Graphics upgrade?

[Timotheus 416]

I'm looking to upgrade my 7300GS somewhere this summer, probably. At the moment I'm too busy to really get some games going so it will suffice for now.

My problem is this: I have a budget of about 70 euro's in mind (which translates to hardware roughly up to 70 dollars US due to taxes here), and I'm looking to replace it with about the power of a 7900GS or more. Preferably without a PSU connector, and preferably ATi.

 

I don't know how many of you are keeping an eye out for stuff like this, but any comment would be really helpful because I'm short on time right now, and kind of left the hardware stuff the last few months.

 

Thanks.

[Dragon Brother 619]

Well...It probably depends whether or not you want a 5000 series ATI card or not. You get the benefits of DX11 and eyefinity, but you could get an older gen card that is a little better for pretty much the same price. Something like the Ati 5670 512MB came up for 65-80 euro (I google uk prices...couldne really find anything netherland specific) and it doesnt need a connection to your PSU. In the few reviews I read for the 512MB version it seems to get compared to the 4770 and usually gets beaten by by about 10% and a bit more. However the 4770 does need a PSU connector, and it only is a little better, both would be faster than what youve mentioned as your minimum. But the 5670 is possibly the best you can get without a PSU cable requirement and it sits on your budget (if the uk prices are comparable to the netherlands).

 

Hope that helps.

 

PS. Here is a ranking chart of GPU's

and here is a review of the 5670 512MB version. There is a 1GB version also mentioned in the review too, however it costs more.

 

PPS.

To even think about using this card for gaming at reasonable detail levels at increasingly popular HD resolutions like 1,920x1,080, let alone the ultra-resolutions possible with Eyefinity is ridiculous. There'll be added disappointment when you realise that your shiny brand new graphics card can't even handle last year’s games at high detail levels without chugging like a Barney Gumble locked in the beer cellar, let alone the latest and greatest DX11 titles that the card boasts support for.

 

To its credit though the HD 5670 does at least resoundingly outperform it's GeForce counterpart - the GT 240 - across the board, making it the strongest choice for those looking for an upgrade without the need for a PCI-Express power connector. PSU upgrades can be difficult for some PCs with unique chassis design, or even scary for inexperienced PC users, so we respect that a graphics card without a connector certainly has its appeal.

Another review site (here) mentions the above. Basically, its the best non PSU reliant card, but it does ok considering its limitations...I guess it depends what you games you want to at what resolutions. I actually put one in a new comp for my dad recently so I can test it with Sacred 2 if you are interested. May not be able to until next week though...

Edited May 28, 2010 by Dragon Brother

[Timotheus 416]

I only game at 1440*900 so it's all good, thanks DB I would like to hear about your experiences though you would also need to include the processor information. If it's any faster than mine, I know I would need to think about turning my settings down a notch.

 

I've been looking at this card as well, but it has been hard to find in normal shops, on webshops I've seen it turn up. But I'm holding off at the moment to see where the prices go. Maybe I could get another card when they start clearing stock of older series, we'll see.

[Dragon Brother 619]

Ok, I will be able to tell you how it goes in a week or so. Ive just come back from my dads so it wont be til next wednesday or thursday that I'm there. However, going by the experiences I have on my comp you can get a rough idea of what it will perform better than.

I have a c2d P8400 2.26GHz, 4GB ram and a mobility 3650 512MB. The non mobility version of this card ranks below the 7900GS mininmum you specified and the mobility one will be even worse. However, with this set up I have everything on min, no anti aliasing, and at 1280x800 (laptop screen...) it runs fine. Will slow down a bit if I drop an Area of Effect on a large mob but otherwise, the xfire ingame thing tells me it runs at around 50-70 normally. it managed to hit 90 a couple of times impressively, but also dropped to about 30 when lots of stuff was going on.

 

So, the 5670 is better than the 7900GS by a fair bit, which is better than my mobile card by far. So you should be fine with the 5670...of course if you could spring for a 5770...that would be nice

[Rotluchs 82]

But I'm holding off at the moment to see where the prices go. Maybe I could get another card when they start clearing stock of older series, we'll see.

 

I for one, have a GTX 260 atm, and will skip the current gfx chip generations on market completely (ATI/AMD HD 5000 and Nvidia GTX 400 Series)

 

too high is the power consumption, too loud are the cards when I look at the GTX 400 series.

the ATI HD 5000 cards do way better regarding power consumption, energy saving in idle, and temperature @ load..

