New system, vid card recommendation please

[Ms. DICKINSON]

Hi,
I'm in the process of building a system and now down to choosing a video card. I don't need anything expensive as I am not a hardcore gamer but I do play occasionally. I want something under 100USD, preferably better than last generation nVidia 6600 (don't laugh, in my current P4 system . I was looking for low end model of ATI HD, GTS and GTX but don't know what series to look for. I missed the rebate sales of GTS440 for $60. Thanks.

Collected so far:
Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD3 [crossfire only]
Core i7-780 Quad/HT
4GB ram
Cool Master Hyper 212+

 

[RavenSEAL]

GTS450 $99 after MIR, it's inbetween the HD5750 and the HD5770 for performance comparison.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-342-_-Product

 

[Arkadrel]

100$ limit means 2 options:

1) Nvidia's GTS450
2) Amd's 5750


The stock 5750 is a faster card than the stock 450, and has better gains from oc'ing. That said, both options in performance are pretty close.

GTS450 $99 after MIR, it's inbetween the HD5750 and the HD5770 for performance comparison.

Only the OC versions of the 450 are faster in general than the 5750's, from what I gather looking at the techpowerup review.

 

[ZimZum]

5770 $104 AR http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-330-_-Product

 

[Ms. DICKINSON]

100$ limit means 2 options:

1) Nvidia's GTS450
2) Amd's 5750


The stock 5750 is a faster card than the stock 450, and has better gains from oc'ing. That said, both options in performance are pretty close.

Yea, since my mobo only supports Crossfire, I might just stick with AMD/ATI. I was thinking down the road I may get another card to run Xfire. But running Xfire on low end cards doesn't sound right, haha.

 

[Arkadrel]

5770 $104 AR http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-330-_-Product

Awesum!

99$ USD for both the 450 and the 5750, where the 5750 is slightly faster.

the 5770 is solidly faster than the 450 though (even OCed versions), so if it costs 5$ extra it would be well worth the 5 usd.

 

[RavenSEAL]

Yea, since my mobo only supports Crossfire, I might just stick with AMD/ATI. I was thinking down the road I may get another card to run Xfire. But running Xfire on low end cards doesn't sound right, haha.

Then your best option is an HD5770 if you want to Crossfire.

 

[Arkadrel]

Yea, since my mobo only supports Crossfire, I might just stick with AMD/ATI. I was thinking down the road I may get another card to run Xfire. But running Xfire on low end cards doesn't sound right, haha.

That makes going the amd route the better option, 5770 in crossfire works pretty well.

5770 xfire in crysis is slightly faster than the 5850 alone, overclocked Id think they could match a 5870 (in crysis).
5770 xfire in fallout 3 is ALOT faster than a single 5870.
5770 xfire in call of duty world at war is ALOT faster than a single 5870.

going by www.guru3d.com review, it seems like more often than not 5770 crossfire beat the 5870's.

 

[iLoveNvidia]

No only use nvidia, g210 > 5970 cf!!!!!!!!!!

Thread-crapping is not acceptable.

Moderator Idontcare

 

[RavenSEAL]

No only use nvidia, g210 > 5970 cf!!!!!!!!!!

Fail troll

 

[Ms. DICKINSON]

Does it matter if a card is DDR3 or DDR5? I will be working a lot with After Effect CS5 and other multimedia apps. Thanks.

 

[RavenSEAL]

DDR5 is the only way to go, DDR3 is ancient history.

 

[Termie]

Does it matter if a card is DDR3 or DDR5? I will be working a lot with After Effect CS5 and other multimedia apps. Thanks.

Well, if CS5 is what you use the computer for, you really should read this article: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/adobe-cs5-cuda-64-bit,2770.html

Nvidia has advantages in this area. And the GTS450 is probably your best bet. It's actually faster than the 5750 according to many reviewers. Here's the best value at Newegg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130572

Unfortunately, it's way over $100 before rebate. If you have a strict budget, consider getting the GT240 instead ($75, or $35 after rebate): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130533

In this case, DDR3 vs. DDR5 is a relevant question, and yes, DDR5 is the only way to go with this card.

