Best Video Card using a 500w PSU?

[Billman]

I'm trying to decide if a video card upgrade is worth it. My Power supply is only 500w and I'd rather not upgrade it. It's a Seasonic which I'm told is better than most PSUs. What's the best video card I can get that will be able to be powered by a 500w PSU?

MoBo: GA-965P-S3 (rev 1.0)
CPU: Core 2 6600 (2.40 Ghz)
Sys Mem: 6 Gb
Video Card: EVGA Geforce 7900 GTO (dx 9)
PSU: Seasonic S12 500w
OS: windows 7

Also, I've noticed some of the newer cards say they use PCI-E x16 version 2.0 or even 2.1. My mobo supported PCI-E, x16, but I couldn't determine what version it was so I'm assuming it's 1.0. What does this mean regarding my new video card. Can I run cards that use version 2.0? I'm not sure what kind of problem this creates. Also, is there anything else I should be aware of in terms of my mobo prohibiting or significantly bottlenecking my new video card?

mainboard:
http://www.gigabyte.us/Products/Motherboard/Products_Overview.aspx?ProductID=2457

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!

 

[TemjinGold]

With that PSU, you could literally get ANY single gfx card and be fine.

 

[Billman]

Ok, thanks for the reply. That's great news. I was misinformed about the PSU.

Well, I was hoping to spend in the $120-$170 (USD). Of course it's about bang for the buck, so I might be able to spend a little more if it's a significant improvement or spend a little less if $120 isn't really getting me more than $100. I don't plan on upgrading this PC rig again, so there's no point in getting a vid card that gets bottlenecked by the other CPU, mobo bus speed, other hardware, etc.

I usually play first person shooters. I wanna go back and finish GTA IV on mid-high settings. I like the hitman series, assassins creed and I'll probably pick up biosphere 2. I also play FPS online, usually slightly older titles. That said, I hope to get some more life out of this PC for future titles even if I have to play them on lower settings.

I'm still curious about what the "version" means in regards to PCI-E x16 slots. I also not sure what the 12v rail means.

On the higher end of my budget, I've been looking at HD 5770, but I'm only just starting to look so advice is greatly appreciated. (Nvidia's fine too). I've been over at Toms Hardware, but if anyone could recommend websites with good current lineups that would be appreciated. I've always used and liked anandtech, but the guides are old and I find it hard to page through the individual reviews and put it all together.

Thanks sincerely for the help and advice.

 

[faxon]

with that budget i would aim for a 5770 for sure. i just finished up with my friend's system build and his 5770 did 960 core and 1400 memory (max CCC allowed) running level 5 OCCT GPU tester for an hour stable @ 94c. was running it with a phenom 2 965 @ 3.8GHz and it was only on a 430w PSU to boot (antec neopower 430w). if you had the budget i would get a 5870 LOL

 

[happy medium]

5770 is the best card for 150$ by far. Well its the only card for about 150$ too.

 

[Billman]

thanks for the feedback.

I think I'm using a less powerful PC rig than most of you. (Posted above). Should I be worried that my cpu/mobo is gonna bottleneck the 5770? Also, anyone hear about any problems when running in "duplication" mode? (A monitor and a TV showing identical screens).

Most stable/reliable brand for 5770? Sapphire, XFX, evga, etc?

thanks for your time

 

[blanketyblank]

Your computer looks fine to me. You might want to OC a little bit depending on the game, but the 5770 is a good pairing for you.
XFX is the best brand for ATI cards in terms of warranty since it is double lifetime.
Visiontek has a single lifetime, but doesn't require registration (just keep the receipt).
I hear that Sapphire and Asus are good in terms of stability and QC, but I don't have first hand knowledge.

 

[toyota]

thanks for the feedback.

I think I'm using a less powerful PC rig than most of you. (Posted above). Should I be worried that my cpu/mobo is gonna bottleneck the 5770? Also, anyone hear about any problems when running in "duplication" mode? (A monitor and a TV showing identical screens).

Most stable/reliable brand for 5770? Sapphire, XFX, evga, etc?

thanks for your time

you really should oc that cpu if you can as it would help quite a bit with a 5770. just get it to around 3.0 or so and you will have a pretty balanced system. having the cpu overclocked will certainly help with GTA 4 too but you still wont be maxing that game smoothly at 3.0. btw am I blind or as the resolution not even been mentioned?

 

[Billman]

Wow, thanks for all the feedback guys.

I think I'm ready to pull the trigger on the 5770.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...=skim769X53352
about $160 shipped.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...=skim769X53352
This comes in at about $132 shipped.


TOYOTA: I'd consider some very mild overclocking. My mobo might allow some basic tweaks in the bios. Even so, I haven't overclocked for years. Are these CPUs good at handling the heat and speed without too much damage to their longevity? Shoot me a link for OCing if you got one. Thanks for your help.

Also, I'm not sure what you meant by your resolution comment.

 

[toyota]

Wow, thanks for all the feedback guys.

I think I'm ready to pull the trigger on the 5770.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...=skim769X53352
about $160 shipped.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...=skim769X53352
This comes in at about $132 shipped.


TOYOTA: I'd consider some very mild overclocking. My mobo might allow some basic tweaks in the bios. Even so, I haven't overclocked for years. Are these CPUs good at handling the heat and speed without too much damage to their longevity? Shoot me a link for OCing if you got one. Thanks for your help.

Also, I'm not sure what you meant by your resolution comment.

theres a cpu oc guide in the cpu section. you dont know what resolution means?...what is the size of your screen such as 1920x1080 is what I am asking.

 

[Billman]

I know what resolution means, I just didn't understand your question. My monitor maxes at 2048 X 1536 with 1600x1200 recommended. My current vid card runs anything I want smoothly and I run desktop at the max.

As for gaming, with my current card, it can get choppy at 1600x1200 on some of my more demanding games, but from the benchmarks I see I should be able to do whatever I want with the 5770.

 

[SlowSpyder]

With that PSU, you could literally get ANY single gfx card and be fine.

According to the Anandtech review, the GTX480 pulls 421 watts playing Crysis. His power supply may handle that fine, but it could get a little dicey too if he was to ever overclock his CPU/GPU. But, given his budget that's obviously not a card that's in the running, but I just figured I'd point that out anyway.

I know what resolution means, I just didn't understand your question. My monitor maxes at 2048 X 1536 with 1600x1200 recommended. My current vid card runs anything I want smoothly and I run desktop at the max.

As for gaming, with my current card, it can get choppy at 1600x1200 on some of my more demanding games, but from the benchmarks I see I should be able to do whatever I want with the 5770.

Good luck with the 5770! It should be a nice match for your budget and your power supply won't even break a sweat.