What card to get???

Gilletter · Nov 4, 2008

Hey all, I need some input. As you all know Christmas is around the corner. I'm being hounded by family for a gift list. What I want to know is everyones oppinion on upgrading a graphics card... I want to ask for something around the $100 mark, and try not to go over that. Right now I have a Sapphire radeon x1650 pro, and with the newer games out I can't use AA or AF without it being slow and buggy... Can anyone recommend a card due to personal experience with them? I don't mind ATI or NVIDIA, just whatever you can make a compelling argument for. Thanks!!!

p.s. PCIe x16 since I didn't mention it above

farlex85 · Nov 4, 2008

The 9800gt is falling pretty close to $100, if you can get that that would be good. If not, the 9600gso w/ 768mb of vram would probably be the best choice..

CrAsHnBuRnXp · Nov 4, 2008

I have an ATI x1950Pro in my FS thread if interested.

red268 · Nov 4, 2008

I know this is a UK site. But if you can find the same in the US, it's not bad.
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/139617

Won't be playing the latest games on highest settings. But you'll be able to play Crysis on medium settings at an acceptable fps.

Far Cry 2 will be fine on Medium settings - So the card is fine, just don't expect an amazing card for $100.

You'd still notice a MASSIVE improvement.

KainXS · Nov 4, 2008

any 8800/9600+ 3800/46XX/48XX would be a massive upgrade from a 1650, lol I had one a while ago

u can get an open box 8800GT from newegg for $86

Asylum · Nov 4, 2008

Heres a great card from a great company for a great price!!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130380

KainXS · Nov 4, 2008

heres an XFX 8800GT(REFURB) for 100

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4197114&CatId=28

kenkickr · Nov 4, 2008

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102792

4670 gives you about the same performance as the 3850 but doesn't require external power. Now sure how your 420W will do with the 8800-9800GT's so I'm suggesting this. Oh, and $20 more gives you the 1gb version.

Gilletter · Nov 4, 2008

thanks I will keep those in mind... keep em coming if there's more suggestions

KainXS · Nov 4, 2008

is it the ddr2 version version of the x1650 pro

JrRacinFan · Nov 4, 2008

9600GSO

http://www.evga.com/products/bstock.asp

or

http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=74882

EDIT: Oh but wait ... power supply may be an issue. May want to look into an HD4670 instead.

Gilletter · Nov 4, 2008

JrRacinFan said:
9600GSO

http://www.evga.com/products/bstock.asp

or

http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=74882

EDIT: Oh but wait ... power supply may be an issue. May want to look into an HD4670 instead.

Second one is a deactivated item :-\ but that would probably be perfect

KainXS · Nov 4, 2008

the 8800GS/9600GSO is good but to get the most out of it you have to volt mod it really, when volt modded to 1.3V they overclock very very easily, at least my brothers does in his pc

for example at 1.3V this is the most he can get

at 1.1V it will only go up to about 750Mhz which is nice, at 1.2V it hits about 830, and at 1.3V it hits a bit over 900 but the stock heatsink won't take the heat at all.

but you could wait and get a 9800GTX or 4850 and a psu, the prices of graphics cards should drop with the holiday sales

got a 9800gx2 myself

JrRacinFan · Nov 4, 2008

Gilletter said:
Second one is a deactivated item :-\ but that would probably be perfect

Sorry forgot to specify to use the TigerDirect link.Would be perfect but I think you would have to get a new PSU as well. Oh and just as an FYI, I stated 4670 because it has lower power consumption and doesnt require a PCIe 6 pin. Almost the same as performing as the 8800GS. Just a tad under an HD3850.

KainXS · Nov 5, 2008

if the psu is the APEVIA LC-A420ATX I don't think that will be enough for a 8800/3800+ maybe a 46XX but the psu req from ATI is 400 watts

I ran a 3850 an a 380 watt antec so maybe but that antec had 2 18A 12V rails on it

Gilletter · Nov 5, 2008

I'm not looking to go for the greatest card ever, just something to upgrade to, so that I don't get all the artifacts when AA and AF are applied

boise49ers · Nov 5, 2008

4670/4850

The 4*** series would be a great choice I think.

