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what is best graphics card I can use

frozentundra123456

frozentundra123456

Lifer
Hi, just a brief question.

I have an acer off the shelf system with an E4500 processor not overclocked, Vista 32 bit and 3gb of ram. Could someone suggest the best graphics card I could use without being processor limited??
I know it will vary from game to game, but just a general estimate.
I game at 1440x900, mostly strategy games and Modern Warfare series. I was thinking somewhere in the range of a HD4850 or HD4870. Would these be overkill in a system with such a weak processer??
Thanks for any suggestions.
 
Originally posted by: frozentundra123456
Hi, just a brief question.

I have an acer off the shelf system with an E4500 processor not overclocked, Vista 32 bit and 3gb of ram. Could someone suggest the best graphics card I could use without being processor limited??
I know it will vary from game to game, but just a general estimate.
I game at 1440x900, mostly strategy games and Modern Warfare series. I was thinking somewhere in the range of a HD4850 or HD4870. Would these be overkill in a system with such a weak processer??
Thanks for any suggestions.
Click to expand...

Your CPU is fine; either of those would be great GPUs and are both available for cheap ($120 and less) nowadays.
 
I'd say a 4850 would probably give you the best balance of CPU and GPU power, as well as a great price/performance ratio. You'll probably be CPU limited at that res in a decent number of games (I feel my CPU holds back my 4850 at times at 1680x1050) but prices are so low that you might as well go for it. I usually just turn up AA in more CPU hungry games. Just make sure your PSU's up to snuff. Check its label to see what the 12V rails are rated for, or better yet see if you can find out what make/model it is.
 
You're biggest impediment to upgrading is the (most likely) 250W PS that Acer puts in many of its desktops.
 
Originally posted by: Leyawiin
You're biggest impediment to upgrading is the (most likely) 250W PS that Acer puts in many of its desktops.
Click to expand...

Yeah I would suggest getting a GTS250 which uses the least amount of power in its class.
 
Originally posted by: Wreckage
Originally posted by: Leyawiin
You're biggest impediment to upgrading is the (most likely) 250W PS that Acer puts in many of its desktops.
Click to expand...

Yeah I would suggest getting a GTS250 which uses the least amount of power in its class.
Click to expand...

There's a good chance that'd be too much as well (the difference between the load power usage of the GTS250 and the 4850 isn't that great). A 4670 would be a safer bet, considering it doesn't need an extra power connection.
 
Thanks for the posts. I forgot to mention that the PSU is 300 watts (I dont know what the amps on the 12v rails are).
I am now using an HD4650 which unfortunately I bought instead of a HD4670. I am somewhat disappointed in the 4650. It does not overclock well and is only slightly better than the 2600 pro I replaced. It must be limited quite a bit by the DDR2 memory. The card seems especially limited in World in Conflict. Would it be worth it to upgrade to the HD4670??

The reason I am asking about the CPU is that I figure in order to upgrade again I will need to replace the PSU as well as get a mid level graphics card. I am just trying to decide if the CPU will be so limiting in 6 month to a year that I would be better off to replace the entire system. I would not hesitate to spend the money for a 4850, but am somewhat reluctant to replace the PSU as well, both from a cost and complexity standpoint.
 
You're probably just CPU limited in WIC. Try cranking up settings/AA, and you should see a difference from the 2600.
 
Originally posted by: dclive
The E4500 isn't that bad. Here's a good comparison, with all CPUs using the nVidia 280GTX:

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuch...owdoc.aspx?i=3559&p=10
Click to expand...

FC2 is averaging only 28 FPS with an E4500 in that benchmark. WiC, the specific game the OP mentioned, is similarly CPU hungry: http://www.gamespot.com/features/6179006/p-7.html
It'd be great if the OP could OC that E4500 - quite a few have enough headroom to easily break 3GHz. Maybe a BSEL/pencil mod would be possible? I don't have much experience with prebuilt systems.


Originally posted by: dclive
Also, based on the power consumption page, (http://www.anandtech.com/cpuch...wdoc.aspx?i=3559&p=11), 300W PSU is enough, even with an nVidia 280GTX in there.
Click to expand...

You have to look at more than just total wattage when gauging what a PSU is capable of. Factors such as build quality, efficiency, and especially 12V rail ratings are very important.
 
Originally posted by: vj8usa

As for power consumption, you can't just look at total wattage. Factors such as build quality, efficiency, and especially 12V rail ratings are very important.
Click to expand...

How will the build quality influence the power supply requirements?

How will efficiency influence the power supply requirements?

I don't see the relationship there. If you want a high build quality, sure, use nice parts, but that doesn't inherently mean the PSU needs to be changed.

If you want higher efficiency, that's great, but that's a function of many other things (the lower-spec the PSU is, the more efficient it's likely to be - a 1000W behemoth will be VERY inefficient at running a system that needs only 200W or so day-to-day (like most systems in existence) but a basic 400W PSU will be far, far more efficient at doing exactly that).


 
Originally posted by: dclive
Originally posted by: vj8usa

As for power consumption, you can't just look at total wattage. Factors such as build quality, efficiency, and especially 12V rail ratings are very important.
Click to expand...

How will the build quality influence the power supply requirements?

How will efficiency influence the power supply requirements?

