Please suggest a good video card around $325

bahwz

Junior Member
Nov 19, 2015
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I have a dell optiplex 990dt with a 3.4ghz intel i7 processor and 16gb of ram. Right now my power supply is only 240w but I also plan to replace it with maybe a 500w psu. My current video card is sapphire radeon hd6450 1gb and im looking for something around $300-$350 preferably nvidia.

My monitor is 24 inch and runs in 1920x1080, but when I play games I have to set the resolution way lower. The games I play are dota 2 and world of warcraft mainly. I can play them with my computer as it is now but I have to turn the settings down real low and its still a little laggy. So far im thinking maybe evga geforce gtx970 4gb for $325, but that card has the power connectors on it. I guess the power connectors wouldnt really be a big deal if I got a new 500w psu.

Thanks
 
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crisium

Platinum Member
Aug 19, 2001
2,643
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If you must have Nvidia then the GTX 970 is the card to get at that price point, so your choice is good.

Keep in mind that you will absolutely not be able to run it on a 240w power supply, so that 500w PSU upgrade is not a "maybe" but is a necessity.
 

RussianSensation

Elite Member
Sep 5, 2003
19,458
765
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I'd go with the MSI Gaming 970 as it's quieter than the EVGA card.

For EVGA, maybe go for this one and overclock it yourself. Saves you $15.

For the PSU, I wouldn't go 500W. I'd spend a little more for a high quality unit with more wattage so that you are ready to go for any CPU/GPU upgrade in 5-10 years from now.

EVGA 220-G2-0650-Y1 80 PLUS GOLD 650W ECO Mode Fully Modular NVIDIA SLI Ready and Crossfire Support Continuous Power Supply
= $79.99 - USD $20 off w/ promo code NAFEVGA20PSU, ends 12/16
= $59.99

You get a Gold efficiency rated modular PSU with a 7-year-warranty (within registration of 30 days) and Ultra Quiet Fan with ECO Intelligent Thermal Control Fan system (Zero Fan Noise < 45°C) .

*** If you mainly play WOW and DOTA 2 @ 1080p, you could probably go all the way down to a $140 GTX950 2GB. Then when you need more graphics horsepower, just get a newer card in 2-3 years.

CS: GO, Dota 2, LoL, WoT and WoW in Ultra HD (4K) in comparison
http://www.computerbase.de/2015-07/grafikkarten-benchmarks-cs-go-dota-2-lol-wot-wow-ultra-hd/
 
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RussianSensation

Elite Member
Sep 5, 2003
19,458
765
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After measuring my case, I realize I overestimated how much space I have. I need something that is less than 8 inches in length. This is the card im looking at. Im still planning on getting a new more powerful power supply. What do you guys think?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...&cm_re=geforce_gtx_970-_-14-121-912-_-Product

If the maximum length is really less than 8", then that card you showed is your best bet I think among the 970 products.

If you can fit a card that's around 8" (20.32 cm), then maybe this Zotac one might fit.

Are you sure that case only fits an 8" GPU? It's hard to tell by these pics:
5562d644ef72964d10000099-2-20150525145901-29851f8648bc6623077622c86d84b5d5.jpg

990dt%20in-500x500.jpg


If you measured the GPU distance exactly and it's less than 8" for sure, then the Asus small factor is the way to go.

For the PSU, I am sticking with my original recommendation or at least something similar to that unless you can find a solid 500W unit for a lot less. Just to be on the safe side, measure the width and height of the unit to make sure the standard ATX PSU actually fits. It's hard to tell from the pictures if the distance between the bottom of the case and the bottom of the motherboard is enough for a standard ATX PSU.
 
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bahwz

Junior Member
Nov 19, 2015
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Thank you for the help. This is what my case looks like. The specs on the vid card (blue card in the pictures) is L x H 5.75" x 3.7." However I think ive run into another problem. I measured the back of my case and it looks like I only have about 4.5 inches of the width dimension (the horizontal slots on the back of my comp). As you can see in the picture below, about 2 inches of the slot space (far right of the pic) is occupied by some sort of black plastic piece on some kind of hinge. Here is a close up pic of it, with the black hinge on the right.
nbq1it.jpg


Here are 2 more pics of the insides of my comp. I went and measured again and the maximum length does appear to be less than 8" because of these 4 ports on my motherboard 3 of which are occupied. The 3 ports with cords sticking out of them will block the vid card. Here are some pics.
bf4d5h.jpg


2dsjuoj.jpg


So its looking like even that asus card is out of the picture because my case only allows 4.5" in the width dimension. I might have to settle for something not as expensive/good because im not seeing any that are less than 8 inches length and 4.5 inches width
 
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AtenRa

Lifer
Feb 2, 2009
14,003
3,362
136
I have a dell optiplex 990dt with a 3.4ghz intel i7 processor and 16gb of ram. Right now my power supply is only 240w but I also plan to replace it with maybe a 500w psu. My current video card is sapphire radeon hd6450 1gb and im looking for something around $300-$350 preferably nvidia.