Comparison:
http://www.gpureview.com/show_cards.php?card1=447&card2=579

Newegg pricing:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...0048 106792627 1067944045&name=Radeon HD 4670

newtekie1 · Nov 5, 2008

The HD4670 is a good card, but don't be fooled into thinking it performs similar to an HD3850. The HD4670 is noticeably slower than the HD3850.

Personally, I would look in the direction of the HD4830. It is already close to the $100 mark, and by the time x-mas comes around, it should be right at the $100 mark. The performance is very good on this card.

And I wouldn't worry about your power supply, 420w should be enough. The system in my sig with the 9600GSO, even with 2 hard drives, has never gone over 300w pulled from the wall.

Gilletter · Nov 8, 2008

Well in regards to possibly needing a new PSU, what would anyone suggest? Cause I can ask for a new PSU from someone in the wifes family as well

johnspack · Nov 8, 2008

If you can find one, an 8800gt would be a bargain, for a kickbutt card. It'll play crysis ect, prob for like 100 bucks. For a little more, a 9800gtx non + model should be cheap, maybe 150?
And an 8800gt will dropkick an 9600gt or gso....

DaMulta · Nov 8, 2008

What until later if it is for X-Mass.

Video cards are the worst in keeping their value.

Today's cards that are 200usd today, could be 100usd in a month from now.

Gilletter · Nov 8, 2008

DaMulta said:
What until later if it is for X-Mass.

Video cards are the worst in keeping their value.

Today's cards that are 200usd today, could be 100usd in a month from now.

Well I'm just trying to get an idea on what to ask for, cause my wifes family keeps asking me for ideas... I figured I'd ask here and get everyones thoughts.

ShadowFold · Nov 8, 2008

Ask for a new psu and buy a new gpu your self

Heres a great cheap one
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371007

Gilletter · Nov 9, 2008

ShadowFold said:
Ask for a new psu and buy a new gpu your self

Heres a great cheap one
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371007

I would but I can't go spending my "own" money... I have my first kid on the way, so I have a bigger priority than my gaming coming :toast:

ShadowFold · Nov 9, 2008

Then I would just get a HD 4670 then

System Name	Prebuilt - because covid...
Processor	Intel Core i7-11700F
Motherboard	Gigabyte b560 ds3h ac-y1
Cooling	Cooler Master 212 BE
Memory	16 GB
Video Card(s)	Asus RTX 3060 Ti
Storage	1 TB Wd, 500 SSD
Display(s)	27in Curved Samsung
Case	CyberpowerPC
Audio Device(s)	-
Power Supply	Antec NeoECO C 520 watt
Software	Win 8.1 Pro
Benchmark Scores	3DMark Score 7754.0 3DMarks Graphics Score 8392.0 Physics Score 6498.0 Combined Score 6062.0

System Name	Aquarium
Processor	Ryzen 9 7950x
Motherboard	ROG Strix X670-E
Cooling	Lian Li Galahead 360 AIO
Memory	2x16gb Flare X5 Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR5-6000 PC5-48000
Video Card(s)	Asus RTX 3060
Storage	2TB WD SN850X Black NVMe, 500GB Samsung 970 NVMe
Display(s)	Gigabyte 32" IPS 144Hz
Case	Hyte Y60
Power Supply	Corsair RMx 850
Software	Win 11 Pro/ PopOS!

Processor	Intel i9 9900K @5GHz w/ Corsair H150i Pro CPU AiO w/Corsair HD120 RBG fan
Motherboard	Asus Z390 Maximus XI Code
Cooling	6x120mm Corsair HD120 RBG fans
Memory	Corsair Vengeance RBG 2x8GB 3600MHz
Video Card(s)	Asus RTX 3080Ti STRIX OC
Storage	Samsung 970 EVO Plus 500GB , 970 EVO 1TB, Samsung 850 EVO 1TB SSD, 10TB Synology DS1621+ RAID5
Display(s)	Corsair Xeneon 32" 32UHD144 4K
Case	Corsair 570x RBG Tempered Glass
Audio Device(s)	Onboard / Corsair Virtuoso XT Wireless RGB
Power Supply	Corsair HX850w Platinum Series
Mouse	Logitech G604s
Keyboard	Corsair K70 Rapidfire
Software	Windows 11 x64 Professional
Benchmark Scores	Firestrike - 23520 Heaven - 3670

