60-$90 GPU help. Is this a good deal?

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Cheepnis

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Oct 1, 2012
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*** UPDATE ***

Found: MSI HD 7770 ($90 AR): MSI R7770-2PMD1GD5/OC http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-14127664-L08D
I think I'll just go with this^



CPU: i3-3220
Mobo: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP
PSU: CX430 430W

I could use some help comparing GPU options for the above system. Basically, I'm looking for the most bang for my buck within my price range.

Budget: $50-90.
resolution: 1080p


So, while looking through GPUs on PCPP, I saw that the 550Ti is being sold for $86 (after tax) from ecost.com (N550GTX-TI MD1GD5V2) http://www.ecost.com/p/MSI-Computer-...76~pdp.hhbgfag
and I am wondering if this deal really is as good as it looks.

Is there something wrong with this MSI model, or with ecost itself? A quick google search of ecost's reputation seems to indicate they can generally be trusted, but I don't have any experience with them or this card.

I don't know much about GPUs, but this http://www.hwcompare.com/11894/geforce-gtx-550-ti-vs-radeon-hd-7770/ seems to show that the 550 Ti should be significantly better than the 7770 for 1080p. If it is the same price as a used 7770, then shouldn't I jump on the new 550Ti from ecost?


One more thing, and this may be a dumb question but,
would my 430W PSU be plenty capable of handling this system with a 550Ti?



Other cards I'm Looking at:

- HD 5770. I should be able to buy one used from ebay for ~ $60

- HD 7770. ~ $85 used from ebay




Thanks in advance
 
Last edited:
Durvelle27

Durvelle27

Diamond Member
Jun 3, 2012
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Cheepnis said:
CPU: i3-3220
Mobo: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP
PSU: CX430 430W

I could use some help comparing GPU options for the above system. Basically, I'm looking for the most bang for my buck within my price range.

Budget: $50-90.
resolution: 1080p


So, while looking through GPUs on PCPP, I saw that the 550Ti is being sold for $86 (after tax) from ecost.com (N550GTX-TI MD1GD5V2) http://www.ecost.com/p/MSI-Computer-...76~pdp.hhbgfag
and I am wondering if this deal really is as good as it looks.

Is there something wrong with this MSI model, or with ecost itself? A quick google search of ecost's reputation seems to indicate they can generally be trusted, but I don't have any experience with them or this card.

I don't know much about GPUs, but this http://www.hwcompare.com/11894/geforce-gtx-550-ti-vs-radeon-hd-7770/ seems to show that the 550 Ti should be significantly better than the 7770 for 1080p. If it is the same price as a used 7770, then shouldn't I jump on the new 550Ti from ecost?


One more thing, and this may be a dumb question but,
would my 430W PSU be plenty capable of handling this system with a 550Ti?



Other cards I'm Looking at:

- HD 5770. I should be able to buy one used from ebay for ~ $60

- HD 7770. ~ $85 used from ebay




Thanks in advance
Click to expand...

please don't judge performance from that site as it only compares specs. The HD 7770 is the best of the 3 options and it potently has a possibility to OC

GTX 550 Ti vs HD 7770

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/541?vs=536


&

HD 5770 vs HD 7770

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/538?vs=536
 
Ken g6

Ken g6

Programming Moderator, Elite Member
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Dec 11, 1999
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I don't know if there's anything wrong with ecost. There may be something wrong with your benchmarks, however. Try AnandTech's. Edit: Beaten to it!
 
C

Cheepnis

Member
Oct 1, 2012
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Thanks. I knew something was too good to be true here.

Anandtech Bench is now bookmarked!

Looks like I'll be leaning towards the 5770 if I can get a decent one for ~ $60.
I'm open to other suggestions though.
 
Durvelle27

Durvelle27

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Jun 3, 2012
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either go for a HD 7750 or HD 7770 as they will be better the the HD 5770 while using less power
 
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Cheepnis

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Oct 1, 2012
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If I go with the 5770, do I have to worry at all about my Corsair 430W 80+ Bronze PSU not being adequate?
 
Durvelle27

Durvelle27

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Jun 3, 2012
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Cheepnis said:
price considerations may push me to the 5770. If that is the case, would a 430W PSU be adequate?
Click to expand...

I can't stress this enough go for a HD 7770 if you can't get one new buy one from the FS/Trade Thread here you'll find one pretty cheap. The HD 5770 won't be able to play newer games at 1080p at playable FPS.
 
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Cheepnis

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Oct 1, 2012
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Durvelle27 said:
I can't stress this enough go for a HD 7770 if you can't get one new buy one from the FS/Trade Thread here you'll find one pretty cheap. The HD 5770 won't be able to play newer games at 1080p at playable FPS.
Click to expand...

I don't have access to the FS/Trade thread.
The problem with the 7770 is that I'm no longer confident that I can acquire one within my budget.
I am also looking at the HD 6850, but I don't really know where else to look other than ebay.

The 7750 looks to be slightly less powerful than the 5770 according to http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/538?vs=535


It looks that I won't be able to get 1080p within my price range. Thats okay, I guess. I don't want to spend $100+ on a card right now.
 
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Cheepnis

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Oct 1, 2012
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And how about the 430W PSU for a 5770 and i3-3220?

AFAIK the 3220 only uses 55W, and the 5770 uses around 100-120W. Is that correct? I should be fine right?

The reason I ask is because I have read a few reviews that said that the 5770 burned out a 450W PSU.
 
Durvelle27

Durvelle27

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Jun 3, 2012
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Cheepnis said:
I don't have access to the FS/Trade thread.
The problem with the 7770 is that I'm no longer confident that I can acquire one within my budget.
I am also looking at the HD 6850, but I don't really know where else to look other than ebay.