My monitor is 24 inch and runs in 1920x1080, but when I play games I have to set the resolution way lower. The games I play are dota 2 and world of warcraft mainly. I can play them with my computer as it is now but I have to turn the settings down real low and its still a little laggy. So far im thinking maybe evga geforce gtx970 4gb for $325, but that card has the power connectors on it. I guess the power connectors wouldnt really be a big deal if I got a new 500w psu.

Thanks

If you are not going to play any other more demanding games than DOTA 2 and WoW, why get a $325 GPU when a sub $150 will do the same ??

I would go for the R7 360 or GTX950 and a 350-400W Gold PSU.
 

Seba

Golden Member
Sep 17, 2000
1,596
257
126
If you are not going to play any other more demanding games than DOTA 2 and WoW, why get a $325 GPU when a sub $150 will do the same ??

I would go for the R7 360 or GTX950 and a 350-400W Gold PSU
Or maybe he could just buy a GTX 750/GTX 750 Ti 2GB and possibly use it with the current power supply (there is a small chance that it may work).
 

AtenRa

Lifer
Feb 2, 2009
14,003
3,362
136
Or maybe he could just buy a GTX 750/GTX 750 Ti 2GB and possibly use it with the current power supply (there is a small chance that it may work).

Since he can spend $300+ better get a good PSU now.

I would just upgrade to a 400W Gold PSU and next year I could just upgrade the GPU to a new high-end 150W TDP 16nm GPU.
 

Seba

Golden Member
Sep 17, 2000
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257
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I do not see the point in spending money just because you have it.

If he buys a new power supply, I'll recommend against a 400W one (more so if it is an expensive 80+ Gold rated one). That seriously would limit any future upgrades. At minimum a 550W and preferable 80+ Gold rated would be my choice (or at least 80+ Bronze, so that the PSU is not garbage). Something like Seasonic S12G-550.
 

AtenRa

Lifer
Feb 2, 2009
14,003
3,362
136
I do not see the point in spending money just because you have it.

If he buys a new power supply, I'll recommend against a 400W one (more so if it is an expensive 80+ Gold rated one). That seriously would limit any future upgrades. At minimum a 550W and preferable 80+ Gold rated would be my choice (or at least 80+ Bronze, so that the PSU is not garbage). Something like Seasonic S12G-550.

Well, you are forgetting that next year you could have a GTX980Ti performance GPU at ONLY 175W TDP. So a 400W Gold rating PSU will be more than enough for future upgrades.
 

bahwz

Junior Member
Nov 19, 2015
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I do not see the point in spending money just because you have it.

If he buys a new power supply, I'll recommend against a 400W one (more so if it is an expensive 80+ Gold rated one). That seriously would limit any future upgrades. At minimum a 550W and preferable 80+ Gold rated would be my choice (or at least 80+ Bronze, so that the PSU is not garbage). Something like Seasonic S12G-550.

Why do you recommend against 400+w? I was under the impression that if I can find a psu that fits in my case, it will work, even though im basically doubling the power supply. I was looking at spending about 70$ (or less if possible) on a new psu that will be minimum 400w, and that 70$ is not included in the ~$350 that I have for the vid card, but it looks like most of the high wattage psu's are 70+.

That was another thing on my mind, that maybe I dont need a $300+ vid card if im just playing dota 2 and wow. Originally I was planning on spending about 150 and getting a gtx 750ti and trying to use it with my 250w psu. I might still do that, but I need to make sure I can find a card that is less than 4.5" horizontal across the back of my comp. I might end up having to go this route because it looks like all the cards that are 300+ are over 4.5 inches in the horizontal dimension in the slot across the back of my comp. This is the particular card im looking at, I know it will fit for a fact because the dimensions are smaller than the current vid card I have in my comp right now. MSI low profile gtx750ti http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127836

Also, if I do end up going with a $150 vid card then that will leave me with another $150ish to spend. Does anyone have any recommendations for a good gaming headset from 150-200? Right now I have a razer megalodon 7.1 but its several years old, maybe theres something better out by now.
 
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Seba

Golden Member
Sep 17, 2000
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Why do you recommend against 400+w?
I said why in the post that you qouted.

With a 400W power supply you will not be able to use certain graphics cards, with higher power requirements.

And you can buy good 550-650W PSUs at reasonable prices on various sales so why limit yourself if you have to buy a new power supply anyway?

Before buying any power supply, check that your Dell uses a standard ATX PSU. A new one may not fit in your case (this can be solved by also replacing the case). Or the current PSU may use non-standard connectors for the motherboard (unlikely in more recent branded PCs, but it was a problem in the past).
 
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bahwz

Junior Member
Nov 19, 2015
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I said why in the post that you qouted.

With a 400W power supply you will not be able to use certain graphics cards, with higher power requirements.

And you can buy good 550-650W PSUs at reasonable prices on various sales so why limit yourself if you have to buy a new power supply anyway?

Before buying any power supply, check that your Dell uses a standard ATX PSU. A new one may not fit in your case (this can be solved by also replacing the case). Or the current PSU may use non-standard connectors for the motherboard (unlikely in more recent branded PCs, but it was a problem in the past).