 

but one thing they've in common: imho, they just don't offer enough new features (besides DX11),

and most of all: the performance gain you'll see doesn't justify the higher price - atm.

 

 

regarding the price, this might change when Nvidia will finally release their low-end and mid-end cards later this year,

starting with the GTX 465/460 cards this summer perhaps, and low-end cards in fall/winter 2010.

 

around that time however ATI/AMD may be able to also launch their first refresh/shrink chip of the current HD 5000 series..

 

it's kinda similar to what is known as the Intel "Tick-Tock" Model (new architecture - then shrink/optimization of current - new architecture again , and so on..)

 

------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

 

long story short:

 

if your budged is @ around ~70 Euros, and you plan to buy a new card 'now' or in the summer (not waiting for the refresh-launch for both ATI/Nvidia series),

 

then there're these choices atm, imho:

 

Nvidia (no DX11):

http://geizhals.at/eu/?cat=gra16_512&x..._512&sort=p (GTS 250.. its a renamed G92b (9800GT) with a different layout and smaller adjustments)

http://geizhals.at/eu/?cat=gra16_512&x...9800&sort=p (9800 GT ..careful, some are relabeled 8800 GT.. some don't need a PSU-connector)

 

ATI (no DX11):

http://geizhals.at/eu/?cat=gra16_512&x..._512&sort=p (ATI HD 4770)

 

ATI (DX 11):

http://geizhals.at/eu/?cat=gra16_512&x...5670&sort=p (ATI HD 5670)

 

 

I'd stick with an ATI HD 5670, or make my decision not based on just 3D performance, but instead noise-development and power consumption..

 

preferably a completely passive cooled card in low-profile format, only using up one slot..

Edited May 28, 2010 by Rotluchs

[chattius 2,526]

The extra power consumption of super high end cards can easily reach 100+ euro a year if they lack in power saving features. I do my buying normally at a local seller. Luckily the local one is one of europes biggest sellers, so I save costs for delivery and more important: I can talk to the tech people who do repairs and warranties face to face. So I get normally warnings when I buy stuff that they have a high return rate of a product. Stuff you won't see at their homepage. I think there is now also an www.alternate.nl ?

[Timotheus 416]

Ok, I will be able to tell you how it goes in a week or so. Ive just come back from my dads so it wont be til next wednesday or thursday that I'm there. However, going by the experiences I have on my comp you can get a rough idea of what it will perform better than.

I have a c2d P8400 2.26GHz, 4GB ram and a mobility 3650 512MB. The non mobility version of this card ranks below the 7900GS mininmum you specified and the mobility one will be even worse. However, with this set up I have everything on min, no anti aliasing, and at 1280x800 (laptop screen...) it runs fine. Will slow down a bit if I drop an Area of Effect on a large mob but otherwise, the xfire ingame thing tells me it runs at around 50-70 normally. it managed to hit 90 a couple of times impressively, but also dropped to about 30 when lots of stuff was going on.

 

So, the 5670 is better than the 7900GS by a fair bit, which is better than my mobile card by far. So you should be fine with the 5670...of course if you could spring for a 5770...that would be nice

 

5670 sounds interesting then. I'm gonna keep an eye on those cards.

 

But I'm holding off at the moment to see where the prices go. Maybe I could get another card when they start clearing stock of older series, we'll see.

 

I for one, have a GTX 260 atm, and will skip the current gfx chip generations on market completely (ATI/AMD HD 5000 and Nvidia GTX 400 Series)

 

too high is the power consumption, too loud are the cards when I look at the GTX 400 series.

the ATI HD 5000 cards do way better regarding power consumption, energy saving in idle, and temperature @ load..

 

but one thing they've in common: imho, they just don't offer enough new features (besides DX11),

and most of all: the performance gain you'll see doesn't justify the higher price - atm.

 

 

regarding the price, this might change when Nvidia will finally release their low-end and mid-end cards later this year,

starting with the GTX 465/460 cards this summer perhaps, and low-end cards in fall/winter 2010.

 

around that time however ATI/AMD may be able to also launch their first refresh/shrink chip of the current HD 5000 series..

 

it's kinda similar to what is known as the Intel "Tick-Tock" Model (new architecture - then shrink/optimization of current - new architecture again , and so on..)

