GeForce GTX 550 Ti <or> Radeon HD 6850

[mchn]

Hello,

I've got an issue that needs resolving, but please take time to read and understand the problem, or don't bother replying at all.

I'm anxious about Diablo 3 coming out soon and I'm considering buying one of the mentioned video cards to replace my current GeForce 9600 GT. Those two have a power consumption that my PSU - Corsair VX450 will meet.

GeForce GTX 550 Ti
-Pros: Lower power consumption of the two; PCI Express 2.0; PhysX; Cheaper
-Cons: Worse performance

Radeon HD 6850
-Pros: Better performance
-Cons: Higher power consumption; PCI Express 2.1; More expensive

- The 6850 is undoubtedly better, but the main issue is whether it will work on my old Asus M2N32-SLI Deluxe WiFi MB, since I've for PCI express 1.0a slots, and I've found many people on the net, having issues with compatibility.
- The 550 Ti on the other hand isn't as good, but still is a lot better than what I have. It's cheaper, requires less power and is PCI Express 2.0 - haven't found people complaining about compatibility with PCI Express 1.0 MBs.
- I'm not sure whether having PhysX is good or bad in my case - I'm worried how much will my other components bottleneck the VGA.

My PC: http://www.fileden.com/files/2012/5/3/3299865/Report.txt

So finally a little background... I've played titles like Crysis, Skyrim and StarCraft 2 on my PC with 1920x1080 resolution and lowered detail. I've played the Diablo 3 open beta too (1920x1080 window mode, low detail), but I'd like a bit better gaming experience, since I'd be playing it a lot (after work, in the weekends / holidays). I know my PC is old and a new one will be a lot better, but I just wanna spend as little as possible, since I'm a rather causal gamer nowadays.

To wrap it up: Which of those VGAs will be the right fit for my PC (if any)? Should I expect compatibility issues / bottlenecking?

 

[Chainzsaw]

Hello,

To give you an accurate help we need more information, like list your processor.

So your list is:

GPU : 9600GT
CPU: ?
MOBO: M2N32 SLI
RAM: ?
PSU: Corsair VX450

Also your LCD is VGA only?

 

[Chainzsaw]

Also if it's possible I would reccomend the AFOX 6850. It's a single slot design that doesn't need extra power.

If you can find it:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/af6850-1024d5s1-ngt440-1gqi-f1-n450gts-m2d1gd5,2949-2.html

 

[mchn]

I've posted a link to an exported PC report from Everest in my initial post...

And no - my LCD has HDMI and DVI ports.

Power is not the issue here, as mentioned...

 

[Chainzsaw]

Maybe contact AFOX to see where you could get the single slot 6850:

US and Canada
AFOX AMERICA Inc.
114 Barksdale Professional Center, City of Newark, County of New Castle, DE 19711, USA
Tel: +1 302 4762411
E-mail: sales@afox-corp.com

Edit: You said power is not an issue, however that 6850 (not the afox version) would be drawing very close to your PSU rate. It's better to have extra power than to be at the very near peak of your PSU's max power draw for stability sake. AFAIK the non AFOX 6850 requires a minnimum of 500W PSU to be stable.

 

[schnitter]

If your motherboard is PCI 1.0 then it doesn't matter if your future Graphics Card is 2.0 or 3.0 even.

I would just buy the cheaper one and save up for a new computer because PCI 1.0 is just too old.

 

[Chainzsaw]

For everyones sake heres your specifcations, BTW next time just put your specifications in the thread iteself, not in a link:

RAM: 3584 MB (DDR2-800 DDR2 SDRAM)
CPU: DualCore AMD Athlon 64 X2, 3250 MHz (13 x 250) 6400+
GPU : 9600GT
MOBO: M2N32 SLI
PSU: Corsair VX450

You will be bottlenecked by your CPU and RAM running at 1920x1080. However the 6850 AFOX version should run really well with your system...and you could transplant it to a new system in the future if you wish.

 

[mchn]

My PSU isn't some general brand crap... It provides 33A on the +12V rail... Yeah, I'd be running at about 90% load, but the PSU is quite solid and was named 500W by hardware reviews. Also I don't intend to keep that PC forever... If the PSU gives in - I'll get a new PC.

I can't get AFOX where I live. I doubt it's capabilities / power consumption are much different from other brands'

@schnitter It matters compatibility wise. I'd agree I lean towards the cheaper one tho atm.

 

[Tbrown37]

Get the 550 Ti and saved money if you're looking to play Diablo 3 Nvidia is better. Blizzard software favors intel and nvidia for some reason. Check it out here. Even and AMD CPU can bottleneck even WoW more than a CPU should for such an older game.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/fx-8150-zambezi-bulldozer-990fx,3043-20.html

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/world-of-warcraft-cataclysm-directx-11-performance,2793-22.html

I know personally this is true my old gaming rig with an i7-940, Evga X58 SLI LE, 8GB ram, and an HiS 5870 with settings maxed my 5870 still would dip into ~50 fps. Hope that helps. Save some money get more bang for the buck

 

[newfiesmum]

I would just buy the cheaper one and save up for a new computer because PCI 1.0 is just too old.

 

[jessterman21]

I would just buy the cheaper one and save up for a new computer because PCI 1.0 is just too old. http://www.demama.info/hjk

I've got an HD 6870 in a PCIe 1.1 x16 slot and it works as well as all the benchmarks I've seen online.

Definitely get the HD 6850 - it will be fine with your CPU and medium-high settings at 1080p. It also draws less power than the GTX 550ti.

 

[mchn]

I've got an HD 6870 in a PCIe 1.1 x16 slot and it works as well as all the benchmarks I've seen online.

Definitely get the HD 6850 - it will be fine with your CPU and medium-high settings at 1080p. It also draws less power than the GTX 550ti.

My slot isnt 1.1, but 1.0a... And it requires more power than the GTX 550 Ti...

 

[Tibbs01]

My son was able to play the beta weekend fluently (60 fps locked in) with everything maxed on an i3-2100 and GTX 550ti (EVGA fpb card) if that helps your decision (1680x1050). I am guessing the retail release will have Ultra or Extreme settings like SC2, the beta weekend was limited to High with AA and some other goodies if I recall correctly.

While the 6850 is for sure a better card I just thought the performance reference of the 550Ti might help in your decision.

 

[mchn]

I'm pretty much aware any of those two cards will do the job nicely IF they run properly on my gig. Still looking for a clearer answer on that part...