Best Single 6 Pin PCI-E Powered Graphics Card

[szaijan]

I'm looking for a new graphics card for my son's PC. He has only a 500W power supply and no 6 pin PCI cables on it, so we'll be using 2 4-pin molex plugs with an adapter. Not enough 4 pin connectors remain for two 6-pin adapters.

So what's the best card we can buy him? I looked at the nVidia 550XT, but it doesn't seem like a huge jump from the GT520 he has currently. He likes to play SW:ToR and FPS games primarily, so something with greater profundity would be preferred.

Many reviews don't even mention the power requirements, let alone compare cards that meet these requirements. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[dma0991]

Very strange for a 500W PSU not having a 6+8 PCIE connectors at the very least. It could be from a brand that is not reliable or an OEM PSU. Anyway, get a GTX550 Ti or a HD6850. You could probably decide by reading reviews which card performs best with the game he plays.

 

[RavenSEAL]

Hd 6850 is about 15% faster than a GTX550.

 

[jacktesterson]

I have to ask, what does he have for a PSU?

It may not be a true 500w from the sounds of things.

I agree, 6790/6850 depending on whats cheaper. (5-8% difference, both Barts core)

 

[szaijan]

Thanks for the input. It's a 500W OEM PSU.

Doesn't the 6850 require 2 6-pin adapters? Previously, I couldn't get the two adapter approach to work, but I just managed to get my old HD 4870 1 GB working in his system. Not sure how that compares to the 6850, but it's free, so that's a plus. Have to see if his PS can handle it.

 

[djsb]

6850 is just a single 6-pin card; I'm looking at one right now. Also it needs less power than a 4870 while being superior to it in all ways, so if you got a 4870 to work you won't have any problems.

 

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

Thanks for the input. It's a 500W OEM PSU.

Doesn't the 6850 require 2 6-pin adapters? Previously, I couldn't get the two adapter approach to work, but I just managed to get my old HD 4870 1 GB working in his system. Not sure how that compares to the 6850, but it's free, so that's a plus. Have to see if his PS can handle it.

The HD 6850 is the fastest card with a single 6-pin PCIe power connector. It also consumes less power than the HD 4870 and is significantly faster. It's also significantly faster than the GTX 550 Ti.

HD 6850 is ~28% faster than GTX 550 Ti and ~31% faster than HD 4870/5770.

It also consumes roughly 50W less than the HD 4870 on a typical gaming load, so if your PSU handled a 4870 fine, it'll run even better with the 6850.

So there's your answer.

 

[szaijan]

Thanks. I had previously tried the 4870 and couldn't get it to work. A bit of creative rewiring fixed that. Sounds like a 6850 is the way to go.

 

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

Thanks. I had previously tried the 4870 and couldn't get it to work. A bit of creative rewiring fixed that. Sounds like a 6850 is the way to go.

No problem.

Also, welcome to the forums!

 

[Arkadrel]

Hd 6850 is about 15% faster than a GTX550.

TPU has it at around 20% (in the avg slides for the 550)...
probably more depending on games benched (see above where its closer to an avg of ~28%).

 

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

TPU has it at around 20%... probably more depending on games benched.

28% faster. Those are with old drivers for both cards.

 

[DominionSeraph]

If you have that 4870 working a 6850 may not be worth the price. You're looking at spending ~$140 for ~30% increase in performance.

 

[Concillian]

If a 4870 works, then a 6870 will work too. 6870 is significantly faster and uses less power. Both the 4870 and the 6870 use more than one PCIe 6 pin power, but if the 4870 doesn't have problems, neither will a 6870.

If a 4870 is good enough for him, then that's obviously the cheapest route.

What is the 12v current rating or 12 watt power capability of his PSU? it should say 12v XXA or 12v --- xxx Watts somewhere on the sticker.

 

[nenforcer]

Radeon HD 7770 will be released on February 15th, I believe.

The Radeon HD 7850 and 7870 are due to arrive in around 1 month, sometime in March.

Since you just got the 4870 hooked up I would stick with that for a month or so before making a purchase.

Only thing you will be lacking with the 4870 is DirectX 11 support.