GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Benjamin King2 said:That power draw you mentioned covers the whole rig, not just the card. You’re likely running a Quad processor, which pulls more than what you've got... As for the power supply, the Nitro series from Chieftec is decent enough, but anything else is probably a gamble. Your setup should pull roughly 160W, so you shouldn't run into issues unless you're using some bottom-of-the-barrel junk. 🙂

Alright, here’s the PSU I'm using: http://psurepair.freeforums.org/down...=272&mode=view Do you think this thing can handle it if I swap out the Nvidia for that ATI card on this build?

crimsonstag84 said:1 x DDR2 2048MB ( 2GB ) PC6400 Kingston, 800MHz, CL5
1 x XFX HD6850 775M 1GB DDR5, DisplayPort x2 v1.2, DVD x2, HDMI 1.4a
1 x Spire TherMax II, socket 775/1156/1366/754/939/AM2/AM2+/AM3
1 x XFX Core edition 80 550W PSU - EasyRail technology

$685

The ADM Store (Chicago), free shipping on orders over $667 😉

@Ryan Hayes82/">@@Ryan Hayes82 Look, if he's mostly playing Call of Duty 2, he isn't even going to touch multi-core performance anyway, and honestly, a single core on an E8400 is way more powerful than what you get from a Q6600, plus the price tag on that is just ridiculous. Even if we're talking about having more cores available to work with, the Q6600 is going to have a really hard time ever catching up to that Core2Duo, especially since that thing overclocks like a total beast 🙂

Anyone got any other suggestions? Just so we aren't staring at a single option here. 😁

rustyfox7, man, that’s rough—you’ve only got 150W on the 12V rail, which is basically nothing. You're definitely going to need to pick up something beefier than that.

Gregory Ward said:Does anyone else have any suggestions? I’d love to see a few options—just so we aren't stuck picking from a single choice. 😁

So, what kind of power supply are you actually running in that rig right now?

Benjamin King2 said:So what kind of power supply are you running in your rig right now?

It's literally right there in my first post—it's an ATX 500W P4.

I’m looking for some advice on a GPU upgrade... I was previously running an Nvidia GeForce 9800GT, and I'm wondering if anyone could recommend something with a bit more punch than that, ideally within the $85 range. Thanks.

Gary Johnson64 said:I'm looking for some GPU recommendations... I used to have an Nvidia GeForce 9800GT, so can anyone suggest something a bit more powerful than that for around $80? Thanks!

It might be tough to find anything significantly better than a 9800GT for just $80. Maybe try hunting for something used, like an HD 5770, 6770, 4870, or 4890.

Gregory Ward said:I already mentioned in my first post—it's an ATX 500W P4

Look, don't be lazy—just go ahead and actually open the case to check the label on the power supply. You need the actual brand and specific model, because just seeing "500W" on there doesn't mean a damn thing. 🙂

Benjamin King2 said:Look, don't be lazy, man. Just open up the case and check the label on the power supply to see the actual brand and model, because just seeing "500W" doesn't tell you anything useful about the quality. 🙂

I'm telling you, I read it word for word—it says ATX 500W P4, so I guess "ATX" is supposed to be the model or something. Beyond that, there’s absolutely nothing else written on it.

Benjamin King2 said:Just install DirectX 9.0 C since it runs on a DX9 engine. It doesn't matter if the game itself recognizes it—as long as Windows does, you're good.

Thanks for the help!
Managed to get it running somehow. It’s far from perfect, but at least it isn't freezing. I set the shortcut to compatibility mode for Windows 95 and now it's actually somewhat playable... honestly, if I'd known this game was such a buggy mess, I never would've downloaded it!

Gregory Ward said:I mean, it literally says it right there—ATX 500W P4. "ATX" is probably just the model type. There's nothing else listed, period.

Just grab an XFX 450 w instead—that should be plenty for you... clearly, we're dealing with some off-brand, no-name power supply here.

Michael Brooks13 said:Thanks for all the help so far!
I somehow managed to get it running—it’s not exactly smooth, but at least it isn't freezing. I set the shortcut to run in compatibility mode for Windows 95 and the game is actually somewhat playable... if I had known this thing was such a buggy mess from the start, I never would've bothered downloading it!

Man, from everything I've read, this game relies way more on having a beefy processor and a fast drive than it does on the graphics card. Just keep an eye out for patches; they'll likely fix the performance issues eventually.

Benjamin King2 said:Just grab an XFX 450 w and you'll be fine... it's pretty obvious you're dealing with some cheap no-name power supply here.

Look, I was asking about the graphics card, so obviously the power supply choice depends on whatever GPU I end up picking.

Yeah, given your processor and that HD 6850, the XFX 450 should be more than enough for you.

crimsonstag84 said:At an $80 budget, you're going to have a hard time finding anything more powerful than an Nvidia 9800 gt. Your best bet would be hunting down some used gear, maybe something like an HD 5770, a 6770, or perhaps a 4870 or 4890.

Look, just know that as long as it isn't weaker than that card, I'll be happy... if you catch my drift. Thanks.

