Best bang for buck - older midlevel system

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tweakboy

tweakboy

Diamond Member
Jan 3, 2010
9,517
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www.hammiestudios.com
Since when do we call PSU's PS ..... got me for a minute there.

I dont understand how you have a quad machine ready made . but yet the PSU is a pos 300 watt. I say do this.

Buy a 550 watt Tt or Antec PSU and OC your 2.3Ghz to 3.4Ghz and I can assist you if you choose to do that. Throw in a 460 1GB version for about 100 to 120 dollars. Its fast, especially at your native resolution, things will fly....gl
 
B

Bilirubin

Member
Nov 13, 2011
34
0
0
toyota said:
yes but what if he wants to play something else? if he is going to get a card then go ahead and get something better than a gt520.
Click to expand...

Should probably say I don't have a huge amount of time to play games at all these days, which is why I didn't bother building a new box, rather opting to get an OEM this time. Down the road I'll just upgrade the entire system should I want to play anything more than Left 4 Dead or SWTOR. Frustrating thing is that my workstations are both core i7 monsters with 1 gig vid cards for the large file size 3D models I manipulate. Maybe I could work out a reason that I need one at home? :hmm:

Do you think my system take the 430 or am I better off with the lower power demands of the 520?
 
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toyota

toyota

Lifer
Apr 15, 2001
12,957
1
0
Bilirubin said:
Should probably say I don't have a huge amount of time to play games at all these days, which is why I didn't bother building a new box rather than getting OEM this time. Down the road I'll just upgrade the entire system should I want to play anything more than Left 4 Dead or SWTOR. Frustrating thing is that my workstations are both core i7 monsters with 1 gig vid cards for the large file size 3D models I manipulate. Maybe I could work out a reason that I need one at home? :hmm:

Do you think my system take the 430 or am I better off with the lower power demands of the 520?
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you will be fine with the 430.
 
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Bilirubin

Member
Nov 13, 2011
34
0
0
tweakboy said:
Since when do we call PSU's PS ..... got me for a minute there.
Click to expand...

Apologies for not knowing how you abbreviate "power supply". Adding in the "unit" seemed unnecessary to me, but I will try to remember to do this in the future to ensure clarity in conversation. Recall I am new to anandtech lingo.

I dont understand how you have a quad machine ready made . but yet the PSU is a pos 300 watt.
Click to expand...

I think there is some confusion. I have an OEM Core 2 Quad that I am looking to boost the video performance on enough to get me through a few games I play now. It has a PSU that is 220 watts. I had a box I built with a Pentium 4 CPU that is now dead--and that case has a PSU that is 300 watts (might even be 350, don't recall off the top of my head).

I say do this.

Buy a 550 watt Tt or Antec PSU and OC your 2.3Ghz to 3.4Ghz and I can assist you if you choose to do that. Throw in a 460 1GB version for about 100 to 120 dollars. Its fast, especially at your native resolution, things will fly....gl
Click to expand...
Thanks, I'll keep your offer in mind should I stumble across a mobo better suited to a larger case than what I have now.
 
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Bilirubin

Member
Nov 13, 2011
34
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Local store has the 430 with a rebate that comes in at a little more ($10) than the linked to Newegg card so I think I will just go with that for the ease of return should it not work. Could I prevail upon you one last time for a link to an Anand article on disabling onboard graphics? I assume I should download drivers, install card, install drivers, then disable old card via BIOS/hardware manager? I'm a little tentative to uninstall the old drivers because there might be some overlap with the mobo chipset drivers.

Thanks again, you have been a big help.
 
GoStumpy

GoStumpy

Golden Member
Sep 14, 2011
1,212
11
81
How about a GT240?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150553

$34.99 after MIR, far better performance than a 220 or even a 430 I believe...

According to Toms, the high performance versions of the GT240 use a maximum of 62W at full load, and only 15 at idle:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gt-240,2475-19.html

-edited-

Sorry, did not notice the necessity of low-profile... Reading comprehension > me...

How about a 5570? According to Anand, it is one of the lowest power consumption cards that can play Crysis :)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161380
 
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GoStumpy

GoStumpy

Golden Member
Sep 14, 2011
1,212
11
81
Bilirubin said:
Local store has the 430 with a rebate that comes in at a little more ($10) than the linked to Newegg card so I think I will just go with that for the ease of return should it not work. Could I prevail upon you one last time for a link to an Anand article on disabling onboard graphics? I assume I should download drivers, install card, install drivers, then disable old card via BIOS/hardware manager? I'm a little tentative to uninstall the old drivers because there might be some overlap with the mobo chipset drivers.

Thanks again, you have been a big help.
Click to expand...

