Buying a new graphics card - (read first post)

stormyseal98 said:I have no idea why anyone would think I have a 17" monitor; I clearly stated in my opening post that I'm using a 19"...

Everything keeps pointing me toward the 4670 because the consensus is that it's the best value for the money while keeping power consumption to a minimum...
I've been looking at several different versions of the 4670 from various brands: GAINWARD, SAPPHIRE, GIGABYTE, and AMD...the differences seem to be $17 negligible among them. Is there actually any meaningful difference between these manufacturers, or is there one specific brand you'd recommend? Please only respond if you actually have some expertise on this subject...

Thanks

Just grab the one with the largest heatsink. 😉

Anthony Scott93 said:Don't even sweat the GPU right now. If you don't swap out that power supply, you might end up frying your whole rig... Seriously. Fix the PSU first (get an EVGA or maybe a Corsair) and then worry about picking a card.

CodeGen stuff is actually fine... plus the 4670 doesn't pull much power, so you should be golden.

Hey there,

I'm not entirely sure if I've landed in the right spot since I'm pretty new here, so please bear with me.

Here’s what I'm working with:
Intel Core 2 duo E4600 box mb Gigabyte EP35-DS3 4
Gigabyte EP35-DS3 motherboard
4 GB RAM

A 450W Chiftec power supply

I was wondering which graphics card might be the better fit for this setup.

The Radeon HD4670 512MB DDR3 or the Radeon HD3870 PCIe, PCS, 512MB DDR4?

Reza?

8800 gts 512 - $333 Hobby Lobby

I wouldn't want to spend more than $283, since I don't really play much. I was just wondering if either of these two graphics cards would actually let me run GTA IV decently on a 22'' monitor

And if you go for $467, you end up with a 4870 instead. 😁 ... it just keeps going in circles like that...

So, what kind of resolution are you actually running on your setup?

The 8800 GTS and the HD 4850 are pretty much on par; there isn't a huge gap between them. Just if you decide to go with the 4850, make sure you pick one with a better non-reference cooler.☕

If you're looking at $283, then you could go with an 8800 GT 512 or maybe an HD4830... though, if you ask me, it’s totally worth splashing out a little extra cash to grab the GTS instead!

3870. Why? Because it just does! Honestly, what a silly question to ask, it obviously gives you more FPS... though if you're looking at an 8800 GTS, it probably isn't worth the extra cash. Now, that 4670 is also such a fantastic deal for $183, definitely a better value than the 3870, even if it runs a little bit slower...

So, I guess you're asking if I could actually run GTA IV at a higher resolution with this specific setup of parts?

Sure, I hear you, but honestly, the framerate is a bit of a question mark here... If you just pop "NVIDIA GeForce GT 430 review" into Google, you can hunt down some test benches and see how the actual frames hold up in the specific games you're looking at. You really can't expect a card meant for $167 to be cranking out high settings at 1680 resolution...

wiredmarlin5 said:I mean, maybe, but I’d be skeptical about the framerate. Honestly, just Google an NVIDIA GeForce GT 430 review; you can look up specific test builds and see how it handles the games you actually care about. You can't really expect a card at this $167 price point to run everything on high settings at 1680x1050.

It doesn't necessarily need to run on high or at that resolution. As long as I can actually play the game, I'm fine. I don't really play much besides FIFA anyway, so...

Well, if you had just mentioned that from the get-go, you could have simply grabbed an NVIDIA GeForce GT 430 and been happy as a clam... honestly, it would have saved us all a lot of unnecessary headache! 🙂

I'm looking to pick up a graphics card and could use some guidance on which one to choose. My current setup is listed in my signature, though I should mention I'm running an Intel Pentium 4 with a PCI Express interface. My budget is around $160, and I have an EVGA 400W power supply🤷 how can I check if it's sufficient?

Pop the case open and let me know what that sticker says—specifically the manufacturer and the wattage.☕

EVGA 400W

Happy New Year, everyone! Hope 2009 treats you right.

I'm hunting for an AGP card with TV-out. I want to be able to beam whatever my kids are watching straight to the TV so they aren't hogging my PC just to watch cartoons while I'm trying to actually get stuff done.

Here’s what I’m running: an Intel Pentium 4 clocked at 2.4GHz sitting on an ASUS P4V88 board with an AGP 8x slot and a 128-bit bus. Powering the whole thing is a Corsair SMB-400, paired with an NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 for graphics and two hard drives.

I'm barely even playing anymore. 😢 Look, I'm not asking for some high-end powerhouse here. I don't need anything crazy or overkill. Like I said at the start, my only real priority is being able to toss a movie over to the TV while I'm just browsing the web. That's it.

Paprika? Please. You're really gonna bring that up now? It’s like asking if we should put ketchup on a high-end steak—it just doesn't fit the vibe. $67So, I finally caught wind of that... $100 Found an NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT over at Hobby Lobby.

I've got zero intention of messing with my current rig; I'm just gonna hold out and pick up a brand-new build in a year.

I’ve got this quiet little craving for a passive power supply, mostly because I can't stand dealing with all that constant fan noise.

Thanks in advance!

Here’s what I’m running:

Intel Core 2 Duo
gigabyte ma78gm-s2h motherboard
4 gb ram
some random 500w power supply
19 inch monitor, thinking about upgrading to widescreen
an ancient x1650

I’ve got up to $333 set aside for a new GPU. What should I grab—an HD3870 or an HD4670? Or maybe stick with NVIDIA? Is it even worth throwing a 4850 into this rig?

Thanks for the help.

boldorca6 said:My current setup:

Intel Core 2 Duo
Gigabyte MA78GM-S2H motherboard
4 GB RAM
Some random 500W power supply
Planning on a 19-inch widescreen monitor
An ancient X1650

I have about $333 set aside specifically for a new graphics card—any advice? Should I go with an HD3870 or an HD4670? Or maybe something from NVIDIA? I suppose the question is, does it even make sense to drop money on a 4850 for this specific build?

Thanks for the input.

It makes sense... you might as well grab a 4850 if it fits... or perhaps an 8800GTS with 512MB if Hobby Lobby still has any left in stock...

boldorca6 said:My current setup:

AMD Athlon 6000 x2
Gigabyte MA78GM-S2H motherboard
4 GB RAM
Some random 500W power supply
Planning on getting a 19-inch widescreen monitor
A prehistoric X1650

I have about $333 set aside for a new graphics card, so I'm looking for some guidance—should I go with an HD 3870 or perhaps an HD 4670? Or would an Nvidia card be a smarter play here? Furthermore, does anyone actually think it makes sense to drop money on a 4850 for this specific configuration?

Thanks for the input.

You really ought to list the actual 12V rail amperage...