Graphics card under $130

MSI HD 7770 $114 AR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

If you can't pick that one up, go for the AMD Radeon hd 6850. It sells for $129 in a bunch of places

You can get this if you want Nvidia, it will run circles around the HD 7770. It's $120 after rebate.

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

I would not attach anything I own to that garbage PSU. You may want to start there first before purchasing a graphics card.

An HD 7770 is more than he'll ever need at 1280x1024

his psu would be fine with an HD 7770

I wouldn't trust that PSU to power an LED, but that's just me. I would recommend getting an HD7750 (since you are playing at a relatively low resolution) and get a new Corsair CX builder series PSU (430w is plenty).

Corsair CX Series, on sale - http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=E...

HD7750s - http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=E...

It is silly to risk your nice stuff on that trash PSU when you can get a nicer CX430 for just under $30 bucks. That 700w unit will never come close to its "rated" wattage and I guarantee will destroy your components over time. At least the CX430 can do its rated wattage and stay in spec. With an HD7750 you won't break 250W max load on your current setup.

How about this and that CX430...

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

That puts you at $137.50+tax before the $10 rebate.

You might be able to get a 550 ti for $100-$110.

the 550 TI SUCKS   ?

Is the PSU really that bad? If so what do you recommend? And would MSI or Saphire or Asus be better?

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

At $38, Antec VP-450 has a max load rating of 360 watts. The Corsair CX430V2 has a max load rating of 336 watts.

Dave

There's nothing wrong with the PSU. Asus is always good, but Sapphire has good Radeon cards as far as I know

Thanks for the replies, two more questions though. Would a hd 7770 still be ok for a 1920x1080 resolution and what would an alternative to a hd 7770 be?

A quality modern PSU has full range active PFC (no little voltage switch) and some level of 80+ certification. The Antec VP-450 is a notable exception; efficient and otherwise modern. Seasonic, Antec, Corsair, XFX, and Enermax/LEPA are among the better brands. The problem with cheap PSUs is not just their wasteful inefficiency, or even that they're only good for 50%-75% of their labels, it is also that they tend to omit neat little features like transient filters, or they may provide their own spikes, damaging attached parts over time; or if/when they die (sometimes without obvious cause), they take other parts with them into the fiery abyss.
If this PC is to be used for gaming, drop that i7 for a cheaper but just-as-fast i5 (hyperthreading does not help in games, and may actually hurt), then use the savings on a reasonable PSU and a stronger graphics card. Something like an i5-3450 with a HD6870 would be a lot better for games than an i7 with a HD7770. Get a 500W Antec Earthwatts and you'll be good to go.

an hd 7770 would be OK for 1920x1080, not great. Something like a 6850 would give about the same performance. For under $130, a 7770 will probably be your best bet. You can always crossfire it later if you want.

Wwho would a good psu be from, would Xentec or CiT be fine?

Good PS brands include Seasonic, XFX (Seasonic), some Antec which are Seasonic, most Corsair, PC Power & Cooling (Seasonic),

This link shows a number of different games at different rezs and different cards (low to mid end)...good to compare fps at your particular rez and your favourite games (hardcore enthusiasts like 60+ fps...others may be happy with 40+ fps):

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/HD_7750/1.html

Dave

Brands to look for XFX, Corsair, Seasonic, Antec, Be Quiet!, newer OCZ, Super Flower, hell anything with a recognizable brand on it would be a step up. What website are you shopping at?

I'm shpping at newegg and amazon. I just dont want to shell out too much fr a power supply. But I'd also appreciate if most my power supply is eccicient and lasts

$60 XFX 550 watt Core Edition Pro Series: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004RJ8EKI/?tag=pcpapi-20

$60 w/ 15% off promo code Seasonic S12II 520 watt: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Both are 80 Plus Bronze certified.

Dave

+1 to dave

What about a HD 6670 or 6770?

Without replacing the PSU, a HD6670, HD7750, or perhaps a HD6770 could be run. Since it looks like the machine hasn't been built yet ("The PC I am building will probably have:..."), it looks like balancing it better for gaming makes more sense than finding the strongest card that will run on a dicey PSU.
i5-3450+HD6870 will be a much stronger combination in games than i7-3770+HD6770.

If I were to replace the PSU with this http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-500-Watt-Certified-Compat.... Then what would you recommend, I just don't want to spend too much.

Also, my thinking currently is, once I build my i7 with whatever graphics card I get, eventually I'll be able to buy another graphics card and crossfire it. Whereas if I get an i5 with a better graphics card, it wont be as good in the long run.

That PSU is decent. You could run a HD7870 on it.
Your resolution right now is fairly low though. You could get something like a HD7850, which would probably remain sufficient for quite some time even after you upgrade your monitor.
If you aren't planning a monitor upgrade, a HD7770 would be sufficient, and you would be unlikely to ever need another one.

