Need Video Card Recommendation - Older System for BF3

[bob4432]

i have a qx6700 on the way and will need a new gpu too - don't want to spend a lot on old stuff, so say a price point of used $75-100 used (or new for just a bit more if possible) for gaming bf3 at well, whatever i can resolution wise @ 60fps max to keep a 30fps low during intense online play w/ at least medium+ settings. currently running a 4850 512MB w/ a e2160@3GHz and i am 100% cpu utilized but just ~50% gpu utilized.

now when i get the qx6700 intalled i will o/c it to whatever i can w/ a zalman CNPS7000C-Cu. no H2O and no desire to go there. thinking 3GHz at least but every cpu is different, maybe more, maybe less, not exactly sure.

4GB ddr2800 ram along w/ a antec earthwatts 650W psu.

2/15Mb/s wan connection

nvidia or ati = don't care - whatever will get me the most fps/quality for the buck.

appreciation in advance,
bob

 

[RussianSensation]

HD7770 is about the only new card that fits your budget.

Sapphire HD7770 with Far Cry 3 = $120.39 + $5.99 shipping - $15 MIR - $10 off with coupon code CHERY2210 = $101.39

Your other bet is to try to find a used HD7850 for around $120 or something.

 

[bob4432]

thanks

is there a list of the nvidia cards somewhere in terms of power? their numbering scheme is fubar'd - why does the gtx 480 give a higher fps than say a gtx 560ti in the above list? is it all the memory bus (128/192/256/320) or should i not be concerned about that as i assume the cpu will then become the bottleneck again?

 

[aaksheytalwar]

You need a CPU before Gpu if gpu usage is 50%

 

[bob4432]

You need a CPU before Gpu if gpu usage is 50%

understood - cpu is inbound and will be here the 2nd, but i am pretty sure then i will be gpu bound. just looking for a ballpark to what gpu to look for to possibly find a deal on like i got on the cpu.

 

[Red Hawk]

thanks

is there a list of the nvidia cards somewhere in terms of power? their numbering scheme is fubar'd - why does the gtx 480 give a higher fps than say a gtx 560ti in the above list? is it all the memory bus (128/192/256/320) or should i not be concerned about that as i assume the cpu will then become the bottleneck again?

That list does seem rather FUBAR'd, as there's no way a 7770 should be pulling ahead of a 560 Ti or a 6950 when most reviews peg it as lesser than or equal to a 6850. But Russian is right, the 7770 is the best deal right now at $100, especially after the performance improvements from the recent 12.11 beta driver release.

aaksheytalwar is also right though; you seriously need a CPU upgrade first before you will see any improvements by upgrading the graphics card.

 

[bob4432]

sorry about the confusion - i do have qx6700 on the way and will be here the 2nd. i must have edited my original post that had that at the beginning, so i just put it back in there, so assume machine =:

QX6700 @ 3GHz
4GB DDR2 800
ATI 4850 512MB

also, is 4GB going to be enough?

 

[p_monks33]

I would wait until the CPU gets there, and try it out with your 4850. The 4850 would be equal to a GTS 450 on those graphs as long as you aren't getting choke from Vram limitation, which you will at anything over 720p in BF3. I would think that a GTX 460 1GB would be a good card to look for used in the 70 dollar range as well. Maybe even a GTX 480 if you could find one for around <130 dollars, would be a beast card for you. I really have a hard time recommending a card for less than a hundred bucks that really isn't going to be a vast improvement over a 4850.

 

[Leyawiin]

http://www.frys.com/product/6341881?...H:MAIN_RSLT_PG

$69 Palit GTX 460 2GB at Fry's.

If you're sure you only need 1GB VRAM they have that for $59.

http://www.frys.com/product/6340791?...H:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Edit: These are 256 Bit cards. Damn good deal.

 

[Hitman928]

Good used cards to look for that might fall in your range are Nv 560Ti, AMD 5870, or AMD 6870. Anything above that and you'll probably break your price point, even used, though if you can find like a 78xx used, that'd be good.

 

[SPBHM]

4850 should be able to handle the game in "low" at your desired framerate (with a good CPU)?

the GTX 460 looks like a good deal for $59-69,
if you overclock (and if it's the 336sp/256bit version) I'm pretty sure it can't be beaten by an overclocked 7770 or even 650 TI in this game

 

[skipsneeky2]

Hell,a 9800gtx which i did have and test out with this game did handle 1440x900 low no aa no problem,i bet with the oc it could have handled medium if it had the extra vram,considering this particular 9800gtx was a 512mb model.

The suggestions about the gtx460 are golden for your budget and won't honestly get better i think unless you score on a 6870.

 

[s44]

http://www.frys.com/product/6341881?...H:MAIN_RSLT_PG

$69 Palit GTX 460 2GB at Fry's.

If you're sure you only need 1GB VRAM they have that for $59.

http://www.frys.com/product/6340791?...H:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Edit: These are 256 Bit cards. Damn good deal.

^^^^^^^^!

