Budget card for my old Q6600 rig

[balloonshark]

What would be a good budget card to match a Q6600 overclocked to 3.0Ghz? The card I have now is an 8500GT. I built this rig in June of 2008 and the 380 watt Antec PS is probably getting old. I do have a new 400 watt Corsair if I need to use it. Are there any better budget cards out there that will run with my power supplies restrictions? Is it possible to find something under $40?

I don't have any specific games that I play. I'm just trying to get an idea if it is worth upgrading this machine. I plan on building a better rig before summer of next year and my current rig will be given to a family member. My specs are in my signature and I'm in the US.

8500GT specs. http://www.msi.com/product/vga/NX8500GT-TD256E-OC.html

 

[bononos]

Something used I think, perhaps an Nvidia 450 or Radeon 5770/6770.

 

[Shmee]

What resolution?

 

[balloonshark]

What resolution?

My monitor's recommended resolution is 1680 x 1050. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824001310

 

[SPBHM]

it's definitely worth upgrading,


the 8500GT is much, much worse than the rest of the PC

basically any low cost card is going to run with your PSU,

but $40 is not a lot of money, so I guess if you can find a used HD5750 or something it would be the best thing to do... but even something slower, like a GT 430/5570/6570 would be a huge upgrade coming from a 8500GT (this card have like 1/8 the "cuda cores" of a 8800GT)

 

[Yuriman]

I'd argue that an overclocked Q6600 can reasonably be paired with as much as an HD7850. With $40 you're probably going to end up with an HD5770 if you shop around for a week or two in the classifieds, which will be a huge upgrade.

 

[DooKey]

Someone here in the FS/FT forum is selling a 7750 for $45

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2309804

 

[SPBHM]

Someone here in the FS/FT forum is selling a 7750 for $45

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2309804

DDR3...

it's much slower than a real 7750 (with DDR5), even a 5750(DDR5) is a better card than a 7750 DDR3.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

I'm using a Nvidia 210 passive 0db card on my daily rig. I love the quietness. The card was about 40$ at MicroCenter.

 

[Throckmorton]

What about a GTX 650? 384 Cuda cores and they're supposed to only use 64W.

 

[SPBHM]

What about a GTX 650? 384 Cuda cores and they're supposed to only use 64W.

not a $40 card I think...

I'm using a Nvidia 210 passive 0db card on my daily rig. I love the quietness. The card was about 40$ at MicroCenter.

the 8500GT is probably faster... definitely not a card you can play newer games with.

 

[gpse]

my brother has the same setup, Q6600 at 3Ghz. I found a used HD 6870 on kijiji for $120 that I got for him. Seems to be working great, and if he does upgrade the CPU/MOBO to something newer, the 6870 is still a decent card.

 

[jacktesterson]

I bought a 6850 last week off ebay for $60.. Just built a light gaming rig all from used sales

Even the DDR3 7750 is a huge upgrade for you in every way for $45... or a 5770

http://www.hwcompare.com/1211/geforce-8500-gt-vs-radeon-hd-5770/



7770 would be a great card for you, or a 650... if budget can be stretched

 

[computerparts1]

I'd say a 6870 or GTX 550 should be a cheap decent upgrade.

 

[balloonshark]

Thank you for your input . Will all of the cards mentioned work with my motherboard, Windows XP SP3 and power supply/s? I do have new copies of Windows 7 and 8. One of those OS's will eventually end up on this machine before next summer.

MB: http://us.msi.com/product/mb/P35-Neo2-FR---FIR.html#?div=Detail

 

[KevinH]

Check Craigslist too.

You might run into an 8800 GT with Accelero S1 cooling for $30 bucks (I just got rid of one for that last week ).

 

[DominionSeraph]

DDR3...

it's much slower than a real 7750 (with DDR5), even a 5750(DDR5) is a better card than a 7750 DDR3.

It's not that bad, and it's comparable to what else he'll find in the $40 range.
http://ht4u.net/reviews/2012/msi_radeon_hd_7750_2gb_ddr3_test/index23.php

 

[SPBHM]

It's not that bad, and it's comparable to what else he'll find in the $40 range.
http://ht4u.net/reviews/2012/msi_radeon_hd_7750_2gb_ddr3_test/index23.php

it's much slower than a 5750(6750)
http://ht4u.net/reviews/2012/msi_ra...LAA&filter[2][]=Post+AA&filter[3][]=16&aa=all

and you probably can find some used 5750 for $40?

 

[DominionSeraph]

it's much slower than a 5750(6750)
http://ht4u.net/reviews/2012/msi_ra...LAA&filter[2][]=Post+AA&filter[3][]=16&aa=all

and you probably can find some used 5750 for $40?

I've never seen 5750's go for anything other than a price premium due to their low power consumption. 5770's are usually cheaper.

 

[frozentundra123456]

I would agree with the poster who suggested HD7770. I am using it in my current system and am happy with it.

If you shop carefully, I think you should find one on sale for less than 100.00.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I'm going to be the odd man out, and say you should consider a used GTX460 1GB (or possibly 768MB) card. They do take two PCI-E 6-pin power connectors though, so it requires a decent PSU with two 6-pins.

 

[Happy_Helper]

I have basically the same question, what is the best $80 or less (used or new) card I can get for a PCI-E (16 I think) slot? Prefer lower power consumption but that's not a major factor.

 

[Yuriman]

I have basically the same question, what is the best $80 or less (used or new) card I can get for a PCI-E (16 I think) slot? Prefer lower power consumption but that's not a major factor.

New, it's going to be a 7770.

Used, you have a lot of choices.

You could get a pair of HD4870's in crossfire that nearly match an HD7850, but have a combined TDP of 320w and make a fair amount of noise with the stock coolers, as well as not supporting DX11. Not really recommended.

You may be able to find a pair of 57xx's for crossfire at that pricepoint, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Plus you have to deal with crossfire - it's pretty mature for older cards and has few issues, but the biggest setback for me was that you only utilize one card if not running fullscreen.

A GTX460 or HD6850 will use more power than a 7770 and won't be quite as fast as CF 57xx but would probably be an excellent compromise at that price point.

 

[dbk]

my q6600 rig has a hd5870.. i think that's the max.. so whatever equates to a hd5870

 

[balloonshark]

Someone has offered me a used 7750 900MHz 1GB GDDR5 that is close to my budget. Will it be a good match with my rig? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150611

I haven't been following hardware for a few years. Will this work with my motherboard, power supplies and Windows XP SP3 (Direct X).

Motherboard. http://us.msi.com/product/mb/P35-Neo2-FR---FIR.html#?div=Detail