 

------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

 

long story short:

 

if your budged is @ around ~70 Euros, and you plan to buy a new card 'now' or in the summer (not waiting for the refresh-launch for both ATI/Nvidia series),

 

then there're these choices atm, imho:

 

Nvidia (no DX11):

http://geizhals.at/eu/?cat=gra16_512&x..._512&sort=p (GTS 250.. its a renamed G92b (9800GT) with a different layout and smaller adjustments)

http://geizhals.at/eu/?cat=gra16_512&x...9800&sort=p (9800 GT ..careful, some are relabeled 8800 GT.. some don't need a PSU-connector)

 

ATI (no DX11):

http://geizhals.at/eu/?cat=gra16_512&x..._512&sort=p (ATI HD 4770)

 

ATI (DX 11):

http://geizhals.at/eu/?cat=gra16_512&x...5670&sort=p (ATI HD 5670)

 

 

I'd stick with an ATI HD 5670, or make my decision not based on just 3D performance, but instead noise-development and power consumption..

 

preferably a completely passive cooled card in low-profile format, only using up one slot..

 

Unfortunately, the Nvidia cards still have quite a shocking price tag here. I'd have more luck aiming at the ATi parts.

I'm not looking for a high-end model, so that also saves a lot in terms of noise and power consumption...

 

The extra power consumption of super high end cards can easily reach 100+ euro a year if they lack in power saving features. I do my buying normally at a local seller. Luckily the local one is one of europes biggest sellers, so I save costs for delivery and more important: I can talk to the tech people who do repairs and warranties face to face. So I get normally warnings when I buy stuff that they have a high return rate of a product. Stuff you won't see at their homepage. I think there is now also an www.alternate.nl ?

 

That's also one of the reasons I'm looking at a local shop for the stuff, however there are 2 web-based shops which are localized in my town.

Alternate has a Dutch site as well, my current card came from them. Bought it in the outlet section for €5... But with returning etc I'd prefer a local shop.

[chattius 2,526]

From my parents it is 8 minutes to alternate.de. So I am a bit lucky here. And half of the tech people I know from my time at university. When I tell them I need a silent machine to concentrate while doing maths they come up with some nice ideas sometimes I wasn't even considering.

But I have to admit: If alternate wouldn't be the closest for me I would probably buy at a local dealer with support too.

[Dragon Brother 619]

Well, I tested Ice and blood on the comp with the 6670 today, its got an AMD Athlon II 630 (2.8GHz quadcore), 4gb ram and the 6670. Ran the game at max settings @1920x1080 with an average of 40-45fps (fraps benchmark over ~20mins of playtime said average of 43). Lower resolution would obviously be better. 2x anti aliasing was still playable but kinda pushing it sometimes, 4x dropped the framerate to much in high action areas. Vsync was on all the time otherwise I got a bit of screen tearing so the fps maxed out at 60. So, yeah, 6670 is definitely a good card in my opinion, it was using the 1GB version, the 512MB will be a tad slower...how much I dont know though. Hope that helps

[Timotheus 416]

Sounds awesome D.B. thanks for taking the effort! I'm still only at 1440x900 so my FPS would be a lot higher.

Seems to be a pretty awesome piece of kit!

 

Currently, I'm also browsing any second hand/traded alternatives I might have. I can go back to the same 3870 I had before for about €45-50, but I don't really want to. I'd like a newer card. Also looking at options to get my hands on a 4850 though that will not be really silent or 'green'. Or I could go for less performance and less heat and less power, and try a newer midrange card. Anyway, it's still out in the open.

Edited June 3, 2010 by Timotheus

[Timotheus 416]

Sounds awesome D.B. thanks for taking the effort! I'm still only at 1440x900 so my FPS would be a lot higher.

Seems to be a pretty awesome piece of kit!

 

Currently, I'm also browsing any second hand/traded alternatives I might have. I can go back to the same 3870 I had before for about €45-50, but I don't really want to. I'd like a newer card. Also looking at options to get my hands on a 4850 though that will not be really silent or 'green'. Or I could go for less performance and less heat and less power, and try a newer midrange card. Anyway, it's still out in the open.

 

In the end, I couldn't decide. Therefore I've bought a second hand ATi HD3650, to take care of my gaming needs for this summer.

I'll dive into new cards later on.

[chattius 2,526]

Last weekend I was running into a clerk who was a gamer and not a rocket scientist. I said I need a superfast video card with low power consumption, high resolution and it should be able to run CUDA. All he said was: I don't know this game....

 

Are there really people who use graphic cards to show graphics for games and not to do fast as hell calculations?