Vid card upgrade recommendation please

[perdomot]

Got an old and noisy HD3870 vid card and was thinking of getting something from the 5xxx line to replace it but am not sure which to choose. I'm not a gamer, but I do have my current vid card hooked up to my 32" LCD TV and I play HD content on it. Got my 22" PC monitor on the other connection and I'm interested in something that will give me a nice bump in performance and also hopefully something quieter. Any ideas what I should be looking for? Thanks.

 

[Jd007]

If you don't game at all, just get a 5750. But if you don't game, what performance bump are you looking for?

 

[happy medium]

If you don't game at all, just get a 5750. But if you don't game, what performance bump are you looking for?

+1

 

[Sylvanas]

+2. If you don't game then theres no 'performance' to be had. If it's HD content just get a fanless 5450.

 

[SunnyD]

If you don't game, than even a 5750 is overkill. Get a 5450 and call it a day.

 

[Skurge]

He probably means not a serious gamer. Like he only plays for a few hours a week.

 

[EnzoLT]

even the 56xx 55xx 54xx series will be fine. they all have video acceleration and since he doesnt game at all anyways, will save him some money

 

[happy medium]

He probably means not a serious gamer. Like he only plays for a few hours a week.

In that case I would suggest something faster then his 3870.
hd5670 or hd5750

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3720&p=6

 

[TemjinGold]

If you don't game PERIOD, you're wasting your money on anything higher than a 5450.

 

[perdomot]

Thanks for the advice and let me give some more info on my needs. I rarely game on a 22" 1680 x 1050 LCD but what interests me about the 5xxx line is the DirectX 11 and Eyefinity. The 5450 cards look nice and correct me if I'm wrong but it looks like you can use all 3 connections simultaneously to set up 3 monitors on one card. The 5670 gives better performance than my 3870 but is twice the price of the 5450. If I eliminate gaming from the discussion, would the 5450 provide equal if not better performance for someone playing back HD content and general PC usage such as web surfing and file management? Thanks again for the advice.

 

[TemjinGold]

Yes, if you eliminate gaming, the 5450 gives you more than you need. If you want to set up 3 monitors, one of them needs to be Displayport though (unless you want to shell out a crapload for an adaptor.)