Best graphics card for a 350w PSU

[ChrisDobbo]

Hi all, I was wondering if anyone could help me.

I'm currently in the market for a new graphics card (currently have an ATI Radeon 4850) in order to play some of the latest games on a decent setting (battlefield, GTAIV, SimCity), but I'm limited to both my current 350W PSU, along with a fairly small budget of £100.

My specs are:
Intel Core i7 Processor 920 (2.66GHz, 8MB cache, 4.8GT/sec)
6GB DDR3 Ram
512mb ATI Radeon 4850 graphics card
Delta Electronics PSU (350W Output, model#DPS-360FBA)
750GB Hard Drive

If people need any more details please ask, I'm sincerely grateful for any responses, thanks.

 

[spartansociety]

Your pushing that PSU about as hard as you can already. If i were you I would upgrade the PSU, you can get a gold level 550w seasonic for about 100 bucks (in aus, cheaper in America i assume). PSU's gradually degrade over time, so you may eventually run into problems even if you change nothing. If you really dont have the money, A 7770 would be a safe upgrade, you may even be able to get away with a 7850. 7770 would be a small upgrade and a 7850 a rather large one in terms of performance.

 

[spartansociety]

7770 would be under budget, 7850 maybe just over if prices are similar over in the UK

 

[Cons29]

upgrade that psu

 

[ChrisDobbo]

Thanks all, how easy is it to upgrade a PSU, I'm guessing it's essentially like just plug n play?

As for the 7770, is this the sort of card you mean?
http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/asus-amd-radeon-hd-7770-ghz-edition-pci-e-graphics-card-2-gb-15694901-pdt.html#longDesc

Many thanks

 

[need4speeds]

The hd-7850 should work if the hd-4850 is running ok.

The HD-7770 is not a big upgrade from the HD-4850 that is already close in speed to a HD-7750.

 

[ASHISH65]

Ya if hd 4850 can work then hd 7850 will also work.may be his psu is good 350w psu

 

[need4speeds]

If you have a crossfire board. A new power supply but it would have to be at least two 20 amp rails or a single 40 amp rail or more. 550 to 700 watts depending on the model. A 750 watt antec, corsair or ocz or other trusted brand would be ideal.

And a used hd-4850 card. they are almost worthless today so a used one should be dirt cheap or about the price of a new hd-6570 or less.

Crossfire hd-4850's actually do well, but they are power hogs.

 

[need4speeds]

The hd-4870 also crossfires with the hd-4850 but it's not matched crossfire so the hd-4870 will have to be installed as the first card and down-clocked to match the slower 4850.

If you see a really cheap 4870 instead of a 4850 it will still work.

 

[ChrisDobbo]

This is all great advice, thanks guys.

So is the 4850 not too bad of a card, is it worth upgrading?

If anyone could provide links to PSUs and compatible decent cards that'd be great, I'm a bit useless when it comes to hardware. Thanks again!

 

[need4speeds]

I am not familiar with stores in the UK, so i am sure someone locally can tell you where to get a better deal.

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/graphics-cards/716_7054_70058_0_BA00003186-BV00297000/xx-criteria.html
ASUS HD7850-DC2T-2GD5-V2 PCI-E 3.0 Graphics Card £184.99

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/graphics-cards/716_7054_70058_0_BA00003186-BV00296999/xx-criteria.html
ASUS AMD HD 7870 GHz Edition PCI-E Graphics Card - 2 GB £204.99

The faster HD 7870 is not much more than the slower 7850. More speed means higher power consumption of course.

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/radeon_hd_4850_and_4870_crossfirex,3.html
The Hd-4850 is about 150 watts under load.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/HD_7850_HD_7870/24.html
HD 7870 is 144 watts. 7850 is 101 watts.

If the hd-4850 is working ok and plays games without crashing, your power supply should power either of these cards.

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/ocz-zs650w-uk-zs-series-atx-psu-650-w-11342059-pdt.html
OCZ ZS650W-UK ZS Series ATX PSU - 650 W £54.99

This power supply should be ok with a pair of hd-7870's or a pair of 4850's.
If you can find a used 4850 card locally for a reasonable price, this might keep you within your original budget.
(only if your board has two pcie-16 slots on it and can run crossfire)

 

[ram1009]

One of the biggest (and most prevalent) mistakes people make is over working their PSU. You are the poster boy. I recommend you replace your current PSU with the highest wattage QUALITY PSU you can afford. You're wasting your money to do other. Replacing a PSU is a no brainer. Four screws and a bunch of connectors.

 

[Au_equus]

Corsair 430, 45 USD w/10 USD MIR http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026
Diamond 7750, 107 USD w/20 USD MIR http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814103206
Check out the prices in the uk. If you can afford 40-60 pounds, get the 7850.

 

[ChrisDobbo]

Thanks so much for your replies need4speeds and au_equus, I'll be sure to look into those.

How does the 6950 rank against them? I'm aware I'll need to up the PSU, but I may be able to get one a 6950 from somebody I know.

@Ram I'm starting to think that too, though my machine did come prebuilt from dell, this is the first time I've thought about an upgrade.