Best Low(er) End PCI-E 3D Gaming For Old Machine

[jrodson69]

OK guys I need another video card. Got the Radeon 5450 HD for my media box rig and it is fantastic. Can't believe how much better it is and only $25!

Now I need something perhaps a bit higher-end for my other old rig. It is an A64 3800+ machine. Is there a card similar to the 5450 with better performance which doesn't need additional power to the PCB *and* is single slot? Or would the 5450 suffice for this machine as well? I will be playing only 1024x768 res (crap old 17" CRT display).

Appreciate your input, thanks!

 

[happy medium]

OK guys I need another video card. Got the Radeon 5450 HD for my media box rig and it is fantastic. Can't believe how much better it is and only $25!

Now I need something perhaps a bit higher-end for my other old rig. It is an A64 3800+ machine. Is there a card similar to the 5450 with better performance which doesn't need additional power to the PCB *and* is single slot? Or would the 5450 suffice for this machine as well? I will be playing only 1024x768 res (crap old 17" CRT display).

Appreciate your input, thanks!

The best single slot/no 6 pin power connector card I could find is a xfx5670 for 70$ AR.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150467

You should be able to play most/all modern games on high with this card at your resolution.

Edit: like Obah said, with that cpu it might not play as fast.

 

[Qbah]

A HD5670 will be just fine for that resolution. You can grab a cheaper HD5570 too (both cards featured in the below review):

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sapphire/HD_5570/6.html

Just don't expect modern games to fly even at 1024x768. You won't be getting anything near the numbers from this review. Though they should still be enjoyable. That single core A64 is a real old timer by today's standards. Was a great CPU back in the day :thumbsup:

 

[toyota]

yeah sadly a single core cpu is going to noticeably limit playability in some newer games and no gpu upgrade will fix that. at 1024x768 even a somewhat lowly 5670 will be severely limited by your cpu.

 

[jrodson69]

5670 looks good, like the ddr5. My concern is on the power draw. I know it doesn't need the aux connector but how many watts will it take at full load? The 5450 is a no brainer at around 19W. The machine has a pretty run-of-the-mill 300W supply...I know it says 400W required but it said that on the 5450 as well and it runs fine on a 300W.

Yeah I know the A64 3800+ isn't exactly a powerhouse by today's standards, but it works. I figure for the type of games I would play and the low resolution it should be fine.

 

[toyota]

well if that psu is really old and worn out then a 5670 could end up taxing it a bit but it should be fine.

 

[happy medium]

5670 looks good, like the ddr5. My concern is on the power draw. I know it doesn't need the aux connector but how many watts will it take at full load? The 5450 is a no brainer at around 19W. The machine has a pretty run-of-the-mill 300W supply...I know it says 400W required but it said that on the 5450 as well and it runs fine on a 300W.

Yeah I know the A64 3800+ isn't exactly a powerhouse by today's standards, but it works. I figure for the type of games I would play and the low resolution it should be fine.

It draws like 50 or 60 watts,it should be ok.
You can reuse it when you upgrade your cpu, and you will see much better gains.

 

[Qbah]

A standard 300W PSU will be fine. Which brand is the one you own?

 

[jrodson69]

A standard 300W PSU will be fine. Which brand is the one you own?

Please don't laugh, I think it is Hi-Pro or something like that.

 

[Qbah]

Please don't laugh, I think it is Hi-Pro or something like that.

It has 19 amps on the 12V line. You'll be fine :thumbsup:

 

[toyota]

It has 19 amps on the 12V line. You'll be fine :thumbsup:

if it came in an HP/Compaq then yeah it was "rated" for 19 amps. reality is that it could never make that in real world conditions even when brand new. after several years it would probably struggle to have 13-14 amps. of course that still should be fine for that setup.

 

[jrodson69]

if it came in an HP/Compaq then yeah it was "rated" for 19 amps. reality is that it could never make that in real world conditions even when brand new. after several years it would probably struggle to have 13-14 amps. of course that still should be fine for that setup.

You're good It's an HP machine.

Thanks guys!