Best bang for the buck video card

[rivethead]

I built my system (see specs below) back in Jan/Feb with the hopes that the integrated Radeon 4200 would be enough for my needs.

I've decided it isn't.

My system is mainly used for:

general internet browsing
watching HD movies/shows
light gaming.

Specifically, I want to play Dragon Age Origins and Mass Effect. Those two games are not really graphics intensive (so I've read).

But I just can't make DAO playable on my current system. Oh, it's playable on all the lowest settings but it looks like crap. I think my problem is my 1920 x 1080 monitor. The 4200 just can't run much at that resolution. And if I dial down to the lowest 16:9 resolution, the game just looks blocky to me. Add in any AA and I get stuttering.

So can anyone recommend the best bang for the buck video card in the $50 to $100 range? Will a card in this price range let me play DAO at 1920 x 1080 on high settings?

I pefer ATI over NVIDIA, but open to either.

Thanks!

 

[zod96]

Probably a Ati 5770 for about $150...or the 5750 for $100...

 

[happy medium]

If you still use the Antec 350 watt psu. Go for a hd5750

 

[rivethead]

Is the 5750 the best "bang for the buck" vc in general, or is this the card that will get me to higher settings on DAO (or both)?

It's outside my price range of $50 to $100, but I'm flexible - for the right reasons.

 

[Martimus]

Is the 5750 the best "bang for the buck" vc in general, or is this the card that will get me to higher settings on DAO (or both)?

It's outside my price range of $50 to $100, but I'm flexible - for the right reasons.

It is probably the best video card that might actually run on that small powersupply. Anything stronger than that would really be pushing it.

 

[dug777]

Outside of a 5750 new, a used 4850 would be hugely effective on a bang for buck basis

EDIT: No 100% that your PSU could cope however, 5750 is probably the bomb in your situation.

 

[Jesusthewererabbit]

I played both games with an x4 620 and a 3850. DA was fine, but I had to kick the resolution waaaay down to get good framerates. I've since fired it up a few times with my 5770, and it runs really great. Mass Effect ran no problem whatsoever. I can't really imagine trying to run either of those games on integrated graphics though. I bet it's a slideshow.

5750 would be a huge upgrade. You might be able to find a used 4850 or GTS250 for less, and they all perform about the same. Is that PSU and Earthwatts? If it is, you'll probably be fine for any of them.

 

[Lonyo]

Had no problems with an HD4850 in ME and DA:O at 1920x1200, but something more powerful is always better.
Like others have said, HD5750 or HD5770 would be best, and depending on what you like, the HD5770 at least comes with a Dirt 2 voucher you could sell on to bring the price down even more.

 

[Leyawiin]

If best bang for the buck means not replacing other components (like the power supply) the HD 5670 is probably it. I would avoid anything that needs a six pin connection with a power supply that small. It might work, but I like to leave myself some breathing room.

 

[bunnyfubbles]

Is the 5750 the best "bang for the buck" vc in general, or is this the card that will get me to higher settings on DAO (or both)?

It's outside my price range of $50 to $100, but I'm flexible - for the right reasons.

I don't keep up as much with the lower end of things, but from what I've seen the 5750 may very well be the best bang for buck card overall.

The 5670 w/ 400SP is supposed to be positioned below the 5750 w/ 720SP but is currently selling for nearly the same price, and anything cheaper than a 5670 will be a lot slower.

Rebates can bring the 5750 very close to $100

 

[rivethead]

If best bang for the buck means not replacing other components (like the power supply) the HD 5670 is probably it. I would avoid anything that needs a six pin connection with a power supply that small. It might work, but I like to leave myself some breathing room.

Yes, I'm keeping an eye on power needs. The 350W Antec has been solid and having an SSD as my primary drive helps. But still, modern VCs suck a lot of juice.

I know my PSU does not have a 6 pin connector - do most PCI-E cards that need this type of connect come with an adapter for the regular molex connector?

It sounds like the 5670 doesn't need a six pin connector - I may be better off just going that route.

 

[LoneNinja]

I would grab a 5670, you can find them starting at about $90. The 5750 probably gives close to double the performance, but I wouldn't want to run it on a 350W PSU, especially if it's one of their basic and not an earthwatts.

 

[happy medium]

The 5750 comes with a adapter and will run with your psu. It only draws about 90 watts.
I have no experience with a 5670 but I do know it's much slower.

 

[severus]

I believe the 5750 and 5770 require less power than the 4870 that I have, and I'm only using a 450W power supply. I say get the 5770

 

[f4phantom2500]

As others have said, it really does depend on your specific PSU. That being said, Antec PSUs are typically quite capable.

http://ixbtlabs.com/articles3/mainboard/roundup-785g-p2.html

Scroll down to the section labeled "Enclosure power consumption". As you can see, your specific motherboard is actually listed on there, and the system specs are quite similar to your own. Now, the 785G is a very power efficient chipset. if you look at the load power consumption during Far Cry 2, the range is 134-189 W using a Radeon 4850, up from 39-56 W using the integrated graphics. Considering that your PSU is rated at 350W, a load of 200W represents a 57% load. Since your PSU is of a reputable brand and your computer is an energy efficient platform, I feel that a Radeon 4850 or 5750 would be fine in your current system. I don't know if I would risk putting in a 5770, especially with the added cost, as a 4850/5750 would be an extremely substantial upgrade for you anyway.

If I were you, I would check the FS/FT forum for a used 4850. I picked up a 4870 late last year from the forum for $85 shipped, so provided that the availability of this generation of cards in the FS/FT forum isn't waning, you should be able to get a 4850 for pretty cheap. If it doesn't work out, you can always turn around and resell it.