That PSU is cheaper here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=E...

Jtt, is it fine for 1920x1080?

For 1920x1080, if you can afford a HD7870 or HD7850, they'd be much more future-resistant.

No way I could afford that, would a HD 6850 be ok?

A HD6870 would be a little better, but yes in fact I just read an article where a HD6850 was used and made a decent budget gamer...
This wasn't it, but may help: http://www.hardware-revolution.com/budget-gaming-pc-jul...

You might to check out the HD 7770...should be a bit cheaper than HD 6850. Here are some comparison of the HD 7770 and HD 6850 for several games at 1920x1080 (excluding Diablo 3):

BF3 @ max settings, 4xAA

6850: 27 fps avg/22 fps min
7770: 28 fps avg/23 fps min

Arma 2 @ very high, high AA

6850: 33/29
7770: 36/31

Dirt 3 @ 4xAA, 16xAF

6850: 57/50
7770: 54/47

Skyrim @ 4xAA, 16xAF

6850: 45/38
7770: 42/36

Diablo 3 @ 1920x1200

6850: 66fps
7770: 53fps

http://www.techspot.com/review/532-diablo-3-performance...

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2012/02/15/am...

Thanks, I think I'm probably going to use whichever one out of the 6850 and 7770 I find cheaoer with the antec VP-450

If you are overclocking your CPU, you should go with the HD 7770 since it consumes less power vs. HD 6850. VP-450 is a budget PS that is good to 360 watts or so....not a lot of head room on a moderate system. If you are planning to upgrade your PC in the future (eg. better graphics card), get a larger PS....at least 500-550 watts or even bigger.

Dave

How about a corsair builder CX500? Looking on the internet, a lot of people recommend the 6850 due to it being 256-bit

I call B.S. HardwareSecrets tested this PSU and found it to be EXCELLENT, not qualifying for 80+ only because of lack of active PFC; efficiency was good enough. In their overload test, it managed 553W, with all voltages still in spec.
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Antec-VP450-Powe...
This PSU is the exception that proves the rule regarding avoiding PSUs without active PFC.

Max load rating is 360 watts as reported here: http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page673.htm

It would be kinda rare that a PS manufacturer under rate their units....with so many no name brands over rating their wattages.

Dave

^Wrong again; that's the +12V wattage only, and is the label, not how it tested. And, ALL of the better manufacturers and/or OEMs underrate their units. Sometimes it's only 5%-10%, but often it is 20% or more.
BTW the VP-450 is made by FSP, one of the better OEM's.

I'm quite confused now as I don't know which one to get?

I'm not a risk taker. If you want to run a 500-600 watt system off a 450 watt power supply....go ahead. Personally, I wouldn't do it. Sorry, but I don't have the time to fully test out every PS before I use it...or read every review that says the PS is under rated and therefore I should be able to ignore the label completely. I'm sure that the insurance broker will be pleased about that when I put in my claim.

dave

Is that a GTX 460 SE you're recommending him? It has a 192bit memory BUS which only 460 SE have. The normal 460 has a 256bit memory BUS

Well let me put it like this. The PSU is the most important part of the PC. You can't just buy a cheap PSU because it will probably be too weak to supply good current to your PC and puts your whole PC at risk. If that PSU blows up it can take everything with it and you will need to build a new PC. So now i'm asking you would you rather put your entire PC at risk and use a cheap PSU or you could buy a great quality one and have your PC components live a good and healthy life  

I would highly recommend the 560 se. Runs better than the 550 ti and is cheaper while still being within your price range.
Running $120 right now and its $110 after rebate.

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

Best card for your price range imo

Is a 560 SE better than a radeon 6850 and GTX 460?

I'm confused as to why you feel the OPs setup has a 500-600 watt power draw. Even with a GTX460 or HD6850 he wouldn't pull more than about 300 watts at full CPU+GPU load.

My post has nothing to do with OP's system....I was just throwing a number that was higher than 450 watts...in response to JTT's reply regarding the Antec VP-450's load testing that was apparently well over it's rated wattage.

Sorry for the confusion.

Dave

No most definitely not. However it is within his price range and it is what I feel is the best card for his price range.

I am the last person who would recommend a marginal PSU. The VP-450 is probably the only non-80+ certified PSU I could recommend. In the absence of reviews (although this one has an excellent one), I look for 80+ certification; not for efficiency, but because it means the PSU was run at 100% of its label for at least 35 minutes. That's hardly a great test, especially considering it was done at the unrealistically low temperature of 23C, but the PSU would still have heated up internally, and was still running efficiently (meaning it wasn't about to blow). Cheap liar-labeled units will blow electronic chunks even under those conditions.