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Upgrade from integrated to a card <$100

X

xchecker

Junior Member
As a gift I'd like to help my 12-yr-old son upgrade the computer he built last year so that it can run Realflight G4.5 (a flight simulator) which requires a GPU with at least 512MB, Pixel Shader 3.0 and DirectX9.0 or better. The OS is WinXP with 3GB RAM and a 19&quot; LCD monitor running at 1440x900. The motherboard is Gigabyte's G31M-ES2L and I'm not sure about the power supply, probably about 350W, so power may be an issue. What cards do folks suggest for under $100?
 
What CPU does that computer have? Although the 4670 is no slouch, you could get away with slightly better card. (power wise)
 
For graphics cards under $100 dollars. You could get a HD4670 512MB for around $60 dollars. There is a HD4670 1GB available for around $75. Both cards supports Shader Model 4.1 and DX10 as well.
 
tcsenter said:
Well, especially since 1GB does nothing for 9500GT over the 512MB board, which can be had for much less:

Galaxy GeForce 9500 GT 512MB 128-bit GDDR2

Or this for the same price as the XFX 9500GT:

GIGABYTE GeForce GT 220 1GB 128-bit DDR3 (free shipping)

Avoid the GDDR2 versions of the HD 4670, unless its priced the same as HD 4650.
Click to expand...

Are you seriously recommending a GT 220 for $60?

http://www.legionhardware.com/document.php?id=870&p=3

Maybe if it was $30 or a gt 240 was $60 but I'm sorry that's bad advice.
 
tcsenter said:
Over the XFX 9500GT that is also $60 (which I clearly was comparing it to)? You bet, every day of the week.
Click to expand...

Why? Any day of the week? Weak. The card loses to everything except a 9500gt, ties a 4650. A $60 card that's worth $30-40?
 
toyota's right, I shouldn't assume about the power. I checked and it's actually only 300W. Does that limit the choices further? Sorry I wasn't clearer at first.
 
xchecker said:
toyota's right, I shouldn't assume about the power. I checked and it's actually only 300W. Does that limit the choices further? Sorry I wasn't clearer at first.
Click to expand...
whats the brand name, how old is it, and how many 12v amps does it have? a 4670 should probably be fine unless the power supply is junk. unfortunately most 300 watt units are made with bottom of the barrel components and usually dont make any where near their rated wattage in real world conditions.
 
You can still get the 4670 no problem. Your 5200 doesn't use that much juice 25-30w. It probably cuts out the gts 250 though.
 
FWIW, I have been running an MSI 4670 512mb card on a Dell Vostro 300W PSU for almost a year now with no issues. For a $45 to $70 video card that can run on a 300W PSU, it is tough to beat the 4670. I picked up one of the Asus rebate cards from Newegg as a gift for some nephews PC, and I also picked up a pair of the Asus 9600 GSO 384 mb cards for $40 AR a few months ago. The 9600 GSO is a nice card, but I think the 4670 is a little better, and unlike the 9600 GSO, does not require the 6 pin PCI-E power connector.
 
Another good point, Newegg has the Corsair 400W PSU for just $35 after rebate right now, plus shipping. You could almost squeeze a 4670 and the Corsair PSU for right around $100 after rebate. I just ordered one of the Corsair PSU for the same nephews, just in case their HP 300W PSU isn't up to the task of handling the 4670, the Q6600 cpu and 8 gb of ram. They will be so excited when they see the gaming difference between the HP stock Geforce 9300GE card the system came with, and the 4670!
 
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