@Olivia Collins5 2GB is plenty if you're running resolutions higher than Full HD (1920x1080) or driving multiple monitors from a single card. Since you're sitting at 1600x1200, you honestly wouldn't notice any difference between 1GB and 2GB. All of these use DDR5; as far as I know, there isn't even a DDR3 version of this card available (and obviously, DDR5 is much faster than DDR3).
The cheapest GTX 650 Ti option is here:
EDIT It's actually on sale at this link:
But this one is actually even better—it's an MSI model, so you get a year more warranty than the others, plus it's overclocked.
Then there's the Gigabyte OC version:
The last two options are from slightly more prestigious manufacturers and come factory overclocked. Even with shipping, they should only run you about $40.--$17
crimsonstag84 said:Check out this breakdown from AnandTech GPU 2012 5850: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/512?vs=539 😛
Like I said before—it's all about frame drops here and there. Because of that, it’s definitely not worth it anymore.
AnandTech GPU 2012 5850
5850- 27.9 The 6850 is a year younger than that, supports OpenGL 4.1, and draws just a tiny bit less power.
Same architecture, but honestly, the 7850 just pulls away from the pack—it's performing even better than the 6950.
By the way, I’ve got high expectations for Season 8 once it finally drops later this year. Honestly, it would be a massive letdown if it just felt like more of the same. Given how long we've been waiting, they really need to step it up and deliver something fresh.
Look, if the 6850 performs on par with the 7770, then they’re a solid choice. Plus, you can't ignore the fact that the 7 series comes with much better drivers.
@Jack Alvarez/">@@Jack Alvarez - the prices over there are absolutely killer 🙏
I actually saw a 6850 listed locally for $200 (assuming the ad isn't a total scam), so it's very likely you'll find even better deals out there.
urbaneagle4 said:Do you need an AGP or a PCI-E card? >>19>>PCI-E What’s your current or planned setup, and what kind of power supply are you running? Power supply - CPU - AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+, memory 2 x 512 MB DDR2-533 (266 MHz), monitor Samsung SyncMaster 720n [17" LCD] (H9FLB06871), motherboard Asus M2V-MX (2 PCI, 1 PCI-E x16, 2 DDR2 DIMM, Audio, Video, LAN). Case is pretty similar to this one http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?product_id=6625 What resolution are you gaming at? I'm currently on integrated graphics, so I don't really game 😉. My old graphics card died a while back because of the power supply. How much are you looking to spend? About $100. Which stores are you considering? Future IT - I heard they're reliable and among the cheaper options. If you have any other specific requirements, let us know. Will the graphics card fit the case? I don't want to change anything else, so I need to know if my power supply can handle the card since I won't be upgrading that either 🙂. I'll grab some extra RAM too. I'd love to be able to play Path of Exile on medium-high settings and maybe some newer games if possible. I'm torn between these two: 1. http://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-Rad...M.41479.0.html , or 2. http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-...M.63761.0.html... there are so many versions of these cards that I'm getting lost. If anyone knows of something better, please let me know. Thanks in advance!
Regarding those laptop graphics cards you suggested 😉
That’s not going to work out. If you had a slightly better dual-core processor—maybe a 6670—that would fit well, or even a 4850 (but you'd definitely need a new power supply).
- You're way too low on RAM, and since you only have 2 slots, you'll have to ditch what you have now and install at least 2GB, or ideally 4GB if it's possible.
- You really should upgrade the power supply. It's bottom-of-the-barrel, and if it actually works, you're just asking for something to fry. Unless you want to risk a total meltdown, picking up a decent 350W unit $133 would be a smart move—plus, you could save it for your next build.
- As for a GPU for that CPU: maybe an older ATI card like a 4670 (or a 4750/4770 if you can even find them around here), or a newer ATI Radeon HD 6570 (though that isn't worth the money).
That might get you through Path of Exile, but honestly, it’s nothing special. You might be better off saving up for a more modest budget PC altogether.
Look, if a brand new 7770 is going for about $100 over in Germany 🙏, there’s no way people are dropping that kind of cash on a used 5850 . I’d personally aim for around $500 $200 — assuming she wants a quick sale .
