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Home › IT › Hardware › Desktops › Buying a new graphics card - (read first post)

Buying a new graphics card - (read first post)

Started by wiredmarlin5 · · 👁 20 views · 938 replies

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Participants wiredmarlin5fadedorca66Charles Hill2placidcanyon2Rachel Fox4darkfalcon9Kyle Sanchez4Daniel Nguyen3Kevin Kim7Timothy Palmer28Timothy Morris28Frank White75Andrew Flores8feralpanther13Paul Anderson7John Chavez222goldenotter55Arthur Brooks63Rebecca White67darkowl72Gregory Richardson62Karen Reed21Steven Baker12Olivia Davis8 …
wiredmarlin5 wiredmarlin5 NewcomerOP
2 messages
joined Apr 2009
#881 ·
placidcanyon2 said:Which AMD card could actually compete with a 2600XT GDDR4, assuming I really want to prioritize lower power draw and a smaller footprint? Is there any word on a low-end 5xxx series hitting the shelves soon?

Well, if you've got the extra cash to spare, an HD4670 would be a fantastic way to go, even though it’s quite a bit more powerful than that old 2600XT...

I honestly haven't the slightest clue when the next AMD lineup is dropping, so we're all just sitting here waiting for news on the GT300... 😛
placidcanyon2 placidcanyon2 Member
11 messages
joined Mar 2010
#882 ·
Got no clue. Should I go with the 4550 or the 4650?
silverridge43 silverridge43 Member
12 messages
joined Nov 2007
#883 ·
silverridge43 said:my setup is: an Nvidia GeForce 6600, a Samsung CRT Flatron monitor, an Athlon 64 3000+ 1.8 GHz processor, and an ASUS GA-K8N-SLi motherboard

what cheap graphics card should I grab to replace this one?


Can I just pick up an AMD Radeon 4350 with 512 MB of DDR2? Is that actually enough?
Timothy Mitchell29 Timothy Mitchell29 Member
19 messages
joined Sep 2021
#884 ·
I need some serious advice here—does it even make sense to swap out my current GPU (an old 9600xt) for something with more kick?
So, here’s the situation: I’m running an AGP setup with a Sempron 2500 processor (yeah, yeah, I know, it’s basically a glorified paperweight at this point) and some generic, no-name 400W power supply.
Honestly, I feel like the CPU is way too weak to actually handle anything decent if I were to pair it with an AMD 3650 or maybe a 3850.
What am I looking to play? Just stuff like Empire: Total War or S.T.A.L.K.E.R., though obviously, I'll be cranking everything down to the lowest settings possible.
Is there any hope for this rig, or am I just throwing money into a black hole?
Thanks in advance!....
Karen Garcia5 Karen Garcia5 Member
10 messages
joined Jan 2012
#885 ·
Unfortunately, it’s just not worth it 🙂
James Morris4 James Morris4 Newcomer
2 messages
joined Feb 2011
#886 ·
Start saving up for a new rig, especially if you're in urgent need of a new 😁
velvettrucker14 velvettrucker14 Newcomer
8 messages
joined Aug 2009
#887 ·
Got an off-topic question for you guys. I wasn't really sure where to drop this, so I figured I'd just throw it out here...
About a week ago, I picked up a new Sapphire AMD Radeon http://www1.sapphiretech.com/us/prod...w.php?gpid=285. The specs say I can run SLI with it, but I’ve been staring at this card for ages and I don't see a single connector for it anywhere!

Is that just some marketing nonsense, or am I just blind? Does anyone actually know what the connector looks like for that bridge cable?
wiredmarlin5 wiredmarlin5 NewcomerOP
2 messages
joined Apr 2009
#888 ·
He probably means some sort of internal SLI setup, you know, just communicating through those PCI-E slots... but honestly, if you were actually looking to pick up a card specifically for gaming, you really missed the mark there...
James Morris4 James Morris4 Newcomer
2 messages
joined Feb 2011
#889 ·
Entry-level graphics cards don't really demand massive bandwidth, so I guess SLI could work just fine over PCI-E.
Roger Gomez38 Roger Gomez38 Newcomer
3 messages
joined Mar 2016
#890 ·
The Sapphire AMD Radeon 3650 AGP GPU.
Looking at the ECS Nvidia GeForce 8500 GT GPU.
Which of these two would be better for running 1080p content? This board features a 780G chipset with integrated HD 3200 graphics, but I’m thinking about adding a dedicated card just to be safe. Who knows? Maybe I'll even try to run a modern game or two...
Casey Long2 Casey Long2 Member
14 messages
joined Feb 2010
#891 ·
For heaven's sake, which motherboard actually features an AGP slot on that 780G chipset?

