Low res gaming what cpu and video card

[lehtv]

In your PM you said your budget was $350, and I replied that it's enough for an i5 and a GTX 650 Ti, with money left over for an upgrade to 2x4GB RAM. Did you end up lowering your budget?

 

[Bman123]

I had something come up while I was on my way to get the CPU so I had lower it quite a bit. I do appreciate your help tho

 

[lehtv]

Alright. How much do you have left for the GPU?

 

[DooKey]

Sounds like you only have about $100 or so for a GPU. I think I'd start looking for a good used gpu.

 

[Bman123]

I can swing $150 max for the video card

 

[lehtv]

OK. Since your PSU only supports GPUs with a single 6-pin connector without using an adapter, and since your resolution doesn't need anything more power hungry, I'd just recommend buying new instead of used. In the $100-150 used market, you can mainly find dual 6-pin last gen cards like GTX 560, GTX 560 Ti, HD 6870 and HD 6950. For your resolution, I would rather have a new lower-power but definitely fast enough GTX 650 Ti ($130 AR) with full warranty.

If you'd rather pay less, NCIX has Asus 7770 for only $100 ($90 AR) + shipping. Compare to 650 Ti.

 

[Bman123]

I can get a new power supply if I need one that's not a issue, I can sell or hand the cx430 down to someone

 

[lehtv]

No, that's not necessary. As I said, your resolution just doesn't need such a power hungry graphics card. GTX 650 Ti is for 1366x768 what a GTX 670 is for 1080p - that is, very fast

 

[Bman123]

Would I be better off getting a hd6850 I am just looking at these benchmarks from here and they are showing 1200x800 res which is the closest I have found to mine anywhere online
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_650_Power_Edition/17.html

I found a new HD6850 online for $100 with free shipping that's the only reason I ask.

 

[lehtv]

Where? The lowest 6850 I can find is $130. http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/video-card/#sort=a5&qq=1&c=42

$100 is very low for a 6850, only $10-20 more than buying one used off of eBay. Definitely a nice deal.

 

[Bman123]

Are those benchmarks trustworthy from that site?

 

[lehtv]

You mean Techpowerup? Yeah, it's a trustworthy site. The benches you posted don't include the 650 Ti though. FWIW the easiest way to compare cards is to just use Anandtech bench. It doesn't include your resolution, but the relative performance differences will be the same

Anyway, can you please link to the 6850 you found?

 

[Bman123]

Here is a better link to it with a gtx 650 ti
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/GeForce_GTX_650_Ti_Direct_Cu_II/16.html

That's on metro 2033 the cheapest I have found a GTX 650ti is the link you posted at $125 after rebate too. I found that site and almost crapped my pants like wow there is a site with lower res benchmarks

 

[lehtv]

I would much rather have an EVGA card for $130 AR than a Galaxy card for $125 AR.

Anyway, the 6850 for $100. Link.

 

[Bman123]

It's HD6850 for $100 or HD6870 for $130 which one do you think is the best bet I'm trying to order mine tonight then I'll drop the link

 

[lehtv]

You're thinking someone will grab it from under your nose if you link it? Is it a definitely a new card and not a used one?

6850 for $100 is the better deal. 6870 requires two PCIe connectors and isn't 30% faster (more like 15-20%), and isn't needed for your resolution anyway.

 

[mfenn]

You're thinking someone will grab it from under your nose if you link it? Is it a definitely a new card and not a used one?

Yeah, that seems super fishy.

 

[Bman123]

That deal is gone now anyways

 

[crazymonkeyzero]

Since you have a Microcenter near you I'd look at getting either a i3 3220 for $99 (http://microcenter.com/product/398007/Core_i3_3220_330GHz_LGA_1155_Boxed_Processor)

and pair it with this Radeon 7770 for $95 after rebate (http://microcenter.com/product/3969...z_Edition_1024MB_GDDR5_PCIe_30_x16_Video_Card)

At your resolution, most games will equally stress the CPU and GPU. The i3's strong core performance + hyper threading should pair up nicely with that graphics card. And your power supply will run both without a hitch!

This is a good suggesstion. Despite all the love for the i5 here, the dual core i3 is quiete capable of handling games at medium settings and low/moderate resolutions like OP mentioned if paired with a sufficient gpu such as the 7770. Also Microcenter price makes it a good choice. But if your budget permits, i5 will obviously be better and much more future proof interns of newer games.

 

[Bman123]

So I didn't open the I3, I just had a funny feeling something was going to go on sale and sure enough it did. I returned the I3 3220 today and ended up getting a I5 3570k with a asrock Z77 extreme 4 mobo, ended up going over my budget but oh well I have a better cpu and can overclock it some if I want to later on.

 

[lehtv]

Wow, alright. How much did you pay for the 3570K + Extreme4, compared to what they would've cost before the sale? How much have you got left for the GPU now?

 

[Bman123]

It was right around $250 I believe for both parts out the door with tax
I saved around $80. The cpu was $20 cheaper, there was a $40 off with the mobo deal, and I saved $20 buying a open box mobo compared to buying it new. I don't think I did too bad on the parts that I got.

I have around $100 right now for a video card. I need to sell this G530 and H61 board still too

 

[RaistlinZ]

6850 would seem to be the choice then. Or maybe a used 460 1GB.

 

[lehtv]

In the used market, a 6850 is your best bet.

If buying new, you may be able to find a 7770 at $100 or less after rebate if you wait a good sale. Right the best deals I can find, prices incl. shipping

GTX 650 1GB for $105
Sapphire 7770 1GB $127, $112 after rebate
HIS 7750 2GB $105, $85 after rebate
Powercolor 7750 1GB $92

6850 is equal with 7770 and faster than 650 which is equal to 7750.

 

[Bman123]

Just paid for a used HD6850 1gb card $70 with shipping, looks like I ended up $30 below my original budget. Not bad at all, thanks for all the advice everyone I appreciate it alot