Best video card for ~$100 + a psu to support it?

[jhbball]

Hi all,

I interested in picking up a new video card for ~$100 usd. Which card has the best performance at this price range?

Also, what would be good/cheap psu to support this card?

Thanks!

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,

ATI - The HD4850 is in the $100 price range.
nVidia - The 9800GT is in the $100 price range.

-- Though you can find the GTX260 and HD4870 in the $100 price range if you look for open-box and recertified deals on the egg or other places.

Try and get the 1Gb memory versions, not the 512Mb.

As for PSU, all you need is a single 6pin PCIe connection. Any decent PSU can handle these cards that are rated for about 500 watts for sure. Corsair, Seasonic, OCZ, Raidmax, Apevia, even the Rosewell (seriously) PSUs are all perfectly fine. I think there's a deal right now on the egg:

650W Corsair for $88.99 if you use promocode EMCMNNM55
Link (also has MIR of $20).

Very best,

 

[theAnimal]

OCZ, Raidmax, Apevia, even the Rosewell (seriously) PSUs are all perfectly fine.

The only one of those I might consider using would be OCZ. The rest are all mostly crap that shouldn't come anywhere near your system.

 

[hans030390]

The only one of those I might consider using would be OCZ. The rest are all mostly crap that shouldn't come anywhere near your system.

Rosewill actually makes some pretty solid PSUs.

 

[blanketyblank]

I see antecs on sale pretty often and those are pretty good PSUs when you can get them.
For $100 4850 is probably best. 250, 9800s, or 8800s are all good and basically the same.
There are some other ATI cards that re good too though not quite as fast as the 4850. Look for any number higher than 4650 and below or equal to 4890.

 

[HalfCrazy]

Hey jhbball,

Little more info would be helpful in helping you choose a new card. Details like what size monitor do you use and what resolution you play games at. If you play any games at all of course.

 

[TemjinGold]

Hey jhbball,

Little more info would be helpful in helping you choose a new card. Details like what size monitor do you use and what resolution you play games at. If you play any games at all of course.

Given the original post and the price range, I seriously doubt this matters.

 

[HalfCrazy]

Given the original post and the price range, I seriously doubt this matters.

Without the OP posting what mobo his/her PC has. We are just guessing the PC has a PCIe slot. Which is something that should not be done of course. Since the user could very well still be using PC with AGP slot.

 

[jhbball]

Thanks for all of the responses guys. The monitor is a 19'' widescreen display, nothing too fancy. The computer is an entry level core2duo dell, with a 300w psu (which will have to be replaced i'm guessing), with a PCI express slot.

 

[Kcwired]

Watch out for non-standard PSU connectors. I ran into that with a compaq when i tried to upgrade its PSU.

 

[cusideabelincoln]

All fairly recent Dells have stopped using non-standard PSUs, so I think he'll be safe.

The only problem I can see is if he would need a low profile card. Is the case small and require the use of low profile cards?

 

[novice]

Thanks for all of the responses guys. The monitor is a 19'' widescreen display, nothing too fancy. The computer is an entry level core2duo dell, with a 300w psu (which will have to be replaced i'm guessing), with a PCI express slot.

Well, I have been running an MSI R4670 for the past year on my Dell Vostro 220 with a Core 2 Duo E7300 and 3 gb of ram, with the stock Dell 300 W psu. I may eventually upgrade the power supply. Probably the best value for the money in a medium price PSU is the Corsair 400W model. Expect to pay $40 to $50 or so. If that is too steep, I have actually had pretty good luck with a Coolermaster 460W unit in my son's PC. It is running a socket 939 board with an Athlon 64 3700, 2 gig of DDR 400, a 384 mb Geforce 9600 GSO, 3 hard drives, two DVD drives and lots of fans. He has had it for about 4 months with no issues. Currently available for $29.99 shipped from newegg.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817171046