Low-power GPU for gaming?

[Valence]

I want to upgrade the GPU on my HTPC so it can handle games on my 1080p plasma. I don't need ultra settings, but just want to be able run games like Civ 5 and X-Com (not into FPS games). Here are my current specs:

CPU: Pentium Dual-Core E5200 2.50GHz LGA775
CPU Cooler: Stock cooler
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-EP43-UD3L LGA775
Graphics Card: SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4670 GDDR4 512MB
HDD: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA 3.0Gbps
Memory: A-DATA 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model ADQVE1B16K
PSU: Corsair VX450W CMPSU-450VX 450W
Case: SilverStone Lascala LC17 SST-LC17B ATX
Optical drive: LG Black Blu-ray/HD DVD-ROM & 16X DVD±R DVD Burner
OS: Windows 7 RC

Because of the 450W PSU I'm thinking I should go with a GPU that doesn't use a lot of power. I'm thinking a 650 TI would fit the bill, but am wondering if my current PSU can handle even that, or if there's anything with better performance that will work with my PSU. I should mention that the computer has an extra 3 WD green hard drives for data. These drives don't draw a lot of power, but I mention them just in case they would make a difference in what GPU to go with. My budget for a new graphics card is $200 tops.

 

[toyota]

your psu is plenty fine for even a gtx660 in your system but tbh your cpu will significantly hold even a gtx650 back. really your cpu will be huge limitation in general no matter what card you get.

 

[The Alias]

7850 easy

 

[toyota]

7850 easy

that would be foolish with his cpu

 

[TakeNoPrisoners]

I wouldn't get a new GPU before you get a new CPU. You like RTS games so that will be a huge bottleneck.

 

[p_monks33]

That CPU at a 4.0ghz overclock which is alot, will bottleneck anything past a GTX 460. I would say at stock speeds and being in a HTPC case with a stock CPU cooler you arent going to overclock. I think a 5770/6770 would be as much GPU as I would want to pair with that CPU.

 

[Valence]

Thanks for the replies. Would it be possible to pick up a used CPU on eBay that would reduce the bottlenecking effect? If I did that, the GPU and CPU together would have to fit my budget (both the 450 watts and the $200). So if can find a good deal on a 650 ti, what would be some CPUs to look at?

 

[Hitman928]

I would suggest the 7770, It is lower power than the 5770/6770, less heat into the system, and performs better. It also dominates the other cards at compute which civ 5 can take advantage of and will probably be used for more games in the future.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5541/amd-radeon-hd-7750-radeon-hd-7770-ghz-edition-review/20

edit: I just noticed you mentioned the 650ti, it would be a good option as well. It will give you more performance than the 7770 for a small power increase and about $20 more. If you want a card you could possible take through a cpu upgrade, then you might want to go with the 7850. It's a a little more expensive (just under $200) but will outperform both cards above. Your PSU should handle any of the above cards.

 

[p_monks33]

If you are upgrading the CPU and GPU for 200, I would think about the only option CPU wise that would be on 775 would be either a Q6600 or an E8400, and maybe a cpu cooler that could handle an overclock. Otherwise, I would suggest saving up for an I3 ivybridge and A cheap 1155 motherboard with 8Gb of DDR3. Pair that with a 7770 and you have yourself a really potent HTPC at around 285 in upgrade cost, which I would recommend is worth saving to buy over upgrading on a dead platform.

 

[Arkaign]

I say get the 7850 anyway, and then you'll be set on GPU for awhile for 1080p decent gaming on that front, then when you find the cash and time, grab something like an i3 or i5 (lower power than even your E5200 setup!) to pair it with.

As you're going to have to replace that S775 setup at some point, it doesn't make sense to me to buy a video card that's not really fast enough to make 1080p an ideal experience, and then have a big GPU bottleneck whenever you do get around to replacing the E5200. My reasoning being that instead of spending $170-$180 or whatever a 7850 is going for, you spend $100ish on a card that you get rid of in 6 months instead, seems like a waste.

Now if you're going to just keep the E5200 for another couple of years, then forget what I said and get a cheap used video card like a 460.

 

[Valence]

I think I'll go with a Q6600 and a 650ti and see how that works. If it needs more speed I can always overclock.

 

[Arkaign]

Can you find a Q9550 instead? The 6600 is a great chip, but it uses a considerable amount of juice, particularly if you OC. If you can spend a few more bucks, the 7850 is just a better card than the 650ti (256-bit memory bus vs. 128-bit). There is a huge jump between the 7770/650 and 7850/660 series cards.

 

[mnewsham]

a Q6600 can be found for $30-50 somedays on ebay, so if you can stretch the budget to 220-250 you can fit a 7850.

just my .02

 

[Valence]

Can you find a Q9550 instead? The 6600 is a great chip, but it uses a considerable amount of juice, particularly if you OC. If you can spend a few more bucks, the 7850 is just a better card than the 650ti (256-bit memory bus vs. 128-bit). There is a huge jump between the 7770/650 and 7850/660 series cards.

I hadn't realized the q6600 had such a high TDP. The Q9550 is out of my price range, but the Q8300 is a possibility and also has a tdp of 95W.

a Q6600 can be found for $30-50 somedays on ebay, so if you can stretch the budget to 220-250 you can fit a 7850.

just my .02

I think I still prefer the 650 Ti to the 7850, for both price and cooler/quieter running. the 650 Ti should be more than enough for now.

One other question. If I do get a quad core, would the stock Intel cooler do, or should I get an aftermarket cooler? I don't plan on overclocking.

 

[Lonyo]

Q8300 is much harder to O/C than the 5200 if the rest of your system isn't up to spec (mobo+RAM) as it has a much higher stock FSB.
I upgraded from E5200 to Q8300 and because of my RAM I couldn't overclock anywhere near as much. You probably will also have the same issue due to 800MHz RAM, unless your motherboard has a lot of FSB:RAM ratio options.