Posts by Kimberly Gomez34

You’d see a much more significant jump in performance with the 7770. You should definitely grab it. As it stands, that 7750 is basically on par with an HD 4870—maybe even just a tiny bit stronger.

Maria Phillips54 said:Thanks! I'm just grabbing the overclocked version since I already finished playing Far Cry 3 anyway...🙂

Here's a cheaper option:

If you can find one for under $1600, grab it:

or

Even better:

There's really no point in putting anything weaker than that in your build.

Jeffrey Peterson said:Right now, I'm stuck using an NVIDIA GeForce 210 with 512MB of DDR2. It’s just a basic HTPC card the repair shop threw in while my old 7300GS was fried. They only gave me this specific one because my motherboard was such a mess—it supported absolutely nothing—so this was the only thing that actually worked.

Let's be honest, you can't play anything decent with this setup. Moving up to a 3870 would be a massive leap forward, but since I'm buying something new anyway, I might as well get something slightly better.

As things stand, I won't be picking up a new card until September. 😢 However, if my situation changes, I might grab one sooner. 🙂

If you're running an HTPC, you have to stick to low-profile cards, which really limits your options.
In terms of newer, more serious graphics cards, your choices are basically limited to:

http://www.newegg.com/p/details/low-profile-gpu

http://www.newegg.com/p/details/low-profile-gpu

They end up being quite a bit pricier just because they have to fit that low-profile form factor.

Jeffrey Peterson said:Right now I'm playing MW2 multiplayer and LoL, but I’d love to jump into things like BF3, Max Payne 3, or even GTA V (if it ever hits PC), and so on.

My only issue is that I'm still rocking a 19" monitor capped at 1280x1024, so I don't even really need a high-end card yet. That said, I'll probably pick up a Full HD monitor pretty soon since they're incredibly cheap these days.. 🙂

It really depends on which specific model we're talking about, because a 6770 is clearly superior to a 5750, for example...

Look, if you plan on playing several of those newer, more demanding titles, you're going to run into a bottleneck, though I can't say exactly how much. Running at a lower resolution won't help you get better use out of the GPU either, but that just depends on how much that bothers you.

But when it comes to single-player games—it'll be an improvement. I don't know what you're running currently, but you will definitely feel the performance boost.

Jeffrey Peterson said:I'm considering picking up a used graphics card so I can actually play some demanding games. I've had enough of this HTPC junk..

So, I've been looking at models like: the 4870 (if it's even an option, though I'd avoid it since it runs hot and draws too much power), the 5770, 5750, 6770, or maybe a GTX 550 (standard or Ti), etc. My main concern is whether the processor will become a bottleneck. I'm running a Dual Core E5700 3.0 GHz (it isn't overclocked, and won't be). What are your thoughts? Any advice is welcome.. 😉

Best regards!

What kind of games are we talking about? Multiplayer or single-player?

Personally, I think you could easily pull the trigger on any of those cards...

Jeffrey Fisher61 said:Thanks for being patient, I'm ordering the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 😉

No problem at all...

In my opinion, there is really no point in buying anything weaker than a 7770—assuming, of course, you have a processor beefy enough to handle it. Modern games are getting increasingly demanding.

If you have the budget, feel free to jump up to something even stronger (like an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost or an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750). You can rest easy knowing you won't run into any bottlenecks during single-player sessions. The only thing to watch out for is if you play heavy multiplayer titles like > or >—you might need to overclock. Since you already have an overclockable CPU, that's fine, though your motherboard isn't really built for extreme overclocks, so don't push it too hard.

Just toss in another 4GB of RAM later and switch to a 64-bit OS, and you should be set for quite a while, provided you aren't an hardcore enthusiast gamer.

Jeffrey Fisher61 said:I forgot to mention that I'm using a D-Sub monitor. Does that matter? Can I just use an adapter since I noticed this GTX 650 doesn't have a D-Sub output?

It won't be an issue because you can simply pick up an adapter.

