GPU sub £200

[rumpleforeskin]

my gtx 280 is on its last legs, randomly giving a screen full of multicoloured mess when using 3D so time for an upgrade

been out of touch with GPU's for 18 months so looks like alot of new releases.

any recomendations?

i see ATI have some new releases next month, maybe worth waiting for a price drop on current cards!!!

 

[toyota]

resolution and current pc specs are needed so people can give you the best advice.

 

[cusideabelincoln]

Not quite sure what prices are and the exact conversion rate, but would a GTX 470 or HD 5850 be under 200?

 

[yepp]

Is it out of warranty, have you tried the oven fix yet?

 

[rumpleforeskin]

resolution and current pc specs are needed so people can give you the best advice.

1920x1200 resolution
Q6600 clocked to 4.1ghz

Is it out of warranty, have you tried the oven fix yet?

warranty expired few months back
my mind boggles at what the "oven fix" involves

 

[happy medium]

Q6600 clocked to 4.1ghz

:thumbsup:

Look into a gtx 470 or 5850 or save a few bucks and overclock a gtx 460.
I see your a overclocker.

 

[toyota]

:thumbsup:

yeah, holy cow. I bet that cpu uses more power than my whole pc. lol

 

[happy medium]

Rumple can you link us with your favorite internet retailer. It will help.

Do they have Newegg where you live?

 

[rumpleforeskin]

:thumbsup:

Look into a gtx 470 or 5850 or save a few bucks and overclock a gtx 460.
I see your a overclocker.

Overclocking has been a great hobby of mine for a very long time, but in the last 2 years i have moved house and job and my PC has not been getting the attention it deserves.

After xmass i hope to have enough cash to build an i7 system (maybe 930) and see how far i can push that

yeah, holy cow. I bet that cpu uses more power than my whole pc. lol

for sure its not shy at sucking juice

Rumple can you link us with your favorite internet retailer. It will help.

Do they have Newegg where you live?

I dont have any retailer loyalty but do live in the UK
most big name retailers are happy to ship worldwide which is cool

saverstore is only 2 miles from my house which is also handy (formerly watford electronics http://www.saverstore.com/ )

 

[yepp]

Some threads about baking video cards:

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1421792

http://www.overclock.net/graphics-cards-general/529271-bake-your-graphics-card-oven-fix.html

Some popular UK e-tailers i use:

http://www.dabs.com/
http://www.ebuyer.com/
http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/
http://www.overclock.co.uk/
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/
http://www.tekheads.co.uk/

5850 are around £200, GTX 460 if you want to save a few quid, GTX 470 will stretch your budget to around £230.

 

[Lonyo]

Since the 5850 is £200, it's a fair bet that the new card(s) should be £200 or under, so it would definitely be worth holding on if your GTX280 isn't totally dead yet.

 

[Madcatatlas]

Idd, if your thinking along the lines of a new setup, i wouldnt waste cash on a HD5850 now. And not a GTX460 either.

Id wait for Radeon 6770 or 6870 (AMD has everyone fooled on naming convention) which looks to be priced at just above 200...maybe not euros.

+1 to baking that card. its still got juice if your thinking "new system soon".

 

[happy medium]

Best prices I could find for good cards are

gtx 460 Cyclone for 170....http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...56&subcat=1830

And

xfx 5850 for 200
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...=56&subcat=411

Thats a tough choice. To be honest both are only going to be about 20% faster then your gtx280.

 

[Grooveriding]

my gtx 280 is on its last legs, randomly giving a screen full of multicoloured mess when using 3D so time for an upgrade

been out of touch with GPU's for 18 months so looks like alot of new releases.

any recomendations?

i see ATI have some new releases next month, maybe worth waiting for a price drop on current cards!!!

Is that 200 pounds sterling ?

Wait two more weeks for the first 6 series card reviews to show up. The first card they are releasing is a mid-range card which slots into the bracket you are shopping in.

It's so close to the launch that it's worth a short wait to see how the new stuff performs and is priced, rather than buying something that will be last-gen shortly.

 

[Lonyo]

Best prices I could find for good cards are

gtx 460 Cyclone for 170....http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...56&subcat=1830

And

xfx 5850 for 200
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...=56&subcat=411

Thats a tough choice. To be honest both are only going to be about 20% faster then your gtx280.

Depending on the game, they could even be slower.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/3809/nvidias-geforce-gtx-460-the-200-king/14
There are also other games where one or the other can be slower, but that's a game where both are slower.
Most of the time they are less than 20% faster.

 

[happy medium]

Guys he needs a card now , read the op.

 

[Lonyo]

Guys he needs a card now , read the op.

He said randomly, so it depends on whether it happens sometimes, or it's a random screen all the time.
It might be that he doesn't need a new card instantly.

 

[rumpleforeskin]

Guys he needs a card now , read the op.

its ok, i dont mind waiting a few weeks, my computer still runs fine when not gaming so i can still sort my banking and shopping ect.

infact given my plans to overhaul my system over the next few months it may be true that i should consider waiting for the new ATI cards to come out.... and maybe i spend a little more too :s


And thanks for all the info about "baking a GPU" im supprised in the years of playing with PC hardware i've never come accross this idea before... should have a few spare hours at the weekend so can put my chefs hat on then and hope for a fix

 

[veri745]

its ok, i dont mind waiting a few weeks, my computer still runs fine when not gaming so i can still sort my banking and shopping ect.

infact given my plans to overhaul my system over the next few months it may be true that i should consider waiting for the new ATI cards to come out.... and maybe i spend a little more too :s


And thanks for all the info about "baking a GPU" im supprised in the years of playing with PC hardware i've never come accross this idea before... should have a few spare hours at the weekend so can put my chefs hat on then and hope for a fix

Make sure you have a backup GPU solution before "baking" your card. I know it's worked for a lot of people, but I wouldn't count on it not making things worse.

 

[rumpleforeskin]

well i donned my chiefs hat yesterday and baked my card gas mk6 for 8 mins

been reassembled now and seems to be running ok.

time will tell if its a permenent fix or just staving off the inevitable

 

[bryanW1995]

some people baking gets them a week or two, some people it works for years. good luck!

btw, if you do end up buying something I'd wait until 6xxx launches. considering that you're at a high resolution you'll have 3 good options:

1. barts xt - should be $200- $250 US, probably less than £200 for you.
2. cayman pro - probably 300-400 US, probably closer to £250
3. gtx 480 - you should find some extremely aggressive deals on these once 6xxx comes out. cayman pro should be a bit faster but might be out of your price range, while you might find some deals on this if you keep your eyes open.

 

[steve wilson]

Another site I use in the UK is www.scan.co.uk along with overclockers.co.uk. Just something to look at when you are checking prices.