But honestly—if you're looking to play games—either of those options is going to be pretty underwhelming. If you actually want to enjoy some gaming, you really need to look at a Radeon 4670/4730 or something even better; just forget about those weaker cards.
Kyle Sanchez4 Kyle Sanchez4 Newcomer
4 messages
joined Dec 2009
#892 ·
Hmm. Why are you even looking at AGP cards when that motherboard definitely has PCIe
A newer Radeon HD4xxx series would be a solid choice
Roger Gomez38 Roger Gomez38 Newcomer
3 messages
joined Mar 2016
#893 ·
My bad, my bad, my bad. I wasn't even paying close attention myself. Just went on autopilot. Mea Culpa. Won't happen again, consider this my rookie 😁
Since I'm clearly not an expert in these waters, I totally blanked on the whole AGP vs. PCI thing. What a newbie, right? 😢
Timothy Barrett3 Timothy Barrett3 Member
21 messages
joined Oct 2009
#894 ·
What’s the consensus on the Nvidia GeForce GTX series? Here is the link. I need something to run Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Honestly, I’m torn between this one and the 5850. I can't figure out if stepping up to the 5850 is actually worth the cash. Looking at the benchmarks, it doesn't seem to be doing much of anything at standard resolutions. For context, I'm currently running at 1680x1050 on a 20-inch monitor. Which way should I go?
wiredmarlin5 wiredmarlin5 NewcomerOP
2 messages
joined Apr 2009
#895 ·
That's just way too pricey for what it is... honestly, you'd be much better off grabbing a Radeon HD 4870 or maybe even a Radeon HD 4890 if you want that extra bit of power...
Timothy Barrett3 Timothy Barrett3 Member
21 messages
joined Oct 2009
#896 ·
wiredmarlin5 said:Way too expensive. Just grab an HD4870 or an HD4890 instead.

Regarding the 4890. Which one are you leaning towards? Sapphire, ATI, or XFX?
wiredmarlin5 wiredmarlin5 NewcomerOP
2 messages
joined Apr 2009
#897 ·
Honestly, I don't really care, I just want whatever's cheapest. 😁 🙂 ... a cooler is just a cooler, right? Who cares if it hits 90 or 80°C under Load, as long as that 24-month warranty stays valid... But if I had to pick one, I'd probably go with this one
Kyle Gray89 Kyle Gray89 Newcomer
5 messages
joined Nov 2009
#898 ·
Here is my current setup

DualCore Intel Core 2 duo E8200, 2000 MHz (6 x 333)
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3
1 GB DDR2-800 DDR2 SDRAM
ATI Radeon HD 3870 512 MB
Win 7

Philips 190X6, might upgrade this soon

I'm thinking I definitely need to bump up my RAM, but should I also look into swapping out my graphics card? If so, what would you guys recommend in the $333 range? $33 +/-
Casey Palmer9 Casey Palmer9 Newcomer
5 messages
joined Nov 2009
#899 ·
Hey everyone...
So, about a month ago my BFG GF 9800 GT OC 512 died on me. It had a 10-year warranty, but of course, the guys over at Best Buy didn't have a replacement in stock, so they just gave me my money back. Now I'm stuck wondering what's next...

What would you guys recommend for gaming? Looking for something in the range of $333 up to maybe 1300-$467? Needs to be PCIe, obviously. I'm running a Neon PL400W power supply, so if I need more juice than that, please let me know.
My motherboard is a DFI Lan Party X38.
Basically, give me a specific model and manufacturer if you can... who's your favorite?

And PLEASE, tell me where I can actually pick this up (maybe somewhere in Chicago?) or order it online. I don't mind paying for shipping if it means actually getting what I'm looking for.

Thanks in advance!

(Edit: By the way, I was browsing Newegg... why on earth do the HD4870 1Gb and the HD5750 1Gb have almost the exact same price tag? I don't really wrap my head around the pros and cons of one versus the other, but I figured the newer series would be better—and therefore more expensive).
feralseal11 feralseal11 Member
11 messages
joined Nov 2009
#900 ·
Casey Palmer9;23528634 said:Hey everyone...
So, here's the deal. About a month ago, my BFG GF 9800 GT OC 512 died on me. It actually had a 10-year warranty, but obviously, those clowns over at Best Buy didn't have a replacement in stock, so I just took the refund and now I'm back at square one...

What would you guys recommend for gaming? I'm looking for a card somewhere in the range of $333 up to maybe $1300-$467? Needs to be PCIe, obviously. I'm running a Neon PL400W power supply, so if I need more juice than that, please let me know.
My motherboard is a DFI Lan Party X38 series.
Basically, give me the specific model and manufacturer if you can... who's your go-to?

And PLEASE, tell me where I can actually pick this up (in NYC) or order it online—I don't even care if there's shipping involved, I just want to find what I'm looking for.

Thanks in advance!

If you ask me, you should look at

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