Jeffrey Fisher61 said:Hey everyone! I put together a budget build based on some advice from this forum last winter, and it’s been a solid workhorse for me. Now that I've saved up a little extra cash, I'm looking to upgrade my
.
Here is what the current rig looks like:

ASUS M5A78, LGA 1156, DDR3, DVI, GLAN, mATX
DDR3 1600MHz 4GB (1X4GB)
AMD A8-Series X4 3870K(Radeon HD 6550D)
480W Chicony CHI-HPD4802RWR2, ATX 2.2,
12cm fan, (peak Power 480 w), Black color

So far, this setup has handled most of the games I wanted to play at Full HD resolution on low to medium settings—titles like Skyrim, Fallout New Vegas, Far Cry 3, Borderlands, and so on.

However, these newer titles are starting to stutter quite a bit. I’d love to be able to play without having to constantly turn off shadows, reflections, and all those other nice visual features🤣 at min.

Which GPU should I pair with this CPU?

Also, does it make sense to grab something from the 6000 series so I can run it in crossfire with my integrated graphics?

And should I pick up another 4GB stick of RAM?

For crossfire, try a 6670 ddr5

Honestly, if I were in your shoes, I'd go for something more powerful that doesn't require crossfire with your APU.
http://www.newegg.com/p/details/far-cry-3-requirements

http://www.newegg.com/p/details/radeon-hd-7770

http://www.newegg.com/p/details/gpu-with-hdmi-dp

With some overclocking, you might even be able to squeeze out a better card (like a 650Ti, 7790, 650Ti boost, or maybe an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750).

You don't strictly *need* 4GB more of RAM, but it definitely won't hurt if you're running a 64-bit OS.

Robert Rodriguez2 said:
You can find a cheaper 😬
right here.

And if you want an even better deal on this
it's a different model than what was listed before.😬

I’m putting my money on XFX. Don't skimp on this one.

Sean Gomez8 said:Hey everyone, my graphics card finally kicked the bucket, so I’m back in the market. I need to pick up a replacement, and honestly, I'm looking at the used market since a brand-new card just isn't in my budget right now. My old setup was running a Radeon HD 5830 1GB with DDR5. Does anyone have any recommendations for a used card that matches that level of performance—or ideally beats it—for around $400?$167Not much better, honestly. For context, here is my current PC build:
XFX Radeon HD 5830 1GB DDR5
Intel Core i7-955, 8.0 Total Cache, LGA 1366
Asrock 870 EXTREME3 AMD 870
Corsair CX 600 power supply unit.
Western Digital 1TB SATA III, 32 MB Total Cache.
I’m running 4GB of DDR3 Corsair RAM, configured as a 2x2GB kit at 1333MHz.

Thanks!

You’d find roughly the same performance levels in newer cards like the ATI 7750 DDR5—which might even hold a slight edge—or the 6770 DDR5. My only concern is whether you can actually track them down at those price points.
Looking for an Nvidia card somewhere in the ballpark of a GTX 650 or a GTX 550Ti.

If you're looking at older options, an HD 4870 would land right in that same performance bracket. Just keep in mind that it’s even more dated than what you're running now, so you might want to think twice about whether it's actually worth it when you consider how much life is left in the card. Check out this breakdown on AnandTech—it’s got some pretty solid data on how these components are actually performing under pressure. It really puts things into perspective when you look at the numbers side-by-side.

Christian Mendoza60 said:I'm looking for a decent replacement for my HD 6870, which unfortunately died on me yesterday.
Which model would be a solid upgrade without just being a step backward?

+1 for the 7850. Anything less than that isn't really worth your money. You might find something roughly in the same ballpark or slightly better with an Nvidia gtx 650Ti boost or an ATI 7790.

How much are you looking to spend, and what kind of CPU are you running? Depending on that, you might even be able to aim for something more powerful.

Blue is more expensive $1.75 😬

I also think those Japanese brands—like GE or Toshiba—are solid options, though personally, I haven't had the chance to try any of them yet.