Well I do have another case on hand, and its a good bit bigger than the case im using now with my dell optiplex 990dt. However, I was under the impression that my pc wouldnt work if I tried to put all the parts in my old (bigger) case. I could be wrong about that though, I am fairly green as far as computer tech goes and its possible I got bad advice. But the person who gave me this optiplex 990dt got it from their work (it is a business/office pc not a gaming pc thats why the case is small) said it would not work if I took the motherboard and everything else out and put it in my old pc case which is about 1.5x as big.

And im pretty sure the 240w psu I have now is ATX. I took a look inside and it looks like I have the 24 pin connector going from my psu to my motherboard, which to my knowledge means the psu is ATX. Here is a pic and ive highlighted the 24pin connector in the motherboard in green at the top right corner of the pic.
169m2qg.jpg


So as long as I can find a psu that is ATX and that fits the dimensions of my case I should be fine? I have about 70$ to spend on the psu, which should be enough to get atleast 400 or 500w.
 
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Seba

Golden Member
Sep 17, 2000
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A long time ago, Dell used to switch the pins in the motherboard connector just for fun.

I hope that they are no longer doing something like that, but I can not say for sure. Maybe someone else knows.

I have about 70$ to spend on the psu
Then get the PSU that RussianSensation suggested.
 

bahwz

Junior Member
Nov 19, 2015
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0
6
A long time ago, Dell used to switch the pins in the motherboard connector just for fun.

I hope that they are no longer doing something like that, but I can not say for sure. Maybe someone else knows.


Then get the PSU that RussianSensation suggested.

So basically I just need to make sure the psu I get fits in my case and has the 24 pin connector? Thanks for your time by the way, you have been a huge help.
 

TemjinGold

Diamond Member
Dec 16, 2006
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Is that Optiplex worth much (as in, could you sell it)? You have $420 so if you could get something for that Optiplex, you might be way better off just building a new budget rig. That would eliminate the space issues and whatnot.
 

Flapdrol1337

Golden Member
May 21, 2014
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It will. Ive only got about 7.5 inches before the card reaches the sata ports, thats why im stuck relegated to a low profile card.
You don't need low profile by the looks of it, just a short card.

There are a few small gtx950's.
http://www.msi.com/product/graphics-card/GTX-950-2GD5-OC.html#hero-overview

http://www.gigabyte.us/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5550#kf

https://www.asus.com/us/Graphics-Cards/GTX950-M-2GD5/

there's 960 and even gtx 970 versions that have a similar size, but you said you don't play demanding games, but with $325 you could get those 970's.

Is the case wide enough for those? the board and coolers stick out slightly above the bracket, but that's rarely an issue.
 
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bahwz

Junior Member
Nov 19, 2015
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It looks like the gigabyte one (out of those 3 you linked) is too big, but the other 2 will fit. Thank you for those suggestions, I didnt see those cards previously.

Im still stuck trying to decide whether I should go all out and spend the $350 on a card that has more power than I need, or go with the $150 option that would be more in line with my gaming needs.

One thing to note, its not actually cash per se. Its a christmas gift. So I can either go all out and spend it all on the vid card for $350, or I can get a $150 card and then spend the rest on something else, maybe a new headset. I also got about $70 to get a new power supply in addition to the $350 in the video card fund. So its kind of a "use it or lose it" situation. I can choose either the $350 vid card or a $150 vid card and headset (or something else around $150).
 

TemjinGold

Diamond Member
Dec 16, 2006
3,050
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Even more reason to see if you can sell the Optiplex for something and just put the $350, $70, and the Optiplex cash into a brand new budget build. If you prefer not to, you might be better served with the $150 card and an SSD since you have a pretty nice headset already.
 

bahwz

Junior Member
Nov 19, 2015
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Even more reason to see if you can sell the Optiplex for something and just put the $350, $70, and the Optiplex cash into a brand new budget build. If you prefer not to, you might be better served with the $150 card and an SSD since you have a pretty nice headset already.

Thats a good idea, never thought about an SSD. Im thinking I may go that route, the $150 card and an SSD.
 

bahwz

Junior Member
Nov 19, 2015
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Considering the only games I play are dota 2 and wow and sometimes starcraft 2, do you think I would get better performance off a $300 vid card (with my 16gb ram, 1tb sata 7200rpm harddrive, 3.4ghz i7) or would I get better performance with a $150 vid card combined with a solid state hard drive and the rest of the above components?

If I do get the SSD im looking at the 256gb samsung evo sata3 for 80$. It does seem alot more expensive than the other SSD's particulary the seagate brand hybrid ones though.
 

Techhog

Platinum Member
Sep 11, 2013
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Considering the only games I play are dota 2 and wow and sometimes starcraft 2, do you think I would get better performance off a $300 vid card (with my 16gb ram, 1tb sata 7200rpm harddrive, 3.4ghz i7) or would I get better performance with a $150 vid card combined with a solid state hard drive and the rest of the above components?

If I do get the SSD im looking at the 256gb samsung evo sata3 for 80$. It does seem alot more expensive than the other SSD's particulary the seagate brand hybrid ones though.

You'll appreciate the SSD more for normal computer use.