 

[Hitman928]

4850 should be able to handle the game in "low" at your desired framerate (with a good CPU)?

the GTX 460 looks like a good deal for $59-69,
if you overclock (and if it's the 336sp/256bit version) I'm pretty sure it can't be beaten by an overclocked 7770 or even 650 TI in this game

The 460 oc'd matches a 6870. A good oc will just pass a 6870 but at a much higher power usage. I would still say to try and pick up one of the cards I mentioned above. I've seen several 6870's being sold for 100-120 lately.

 

[Leyawiin]

The 460 oc'd matches a 6870. A good oc will just pass a 6870 but at a much higher power usage. I would still say to try and pick up one of the cards I mentioned above. I've seen several 6870's being sold for 100-120 lately.

lol - sorry bud, you can't beat a $69 GTX 460 2GB 256 bit. That's ridiculous for a new card from a reputable dealer. Just hope they last until the OP can see it.

 

[Hitman928]

lol - sorry bud, you can't beat a $69 GTX 460 2GB 256 bit. That's ridiculous for a new card from a reputable dealer. Just hope they last until the OP can see it.

I agree for the price, but if you have more room in your budget, why not get a better card? Unless he can use the extra money for something else.

 

[bob4432]

thanks for the links, but all gone from the stores that are in my state . i will just keep an eye on different forums for what you guys have suggested - many thanks for the suggestions. i know i need to do a whole system rebuild but figure for the prices, i will give the skt775 one last upgrade for the cheap.

am i ok w/ the 4GB of system ram? atm i am not eclipsing 1.8GB total but figure w/ more cpu and gpu that will probably go up, just not sure how much...

thanks again,
bob

 

[Termie]

thanks for the links, but all gone from the stores that are in my state . i will just keep an eye on different forums for what you guys have suggested - many thanks for the suggestions. i know i need to do a whole system rebuild but figure for the prices, i will give the skt775 one last upgrade for the cheap.

am i ok w/ the 4GB of system ram? atm i am not eclipsing 1.8GB total but figure w/ more cpu and gpu that will probably go up, just not sure how much...

thanks again,
bob

4GB isn't ideal, but don't invest more money in that system, especially not on DDR2.

 

[bob4432]

4GB isn't ideal, but don't invest more money in that system, especially not on DDR2.

if you guys are eclipsing 4GB, what resolution are you running? i do have a 2x1GB 1066 corsair kit that is still nib that i could break open if it mattered...

 

[Termie]

if you guys are eclipsing 4GB, what resolution are you running? i do have a 2x1GB 1066 corsair kit that is still nib that i could break open if it mattered...

I use 6GB. Definitely break out that unused RAM. That was at 1920x1200, butI don't think that matters much.

 

[RussianSensation]

thanks

is there a list of the nvidia cards somewhere in terms of power? their numbering scheme is fubar'd - why does the gtx 480 give a higher fps than say a gtx 560ti in the above list?

The first number "4" means a generation, but the # number means where it stacks in that generation. 80 is much higher than 60. GeForce 500 was a refresh of GTX400 series. That's why it's not as simple as thinking that 560 must be faster than 480 since 560 > 480 mathematically.

Anyway, here is a list of the power consumption of a ton of cards in 2D/3D modes.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/HD_7970_Matrix/24.html

BF3 is both CPU and GPU limited, which is why it's one of the most punishing games for older rigs. Still though, based on multiplayer benchmarks with a GTX690, even an Athlon II X4 620 can deliver higher frame rates in BF3 than HD7770 can. If all you can afford is a $100 GPU, most likely you'll be more GPU limited with something like a 3.0-3.2ghz QX6700. Also, your cooler is not going to cope well with that CPU @ 3.2ghz or above. I remember using a Tuniq 120 to keep things reasonable at 3.4ghz on a Q6600 G0.

thanks for the links, but all gone from the stores that are in my state .

Personally I would sell your components while they still have value. DDR2 ram is very expensive and LGA775 Quads can still fetch a nice resale value on eBay. Dump those parts and move on to Core i5. Sell everything you have, the mobo, DDR2, the dual core and the QX6700 and start over. Honestly it actually might be worth the effort to try to sell these old parts and you might be able to upgrade without much cash outlay to a low-end i5/mobo combo. If you have a Fry's or MicroCenter around you, even better!

 

[Leyawiin]

thanks for the links, but all gone from the stores that are in my state .

Yeah, they went very fast this morning (both were available online for a short time).

 

[Termie]

Russian, he just bought the q6700, so selling it and his whole system may not make sense.

By the way, those aftermath gpu performance numbers are whack.

7700 matching a 5870? 650ti matching a 6970? 7850 destroying a 580?

All patently impossible.

 

[bob4432]

for some reason i didn't get notification of the last few posts - thanks for the info. received the qx6700 but haven't had time to put it in yet, probably this weekend. will be running a ZALMAN CNPS9500A for the hsf w/ the fan connected directly to the mb so it will be turning @ ~2500rpm so hoping a 3-3.2GHz o/c will not be a problem.

 

[bob4432]

ended up finding a deal on a gtx560 ti top that works very well w/ the qx6700 @ 3GHz . amazing difference when running @ 1920x1200 (still messing w/ details) vs the old setup.