upgrade from GeForce 9600 GT 512MB to what?

[zxchris8931]

Been out of the video card loop for awhile... so what is a suitable card for an upgrade from

GeForce 9600 GT 512MB

Also running:

Core2Duo E8400 @ 3.00GHz
4GB RAM

Windows 7



I do play games on my PC but not too often as of late. Looking for something no more than $300.

Thanks for your suggestions!

edit: does not have to be nvidia, just best bang for buck

 

[cusideabelincoln]

GTX 560 and Radeon 6990 are the fastest cards under $300. They would substantial upgrades over your 9600GT. Your dual core processor would be an issue for games utilizing quad cores.

Good values are the GTX 460 1GB, HD 6850. Over twice as fast as the 9600GT and under $200.

 

[-Slacker-]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161361

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814162074

Of the two, I recommend the hd 6950, since it's $10 cheaper (until the end of the month) and a bit faster. It's not a reference model, so you can't unlock it into a hd 6970, but it's still a great buy at $200.

 

[Zanovar]

aye,agree with above cant go wrong with a gtx 460 1 gig/6850.both would be noticeable upgrades:thumbsup:

 

[nwo]

My vote goes for a 6950. Either a $200 1GB version or the ~$250 2GB version if you want to unlock it to a 6970 which goes for ~$300+.

 

[Vicaar]

I just went from a 9600GT to a 6850. The difference is almost embarassing! However, my budget was much more restricted. Obviously, something a tad pricier might last you a bit longer since you might be on one of those overly long upgrade cycles like I am

Adjusting to AMD's control panel after using nVidia's though can take some getting used to. Not end of the world, just... different.

 

[mnewsham]

GTX 460 or HD 6950 1GB. If you arent doing much gaming then maybe a GTX 460 768mb even.

 

[toyota]

has the res even been mentioned??? some of you are quick to recommend a 6950 which would really be held back by his cpu especially below 1920x1080/1200. a gtx460 1gb or 6850 for 1920x1080/1200 or a gtx460 768mb for 1680x1050 makes much more sense for his cpu.

 

[insurgent]

Yeah 460 or 68xx, maybe even a 69501gb. Or 560 so you can use physx

 

[Termie]

has the res even been mentioned??? some of you are quick to recommend a 6950 which would really be held back by his cpu especially below 1920x1080/1200. a gtx460 1gb or 6850 for 1920x1080/1200 or a gtx460 768mb for 1680x1050 makes much more sense for his cpu.

Toyota's right. While the OP may be willing to spend $300 on his system, that doesn't mean he should. I'd say that for the OP's system, an HD6850/GTX460 would be a great, balanced upgrade.

 

[dac7nco]

GTX 560 and Radeon 6990 are the fastest cards under $300.

Best... sale... EVER.

Daimon

 

[cusideabelincoln]

Toyota's right. While the OP may be willing to spend $300 on his system, that doesn't mean he should. I'd say that for the OP's system, an HD6850/GTX460 would be a great, balanced upgrade.

Nah it really doesn't matter that much, IMO. 6950s (see below) and 560s are as low as $200. The 2GB version is getting under $250. He won't be spending $300. The best values are the 6850 and 460 1GB, but the 6950 and 560 are worthy considerations if he wants to maximize performance under his budget. And it seems he likes to keeps his video cards for a while, considering he's still using the 9600GT, so I do not consider the 768MB version a good option regardless of resolution. If he was on a much stricter budget, then yes, but he's not, so he may as well get at least 1GB.

Best... sale... EVER.

Daimon

6950.

 

[RussianSensation]

HD6850 or GTX460 1GB or an HD5850. If you are not going to be overclocking, there is a Sapphire HD6870 on Newegg for $170 which is faster than either of the 3 cards I mentioned.

 

[toyota]

HD6850 or GTX460 1GB or an HD5850. If you are not going to be overclocking, there is a Sapphire HD6870 on Newegg for $170 which is faster than either of the 3 cards I mentioned.

hopefully the op will list the res soon.

 

[Dadofamunky]

Geez, just about anything.

What I'd do? Update to the latest drivers and pop a GTX 570 in there. You might be CPU limited then, though. Tough to say since we don't know your display.

 

[timma]

gigabyte 6950 1GB OC edition~or GTX 560 Ti SOC

 

[RussianSensation]

Newegg has a new deal on the XFX HD5870 for $170. That's pretty much unbeatable for price.

 

[zxchris8931]

running an Dell S2409W monitor... sometimes extend it to an Sharp Aquos 46 inch via VGA... dont have an HDMI-out on 9600 GT obviously..

 

[toyota]

go with a gtx460 1gb, 6850 or the 5870 that RussianSensation linked to. the 5870 would be the fastest but the 6850 and especially gtx460 both have a lot more overclocking headroom. really any of those three cards would be a massive increase over 9600gt. anything faster would provide little benefit and in cpu intensive games no benefit at all.

 

[cusideabelincoln]

go with a gtx460 1gb, 6850 or the 5870 that RussianSensation linked to. the 5870 would be the fastest but the 6850 and especially gtx460 both have a lot more overclocking headroom. really any of those three cards would be a massive increase over 9600gt. anything faster would provide little benefit and in cpu intensive games no benefit at all.

Better phrased: Anything under $300 is not much faster than a 5870. The 560 and 6950 are within 10%.

 

[Burticus]

GTX 460 768mb are $100-130ish with rebates. Anything faster is wasted on your cpu.

 

[tijag]

GTX 460 768mb are $100-130ish with rebates. Anything faster is wasted on your cpu.

Assuming the resolution is 16x10 or lower, and that a monitor upgrade isn't in the cards, then I'd get this, or the a cheap 5770 [isn't the 5770 faster than a 768MB 460?]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-309-_-Product

$110 after MIR, should perform on very high settings at resolutions up to 16x10. Will crush and put an end to the memory of your 9600 512mb.

 

[Termie]

Assuming the resolution is 16x10 or lower, and that a monitor upgrade isn't in the cards, then I'd get this, or the a cheap 5770 [isn't the 5770 faster than a 768MB 460?]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-309-_-Product

$110 after MIR, should perform on very high settings at resolutions up to 16x10. Will crush and put an end to the memory of your 9600 512mb.

5770 is much slower than gtx460.

 

[toyota]

GTX 460 768mb are $100-130ish with rebates. Anything faster is wasted on your cpu.

Assuming the resolution is 16x10 or lower, and that a monitor upgrade isn't in the cards, then I'd get this, or the a cheap 5770 [isn't the 5770 faster than a 768MB 460?]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-309-_-Product

$110 after MIR, should perform on very high settings at resolutions up to 16x10. Will crush and put an end to the memory of your 9600 512mb.

there is nothing to assume because he listed his monitor and its 1920x1080. the gtx460 1gb is the better choice to play ALL games now and for next couple years at that res more so than the 768mb.

 

[Burticus]

GTX 460 768mb vs 1gb is like 5% lower in performance and much cheaper in price. Would only matter much if using heavy AA which isn't likely in that rig.