Graphics card recommendation for my system

[warbeast_stan]

Hello people, I have an issue and your help would be much appreciated. I have an old machine, the specifications of which I have specified below:

AMD Athlon 64 3500+ running at 2.2 GHz (single-core)
MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum motherboard (nforce4 chipset)
500 W Good Quality PSU with more than 26 A (not sure of the exact amperage) on the +12V rail
2 GB DDR400 RAM
Windows XP Professional (SP3)
500 GB + 160 GB Seagate Hard drive
LG DVD Burner and so on…

The issue is that I was using XFX 8800GT Alpha Dog Edition (512 MB) graphics card on the system. Now that it is dead, I am on the look out for a new graphics card.

I have researched a bit on the Internet and found that the equivalent of my previous graphics card is this one:

XFX Radeon HD 6670 (GDDR5) with 1 GB VRAM

I also see that many people on the Internet are recommending Radeon HD 7750. But, when I check the requirements, I see that Windows XP is not one of the supported Operating Systems.

Now this has put me in a bit of a dilemma. Will the above mentioned graphics card (Radeon HD 6670) work with my system?

I understand that it doesn’t require auxiliary PCIe power connector, but I am more concerned if my single-core CPU will support it or not.

Also, does it really matter if I use a non-Nvidia graphics card in my system?

Another thing of importance is that I will be mostly playing old games (2007 and earlier). I have so far only used Nvidia cards and I am worried if ATI or AMD cards will have compatibility issues with old PC games.

I am also open to graphics card suggestions by you people, but please note that I am on a single-core machine where I am bottlenecked by the CPU.

Thank you for your help and suggestions in advance.

 

[raghu78]

yeah buy something really cheap. the HD 6670 will do fine. as you say you will be CPU bottlenecked. so buying a HD 7750 is not a good idea. eventually plan for an upgrade of your entire system.

 

[bononos]

...... I understand that it doesn’t require auxiliary PCIe power connector, but I am more concerned if my single-core CPU will support it or not.

Also, does it really matter if I use a non-Nvidia graphics card in my system?

Another thing of importance is that I will be mostly playing old games (2007 and earlier). I have so far only used Nvidia cards and I am worried if ATI or AMD cards will have compatibility issues with old PC games.

I am also open to graphics card suggestions by you people, but please note that I am on a single-core machine where I am bottlenecked by the CPU.

Thank you for your help and suggestions in advance.

The 6670 and 7750 are low powered compared to the 8800gt so they are good replacements and run old games just fine. If both 6670/7750 cost about the same the 7750 would be better because its quite abit faster.
Theres xp drivers for AMD cards so you're covered. I think the latest 12.10 is still beta for xp.

 

[toyota]

if you want a new Nvidia card then a gtx650 can be had for under 100 bucks.

 

[warbeast_stan]

Many thanks for your suggestions. So, you are basically saying that I can run Radeon HD 7750 on my computer with no issues? Here on the AMD site, it is mentioned that Windows XP is not supported:

http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/graphics/7000/7750/Pages/radeon-7750.aspx#3

Also, 4 GB of RAM is recommended. Will it not be an issue with my system having only 2 GB of RAM? Also, are there any other compatibility issues that I should be worried about? Like dual-core CPU requirement and so on.

Also, if you were to choose between Radeon HD 6670 and Radeon HD 7750, which one would you pick? As always, please take my system specs into consideration.

 

[Arkaign]

I recommend you get a used card to go with your used system!

There's a 4850 512MB in the FS/FT section for $45 for example. Plenty of cards like that. Your PSU with 26A on 12V+ is good to go with that, and it's a very solid card that will kick butt at older games and even be halfway decent at newer ones (about the same as a 7750 I think.

5770 was about the same speed as 4850. 6770 was exactly the same speed as 5770 (repack of the same thing). 7750 is about the same speed as 6770. So, adding that up, a 4850 should be the same speed as a 7750 Of course 512MB of ram makes it a little weaker with max details and high resolutions, but it will definitely be a good step up from what you have.

 

[Arkaign]

Ah, found another 4850 512MB for $35 in FS/FT! Also a GTX280 (good bit faster than the 4850) for $70.

Used FTW!!

 

[Jimzz]

The 7750 will work in your system.

But I agree a used card may be a better deal for a older system like that. I'm sure you can find a used 6xxx or 5xxx card cheap. Make sure it has DDR5 and 128bit bus and it should be ok.

Here is a new 6670 for $67 AR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127586

If you can't find anything cheaper; go with that.


EDIT:
Also look for a used Dual Core socket 939 CPU. For elss than $100 you should be able to get a good used video card and dual core CPU cheap. Just update your bios to the last one if you have not yet.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/AMD-Athlon-...d-1-/221148098334?pt=CPUs&hash=item337d742f1e

OP are you in the US? Near a microcenter?
For less than $100 you can get a new board and 6core CPU. $20 more add 4gig of DDR3 ram.

 

[warbeast_stan]

No, I am located in India. Just contacted a vendor here. He has XFX Radeon HD 6670 GDDR5 for 6,100 INR. I also asked him about Radeon HD 7750, but he has only Gigabyte make of the card and it is priced at 7,500 INR. Gigabyte are known for their motherboards, but I am not sure if they make quality graphics cards.

The price difference is not much here. So, I am more inclined towards 7750, but I am worried if it will work on my system because of the 4 GB RAM requirement mentioned on AMD's website.

 

[zaydq]

Gigabyte makes good GPUs. To be honest a 7750 is overkill for your system, but if your used buying options are limited, then really i guess theres not much lower you can go.

 

[Jaydip]

No, I am located in India. Just contacted a vendor here. He has XFX Radeon HD 6670 GDDR5 for 6,100 INR. I also asked him about Radeon HD 7750, but he has only Gigabyte make of the card and it is priced at 7,500 INR. Gigabyte are known for their motherboards, but I am not sure if they make quality graphics cards.

The price difference is not much here. So, I am more inclined towards 7750, but I am worried if it will work on my system because of the 4 GB RAM requirement mentioned on AMD's website.

Sorry man but you are wasting your money.If your cpu is capable of delivering 5 fps you will get that regardless of your gpu.Upgrade your cpu,mb first.Check this
http://www.flipkart.com/amd-2-1-ghz...ZRSG&ref=2011fa40-2344-4ec3-9926-5ae0b2456ed3

 

[Jimzz]

No, I am located in India. Just contacted a vendor here. He has XFX Radeon HD 6670 GDDR5 for 6,100 INR. I also asked him about Radeon HD 7750, but he has only Gigabyte make of the card and it is priced at 7,500 INR. Gigabyte are known for their motherboards, but I am not sure if they make quality graphics cards.

The price difference is not much here. So, I am more inclined towards 7750, but I am worried if it will work on my system because of the 4 GB RAM requirement mentioned on AMD's website.

I think the 7750 might work and I would go that way if you upgrade the GPU will nto hold you back. But also look at LEAST getting a duel core CPU. There are lots of used socket 939 CPUs floating around now. The GPU will be CPU limited as is.