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I need a video card...

JEDIYoda

JEDIYoda

Lifer
I have no preference between nVidia or Ati....

I just picked up a HP Pavilion Elite m9500z ...for just under 1/2 price.....
Here are my system specs...
AMD Phenom II X4 940 (3.0GHz/6MB L3 Cache)
6GB DDR2 SDRAM (2x2048MB and 2x1024MB)
500GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
Onboard graphic card-- RV730 Pro w/512MB

I have a PCIe X16 expansion slot for a graphics card.....

The only gaming I presently do is Quake Live and I am into the Unreal series...

my budget for a card is between $200 -- $300.

Any suggestions would be appredciated....

Thx
 
What kind of games do you intend on playing with the new card, and at what resolution? A $200-300 card is massive overkill for Quake Live and UT. With that being said, the 4890 and GTX275 are both good values at roughly $200. Spending more gives you more performance, but less bang for the buck.

But again, don't buy a $200+ class card if you don't need to.
 
for those games an $89 (ar) msi 4850 from newegg will do... and you get a rainbow 6 game...

or get the $143 (ar this weekend at zipzoomfly) msi gtx260 if you want a bit (20ish %) more umph...

 
Originally posted by: cubeless
for those games an $89 (ar) msi 4850 from newegg will do... and you get a rainbow 6 game...

or get the $143 (ar this weekend at zipzoomfly) msi gtx260 if you want a bit (20ish %) more umph...
Click to expand...

I fully agree with this.
 
I still think the 4870 1GBs are a great value right now, and I still think the 4890s are going to have to come down in price or go higher in clocks. If you can pick up a 4850 cheap (Sub 90$) that'd be nice, perhaps crossfire in the future.
 
Don't forget to check on the PSU that shipped with that desktop before you go dropping another 100W+ load into it.
 
Originally posted by: ExcaliburMM
I still think the 4870 1GBs are a great value right now, and I still think the 4890s are going to have to come down in price or go higher in clocks. If you can pick up a 4850 cheap (Sub 90$) that'd be nice, perhaps crossfire in the future.
Click to expand...

You can expect the 4890 to 199 a lot sooner than people expect. Sources have confirmed it will see see some serious drops soon here and not just via rebates.
 
Originally posted by: Modular
Don't forget to check on the PSU that shipped with that desktop before you go dropping another 100W+ load into it.
Click to expand...

I couldn't agree more with this comment. Usually, the big box makers (Dell, HP, etc) use decent but cheap parts to bring the cost down. Of course, there are exceptions (e.g. high-end XPS-line from Dell), but in this case, I would check out the PSU first.

Secondly, make sure your card can actually fit physically. Some of these cards are huge (and long).

Lastly, make sure you have enough ventilation or cooling for the case. These cards generate quite a bit of heat, and if hot air is trapped inside the case, you won't have a stable system.
 
if the comp came with IGP you're gonna need a PSU, as someone else said. look at what's currently in there and add at least 100w- most likely it as a generic 300-400w supply which i would replace with a brand name ~500w.

then add your video card which could be anywhere from $50-150. i wouldn't bother to spend any more since you're not running anything intensive and GPU prices are in the gutter. you'd probably be immensely happy with a gtx260.

with a gtx260 and a new psu that hp would actually be a pretty mean gaming rig.

edit- i forget that this board has the dumbest url code ever.
 
You will need a new PSU but im assuming you knew that already and budgeted for it, and i would go with a 4890 because its in your budget and will last the longest. If did not budget for PSU then get a 4850 and a new PSU.
 
A good match for the rest of the system and no one has brought up yet is the 4850X2. it requires about as much power as a GTX 280 at load, doesn't need 2 pci-e and is really fast. it would be significantly faster than a 4890 or GTX 275. Get the 2GB version if you could.
 
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