 

[-Slacker-]

If you really want to stay withing your budget, then maybe you should wait a week or so; The 6900's are probably hitting the market in 1-2 days, and after that we're going to see some serious price reductions - maybe for the low end/mid range cards as well.

If that happens, then the 5770 will definitely be a more convenient buy, right?

 

[Ms. DICKINSON]

Well, if CS5 is what you use the computer for, you really should read this article: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/adobe-cs5-cuda-64-bit,2770.html

Yeah, I dug that up earlier. After considering CS5 Mercury Playback Engine's (real time rendering) support for CUDA, here's what I have on the list: GTS450 and GTX460. I can't find any good info on CS5 and GTS450, but for sure GTX460 with hack will work well with CS5 (as GTX470 is certified by Adobe).

edit: OK GTS450 will work too. "Based on our tests, right now you won't really see much speed difference between the GT240 and the GTS 450 and higher video cards."

If you really want to stay withing your budget, then maybe you should wait a week or so; The 6900's are probably hitting the market in 1-2 days, and after that we're going to see some serious price reductions - maybe for the low end/mid range cards as well.

If that happens, then the 5770 will definitely be a more convenient buy, right?

I'll wait a few weeks for some price drop, end of year/new year deals.

 

[bryanW1995]

if gt240 is same as gts 450 "and higher" cards then just get the gt 240. sounds like you have a flexible time frame, just keep your eyes on the hot deals section and jump on 240 when it's cheap again.

 

[Ms. DICKINSON]

if gt240 is same as gts 450 "and higher" cards then just get the gt 240. sounds like you have a flexible time frame, just keep your eyes on the hot deals section and jump on 240 when it's cheap again.

So GTS450 has +~25 fps advantage over GT240. Do you think it's worth spending extra $35 for the difference or am I missing something here?

 

[Termie]

So GTS450 has +~25 fps advantage over GT240. Do you think it's worth spending extra $35 for the difference or am I missing something here?

A few observations: (1) those charts aren't comparable because the higher-end cards are tested at ultra high settings. So the 450 would be even faster if tested at the same settings as the GT240. (2) Far Cry is known to be memory-limited, so that's not the fairest test for the GT240. Most games won't be that memory-limited. Generally, the GTS250 will be 50%-100% faster (which is a better way to compare than by the delta in FPS, which depends on the game). (3) You said you aren't a big gamer, so only you can decide whether spending more on a card for gaming is worth it. (4) The price difference is not $35, it's $60 after rebate, or put another way the GTS450 is 271% more expensive.

 

[Ms. DICKINSON]

A few observations: (1) those charts aren't comparable because the higher-end cards are tested at ultra high settings. So the 450 would be even faster if tested at the same settings as the GT240. (2) Far Cry is known to be memory-limited, so that's not the fairest test for the GT240. Most games won't be that memory-limited. Generally, the GTS250 will be 50%-100% faster (which is a better way to compare than by the delta in FPS, which depends on the game). (3) You said you aren't a big gamer, so only can decide whether spending more on a card for gaming is worth it. (4) The price difference is not $35, it's $60 after rebate, or put another way the GTS450 is 368% more expensive.

Oh, I would think GTS450 is a entry gaming card. I thought gamers go for something like $400-$1000 with insane FPS. LOL. Thanks, that clears up a lot of things. I'm gonna settle with a GTS450, something that suits CS5 and a bit of gaming.

 

[bubapapua]

In my opinion, you can also consider the GeForce 9800 GT. Although based GeForce 8800 GT, this VGA is still very strong to run the latest games (at a price around $100). This video card is much better than the GeForce 6600. Although old enough, I think this is the best choice if you are looking for under $100.

 

[Arkaign]

In my opinion, you can also consider the GeForce 9800 GT. Although based GeForce 8800 GT, this VGA is still very strong to run the latest games (at a price around $100). This video card is much better than the GeForce 6600. Although old enough, I think this is the best choice if you are looking for under $100.

This topic is months old, I'm sure dude has found a video card by now.

Welcome to AT, but if possible, please check dates before replying. Sometimes there is a legit reason to bring an old thread up, but this isn't one of those times.