They claim those drives are meant for storage, but honestly, a lot of people have been seeing failures with these newer WD Green models lately. (Edit—Benjamin King2 actually confirmed that's what he's hearing out there, too.)
Maybe you just got lucky, or maybe those older models were actually built with better quality control than what we're seeing today.

Seagate actually had one particularly shady series—I can't recall if it was for laptops or desktops—but I think they stopped selling them altogether. To be honest, the Barracuda drive in my old laptop felt a little suspicious for a while. Maybe that’s just my own bias since I don't have hard data to back it up, but personally? I wouldn't touch a Seagate if I were you.

I’d jump on a 1TB WD Caviar Blue in a heartbeat without a second thought. I’ve actually got a Western Digital Blue drive from late 2006 that’s still running non-stop today—not a single bad sector, zero issues, nothing. I’ve defragged it countless times (despite what people say about it being harmful) and put it through every diagnostic tool under the sun. It’s indestructible. If the newer models are even half as reliable—and word is they’re a total steal right now—then you're looking at a premium deal.

Green Avoided

When you switch up your GPU models or brands, little remnants of the old drivers tend to linger behind—even if you’ve already run the uninstall through the Control Panel. These leftovers can definitely cause headaches. That’s exactly why you should use a tool like Driver Sweeper.

That being said, your main issue is actually that 99% CPU spike. Single-core performance really struggles when it's trying to handle modern Flash players, which are notoriously poorly optimized software.

You really need to install the specific drivers for your graphics card. I'm not entirely sure if Windows can handle it on its own. Like I mentioned before, if you had an ATI card installed previously, your first step should be using Driver Sweeper to clear out any leftover files from the old setup.

Also, make sure to reset your processor back to the factory settings just for testing purposes.

Ronald Vaughn5 said:Windows runs fine, but all my online videos and certain heavy websites just stutter, and Aero won't even launch. My guess is the graphics card; I used to have an x800 (or was it an 850?🤔), but it burned out, so I picked up this ancient 7300gs. Everything’s been sluggish since then.

I haven't even put the Core 2 Duo in yet—it's still on order. Right now, I'm running a Celeron 420. I overclocked it to 2.8GHz, so I assume this slowness is a combination of the crappy processor and the bad GPU.😳😁, and I figured I'd upgrade a bit just to keep this thing alive for another year or two. I'm too cheap to throw money at tech, let's be honest.😁

It's a fresh Windows install, 32-bit, and I haven't installed any bloatware besides the essentials. Even the latest Flash version completely chokes, so I tried an older one, but that isn't working either.

Man, that processor is a joke. It smells like a single-core bottleneck to me, even if it technically has dual cores. Just swap the CPU and you'll see the difference immediately.
As for the graphics card—did you clean out the old drivers? Since you had an ATI card before, there might be leftover junk. Use Driver Sweeper in Safe Mode to wipe the ATI drivers, do the same for Nvidia, and then perform a fresh install for the Nvidia 7300gs.
Also, you might have just crippled the system by overclocking that relic.

Upgrading the GPU is easy enough later if that turns out to be the issue, but honestly, I don't think that's it.

If Windows isn't running correctly, I highly doubt your graphics card is the culprit. Even much weaker GPUs should handle basic OS display and standard system performance without breaking a sweat. It’s more likely you have a mountain of junk processes clogging up your system tray, or perhaps you just need a clean reinstall of Windows. There's also the possibility you're trying to run a 64-bit OS on a machine with only 2GB of RAM—that's a recipe for disaster. Or, you might just need to update some outdated legacy software like Flash or Shockwave.

Alexander Moore67 said:For an SC2 build, you should grab at least a 6570. They aren't power-hungry, so your current PSU will handle it just fine.

That advice is pretty much useless when he's stuck with a single core. Whether it's a 5450 or a 6450, performance won't matter once that CPU hits 100% load. Maybe a low-end card if he's truly desperate, but honestly?
It's better to just save up for a whole new rig.