Jack Alvarez: According to the latest reports, the Brico_GO new Tomb Raider is actually very light by today's standards—your Radeon HD 5850 should handle it without breaking a sweat.
As for picking out a new GPU, I honestly can't say for sure. You should probably hunt down some benchmarks or just wait for more people to weigh in... though, at the end of the day, they're basically the same beast. Honestly, whatever you grab in that price range is going to absolutely crush everything you throw at it.
Check out these comments: 7970 OC vs gtx 670 PE OC (there are more threads listed under related topics below)
EDIT: Those posts are a little dated. I think it really just comes down to getting the latest drivers and which specific game you're playing (ATI has actually stepped up their game quite a bit with driver support lately).
http://www.alternate.at/html/product...l_Fan/973462/? - this price is in USD 🤷
If you’re willing to stretch the budget a little, you might find better cooling solutions from other brands. But honestly, at this price point, having dual fans is the main thing that matters. I can't say for certain which brand offers superior cooling—maybe Club3D or PowerColor—so you should definitely check out some reviews first.
To be blunt, I’m not sure if you actually need a card this powerful. It seems overkill, and frankly, I have no idea if your current PC build can even handle it properly.
copperharbor35 said:DDR2 is getting pricey, and DDR1 is even more of a stretch.
I was browsing through eBay, and man, there are tons of them out there. $20 But then again, you can find them scattered here and there, too. $33 What’s the asking price for 1GB of DDR2? 🙂 Most people rarely buy multiple units at once, but I need three 1GB setups for three separate machines. Honestly, my biggest hesitation with buying through sites like eBay is the lack of security; if I just walk into Best Buy and pick up new ones, I get that full three-year warranty. That peace of mind is exactly what I’m looking for.
Thanks for the response. 🙂
If you want to deal with people who are straight-up lying about their prices, honestly, just head to a brick-and-mortar store instead. At least there, you have some level of consumer protection and the peace of mind that you won't get scammed. Those cheap deals aren't exactly flying off the shelves anyway. Besides, by today's standards, that hardware is pretty weak. If those are old single-core machines, no amount of savings will save them. You're better off tucking that money away and saving up for one decent, modern PC. 🙂It’s even taking aim at the internet now. $170 for 4GB of DDR3? That’s highway robbery.$60 At least they're rolling out some new dual-core Celerons.$100At least if you go with a cheap motherboard, you'll have something to show for it—it’s not like we’re talking about a massive amount of money here.
It’s not really meant for heavy gaming since that GPU is a beast But you still get an SSD (faster boot times for macOS and all that)- just heaven help you if you're dealing with that MX MYLES That 128GB Vertex 4 SSD is $300 so you have to wonder why. Some people actually complain about it
In most stores, there isn't much of a price gap between a 500GB hard drive and a 1TB hard drive $23- so I'm not sure if that saving is even worth it
copperharbor35 said:I don't want to start a whole new thread, just a quick question. Can I use this RAM http://ark.intel.com/products/27733/...ory-Controller on this motherboard http://www.amazon.com/memory-modules/b?node=12345
The board specs say it supports DDR2 but at lower speeds (DDR2-533), whereas this RAM is rated for 800. Will it work at the slower speed, or will it fail to boot entirely?
If it won't work, does anyone have suggestions on where to find DDR2 with a lower clock speed? 😁
You'd probably have to hunt for it on eBay or elsewhere (check forums like this one, bugzilla.org, or PCMag if you can). DDR2 RAM is insanely overpriced in retail stores. For instance, 4GB at a big-box retailer like Best Buy would cost over $133, while used stuff might go for $67 Getting 1GB used for maybe 50-$20 would be a realistic target.
And yes—it should work, it'll just downclock to the lower frequency.
7770 and 7850 are not in the same league—it all comes down to that second digit. There is a noticeable gap there, easily over 10%, and since you mentioned you need this rig specifically for gaming, let's be real: I'm not sure you'll see a meaningful performance boost from an SSD. For $1167, you simply cannot build a decent gaming PC paired with a high-quality SSD like an OCZ Vertex 4. You haven't mentioned a higher budget or any other specific preferences.
