Need Help Choosing A GFX Card

[hybridevil1]

Ok, I am new to this forum but I really need help deciding between a few gfx cards. Iv been holding off on buying one for over a year but I think its time. I currently have a Radeon x1650 pro 512mb. For the new card I thought I might try Nvidia because iv always used ATI in the past..Just need some input. The following links are my top choices so far...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130759

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130623

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130662

my budget is about 240$ max..

Id like it to be a little future proof aswell..

If you have any other cards to suggest then please do.

System Specs if needed:

Mainboard:ASRock N68-S
Processor :AMD Athlon II X3 425 @ 2700MHz
Physical Memory :4096MB (2 x 2048 DDR2-SDRAM )
Video Card :Radeon X1650 Series
Hard Disk : SAMSUNG HD103UJ SCSI Disk Device (1000GB)
Operating System : Windows 7(64-bit)

I will be buying new RAM and Mobo, a few weeks after I get this card aswell.

THNX GUYS!

 

[funguseater]

If you are going to be spending around $240, why not get a HD 7850? Far better than a 560, or a hot old 480.

Fungi

ps http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161406 only 239.99, then OC that puppy!!

 

[kelthic]

You will also want to verify your current power supply can power the new card. what are the specs on your current power supply?

 

[hybridevil1]

OCZ Fatal1ty 550W Modular :-/

 

[kelthic]

That psu should be fine for any of those cards.
Just want to throw http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161406 out as an option.

 

[funguseater]

Ha Ha Kelthic I also proposed the 7850 as a much better option, power wise and performance per $$$

 

[wolflive]

Out of those nvidia cards I would recommend the GeForce GTX 560 Ti. Can play most games on max even with an older mother board setup. It uses alot over power though but I think your PSU can handle one of these.

 

[hybridevil1]

do you think the gfx card might bottleneck my current rig? I will be running this card on this rig for about a week or 2 before buying a new mobo so i can get 16 gigs of ddr3.... and do u think 16gigs is overkill ?

 

[kelthic]

16GB is definitely overkill for gaming. Stick with 8GB. For 1-2weeks it shouldn't be that big of a deal, but i would definitely upgrade that CPU when you upgrade your motherboard if you can afford that.

 

[funguseater]

Having a GPU bottleneck for a couple of weeks is less important than being stuck with an under performing GPU when you replace the motherboard (and 16GB is too much unless you are running multiple virtual machines) 8 GB is more than enough.

I highly recommend an HD7850 if only for its overclocking ability, you can OC almost to the level of a 580.

Fungi

ps I would also try and overclock that CPU of yours up to around 3.4 if you can, that will help offset some of the bottleneck.

 

[hybridevil1]

thanks for all the input guys! Im not sure if i can afford the cpu right now tho.. takin it a few steps at a time lol

 

[funguseater]

####OFF TOPIC #### Ha Ha or you could pick up one of these...

NVidia is also planning an Asian launch for their next card, introducing the GTX-690 at the Shanghai GeForce LAN at the end of the month.

The Radeon HD 7990, codenamed “New Zealand”, is AMD’s ‘GTX 690 killer’, and is expected to pack two unlocked 28 nm “Tahiti” GPUs, 4,096 Graphics CoreNext stream processors, and 6 GB of GDDR5 memory."

-Hardware Canuck

ps probably have to sell BOTH kidney's for one of these.

 

[swifty_morgan]

funny this thread should come up. I just visited one of my friends. He has that 480 in the first link. good performing card and much better than the other 2 you have listed. $209 can't be beat.

 

[ilysaml]

That CPU with that L2 cache is the major bottleneck with any of the above cards, I would consider in the first place swapping it for something like this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103935&Tpk=Phenom%20ii%20980

 

[hybridevil1]

thnx for everyones help! I guess ill just stick w ati cards

 

[hybridevil1]

how do you guys feel about Asrock? I have asrock mobos in all my systems and have never had any problems. Although I still know they are considered bargain brand

 

[joafu]

My main rig, and the ones I built for my gf, my parents, and my brother all have asrock in them, never a problem or return. Only once was the onboard video a little funky; it was on my brother's N68C-S, but he was moving onto a dedicated anyway so it was no worries.

ASRock is just a cheap spin-off from Asus, and I think they hold their quality better than the cheap Foxconns and Biostars that they compete with. At least the AMD side holds up, I haven't had an Intel set-up for a while.

That GTX 480 is at an amazing price, but if heat or noise is a concern, maybe go with the GTX 560. If neither of those matter, the 480 is the the fastest of all those cards, and most bang for the buck.

 

[hybridevil1]

So here is what im thinkin as far as new parts, lemme kno what u think...

GFX: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161406&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=156sfe4a1krav

MOBO: Either http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157280 or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157305

RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231460

Ill still be getting a new CPU, just wanna save a lil more $ so I can get something I really want.

 

[ilysaml]

All really fine, still recommending getting the CPU at the first Place. The Phenom II X4 980 is better than the Bulldozer.