Processor	Intel® Core™ 2 Quad Q6600 Quad Core Processor(2.4GHz,8MB Cache,1066MHz)
Motherboard	ASUSTeK - P5N-E - SLI nForce 650i SLI(C55) - ATX
Cooling	TRUE with Xilence Red Wing 120mm fan
Memory	OCZ 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 800Mhz/PC2-6400 GOLD XTC
Video Card(s)	Sapphire HD3870 XT 512MB Arctic Cooling Acellero S1 Rev. 2
Storage	Seagate ST3500320AS 500GB SATA II 7200rpm 32MB Cache
Display(s)	HANNS-G HU196D 19"
Case	Antec 1200
Audio Device(s)	5.1 High Definition onboard sound card - 6 Channel Cinema sound
Power Supply	550W PSU
Software	Windows Vista Home Premium 32bit
Benchmark Scores	10713 3DMark06 - No overclocking on anything

Processor	AMD Ryzen 9 5950x, Ryzen 9 5980HX
Motherboard	MSI X570 Tomahawk
Cooling	Be Quiet Dark Rock Pro 4(With Noctua Fans)
Memory	32Gb Crucial 3600 Ballistix
Video Card(s)	Gigabyte RTX 3080, Asus 6800M
Storage	Adata SX8200 1TB NVME/WD Black 1TB NVME
Display(s)	Dell 27 Inch 165Hz
Case	Phanteks P500A
Audio Device(s)	IFI Zen Dac/JDS Labs Atom+/SMSL Amp+Rivers Audio
Power Supply	Corsair RM850x
Mouse	Logitech G502 SE Hero
Keyboard	Corsair K70 RGB Mk.2
VR HMD	Samsung Odyssey Plus
Software	Windows 10

What card to get???

Gilletter

farlex85

CrAsHnBuRnXp

red268

KainXS

Asylum

KainXS

kenkickr

Gilletter

KainXS

JrRacinFan

Served 5k and counting ...

Gilletter

KainXS

JrRacinFan

Served 5k and counting ...

KainXS

Gilletter

boise49ers

newtekie1

Semi-Retired Folder

Gilletter

johnspack

Here For Good!

DaMulta

My stars went supernova

Gilletter

ShadowFold

New Member

Gilletter

ShadowFold

New Member

System Name	KILLER
Processor	Intel Core i7 4790K
Motherboard	MSI Z87 G45 Gaming
Cooling	Water Cooling
Memory	2x8GB Gskill 2400mhz
Video Card(s)	EVGA GTX 980
Storage	SSD Samsung 500GB
Display(s)	24" Asus 144hz
Case	Cooler Master HAF
Audio Device(s)	X-Fi Platinum
Power Supply	Antec 1200 Watt Modular
Software	Windows 10 64 Bit
Benchmark Scores	3DMark Vantage 51342

System Name	Addison Clark
Processor	Ryzen 9 7950x3D delid
Motherboard	Asus X670E Hero
Cooling	Custom Bykski loop CPU, GPU, 2x 360 rads, and 1x 280 rad with Arctic P12 and P14 ARGB fans
Memory	G.Skill DDR5-6000 64GB CL30
Video Card(s)	Gigabyte 4090 Aorus Master
Storage	Kingston Fury 2TB and 4TB NVME
Display(s)	Samsung 57"
Case	Lian Li O11 mini
Audio Device(s)	Onboard
Power Supply	Thermaltake 1000w SFX-L
Mouse	Corsair Dark Core RGB SE
Keyboard	Corsair K95 Platnium
Software	Win 11 Pro

System Name	Snow White
Processor	Ryzen 7900x3d
Motherboard	AsRock B650E Steel Legend
Cooling	Custom Water 1x420
Memory	32GB T-Force Deltas
Video Card(s)	PowerColor 7900 XTX Liquid Devil
Storage	20+ TB
Display(s)	Sammy 49" 5k Ultrawide
Case	Tt CTE 600 Snow Edition
Audio Device(s)	Onboard
Power Supply	EVGA 1200W P2
Mouse	Corsair M65 RGB Elite White
Keyboard	Corsair K65 Mini
Software	Windows 10
Benchmark Scores	Avermedia Live HD2

