upgrading from 7300GT........

[gdextreme]

Hello people. I just passed out of school and finished all my entrance exams so I'm free for 2-3 months. As you see in my sig I have a shitty graphics card so I would like to upgrade it. The problem is that I don't know which graphics card should I choose. I have a 300 watt power supply which I might upgrade if needed. Currently I'm on a 17 inch LCD which I'm planning to upgrade to a 22 inch one soon. I will be playing Crysis, COD4 etc. I would like to keep the price down to $130. Please can you guide me?

 

[Denithor]

Radeon 4770 hands down. Around $100 if you can find one in stock anywhere.

 

[gdextreme]

Thanks for your reply!

I was wondering how 4770 compares to a 4670. Also if I can run a 4770 on my 300 watt powersupply.

 

[brblx]

doubtful. contrary to popular belief, the 4770 was not crafted by magical gnomes and will not run on pixie dust. you still need a healthy 12v rail, and if this is an OEM PSU it probably only does 10-15a on the 12v rail. you can look at the side of the unit to see its 12v output. if it's anything under 20a, i would say you definitely need to upgrade it. above that, it's questionable but still recommended.

 

[CrimsonWolf]

4770 :thumbsup:

What's your power supply right now? You should upgrade the power supply if it is older/generic. ATI calls for a 450+ watt power supply, but that's a pretty aggressive number to account for the plethora of lower-quality power supplies. A lower-watt unit from a solid manufacturer is a safe and inexpensive option.

E.g., look at either the Antec EA380 or Corsair 400CX. I think they're around $50 or under on Newegg. (Assuming you're buying in the US, I have no idea for India.)

 

[TemjinGold]

If your budget allows rebates, this can be had for $130.

 

[WaitingForNehalem]

gtx 260,4870>4850,gts 250,9800gtx+>4770

 

[FalseChristian]

I'd go for a 9800 GT,8800GT/GTS 512. These can be had for under 100 bucks.

 

[cusideabelincoln]

Need to post the exact model of your power supply.

If it's something like an 80 Plus Cert Seasonic 300W PSU, then the HD4770 should work perfectly fine in your system.

 

[gdextreme]

I went to my local shop and the 8800 and 9800 Gt's are way out of my budget (they still cost $270 here in India!)

My PSU says 12V1 14A (16Amax) and 12V 8A. I'm assuming its not good enough for 4770. So I'll upgrade my PSU too. How much faster is the 4770 compared to 4670 compared to 9600GT. I'm thinking about these three as of now because these are the only ones in my budget. Iknow 4770 will be faster but by what margin? I'll try finding some reviews comparing thei performance.

 

[happy medium]

4770 is nearly 2x as fast then the 4670.

 

[cusideabelincoln]

4670 -> 9600 GT ---> HD4770

But yeh, I'd advise a new PSU for a new card, although the HD4770 really doesn't use much more power than the HD4670. I think you might be fine using that power supply, but I wouldn't trust it if it's low quality. And I'm really only saying this since you have a 45nm E5200. If you had something like the Q6600 then definitely get a new power supply.

 

[gdextreme]

In my area HD4770 is not available anywhere (I must of searched for it in atleast a dozen shops!). Somebody told me to buy Nvidia 9800GT instead. How would that compare with HD4770? I've also heard they run really hot so that might be a problem cause here temperatures can go upto 40degree celsius and also people say 9800Gt is power guzzler. Is that true?

 

[cusideabelincoln]

Overall 9800GT is slower (although in a few games it might be faster) and it does use more power, but it's not really a "power hog". I'd definitely advise getting a new PSU if you get the 9800GT.

 

[gdextreme]

I've changed my mind. I'm going for ATI 4850 finally considering that 9800GT is priced equal to 4850. Also I will be buying a new PSU. My friend has a cooler master PSU which has 18A and 16 A on the 12V lines. Will it be enough for 4850?

Edit: The PSU my friend has is rated at 390 watts.

 

[BlueAcolyte]

That's enough for a HD 4850. Good choice!