When you install the new card, it automatically disables your onboard graphics, you don't need to worry about that!
 
Termie

Termie

Diamond Member
Aug 17, 2005
7,949
48
91
www.techbuyersguru.com
GoStumpy said:
According to this:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/3973/nvidias-geforce-gt-430/17

GT430 and GT240 are almost exactly the same... GT240 uses 4W more at idle, and 1W more under load... Hardly 40-50% I'd say?
Click to expand...

I don't think there has ever been a low-profile version of the GT240, and more importantly, there isn't one on Newegg now.

The GT430 is the OP's best bet, but the price of that Zotac one seems to have jumped since it was linked.

Too bad - but still probably a good option.

Actually, why hasn't anyone mentioned the 6450? $20AR:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814125378

With DDR3 memory, it's probably about the speed of Intel's HD3000 built-in video. Nothing great, but hey, it's $20.
 
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Bilirubin

Member
Nov 13, 2011
34
0
0
Picked up an Asus GT 430 for $50 after rebate at my local store (I am in Canada and uncertain where newegg.ca ships from, and if my computer won't boot with this card I want to bring it back to exchange it for something lower on the food chain). Will plug it in and give it a go in the next day or two. I am a little concerned because the box recommends a minimum 450 watt psu with 24As on the 12 v line but we shall see.
 
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Bilirubin

Member
Nov 13, 2011
34
0
0
Installed the new vid card this am. I removed the svga plug only to discover that my monitor only has an SVGA cable. Odd. Anyway, booted, Windows installed it, then I installed the latest drivers from nVidia. Then played the first map of L4D2 and holy moley, I had no idea how much of the game I was missing! Am late to work this morning though. :oops:

My one concern was the very little clearance between the heat sink and the case, but the design of the heat sink, with the elongate fins, seems to be exactly for such circumstances. The fan is a tad on the loud side but did I mention I no longer have problems killing zombies?

Thanks very much for your help! I am really looking forward to the next SWTOR beta weekend.
 
Termie

Termie

Diamond Member
Aug 17, 2005
7,949
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91
www.techbuyersguru.com
Bilirubin said:
Installed the new vid card this am. I removed the svga plug only to discover that my monitor only has an SVGA cable. Odd. Anyway, booted, Windows installed it, then I installed the latest drivers from nVidia. Then played the first map of L4D2 and holy moley, I had no idea how much of the game I was missing! Am late to work this morning though. :oops:

My one concern was the very little clearance between the heat sink and the case, but the design of the heat sink, with the elongate fins, seems to be exactly for such circumstances. The fan is a tad on the loud side but did I mention I no longer have problems killing zombies?

Thanks very much for your help! I am really looking forward to the next SWTOR beta weekend.
Click to expand...

Congrats - there's nothing like getting a five-fold increase in performance - none of us with higher-end systems ever get that kind of satisfaction, so you should be really happy with this upgrade.

[Check that - you probably got a ten-fold increase in performance. Your old built-in VGA got about 500 in 3DMark06: http://hothardware.com/printarticle.aspx?articleid=1139. The GT430 likely would get around 5,000.]

Is this your card? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121397

If so, then you should be ok with the fins nearly touching the side of the case in your low-profile system. Assuming there isn't too much ventilation in that case, I might consider popping out the other PCI covers in the back of the case, just to give the video card some place to put its heat. Also, just to make certain you're ok in the heat department, run a simple program like HWMonitor to check the temps of your card while gaming.
 
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Bilirubin

Member
Nov 13, 2011
34
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Yes, the jump in performance is similar to the first time I launched GLQWCL.exe with my new (to me) Voodoo 2, then again when I junked that for a TNT2 Ultra.

That is my card yes. The low profile bracket actually uses both PCI slots (the SVGA plug goes in the second, which is why I had removed it originally thinking I had DVI to my digital monitor). I may have SVGA to DVI adapter around here somewhere in which case I will be able to leave that slot open should I run hot. Thanks for the heat monitoring tip!
 
GoStumpy

GoStumpy

Golden Member
Sep 14, 2011
1,212
11
81
Glad it all worked out!! Most of us are spoiled with our GTX460, HD5850 and similar, don't realize how much of a difference going to even a GT240/430 can make!
 
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Bilirubin

Member
Nov 13, 2011
34
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0
Thank you! I really appreciate the help you all provided. Having been out of fussing over hardware for several years, coming back to it is just an overwhelming crush of numbers.

Indeed, this card seems an ideal upgrade for this particular system, and I recommend it for other Acer buyers. I was quite struck in the article Termie posted about the mobo how well it otherwise performed in their benchmarks (with an added in external video card). I think I am set until its time for a new system in a year or two.
 
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