System Name	Papa's Gamer / Gaming Backup / Asus ROG Gaming Laptop
Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 5700X / Ryzen 5 3660/ Intel i7 4720HQ
Motherboard	ASUS X570 / Asrock/ Asus G751JY
Cooling	Wraith Stealth / Cheapo RGB / Factory
Memory	Vengence DDR4 32 GB (3600) / G.SKILL Ripjaws DDR4 32 GB (3200) / 32 GB Micron PC-3 12800
Video Card(s)	Sapphire Radeon RX 7700 XT 12 GB GDDR6 / Asus RX5700/ GTX 980 M
Storage	Kingston 480gb SSD Hitachi Ultrastar 2 TB 1 TB WD SSD / 2 SSD 1 TB / 2 TB SSD
Display(s)	Onn 49" Ultra wide 144 hz/ AOC 34-Inch Ultrawide Curved 75 hz and BenQ 27" 75 hz / 17" 1080 p
Audio Device(s)	Realtek HD: 5.1 Technics DD / Sound Blaster Audigy / 5.1 Digital Home Theatre
Power Supply	Thermaltake 750 watt / Corsair 550 watt Modular
Mouse	Logitech G502 SE HERO / Logitech G602
Keyboard	Gamesir GK100 / Steel Series / Cheap Magegee
Software	Windows 11 Home 64-bit / Windows 11 Home 64-bit / Windows 10 Home 64-bit

Processor	Intel Core i7 10850K@5.2GHz
Motherboard	AsRock Z470 Taichi
Cooling	Corsair H115i Pro w/ Noctua NF-A14 Fans
Memory	32GB DDR4-3600
Video Card(s)	RTX 2070 Super
Storage	500GB SX8200 Pro + 8TB with 1TB SSD Cache
Display(s)	Acer Nitro VG280K 4K 28"
Case	Fractal Design Define S
Audio Device(s)	Onboard is good enough for me
Power Supply	eVGA SuperNOVA 1000w G3
Software	Windows 10 Pro x64

System Name	System2 Blacknet , System1 Blacknet2
Processor	System2 Threadripper 1920x, System1 2699 v3
Motherboard	System2 Asrock Fatality x399 Professional Gaming, System1 Asus X99-A
Cooling	System2 Noctua NH-U14 TR4-SP3 Dual 140mm fans, System1 AIO
Memory	System2 64GBS DDR4 3000, System1 32gbs DDR4 2400
Video Card(s)	System2 GTX 980Ti System1 GTX 970
Storage	System2 4x SSDs + NVme= 2.250TB 2xStorage Drives=8TB System1 3x SSDs=2TB
Display(s)	1x27" 1440 display 1x 24" 1080 display
Case	System2 Some Nzxt case with soundproofing...
Audio Device(s)	Asus Xonar U7 MKII
Power Supply	System2 EVGA 750 Watt, System1 XFX XTR 750 Watt
Mouse	Logitech G900 Chaos Spectrum
Keyboard	Ducky
Software	Archlinux, Manjaro, Win11 Ent 24h2
Benchmark Scores	It's linux baby!

System Name	Work in progress
Processor	AMD 955---4Ghz
Motherboard	MSi GD70
Cooling	OcZ Phase/water
Memory	Crucial2GB kit (1GBx2), Ballistix 240-pin DIMM, DDR3 PC3-16000
Video Card(s)	CrossfireX 2 X HD 4890 1GB OCed to 1000Mhz
Storage	SSD 64GB
Display(s)	Envision 24'' 1920x1200
Case	Using the desk ATM
Audio Device(s)	Sucky onboard for now :(
Power Supply	1000W TruePower Quattro

System Name	The ShadowFold Draconis (Ordering soon)
Processor	AMD Phenom II X6 1055T 2.8ghz
Motherboard	ASUS M4A87TD EVO AM3 AMD 870
Cooling	Stock
Memory	Kingston ValueRAM 4GB DDR3-1333
Video Card(s)	XFX ATi Radeon HD 5850 1gb
Storage	Western Digital 640gb
Display(s)	Acer 21.5" 5ms Full HD 1920x1080P
Case	Antec Nine-Hundred
Audio Device(s)	Onboard + Creative "Fatal1ty" Headset
Power Supply	Antec Earthwatts 650w
Software	Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
Benchmark Scores	-❶-❸-❸-❼-