Gary Johnson64 said:You know, I just hope it isn't any weaker than that card, if you catch my drift... thanks.

What's your take on the ZOTAC GT440 1GB DDR3 810/1600Mhz versus the ATI HD6570 512 mb DDR5? Are they performing better or roughly equal to the Nvidia 9800 gt? Thanks.

Gary Johnson64 said:What do you think about a ZOTAC GT440 1GB DDR3 810/1600Mhz or an ATI HD6570 512mb DDR5? Are they stronger or about the same as an Nvidia 9800 gt? Thanks

They're both a bit weaker... maybe by 15-20%.

You should probably aim for at least an HD 5770 or a GTS 450 if you don't want to just throw your money away...

crimsonstag84 said:Both options fall slightly short... by about 15-20%.

You should be looking at something like an HD 5770 or a GTS 450 at the very least, assuming you don't want to just throw your money straight into the wind.

Heh, I don't have that much cash lying around, unfortunately. A radeon HD 5770 is sitting at about... 174 miles Roughly $150. 🙂 I wasn't aware my Nvidia 9800 gt fell into that same category. 😁 A buddy of mine is claiming he can run games at max settings without breaking a sweat using a Zotac gt 220. 🙂 Honestly, I'm at a bit of a crossroads myself. My budget is pretty tight right now, so I can't exactly go out and drop a fortune on a top-tier card. All I really care about is finding something that won't feel like a massive step backward from my Nvidia 9800 gt. I was actually incredibly satisfied with that card, so anything I pick has to at least hold its own against it. 🙂Thanks, man. I'd love to hear your take on this. 😁

Gary Johnson64 said:Haha, I don't have that much cash on me right now, unfortunately. I guess a radeon HD 5770 is about what I can swing. 174 miles Maybe around $150. 🙂 Oh, I didn't realize my Nvidia 9800 gt was actually in that same tier. 😁 A friend of mine has a Zotac gt 220, and he claims he can run games on max settings without any issues. I guess we'll see. 🙂 Honestly, I’m not even sure what to pick myself. Cash is a bit tight right now, and I just need something that isn't a step down from my Nvidia 9800 gt. I was actually pretty happy with that card, so I'd hate to regret the upgrade. 🙂Thanks, man. Let me know what you think. 😁

Maybe try looking for an HD 6670 (GDDR5) instead... that should be closer to what you're after. Just so you know, the GTS 450 and HD 5770 are definitely more powerful than the Nvidia 9800 gt. 😉

The gt 220 is really just an entry-level card, which basically means it's useless for gaming—it’s probably about half as powerful as the Nvidia 9800 gt. 😛

crimsonstag84 said:If you’re looking for an upgrade, try hunting down at least an HD 6670 with GDDR5; that would actually be in your league. Just so we're clear, the GTS 450 and the HD 5770 are significantly more powerful than the Nvidia 9800 gt. 😉

The gt 220 is strictly an entry-level card, which essentially means it’s useless for gaming; it performs at about half the level of an Nvidia 9800 gt. 😛

Heh, my buddy's gonna give me hell for this one. 😁I was actually just looking at my savings to see if I could scrape together enough to pick up that HD 6670... but then the thought hit me again: maybe I should just hunt down an Nvidia 9800 gt instead and go that route once more. 😁 The graphics performance is actually quite impressive; I've been able to run all the latest titles at max settings without any issues whatsoever. My current setup consists of an AMD Athlon ii 630 x4 2.8, 4 GB of RAM, a 500 GB SATA drive, and an Nvidia 9800 gt. 🙂 Much appreciated. I'll take a look and see what can be done. 🙂 Greetings.

Could use some help picking 😍

1. SAPPHIRE HD3650 512MB DDR2 CARD
* PCI Express® 2.0 x16 bus support
* 512 MB DDR2
* 128-bit DDR2 memory interface
* High-speed 128-bit high Dynamic rang rendering
* DirectX ® 10.1 / shader model 4.1 support
* 55nm process technology
* Up to 24x Custom Filter Anti-Aliasing
* ATI PowerPlay™ energy conserving technology
* Unified video Decoder (UVD) for Blu-ray™ and HD DVD at full HD 1080p
* ATI CrossFireX™ multi-GPU support

2. ZOTAC GF210 512MB DDR2 CARD
* Video chipset: Nvidia ® GeForce ® 210
* Core frequency: 589MHz
* Memory: DDR2
* Frequency: 800 MHz
* Capacity: 512 MB
* 64-bit memory interface
* RAMDAC speed: 400 MHz
* Interface: PCI Express 2.0 x16 (compatible with 1.1)
* Max resolution 2560 x 1600
* Ports:
* 1 x DVI
* 1 x HDMI
* 1 x VGA
* DirectX 10
* OpenGL 3.1

3. SAPPHIRE ATI HD5450 512MB DDR2 (1GB HM

So, are any of these actually decent? Which one should I grab? Not exactly working with a massive budget here, so I'm stuck with these three 🙂