Bargain bin hunting for the Triceratops

[DreadBelch]

Hello, I'm trying to replace a fossilized 8600GTS with a nicer $75 PCIe x16 compatible card. Thanks in advance for any help.

Also, I'm going through Amazon (gift card).

System Specifications:

Processor/CPU:
Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 Conroe 2.33GHz LGA 775

Current Graphics Card:
GeForce 8600 GTS 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16

Display Resolution:
1680x1050 (native)

PSU:
Rosewill 600 W ATX12V v2.2 / EPS12V SLI Ready Power Supply

Case Specifications:
COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW SECC, Chassis ATX Mid Tower


Purchase Details:

Budget?
~$75

Any particular preferences (Manufacturer[nV or AMD], Brand[XFX, Sapphire, EVGA, etc], Cooling Solutions)?
No preference

Do you plan to have any Multi-GPU solutions such as Crossfire or SLI?
No

Have you previously looked at a product(s) which you feel would fit your needs?
Tom's Hardware had the Radeon HD 6670 DDR3 listed as the best $65 card for July. I think I've seen better deals, but I've also heard some of the PCIe 2.0 cards don't always play nice with older motherboards, so I'm at a loss.

What are your needs for this GPU? Which games(If any)do you intend to play? If you have this information at hand, what are the desired detail levels?
Adobe InDesign, Planetside 2, Mechwarrior Online. Not picky about detail levels.

Do you plan on overclocking the card you intend to purchase?
Not sure.

 

[SheHateMe]

Are you trying to buy it new or used?, cause I have a used GTX 285 that needs a friend.

 

[DreadBelch]

I've had bad luck with cards dying on me. Kinda looking for one with a warranty.

 

[SheHateMe]

Go with the 6670 then.

 

[DreadBelch]

Great, thank you. Anyone else?

 

[EliteRetard]

I wouldn't get anything with DDR3 though...GDDR5 has twice the bandwidth and should make the card much faster. I just did a quick search and there seems to be several options...here's an example:
http://www.amazon.com/HIS-H667F1GD-R...rds=6670+gddr5

If you can spend a bit more the 67xx and 77xx cards offer quite a bit more performance and they can be found for $100 or less easily. Here's an idea of the performance differences: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/613?vs=535

 

[Annisman*]

I've got an almost new 4870 512mb card I'll send you, if you pay the shipping. Assuming you live in the US. It wouldn't be a massive upgrade, but it would only cost what, ten bucks maybe ?

Let me know if you want her.

 

[EliteRetard]

That's a very generous offer, even if its lightly used I suggest you hop on it DreadBelch. Don't know why he said it wouldn't be a big upgrade, it should be at least twice as fast (or more). I personally would love to take up such an offer...but this one is yours (and I'm in Japan for a few more months).

 

[DreadBelch]

Yeah, that's really cool of you, Annisman. Can't think of another time when I've come across that kind of generosity on the net. I've got my sights set on a larger upgrade though, so maybe there's someone else who could benefit. Maybe if Elite knows someone in the US who the card could be mailed to?

And Elite, thanks for pointing out the 67xx and 77xx performance differences over what I was looking at. Gonna look to save up a few more bucks and get one soon (money has been a little tight lately). PS2 and MWO aren't coming out for a bit, so I've got time.

 

[Annisman*]

Yeah, that's really cool of you, Annisman. Can't think of another time when I've come across that kind of generosity on the net. I've got my sights set on a larger upgrade though, so maybe there's someone else who could benefit. Maybe if Elite knows someone in the US who the card could be mailed to?

And Elite, thanks for pointing out the 67xx and 77xx performance differences over what I was looking at. Gonna look to save up a few more bucks and get one soon (money has been a little tight lately). PS2 and MWO aren't coming out for a bit, so I've got time.

Thanks, but that's nothing special, I think these were a little more 'generous' Take a look.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/301593-33-annisman-giveaway-zotac-winners-announced
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/271121-28-annisman-hardware-giveaway-winner-announced
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/273362-33-giving-8800gts-winner-announced
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/282402-33-annisman-giveaway-winners-announced-check-post
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/295600-33-annisman-giveaway-winner-4770-announced
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/289114-28-annisman-giveaway-intel-e8400-0ghz-winner-announced

Pretty sure I'm forgetting a couple too, anyways you get the idea

 

[EliteRetard]

So your the guy to talk to when I need to upgrade an older computer. My rig still has an original E6600 2.4GHz (@3GHz) and a 320MB 8800GTS in it. Family has a 3870 and a 9700Pro still in use as well. I'm in Japan until mid September, but maybe I can hit you up when I get back. There's some newer games Id like to try, but haven't had the horsepower to do it yet. I think I've been hoping for like a 1GB GTX460 at $50 but haven't seen that yet.

I used to keep up with pretty good gaming rigs...but it seems like as I get older other things get more important. I still like to game though...and I'm never gonna settle for a console. I do wonder how those new APUs compare to my rig, I found an A10 system for $500. Maybe that's what I need to save up for.