Cheers

 

[mingsoup]

But would he "really" be happy with a 5750? 1920*1200....without dialing down setting sounds a little far fetched to me. I'm in the same boat. TF2 for me though with a 7800GTX. Don't want to jump on huge! with Southern Islands approaching, but have a lan party coming up too....

 

[toyota]

But would he "really" be happy with a 5750? 1920*1200....without dialing down setting sounds a little far fetched to me. I'm in the same boat. TF2 for me though with a 7800GTX. Don't want to jump on huge! with Southern Islands approaching, but have a lan party coming up too....

good lord buy a freaking modern card. enough with the waiting for the next gen because that little game has apparently lasted over 4 years already.

 

[f4phantom2500]

But would he "really" be happy with a 5750? 1920*1200....without dialing down setting sounds a little far fetched to me. I'm in the same boat. TF2 for me though with a 7800GTX. Don't want to jump on huge! with Southern Islands approaching, but have a lan party coming up too....

Mass Effect is a relatively old game and a 4850 or 5750 will run it with ease.

As for Dragon Age Origins:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbYX5sGmAs8

I had a Radeon X1900GT, which is pretty close to your 7800GTX, before I got my 4870. I had similar concerns as you but I don't think people with video cards that old truly appreciate how capable a card of the caliber of a 4850 really is. Beyond that, it's been pointed out that he shouldn't go much higher than that without getting a new PSU. You definitely wouldn't want to push your PSU hard if you can avoid it.

 

[NoQuarter]

Mass Effect is a relatively old game and a 4850 or 5750 will run it with ease.

As for Dragon Age Origins:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbYX5sGmAs8

I had a Radeon X1900GT, which is pretty close to your 7800GTX, before I got my 4870. I had similar concerns as you but I don't think people with video cards that old truly appreciate how capable a card of the caliber of a 4850 really is.

Why is that youtube video at a 5:4 AR if the resolution is 1920x1200.. should be 16:10 AR.. but yea, a 4850 should handle it fine anyway.


Btw the 5770 would run fine on that Antec 350W. The card draws 61W peak under Furmark, in most gaming it would never come close to that mark. That's almost half what a 4850 draws (110W).

If you want to see what the power consumption is like.. xbitlabs does great power testing. Their test rig measures actual power consumed inside the rig instead of measuring at the wall. This lets you know the actual wattage requirements without having to guess at efficiency curves.:
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cases/display/system-wattage_6.html#sect0
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/radeon-hd5770-hd5750_5.html#sect0

A C2D system with a 4850 draws 189W peak under stress test loads. A 5770 in your system would pull about 170W because the Athlon II 620 takes a bit more power. Gaming is ~40W cheaper than running stress tests too, it easily fits into your power budget. A 350W - 400W quality PSU can run most single GPU's.

 

[f4phantom2500]

Why is that youtube video at a 5:4 AR if the resolution is 1920x1200.. should be 16:10 AR.. but yea, a 4850 should handle it fine anyway.


Btw the 5770 would run fine on that Antec 350W. The card draws 61W peak under Furmark, in most gaming it would never come close to that mark. That's almost half what a 4850 draws (110W).

If you want to see what the power consumption is like.. xbitlabs does great power testing. Their test rig measures actual power consumed inside the rig instead of measuring at the wall. This lets you know the actual wattage requirements without having to guess at efficiency curves.:
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cases/display/system-wattage_6.html#sect0
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/radeon-hd5770-hd5750_5.html#sect0

A C2D system with a 4850 draws 189W peak under stress test loads. A 5770 in that system would pull about 170W because the Athlon II 620 takes a bit more power. It easily fits into your power budget.

In this light, it becomes clear that a 5770 or 5750 would be more ideal than a 4850. Of course, either card is likely to cost more than a 4850 so that's also worth considering. Then again, also remember that the 5000 series has a MUCH lower idle power draw as well, so if you're just going to be doing casual gaming it may be worth the extra investment to you, especially if you live in a hot climate. Otherwise the 4850 would needlessly heat up your room even further.

 

[NoQuarter]

I am curious what the actual model of Antec PSU it is though, Antec does have a bargain line that's just as bad as any no-name brand..

 

[bunnyfubbles]

In this light, it becomes clear that a 5770 or 5750 would be more ideal than a 4850. Of course, either card is likely to cost more than a 4850 so that's also worth considering. Then again, also remember that the 5000 series has a MUCH lower idle power draw as well, so if you're just going to be doing casual gaming it may be worth the extra investment to you, especially if you live in a hot climate. Otherwise the 4850 would needlessly heat up your room even further.

A 5750 would be better in every way vs. a 4850 except for price. Yes, it has less shaders and TMUs (same number of ROPs though), but the faster clock speed makes it a faster overall chip. Plus its 128bit GDDR5 is much faster than the 4850's 256bit GDDR3.

Faster performance (with even greater potential when considering overclocking) all for less noise, less heat, less power consumption and just a little bit more money.

 

[rivethead]

Everyone:

Thanks for the fantastic replies!

I think I'll go with the 5750 - I do live in a hot climate (Austin, TX) and energy efficiency is very important to me - it's also a good way to justify the purchase to my wife.

I'm confident my Antec PSU can handle it - it powered an energy inefficient socket 939 mobo and AMD cpu, an NVIDIA 6600 GPU, and three spindle drives last year with no problems.

It's now powering a much more efficient mobo/cpu and a SSD as the primary drive. I think it has room for an efficient GPU as well.

Having said that, a more efficient PSU (like and earthwatts) wouldn't be a bad idea either.

 

[rivethead]

Everyone:

I just ordered an MSI 5750 1GB vc from SuperBiiz. $101 after coupon, rebate, and Bing.

Thanks again for all the great advice!

 

[Will Robinson]

*Group Hug*()
Hope your new card turns out great.