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Best Nvidia card in $100-$150 range?

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I'm doing a budget build based on a i3-3220 and micro atx motherboard (ASRock H77m). There are just so many options for graphics cards :pt1cable:  and since I'm not a gamer I don't know a lot about GPUs.

I do know that I want Nvidia to take advantage of CUDA, since I do some 3d modeling and rendering. So the more CUDA cores the merrier I suppose.

Any recommendations in the $100-$150 price range? Thank-you.

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If you can find a 500 series card ( maybe used if you don't mind ) they will generally out preform similar 600 series cards as Nvidia reduced compute performance in the kKpler architecture. Possibly a 550ti/560.

Keep an eye on the 560 SE cards on newegg, sometimes they go on sale for around 100 bucks, they will play any game at the setting right below max no problem (this is usually called high).

Otherwise you can usually find regular 560's for under 150 after you figure in the mail in rebates.
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He clearly has a tight budget, and 150.00 is the high end. In the 100 dollar range a 560se is a clear winner over anything AMD has right now (7770 is the closest). But thats only when the 560se goes on sale, at 120-130 its not as good of a deal.

Like the second poster said, dont be afraid to buy used also. Check your local craigslist. Heck, you may be able to find a gtx 560ti or even a 570 for 150.00 or less, who knows. Lots of people upgrade every year and have quality parts just laying around their house lol.

Heh i just checked my local craigslist and found a gtx 580 (evga with lifetime warranty) for 200 bucks, i may look into that one lol.

How does evga warranty work if you transfer ownership?

Here's the build I have so far, should I make any changes? It's about $1,000, but more doable for me right now than the $1,600 it would cost for an i7 build.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($119.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master GeminII S524 77.7 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($32.92 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H77M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ Microcenter)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 650 Ti 1GB Video Card ($149.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Arc Mini MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($99.98 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: OCZ ModXStream Pro 500W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.64 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VE228H 21.5" Monitor ($133.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($92.11 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Logitech MK520 Wireless Ergonomic Keyboard w/Laser Mouse ($47.69 @ B&H)
Total: $986.28
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

Scotty99 said:
The way they did cuda core in the 600 series is different, you cant really compare the 500 and 600 series that way. I would honestly steer clear of the 650ti, i have no actual reasoning for this other than i just dont like it lol.

I didnt list it because you said nvidia, but the radeon 6850 is actually the best bargain as of today, 124.00 after mail in rebate.

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


I need to go with Nvidia for the CUDA technology, it makes rendering faster by also using the GPU which is a lot faster than the CPU alone. Otherwise I would definitely consider Radeon if I was not planning to render.

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brandon402 said:
Here's the build I have so far, should I make any changes? It's about $1,000, but more doable for me right now than the $1,600 it would cost for an i7 build.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($119.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master GeminII S524 77.7 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($32.92 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H77M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ Microcenter)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 650 Ti 1GB Video Card ($149.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Arc Mini MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($99.98 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: OCZ ModXStream Pro 500W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.64 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VE228H 21.5" Monitor ($133.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($92.11 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Logitech MK520 Wireless Ergonomic Keyboard w/Laser Mouse ($47.69 @ B&H)
Total: $986.28
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)



Better PSU for less money:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... (45 bucks with promo code)

Also why are you not buying your CPU and motherboard from microcenter? I see that you must live near one since its on your list there. You can get an 13-3220 for 125 bucks, as well as 50 dollars off a motherboard (means you can get a free h-61 or h-67 motherboard).

Since you will not be able to overclock an aftermarket cooler is honestly not needed, stock heatsink is perfectly fine for this task.

16 GB of ram is massive overkill. I have 8gb's and have never seen my system use over 4.5gb at any one time.

My last bit of advice is steer clear of the 650ti, it truly is an entry level card. Like the poster above said, dont forget about the gtx 480 as well. It may use more power and get hotter, but it is truly a massively powerful video card even today, and i imagine would be excellent for the kind of work that you do.
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