 

[EliteRetard]

And Elite, thanks for pointing out the 67xx and 77xx performance differences over what I was looking at. Gonna look to save up a few more bucks and get one soon (money has been a little tight lately). PS2 and MWO aren't coming out for a bit, so I've got time.

Yar, I know how that is. I try to keep up on hardware, even if I can't afford it...so I knew those other cards had a bit more bang for the buck. I've seen em in hot deals for like $80-90 occasionally.

 

[EliteRetard]

Oh hey, that's another thing...have you tried to OC your CPU at all? Those C2Ds were pretty darn good overclockers, a 25% boost on the CPU could have some noticeable impacts on newer games. I did that with my E6600, and its been running good for what 6 years now? I did use a cheap $15 aftermarket cooler...but even if your using the stock cooler I think you can get more out of it.

 

[DominionSeraph]

I've got my sights set on a larger upgrade though

The 4870 is faster than the 6670. It's right around the same speed as a 6770 (rebadged 5770).

 

[EliteRetard]

Well lookie that...I hit up bench again (had to go to the old one) to look and sure enough the 4870/5770 kinda trade blows. Then the 7750 and 5770 and they also trade blows. Cant find the 67xx cards, but they would certainly be in the middle there somewhere. I thought I had a pretty good idea where the cards fell, didn't realize the ancient 48xx were still up there. Kinda sad...

So there you go, DreadBelch...take him up on that 4870. Doesn't look like you will find anything much better under $100. And for the price he's offering, even if the card dies in a year it wont hurt you any.

 

[Annisman*]

Well, now I feel kind of bad, but another member here saw this thread and asked me yesterday for the card, I have already promised him that I would ship it on monday. Hes building a rig for his wife and my old 4870 will serve him well.

 

[EliteRetard]

Whats there to feel bad about? Very nice of you to make such an offer, and its not at all surprising that several people would be interested. The best you can do is first come first served. Besides that, DreadBelch seems to have a gift card so most of his purchase price is already covered for a new card. And me, I wouldn't be able to use a card for months.

I might harass you when I get back to the US though...see if you happened upon any more old parts

 

[toyota]

Well lookie that...I hit up bench again (had to go to the old one) to look and sure enough the 4870/5770 kinda trade blows. Then the 7750 and 5770 and they also trade blows. Cant find the 67xx cards, but they would certainly be in the middle there somewhere. I thought I had a pretty good idea where the cards fell, didn't realize the ancient 48xx were still up there. Kinda sad...

So there you go, DreadBelch...take him up on that 4870. Doesn't look like you will find anything much better under $100. And for the price he's offering, even if the card dies in a year it wont hurt you any.

the 6750/6770 are just re badged 5750/5770 cards with updated HDMI.

 

[EliteRetard]

Didn't they get a speed bump or anything? Perhaps not...

I'm actually a bit surprised...I did understand that the 67xx cards were similar to the 57xx cards (which I thought had already surpassed the 48xx cards a bit), but figured they would have been faster even if only in clock speeds. Then came the 77xx cards, being a new architecture and a newer manufacturing process I thought there would have been some noticeable growth in this $100 segment. It appears I was wrong however. Not a real change in performance or price in like 4 years.

Sounds like this kind of performance should cost $50 new by now.
Like I said before, kinda sad...

 

[DreadBelch]

The 4870 is faster than the 6670. It's right around the same speed as a 6770 (rebadged 5770).

Just my luck.

Think I'll go cry and cut myself.

 

[blckgrffn]

Just my luck.

Think I'll go cry and cut myself.

Ha, there have been GTX 460's going for that price, it wasn't that special

I vote for the 7750 - power usage for performance, the 4870 doesn't have much on it.

Geeks.com had a GTX 460 for $100 shipped last time I looked, might worth investigating if you are looking for performance.

6670 even with DDR3 doesn't suck, it just is going to choke on some newer titles once you go beyond low/medium. I have one (6570, actually) in a backup LAN rig and for Source titles it is very capable at the resolution specified at reasonable detail levels and 16x AF.

I picked up a 6850 from the FS/FT forums a couple months ago for $90 shipped, so if you are patient you should be able to score something solid around your budget.

 

[blckgrffn]

Didn't they get a speed bump or anything? Perhaps not...

I'm actually a bit surprised...I did understand that the 67xx cards were similar to the 57xx cards (which I thought had already surpassed the 48xx cards a bit), but figured they would have been faster even if only in clock speeds. Then came the 77xx cards, being a new architecture and a newer manufacturing process I thought there would have been some noticeable growth in this $100 segment. It appears I was wrong however. Not a real change in performance or price in like 4 years.

Sounds like this kind of performance should cost $50 new by now.
Like I said before, kinda sad...

Picked up a swanky MSI GTS 250 for $30 shipped AMIR from Tiger Direct months ago. It's not like you can't get that level of performance for $50, you just can't get it all the time.