Graphics Card Recommendations?

Recribution

Junior Member
Nov 2, 2014
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Bought a new desktop computer a while ago, now I find myself lagging on low-mid settings in games like Rust, could someone please help me find a card compatible, that will allow me to play games at medium-high graphics? Here are my specs, and a link to other information about my PC. I'm on a $225-300 budget. I think I may have to get a new power supply too, but I'm a newbie, and I'm not sure what I'll need.

Intel® quad core i7-4770S 3.1 GHz 8MB cache processor

16GB DDR3 SDRAM memory, expandable to 16GB

2TB 7200 rpm SATA/600 hard drive

DVD-writer

Windows 7 Home Premium

I/O expansions: 2 x PCI express x1, 1 x PCI express x16, 2 x 3.5" bays

Ethernet technology: Gigabit Ethernet

Interface/ports: 6 x USB 2.0, 2 x USB 3.0, RJ-45, audio line-in, audio line-out, HDMI, VGA

Dimensions: 15.8"(L) x 6.8"(W) x 14.2"(H)

Graphics: Intel® HD graphics 4600

Maximum power supply wattage: 300 W

Direct media interface: 5 GT/s

Built-in devices: Mouse, keyboard

Chipset: Intel H81 express

Memory card supported: Secure digital (SD) card, Secure digital high capacity (SDHC), Memory Stick, Memory Stick pro, xD-Picture card, Multimedia card (MMC)

Certifications: RoHS

Software included: Trend micro titanium internet security trial, office trial, Microsoft pack, adobe reader, MaxxAudio, ASUS AI-SUITE II, ASUS AI manager, ASUS My Logo2ASUS update, ASUS Q-fan, ASUS Vibe, ASUS AI charger, ASUS Webstorage, music maker

http://www.staples.com/Asus-M11AD-US...product_967984

Thanks! :)
 

SteveGrabowski

Diamond Member
Oct 20, 2014
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Only thing you could run on 300W is a GTX 750Ti (~$100-$120 or so). Nice card for the money and power usage, but you'll want to put a 30FPS cap on for the most demanding games like Crysis 3 at 1080p with that card, while for Battlefield 4 you'd want to drop to 1600x900 to hit 60 FPS on high. The R9 280 (~$140-$180) and the R9 290 (~$213-$280) give a lot of bang for your buck right now at 1080p resolution, but you'll want high quality power supplies with each (especially with the 290). So the cheapest upgrade path to have a good gaming system is GTX 750Ti. R9 290 you'll want your case to have good ventilation, because it puts out a lot of heat.

Here is a video comparing four cards in your range: the R9 280, R9 285, R9 280x, and GTX 760
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNsht73C3Qs

You'll get better framerates turning off the anti-aliasing though. Ideally you want your frame times, shown on the graph at the right, to be constant. Relatively constant frametimes mean smooth gameplay.
 
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SteveGrabowski

Diamond Member
Oct 20, 2014
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Another thing you have to consider is how much space does your case have? It doesn't sound like a lot. How long of a video card can you stick in the PCIEx16 slot before hitting one of the hard drive cages? If it's short and you don't want to buy a new case, you'll need one of the short cards:

Here is a 6.7 inch long GTX 760:
http://us.msi.com/product/vga/N760_2GD5OC_ITX.html#hero-specification

Here is a 6.73 inch long R9 285:
http://www.sapphiretech.com/present...d=1&gid=3&sgid=1227&pid=2444&psn=000101&lid=1

I'm not aware of any short versions of the R9 280 nor the R9 280x. There is a short version of the R9 270x and most GTX 750 Ti's are less than 7.5 inches.
 

Leyawiin

Diamond Member
Nov 11, 2008
3,204
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Yeah, Steve's right on that. The GTX 750 Ti is your best cheap and easy solution and will give you pretty decent framerates at @1080p in most current games with medium to even high settings (I have one in a secondary PC). With your budget if you feel comfortable swapping out the power supply you could run a much stronger video card (like those he listed).
 