The VS series is Corsair's entry-level lineup, so your power supply is almost certainly lower quality than an EVGA unit, and likely weaker too. Just look at the pricing for the CX series or the W/TX models at a store like Best Buy. Those price tiers and model variations exist for a reason; they aren't just arbitrary numbers. Don't get me wrong—it isn't a total disaster, and that VS unit will technically keep your system running without issue.
Regarding the motherboard, we already confirmed that the ASUS FM2A75 PRO4-M is a solid choice (largely due to having four RAM slots). Then, you ended up digging up the ASUS GA-F2A55M-HD2 S. FM2—probably just to shave some dollars off the cost—and then fadedorca66 pointed out perfectly well that it lacks USB3 and SATA3 ports (which you're going to need eventually for an SSD). We suggested you at least go with the FM2A75M-DGS or one of the others we listed...
Besides, I honestly don't know what the odds are of you snapping a RAM slot or even the RAM itself. Good grief—they put 8 to 10-year warranties on RAM because it's considered a "sure thing." It’s incredibly rare for it to fail; we're talking 1 in 10,000,000 odds. If we used that kind of "what if" logic, we could have recommended a dual SLI setup and a $10 $0.00 rig just in case one card dies. We were simply sticking to the budget you provided.
Your take on the graphics card is shocking. Go to YouTube and watch some gameplay footage, or better yet, find someone using that GPU in person to see the actual difference. Ultimately, it's your money and your choice. But you've jumped from zero to making all these massive conclusions in just a few days. I really hope you aren't the type of person who was advised to use an ASROCK N68-GE3 UCC for a Phenom 🙏 along with three sticks of 2GB RAM... That guy clearly doesn't understand dual-channel memory at all...
This reminds me of that guy on Kaloori, or whatever his name was, who asked a mountain of questions only to dump a custom build on us at the end—he blew his budget by $1000$667 and ended up with an absolute epic fail of a 🙏 configuration. Compared to that, your build is actually quite good. This is just a matter of miscommunication, differing expectations, budget constraints, and a lack of component knowledge.
Look, if you're just a home user, you don't really need an official license. It's a different story when you're dealing with corporations. You just need to create the right serial and input it.
Why does it even matter? Just move your files to another partition or burn them to a disc. And hey, if you end up buying a new GPU, make sure someone records a video of you installing Windows 10 64-bit. Use a loader to bypass the activation, update everything, and it'll run just like the genuine deal.
First, go ahead and uninstall your drivers the standard way through Add/Remove Programs. After that, boot up into Safe Mode and run a driver sweeper tool. Make sure you check the box for your specific display driver brand (whether it's NVIDIA or AMD), let it scan, and then wipe out all those leftover driver files. Once everything is clean, just download and install the latest drivers from the official website... http://www.techspot.com/downloads/42...r-sweeper.html
It’s a best practice to follow this exact process even if you decide to pick up a brand-new graphics card later on.
@Olivia Collins5—honestly, picking up an NVIDIA GTX 1060 just isn't worth it; it’s overpriced and frankly too weak for what you're paying. You'll get much better value by looking at the Radeon HD 7750 or the Radeon HD 7770 in that same price bracket. Now, if you really want to stick with NVIDIA, the GTX 1060 is a decent choice if you don't want to spend less on an AMD card like the 7770. Anything stronger than that is a waste of money for your setup, especially since you aren't planning on overclocking your processor—you won't be able to tap into that extra power anyway. So, if you're staying with NVIDIA, the 1060 is your only logical move.
PS. It would also be a smart move to upgrade your RAM to 4 GB. Plus, once you grab a new graphics card, I highly recommend installing Windows 10 (definitely the 64-bit version if you upgrade that RAM) so you can actually take advantage of DirectX 12 features and get the best possible drivers directly from the web.
Price $500 (+-$17) max. Which one would you guys pick? I need this for gaming.🙂
Also, would any of these cards work with my current build? (Considering my PSU and motherboard)
Personally, I'd go with the MSI—they offer a longer warranty and it's overclocked. After that, maybe Sapphire because they have dual fans. Avoid NVIDIA if you can when they only have a single fan.
I’m not sure if selling that thing actually makes sense for you—when you consider that you're only looking at a measly 15% boost in performance, all while still holding onto a perfectly decent 🤷 .