I don't see the relationship there. If you want a high build quality, sure, use nice parts, but that doesn't inherently mean the PSU needs to be changed.

If you want higher efficiency, that's great, but that's a function of many other things (the lower-spec the PSU is, the more efficient it's likely to be - a 1000W behemoth will be VERY inefficient at running a system that needs only 200W or so day-to-day (like most systems in existence) but a basic 400W PSU will be far, far more efficient at doing exactly that).
Click to expand...

I meant that efficiency is worth considering when looking at how much power is drawn from the wall. The amount of power from the wall is only the same as the amount of power the components are drawing from the PSU if it's 100% efficient, which isn't possible.
Build quality is important because lower quality PSUs won't necessarily provide the same amount of power after a few years that they did when they were new. For instance, my old Antec SmartPower 2.0 450W was rated for a combined 12V amperage of 32A, but couldn't even properly power my E2160+4850.

Anyways, your earlier post implied that you thought a 300W PSU could power a system with a GTX280. That's what I really wanted to address, as that's almost certainly wrong. I'm not aware of any 300W PSU that could reliably power a full system with a GTX280 in it (and there's a good chance you'd be pushing your luck even with a 4850/GTS250).
 
Originally posted by: Wreckage
Originally posted by: Leyawiin
You're biggest impediment to upgrading is the (most likely) 250W PS that Acer puts in many of its desktops.
Click to expand...

Yeah I would suggest getting a GTS250 which uses the least amount of power in its class.
Click to expand...

Sure, if the HD4770 didn't exist.
 
Originally posted by: vj8usa
Anyways, your earlier post implied that you thought a 300W PSU could power a system with a GTX280. That's what I really wanted to address, as that's almost certainly wrong. I'm not aware of any 300W PSU that could reliably power a full system with a GTX280 in it (and there's a good chance you'd be pushing your luck even with a 4850/GTS250).
Click to expand...

Definitely. I don't see how people think they can run a GPU rated to 236watts on a 300 watt power supply when they aren't experts and just looking at consumption wattage. They don't factor in things like 12v wattage, aging capacitors, and the PS ability to run it in operating temperatures.

I have a hard time running a GTX 260 with a 450watt power supply with 2 12v rails.
 
Originally posted by: Wreckage
Originally posted by: Leyawiin
You're biggest impediment to upgrading is the (most likely) 250W PS that Acer puts in many of its desktops.
Click to expand...

Yeah I would suggest getting a GTS250 which uses the least amount of power in its class.
Click to expand...

4770 is lower.
And only the GTS250 1GB is lower power.
And some brands make their cards more power efficient. I just picked up Gigabyte's 1GB GTS250 because it's a bit shorter (8.25", remember length can be a problem in small cases) and has lower power consumption.

I think Sapphire does a similar thing for the 4850 (shorter and lower power consumption), and possibly Asus as well.

Or just get a 4770.
And find out how much clearance you have for the size of the video card. Normal 4850s and 4870s can be up to 10". GTS 250 can be longer.
Oh, and consider upgrading the power supply.
 
Originally posted by: Azn
Originally posted by: vj8usa
Anyways, your earlier post implied that you thought a 300W PSU could power a system with a GTX280. That's what I really wanted to address, as that's almost certainly wrong. I'm not aware of any 300W PSU that could reliably power a full system with a GTX280 in it (and there's a good chance you'd be pushing your luck even with a 4850/GTS250).
Click to expand...

Definitely. I don't see how people think they can run a GPU rated to 236watts on a 300 watt power supply when they aren't experts and just looking at consumption wattage. They don't factor in things like 12v wattage, aging capacitors, and the PS ability to run it in operating temperatures.

I have a hard time running a GTX 260 with a 450watt power supply with 2 12v rails.
Click to expand...

Which GPU is rated to 236 watts?

How do you have a hard time? Does it sometimes not start, or ?
 
http://www.tomshardware.com/re...e-gtx-275,2266-14.html is another interesting post from Tom's Hardware. Basically it shows those (fully modern) GPUs all would be fine in a system with a PSU of 300W or so, call it 350W for lots of excess capacity. The 4870x2 would need about 500W.

That's it. And that's for an i7/965 setup with all power saving disabled. That's a fully modern, fully current system.
 
Originally posted by: dclive
Originally posted by: Azn
Originally posted by: vj8usa
Anyways, your earlier post implied that you thought a 300W PSU could power a system with a GTX280. That's what I really wanted to address, as that's almost certainly wrong. I'm not aware of any 300W PSU that could reliably power a full system with a GTX280 in it (and there's a good chance you'd be pushing your luck even with a 4850/GTS250).
Click to expand...

Definitely. I don't see how people think they can run a GPU rated to 236watts on a 300 watt power supply when they aren't experts and just looking at consumption wattage. They don't factor in things like 12v wattage, aging capacitors, and the PS ability to run it in operating temperatures.

I have a hard time running a GTX 260 with a 450watt power supply with 2 12v rails.
Click to expand...

Which GPU is rated to 236 watts?

How do you have a hard time? Does it sometimes not start, or ?
Click to expand...

GTX 280 is rated at 236watts.

If I raise voltage on my CPU I get constant restarts when I'm playing a game.
 
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