and HIS and for Nvidia it's EVGA and MSI.

Well, here's what I'm thinking now:

newegg.com has an ASUS Radeon HD 6850 for $120 after rebates and stuff which seems pretty cheap.

I like the 430 watt PSU for only $25 after rebate:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=17-139-...

I have a couple other questions though.
On the AMD website they state system requirements for the 6850 are:
# PCI Express® based PC is required with one X16 lane graphics slot available on the motherboard
# 500 Watt or greater power supply recommended

1. I have a PCI Express lane in my PC, but how do I know if it is X16? What does that mean?
2. They recommend 500 watt or greater, but another review I saw recommended 450. Would that 430watt I mentioned above be enough for the 6850?

Thanks
Graphics card Master

The motherboard that you have only has one x16 slot and that means it has 16 lanes of bandwidth , if you had two full length x16 slots then you most likely would have 8 lanes each. As for the power supply it basicly comes down to how many amps are on the +12v rail and not just the watts. That's why you could ryn the card on a 430w psu if it had enough amps on the +12v rail. I know that because of your small budget you really want to get the 430w psu but it won't do you any good if it doesn't power the card.

Well, I might just go for something that requires less power like the radeon 5770. I don't mind if my card isn't amazing. It just didn't seem like that much more money for a better card, but the better card needs a better psu so it IS more money.

That cx430 psu has a funny PCIe connector I noticed also. If I would get the 5770, it needs a 75W 6 pin PCIe connector from the psu, but that 430 psu has a 6+2 PCIe connector. So it has 8 pins?? Would that even be able to connect to the 5770? Since it says "6+2" does that mean it can connect to 6 pins or 8 pins? Seems weird.

If it can't connect then maybe I'll need a different psu anyway, and in that case I could get a better one that could handle a better card.

Thanks again for the replies and info!
Graphics card Expert

jd_1326 said:
So is this what you had in mind?

XFX HD-677X-ZNLC Radeon HD 6770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
$100 after rebate
------------------------------------------------
I also saw:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

PowerColor AX6790 1GBD5-DH Radeon HD 6790 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
$105 after rebate
------------------------------------------------
Again, I'm not very knowledgeable about computers. I see the HD 6770 or 6790 in there, but for all the other numbers listed such as "1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready", I don't really know what those mean or what I should look for.

Also, are there better brands? XFX, Powercolor, HIS, etc.? I want to get quality items that will last and have fewer problems.

Thanks


You can get an HD7750 for about $116 after shipping, which would use less power than any other card you've mentioned. Plus, you'd get equal or better performance compared to an HD5770/6770 or 6790....

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Thanks all for the help!

After a couple days spending hours looking through reviews based on your suggestions I finally decided to go with the Geforce GTX 550 ti since it has low power requirements and exceptional user reviews. That allowed me to get the Corsair 430 PSU for $25.

Thanks again for all the suggestions!
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