The 7750 looks to be slightly less powerful than the 5770 according to http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/538?vs=535


It looks that I won't be able to get 1080p within my price range. Thats okay, I guess. I don't want to spend $100+ on a card right now.
Click to expand...

after recent updates the HD 7750 is actually faster than the HD 5770 and the HD 6850 is another good choice if you don't get a HD 7770. But for Modern Games i wouldn't recommend nothing below a HD 7750
 
G

Greenlepricon

Senior member
Aug 1, 2012
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That psu should work fine. The 5770 shouldn't draw more than 20-30 watts max than the 7770. Go for it if you really can't spare another $30, but I really would consider following the advice to go for the newer card if you can. Keep in mind that these cards on HWcompare are also at stock settings. If you're interested in overclocking, no doubt go for the more expensive card. The others you're considering won't OC as well. If you don't OC, it's easy and I would say it's definitely worth learning.
 
Yuriman

Yuriman

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Jun 25, 2004
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In terms of performance:
HD7750 ~ HD5770 < HD7750 < HD68xx < HD58xx < HD69xx < HD78xx

The 7000 series moved from 40nm to 28nm so they draw a fair amount less power than the 6k and 5k's, but even a 5870 or 6950 should be alright with your power supply.
 
H

Hubb1e

Senior member
Aug 25, 2011
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The power recomendations are there to protect the video card manufacturers. You can get away with WAY less than they recomend as long as you have a quality PSU. The corsair builders series is a decent PSU. Not great but workable and will be more than enough for that system. My 300W PSU would be enough for that system.
 
Eureka

Eureka

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Sep 6, 2005
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Anyone who said their 5770 burned out a 450W PSU is either an idiot or had one really bad PSU.

Either way, you didn't go wrong with a 7770, enjoy. Another option, at least for anyone stumbling on this thread, is the 650 Ti, which goes for a bit more usually but has been down to the $90 range before.
 
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Cheepnis

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Oct 1, 2012
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Eureka said:
Anyone who said their 5770 burned out a 450W PSU is either an idiot or had one really bad PSU.

Either way, you didn't go wrong with a 7770, enjoy. Another option, at least for anyone stumbling on this thread, is the 650 Ti, which goes for a bit more usually but has been down to the $90 range before.
Click to expand...

That's what I thought (RE: the PSUs).
BTW, it was two reviews that I can remember. Both said that the 5770 killed thier PSUs (one a 450W, the other might have been 500). Both reviewers said that, after replacing with a 750W, everything worked perfectly again.

From what I've read, the max power the 5770 will draw is ~260W. But I'm assuming that OCing might have pushed them over the edge if they had a high draw CPU, and a bunch of other stuff plugged into a cheap PSU.


I'm now wondering how the 7770 overclocks, and if I would have a problem with my 430W PSU if I OCed it.




I looked at the 650 a bit, but while it is a little more efficient and cooler than the 7770, it performed worse at every game benched here except Starcraft2 http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/536?vs=681

Thanks again
 
Last edited:
Eureka

Eureka

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Sep 6, 2005
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Cheepnis said:
That's what I thought (RE: the PSUs).
BTW, it was two reviews that I can remember. Both said that the 5770 killed thier PSUs (one a 450W, the other might have been 500). Both reviewers said that, after replacing with a 750W, everything worked perfectly again.

From what I've read, the max power the 5770 will draw is ~260W. But I'm assuming that OCing might have pushed them over the edge if they had a high draw CPU, and a bunch of other stuff plugged into a cheap PSU.


I'm now wondering how the 7770 overclocks, and if I would have a problem with my 430W PSU if I OCed it.




I looked at the 650 a bit, but while it is a little more efficient than the 7770, it performed worse at every game benched here except Starcraft2 http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/536?vs=681

Thanks again
Click to expand...

Wrong product. 650Ti rather than 650... different products.

In any case, 260W is a bit high for the 5770. A full system with a 5770 may draw 260W. The TDP of the 5770 is around 108W, which is ideally the max it would draw, ever. The 7770W is even leaner with a 80W TDP.

To put these numbers in perspective, I overclocked a i5-3570K with a 7970, running stress tests on Heaven and OCCT, and kept my actual power consumption under 400W.
 
I

Insert_Nickname

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May 6, 2012
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Cheepnis said:
That's what I thought (RE: the PSUs).
BTW, it was two reviews that I can remember. Both said that the 5770 killed thier PSUs (one a 450W, the other might have been 500). Both reviewers said that, after replacing with a 750W, everything worked perfectly again.
Click to expand...

Its NOT the wattage that matters. Its how much current you can pull from the rails. Older PSU's are designed to pull most of the current required from the 3.3v and 5v rails. They often have inadequate current available on the 12v rail, which is indecently where modern systems pull most of their power. Sometimes manufactures just cheap out on components, with hair-razing results:

Head on over to jonnyguru.com, and read this article...
 
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Cheepnis

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Oct 1, 2012
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Eureka said:
Wrong product. 650Ti rather than 650... different products.

In any case, 260W is a bit high for the 5770. A full system with a 5770 may draw 260W. The TDP of the 5770 is around 108W, which is ideally the max it would draw, ever. The 7770W is even leaner with a 80W TDP.

To put these numbers in perspective, I overclocked a i5-3570K with a 7970, running stress tests on Heaven and OCCT, and kept my actual power consumption under 400W.
Click to expand...

Ok. Now I see. That 258W was the max draw from the whole system.
I got a little confused by those reviews, I guess.
If running heaven on a system with a 7970 doesn't use more than 400W then I'm done worrying about my PSU:)



And, Yes you are correct that 650 TI definitely outperforms the 7770.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/536?vs=680
Sure wish that could be found for $90 AR right now, but I'll be more than happy with the 7770.
 
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