Selecting a Graphics Card

nilesh.shinde

Junior Member
Apr 14, 2011
6
0
0
Hi,

I wish to select the best graphic card for my system and what could be the various thing that i need to know before selecting one.

I am using an Intel DG31PR M/b with Intel Core 2 Duo Processor @2.1 Ghz.

Thank you in advance.
 

toyota

Lifer
Apr 15, 2001
12,957
1
0
please list ALL of your current specs including resolution that you want to play at so you can get the best advice. and is that an E6400 2.13 core 2 duo?
 
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cusideabelincoln

Diamond Member
Aug 3, 2008
3,268
11
81
Resolution doesn't matter. He shouldn't be going any higher than a 5770 with his processor. Consideration a 5770 isn't very expensive, he's not wasting much by not going with a cheaper card.

We need to know what kind of power supply he's running. Most likely it can handle a card of the 5770's caliber, but there's a small chance it won't.

Budget is also important. If your budget is high enough, you might be able to upgrade both the processor and video card. You would definitely benefit from getting any Core 2 Quad along with any video card upgrade. So do some research to see how much Core 2 Quads cost in your area.
 

toyota

Lifer
Apr 15, 2001
12,957
1
0
resolution DOES matter because if he is at something really low like 1024x768 then even a 5770 would be a waste. plus whatever gpu he has now may be sufficient enough with his cpu at whatever resolution he is currently using.
 
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cusideabelincoln

Diamond Member
Aug 3, 2008
3,268
11
81
No, it doesn't matter THAT much. It's pretty safe to throw out the extremes - the low end and the high end. He isn't higher than 1080p and he's not below 720p. Even at a lower resolution, the 5770 doesn't particularly cost very much so the "waste" factor doesn't mean much.

Current GPU could be relevant to see if it's not meeting his needs. Judging from the age of his system, at the very most he could have an 8800GT. He's probably running integrated, though. But resolution is the least important detail such that it doesn't matter a whole lot. The reason: His processor is going to create a bottleneck at all common resolutions. So it's not going to hurt a thing if he has a bit more GPU power at a lower resolution relative to a higher one. I mean really, IT ISN'T THE END OF THE WORLD! Resolution becomes a bigger factor if the OP concedes to also upgrade the processor.
 
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toyota

Lifer
Apr 15, 2001
12,957
1
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I know you like to argue even if its no more than semantics. regardless of what ever your reasoning is, the resolution is still part of the equation and its helpful to know it along with all his other specs. and its funny how you try to poke at me in other threads for presuming things yet you seem to do it when its advantageous to you.

but yeah I agree with you that his cpu is going to be a large limitation with any decent card.
 

happy medium

Lifer
Jun 8, 2003
14,387
480
126
please list ALL of your current specs including resolution that you want to play at so you can get the best advice. and is that an E6400 2.13 core 2 duo?

YOU ARE RIGHT ON THE MONEY AS ALLWAYS.
tOYOTA, you know better than ANYONE on theses forums, what gpu this guy needs to coinside with his cpu.
The buck stops here.:thumbsup: .
 
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Madcatatlas

Golden Member
Feb 22, 2010
1,155
0
0
Your forgetting one important bit though, he could buy a card now that he can keep once he upgrades to a better system overall, theres no negative in having more power available even though it doesnt get utilized.

How much are you willing to spend on a graphics card nilesh? And any plans on upgrading the rest of your system in the near future?
 

toyota

Lifer
Apr 15, 2001
12,957
1
0
Your forgetting one important bit though, he could buy a card now that he can keep once he upgrades to a better system overall, theres no negative in having more power available even though it doesnt get utilized.

How much are you willing to spend on a graphics card nilesh? And any plans on upgrading the rest of your system in the near future?
well yeah IF he plans on upgrading the rest of the pc very soon then of course an overkill gpu is fine. since he made no mention of that though it might not even be something he is considering. really until he replies back with all his specs and budget, we can only guess at whats best for him.
 

Zanovar

Diamond Member
Jan 21, 2011
3,446
232
106
nileshshy toinde, Toyota is the #1 guy to listen to in this department, he know more than ANYONE ON THIS FORUM about cpu/gpu bottlenecks.


Welcome to our forums. :)
other opinons and thoughts no?
hes usually right though^^
 
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betasub

Platinum Member
Mar 22, 2006
2,677
0
0
he could buy a card now that he can keep once he upgrades to a better system overall, theres no negative in having more power available even though it doesnt get utilized.

That's assuming he has a power supply capable of running an overkill graphics card, and is going to upgrade the rest of system soon enough that the new card is still a good choice. The graphics market moves quick enough for a better choice (to go in a new system) to be available in just a few months time. :)
 

Madcatatlas

Golden Member
Feb 22, 2010
1,155
0
0
That's assuming he has a power supply capable of running an overkill graphics card, and is going to upgrade the rest of system soon enough that the new card is still a good choice. The graphics market moves quick enough for a better choice (to go in a new system) to be available in just a few months time. :)

Well it doesnt have to be overkill as you put it :), it could be just above average or just average even. Im not going to sell him a card so ill not bother checking relative performance, but id guess something like a
460 1gb or a 6850 would be a better choice than a 5770.
 

cusideabelincoln

Diamond Member
Aug 3, 2008
3,268
11
81
I know you like to argue even if its no more than semantics. regardless of what ever your reasoning is, the resolution is still part of the equation and its helpful to know it along with all his other specs. and its funny how you try to poke at me in other threads for presuming things yet you seem to do it when its advantageous to you.

but yeah I agree with you that his cpu is going to be a large limitation with any decent card.

