Best GPU for £140

[osiris2k8]

Hello everyone,

This is my second thread regarding me purchasing a new VGA card for my system. Now in my last thread I was advised to get the 4850 ICEQ4 Turbo which is around 140 quid on Overclockers.co.uk because of my screen's current resolution at 1440x900 Now I might actually upgrade my monitor to 22" or 26" in the future (not certain) would it still be the best option or are there better options even for my current resolution. Thank You.

Current rig:
Intel core 2 duo E6400 2.13 GHZ
Asus P5NSLI Mobo (I hear is un-OC-able)
2gb DDR2 553mhz Ram (can upgrade to 667 only)
HEC 550w PSU (17A+18A Rampage)

 

[rangers]

for that price its still the 4850 but id get this one its cheaper
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/148952
and overclocked with after market cooler on it but if you could afford to go up to this price £172 get this
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/148210
it looks like it has an after market cooler on it to, but then ur going to be held back by ur Intel E6400. i dont know, if as you say that ur motherboard is un-OC-able, i would think it would be ok for overclocking, being an asus but have know experience with nvidia chipsets for some time.
and by the way you can get free shipping with ebuyer on both cards

 

[willmagic]

Depending on the resolution you will be playing at, i would say go for the 4850, great card. However i would avoid using Overclockers.co.uk as they ramp up the prices a fair bit and the delivery charge is abit steep. I swear by ebuyer.com for all my computer needs now.

 

[rangers]

so do I william plus the free shipping no orders over 50 or 100 is the boss

 

[osiris2k8]

oh thanks for that i would rather not use an after market cooler because am not experienced enough to do that also the card u showed me which was 120 quid is only 20 quid cheaper than the iceq4 and the force3d one over heats like the guy in the comment said

 

[Shadow703793]

STOP. UPGRADE YOUR PSU FIRST! The HEC PSU is cr@p. Get a good Antec, Corsair, PP&C, or an OCZ. You are 80% likely to run in tp problems with that PSU down the road, esp. when you put in a powerful GPU in there.

 

[osiris2k8]

I would really rather not change that if possible I mean the 4850 doesnt require that much power and i wont be OC'ing much so its not a big deal

 

[osiris2k8]

Also can you guys help me choose a 4850 there are soooooooooooooo many of them HIS makes the ICEQ Powercolor and force3d make the PCS versions and then there is a sapphire one which i liked the look of but its still single slot here it is :
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/148468

 

[rangers]

oh thanks for that i would rather not use an after market cooler because am not experienced enough to do that also the card u showed me which was 120 quid is only 20 quid cheaper than the iceq4 and the force3d one over heats like the guy in the comment said

its allready on the card, you dont have 2 do anything to the card its self except pop it in ur computer

 

[rangers]

yes the sapphire good and cheap and its got an aftermarket cooler on it, you cant get any better than that, i vote for that or the PowerColor HD 4850 PCS+ Edition with the better than standard cooler already on it

 

[osiris2k8]

alright thanks mate ill order it on monday then also can u help me with some ram i have 2gb ddr 2 553 mhz my mobo supports upto 667 should i upgrade? and do i need the fancy heat sinks on them and if u can find me the ram 4gb as cheap as possible that would be great thanks

 

[rangers]

i think aria.co have the cheapest 2x2gig of ram at the moment, ill have a look and see

 

[rangers]

http://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/Other+products/Arianet+4GB+PC2-5300+CL5+%282x2GB%29+?productId=33214
and
http://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/Other+products/Arianet+4GB+PC2-6400+CL5+%282x2GB%29+?productId=30727

i dont think you'll find it cheaper

 

[rangers]

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/131128

a bit more expensive but you get it with ur card and you get the free shipping, could work out the same

 

[Shadow703793]

I would really rather not change that if possible I mean the 4850 doesnt require that much power and i wont be OC'ing much so its not a big deal

Trust me on this. That PSU is going to die when you put in the 4850.

 

[osiris2k8]

why is that though i have enough rampage and i heard its an ok brand did u try the same model before 550-TD-PTE before

 

[osiris2k8]

thanks btw rangers i found good ram here :
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/130666

 

[rangers]

cant go wrong with Kingston, good luck putting it all together, and i dont think you'll do any harm with that PSU

 

[osiris2k8]

thanks mate i made a thread in the psu section regarding my PSU just to clarify here are the stats for it.
HEC-550TD-PTE

AC input: 230Vac 50Hz 7A

DC Output/Max. A:
+3.3V/30A
+5V/38A
+12V1/18A
+12V2/17A
-12V/0.3A
+5Vsb/2A

+5V&+3.3V Combined 185W

Total Output: 550W

 

[Shadow703793]

^It's not about the specs. It's about PSU quality. Ie. rail stability,etc.

 

[osiris2k8]

the thing is im kind of new to upgrading components i haven't the slightest idea how to change my psu and how much to spend on one that can be future proof

 

[Shadow703793]

^Here is a quick run down:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5489/how_to_change_the_power_supply_on_your.html?cat=15

You can also check YouTube for videos.

 

[osiris2k8]

you think its worth trying first cos I heard its stable and can run 8800 GTS 640 mb someone said it ran it for years now

 

[rangers]

i think what ppl are going on about is something to do with the cap's that model use but from my understanding if they dont go in the first few months they are usually ok but i could be wrong

 

[osiris2k8]

well i had this psu for well over a year now never crashed once running 2x 7300gs in SLI so what do u think dude