SteveGrabowski

Diamond Member
Oct 20, 2014
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In your situation and budget I'd probably look at that ITX R9 285 for $245 after rebate (or $260 not counting rebate) here:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-128-_-Product

Then a nice 550W-650W power supply. I personally think this Antec Neo Eco 620C is a great deal at $45 after rebate, which is why I have it in my own computer.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...D=3938566&SID=

Another really nice PSU you might consider is the Rosewill Capstone 550W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...D=3938566&SID=

The Capstone 550W is modular, so it will be much easier to work with a cramped case.
 
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SteveGrabowski

Diamond Member
Oct 20, 2014
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But this is all under the assumption that you don't have a lot of graphics card clearance in that case. If you do, that changes things considerably.
 

nsafreak

Diamond Member
Oct 16, 2001
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If this image:

61+fmsO9y4L._SL256_.jpg


Is accurate then the op actually has a decent amount of length to put in a GPU. Now you will need to upgrade the PSU but upgrading that and putting in a good GPU is within your budget as you really don't need to spend a ton of money to get a quality PSU unlike what some folks think. This Sapphire R9 280X plus this EVGA 500 watt PSU should suit your needs just fine and are within budget.
 

SteveGrabowski

Diamond Member
Oct 20, 2014
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If this image:

61+fmsO9y4L._SL256_.jpg


Is accurate then the op actually has a decent amount of length to put in a GPU. Now you will need to upgrade the PSU but upgrading that and putting in a good GPU is within your budget as you really don't need to spend a ton of money to get a quality PSU unlike what some folks think. This Sapphire R9 280X plus this EVGA 500 watt PSU should suit your needs just fine and are within budget.

Yeah, looks like anything should fit into that case. Without a top exhaust do you think it can provide enough airflow for an R9 280x or R9 290 though? 280x is a pretty killer GPU for 1080p, and I'd definitely take it over an R9 285 in that case. Op should definitely forget the R9 285 recommendation.
 

nsafreak

Diamond Member
Oct 16, 2001
7,093
3
81
Yeah, looks like anything should fit into that case. Without a top exhaust do you think it can provide enough airflow for an R9 280x or R9 290 though? 280x is a pretty killer GPU for 1080p, and I'd definitely take it over an R9 285 in that case. Op should definitely forget the R9 285 recommendation.

He'll have an exhaust through the top in a sense with the upgraded PSU since it'll be taking air in from its bottom fan and exhausting it out the back. He doesn't have a lot of heat generating components in the case as is since the 4770S uses less power and puts out less heat. It might get a bit warmer than some of us would probably prefer but it'll still be well within heat tolerance of the CPU & GPU. The other option would be to go with a R9 280X that is a blower design rather than the multi fan setups most other non reference coolers go with.
 

SteveGrabowski

Diamond Member
Oct 20, 2014
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Most of the aftermarket vendors seem to recommend 750W PSU's with R9 280x, which is total garbage. But they expect you to buy bargain basement crap like Apevia I guess.
 

SteveGrabowski

Diamond Member
Oct 20, 2014
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That R9 280x recommendation will be golden for ultra 1080p gaming with great framerates. If you want to save $100 you could go with a PoweCooler R9 280 from Newegg which will also be really solid for 1080p ultra and high gaming, though your frame rates will be a little lower. See that video I posted earlier in this thread which compares 280 and 280x performance. Only thing is you have to order that R9 280 today to get that price.
 

SteveGrabowski

Diamond Member
Oct 20, 2014
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I think the 280x is kind of in a no-mans land for pricing right now. It's a lot more expensive than an R9 280 for 6-10 fps more, but only a little cheaper than an R9 290. Not sure why the 280x hasn't seen such price drops like the 280 and 290.
 

SteveGrabowski

Diamond Member
Oct 20, 2014
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On second thought, looks like I'm really underselling the 280x in comparison to the 280, as sometimes you can get 10-20 fps difference.
 

Recribution

Junior Member
Nov 2, 2014
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Thanks, I appreciate your help. I was going to go with the GTX 750 Ti, however due to the lower amount of memory I decided to go with the R9 280X and the power supply upgrade.
 

SteveGrabowski

Diamond Member
Oct 20, 2014
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Thanks, I appreciate your help. I was going to go with the GTX 750 Ti, however due to the lower amount of memory I decided to go with the R9 280X and the power supply upgrade.

You should have a killer gaming system then with that CPU and that GPU. You'll be doing way better than medium/high on everything out there.