Does every single caveat need to be spelled out every single time anyone makes a post? You can throw out the things on the very extreme ends of the spectrum; those are safe presumptions. Even then, in this case the extreme low end res isn't a big deal either. I said it was the least important variable. Whatever I said you were doing in another thread was a completely different context. So it's funny how you try to compare things under different circumstances.

Of the current video cards which will assuredly be available, right now he OP shouldn't be considering anything higher than a 5750, GTS 450, or 5770 - whichever he can find for less. But the next drop off from these cards are the HD 5670, GT 240, and GTS 430. And that's a pretty big drop off in performance because these cards can struggle in quite a few games even at low res, and it's not a huge drop in price. It won't hurt for him to be slightly overmatched. Unless of course he can't afford it, which is another scenario where resolution doesn't really matter.

-Budget and current video card are the most important variables
-Willingness to upgrade his processor is the next important variable.
-Power supply is the next.
-Oddities: Low profile case?

Resolution won't matter when
1) He's running a res on low end of spectrum, budget doesn't allow CPU ugprade, very slow current GPU, adequate power supply - I still recommend going with an HD 5750 over a 5670/GT240 if it's safely within his budget. If he has to stretch his budget, then it's not worth it, and this scenario would again not be determined by resolution.

2) He's running any res, budget allows CPU upgrade, adequate power supply - By the time he spends his budget on the CPU he'll poor the rest of it into the video card, at which case the new card will have enough CPU power to run fine at any resolution.

Now aside from resolution, we're on a similar page. It would be nice to have more information, and we should have been explicit about the detailed information we want. Several times someone will say "list all your specs" and then some detail is left out. But hey, at least you got what resolution he's running - the least important one.

This is the most ridiculous statement I ever heard.
WHen it come to cpu /gpu bottlenecks, toyota is the #1 authority on our forums in this matter.

Taking statements out of context is the most ridiculous thing in the world. You quote mine way too often. It makes you look like you have agenda, and it's plain as day. Stop it. And stop hiding behind your passive aggressiveness. You're not fooling anyone, and definitely not me.

toyota is a user here just like everyone else. There is no #1 authority on the matter; besides which we both agree the OP is going to be bottlenecked. So stop parading that statement as fact.
 
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bryanW1995

Lifer
May 22, 2007
11,144
32
91
No, it doesn't matter THAT much. It's pretty safe to throw out the extremes - the low end and the high end. He isn't higher than 1080p and he's not below 720p. Even at a lower resolution, the 5770 doesn't particularly cost very much so the "waste" factor doesn't mean much.

Current GPU could be relevant to see if it's not meeting his needs. Judging from the age of his system, at the very most he could have an 8800GT. He's probably running integrated, though. But resolution is the least important detail such that it doesn't matter a whole lot. The reason: His processor is going to create a bottleneck at all common resolutions. So it's not going to hurt a thing if he has a bit more GPU power at a lower resolution relative to a higher one. I mean really, IT ISN'T THE END OF THE WORLD! Resolution becomes a bigger factor if the OP concedes to also upgrade the processor.

I think that the resolution is the most important part of the equation. If the OP really wants help he should give us the rest of his system specs, until then any advice is just a shot in the dark.
 

Madcatatlas

Golden Member
Feb 22, 2010
1,155
0
0
Does every single caveat need to be spelled out every single time anyone makes a post? You can throw out the things on the very extreme ends of the spectrum; those are safe presumptions. Even then, in this case the extreme low end res isn't a big deal either. I said it was the least important variable. Whatever I said you were doing in another thread was a completely different context. So it's funny how you try to compare things under different circumstances.

Of the current video cards which will assuredly be available, right now he OP shouldn't be considering anything higher than a 5750, GTS 450, or 5770 - whichever he can find for less. But the next drop off from these cards are the HD 5670, GT 240, and GTS 430. And that's a pretty big drop off in performance because these cards can struggle in quite a few games even at low res, and it's not a huge drop in price. It won't hurt for him to be slightly overmatched. Unless of course he can't afford it, which is another scenario where resolution doesn't really matter.

-Budget and current video card are the most important variables
-Willingness to upgrade his processor is the next important variable.
-Power supply is the next.
-Oddities: Low profile case?

Resolution won't matter when
1) He's running a res on low end of spectrum, budget doesn't allow CPU ugprade, very slow current GPU, adequate power supply - I still recommend going with an HD 5750 over a 5670/GT240 if it's safely within his budget. If he has to stretch his budget, then it's not worth it, and this scenario would again not be determined by resolution.

2) He's running any res, budget allows CPU upgrade, adequate power supply - By the time he spends his budget on the CPU he'll poor the rest of it into the video card, at which case the new card will have enough CPU power to run fine at any resolution.

Now aside from resolution, we're on a similar page. It would be nice to have more information, and we should have been explicit about the detailed information we want. Several times someone will say "list all your specs" and then some detail is left out. But hey, at least you got what resolution he's running - the least important one.



Taking statements out of context is the most ridiculous thing in the world. You quote mine way too often. It makes you look like you have agenda, and it's plain as day. Stop it. And stop hiding behind your passive aggressiveness. You're not fooling anyone, and definitely not me.

toyota is a user here just like everyone else. There is no #1 authority on the matter; besides which we both agree the OP is going to be bottlenecked. So stop parading that statement as fact.


+ 1
 

Idontcare

Elite Member
Oct 10, 1999
21,118
58
91
Yeesh...at this point how about we just cool it a bit before we scare off the thread's OP? Poor guy isn't going to know what hit him when he comes back and reads through his thread...

Welcome to the forums nilesh.shinde! :thumbsup:
 

Idontcare

Elite Member
Oct 10, 1999
21,118
58
91
Happy Birthday happy medium! :thumbsup:

(plz keep the drunk posting to a minimum and I'll promise to keep the drunk moderating to a minimum :D)