Want to upgrade 8600gt

LegioXIX

Member
Feb 8, 2008
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Thinking about getting either an ati 4670 or a geforce gt 240. Any thoughts on which would be better? Would it even be a decent upgrade? I mainly play games at 1680x1050.
 

Maximilian

Lifer
Feb 8, 2004
12,604
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If you only want mid range i would gun for a cheap ati 4870, theyve come down in price a lot since the 5xxx series came out, 4870 is equivilent of a GTX 260 more or less but less expensive, at least where i am it is.
 

v8envy

Platinum Member
Sep 7, 2002
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The $45 4670 is nearly double the oomph of your 8600gt -- problem is, that's not saying much. Games you can play now at 1024x768 will be playable with the same settings (or slightly better) at 1680x1050. The DDR3 version of the 240 will be a very close match for the 4670, while the DDR5 version will be faster.

Realize that both of those cards are slower than an 8800GT -- a card which has recently celebrated its second birthday. Slower than a 2 year old upper midrange card does not bode well for current or future gaming.

If you've limped along this long you can make it till next year. Hopefully the new low end models from ATI will be what you're looking for in the $25-$60 range.
 

LegioXIX

Member
Feb 8, 2008
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If you only want mid range i would gun for a cheap ati 4870, theyve come down in price a lot since the 5xxx series came out, 4870 is equivilent of a GTX 260 more or less but less expensive, at least where i am it is.

I need something low power. The computer I use is a Dell with a 300w PSU.

The $45 4670 is nearly double the oomph of your 8600gt -- problem is, that's not saying much. Games you can play now at 1024x768 will be playable with the same settings (or slightly better) at 1680x1050. The DDR3 version of the 240 will be a very close match for the 4670, while the DDR5 version will be faster.

Realize that both of those cards are slower than an 8800GT -- a card which has recently celebrated its second birthday. Slower than a 2 year old upper midrange card does not bode well for current or future gaming.

If you've limped along this long you can make it till next year. Hopefully the new low end models from ATI will be what you're looking for in the $25-$60 range.
So it would be better to wait for something like the 5670 then?
 

toyota

Lifer
Apr 15, 2001
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I need something low power. The computer I use is a Dell with a 300w PSU.


So it would be better to wait for something like the 5670 then?
well nobody ever seems to ask basic questions before suggesting a card but at least you did say what res and now what power supply you have. so what does the rest of your system look like because you may can get away with a 4670 or 5670?
 
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Nebor

Lifer
Jun 24, 2003
29,582
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I've also got an 8600GT in my desktop (2.4ghz C2D, 4gb memory, nvidia 680i mobo) and I've been looking for a video card with a bit more oomph ever since upgrading to a 28" 1920x1200 monitor. Sadly I've watched the prices of old video cards go up in the last few months. I'm wanting a GTX 280 or better (GTX 285 or 295.) But that's still $300+ right now, for a card that's more than a year old. Seems like the best deal is to get a used one from someone upgrading to a 5870...
 

toyota

Lifer
Apr 15, 2001
12,957
1
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AMD 4000+ (plan on upgrading to 5600+), 3GB ram.
see that would have help to know that from the very beginning. there is no way I would put any decent card with an old single core cpu. really for the price of upgrading that cpu you could almost buy a modern AM3 setup. unless you are getting that cpu for next to nothing then dont waste your money.
 

EnzoLT

Golden Member
Jul 18, 2005
1,843
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see that would have help to know that from the very beginning. there is no way I would put any decent card with an old single core cpu. really for the price of upgrading that cpu you could almost buy a modern AM3 setup. unless you are getting that cpu for next to nothing then dont waste your money.

maybe he meant x2 4000+. surely theres no single core 5600+
 

toyota

Lifer
Apr 15, 2001
12,957
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maybe he meant x2 4000+. surely theres no single core 5600+
yeah there isnt a 5600 single core so the way he worded it he might very well have 4000 X2. if he has a single core 4000 then I would not even bother with a fast card until getting a better cpu. if its a 4000 X2 then he could at least get something out of a decent card while in the process of upgrading to a better cpu.
 
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EnzoLT

Golden Member
Jul 18, 2005
1,843
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who said anything about the 5600 being a single core? if he has a single core 4000 then I would nt even bother with a fast card until getting a better cpu. if its a 4000 X2 then he could at least get something out of a decent card while in the process of upgrading to a better cpu.

im just saying. im pretty sure he meant x2, in which he could get a decent card without having to dish out cash for an entirely new system. sorry if i wasnt clear :whiste:
 

toyota

Lifer
Apr 15, 2001
12,957
1
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im just saying. im pretty sure he meant x2, in which he could get a decent card without having to dish out cash for an entirely new system. sorry if i wasnt clear :whiste:
sorry I didnt realize what you were saying until I re read it. I already edited my post but I wasnt fast enough. :D