A hopefully quick question - which GPU for this setup?

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notme

New Member
G'day. My computer knowledge is limited, I kneel before my superior knowledge computer experts and seek guidance!

I would like a better graphics card, but my PC isn't great so I'm only looking at spending what I need to, to get the bottleneck of the GPU up to par with the rest of the system. (My goal is to be able to play your average modern 3d computer game with 1680x1050 @ ~30 frames/sec (smooth motion), not Crysis 2560x2048 @ 200 frames/sec etc) I'm looking at best bang to buck, should I get:

Radeon HD 5670 for $70
GeForce GTX 260 for $100
Radeon HD 5850 for $140

Source:



I've got a Dell Vostro 200 with:





I've tried running SiSoftware Sandra, but I had difficulty finding the answer, and was hoping those in the know might find the answer simple and be kind enough to provide it!

One last question whilst I'm here - is there anything else glaringly obvious that is cheap and would really improve my computer game performance? More RAM?

Thanks in advance.
 
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GTX 260 a bit outdated.

What is your PSU?
If you got 400W, go for 5670. That card use less power.

If you decide to upgrade PSU + GPU, I suggest you get 5850 which would last you longer.
 
PSU pic:


I don't know what 100% of that means but I'm guessing it's a 300W PSU?

Would you say my PC is rubbish? Is it worth buying a new PSU too? Is it gold plating a turd? I'm not really interested in future proofing for the long term with this PC setup, if I want to play future games I'll just buy myself a whole new rig when that time comes, which won't be for a few years due to personal circumstances.

So for the games currently out on the market (except the heavy resource games like crysis), would a Radeon HD 5670 manage alright at 1600x1050 (I'd like to play GTA4 with it looking alright and not juddery frames/sec), or would I need the 5850 + new PSU? And if the latter is the case, is the rest of my system up to the aformentioned task or would I need to upgrade my memory etc?

I'm just trying to work out if spending $70 would allow me to play decent games or whether it's going to require a lot more money than that, and if it is I won't bother.

Thanks in advance.
 
You will need a new PSU, and GTA4 is coded extremely badly, so your CPu will hold you back a little. you will be able to play it, but not on high settings because it is so damn CPU intensive, even though it doesn't really need to be.

Regarding the PSU, even if it were a high quality 300W unit, it wouldn't be enough. The fact they can't even use simple laws of physics should be a simple way of seeing the sort of quality you are looking at

A GTX 260 is plenty for aany game out now to play on full settings, though not at the resolutions you are asking. The 5670 is a hell of a lot slower than the 260 is as well, so from those, the 5850 is your best bet, but as was said, you will need a new PSU.

You also have to remember than a 260 is a very long card (10.5"), so depending which Dell you have you may need a new case too...

Assuming you don't need a case, PSU:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-042-BQ&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-006-XF&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=

or

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-007-XF&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=

would be good options, then your graphics card on top
 
Thanks for the input.

I've done a bit of digging around, and so far it seems that I wouldn't need a new PSU for a HD 5670.

HD 5670 - 512MB DDR5 - £55 - 1250 Benchmark Score - Max Load Power 76 Watts
HD 5770 - 1GB DDR5 - £60 from a friend - 1650 Benchmark Score - Max Load Power 108 Watts

The choice is obvious for performance, but do you think the HD 5770 will go in my PC without needing a new PSU?

I inputted my PC spec in a PSU calculator, it came out as 260 Watts (then it added +50 watts to cover their backs), and my PSU I'm assuming is 300 Watts from the above pic.

http://extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine


I've read a bit about 12v rails - if the HD 5770 is 108 Watts, then I'm guessing this is 108/12 = 9 amps. This is new territory to me but do you think I might get away with sticking the HD 5770 in my PC and not have to upgrade the PSU?
 
The (Max) wattage on that supply is 300W, thats on all three rails 3.3/5/12V rails. I dont think that it even has 175-200W on the 12V rail. And thats at Max, which means it would shut down or burn out after a few seconds at that pull. Its really a piece of OEM junk.
 
notme said:
Thanks for the input.

I've done a bit of digging around, and so far it seems that I wouldn't need a new PSU for a HD 5670.

HD 5670 - 512MB DDR5 - £55 - 1250 Benchmark Score - Max Load Power 76 Watts
HD 5770 - 1GB DDR5 - £60 from a friend - 1650 Benchmark Score - Max Load Power 108 Watts

The choice is obvious for performance, but do you think the HD 5770 will go in my PC without needing a new PSU?

I inputted my PC spec in a PSU calculator, it came out as 260 Watts (then it added +50 watts to cover their backs), and my PSU I'm assuming is 300 Watts from the above pic.

http://extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine


I've read a bit about 12v rails - if the HD 5770 is 108 Watts, then I'm guessing this is 108/12 = 9 amps. This is new territory to me but do you think I might get away with sticking the HD 5770 in my PC and not have to upgrade the PSU?
Click to expand...

You shouldn't risk your whole PC on cheap psu. (or do you just want to break it and give yourself an excuse for a new PC??) I guess 5670/6670 may stand a chance as it don't need PCI-E power.
 
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daisymtc said:
You shouldn't risk your whole PC on cheap psu. (or do you just want to break it and give yourself an excuse for a new PC??) I guess 5670/6670 may stand a chance as it don't need PCI-E power.
Click to expand...

Even then I wouldn't risk it, you are just asking for trouble.

@OP, you don't just look at the wattage of a power supply. You can pick up a 750W unit for the price of a 400W unit, and there is a reason for this - the 750W unit is a load of rubbish.

The distribution of the amps across the rails, the quality of parts, safety features, they all contribute. Your cheap units, like yours, are rated at the peak power output, as in the max they can throw out, and not the max stable output, the amount they can put out safely, continuously.

If you go and put a dedicated video card in that computer, the extra power draw will tip it past the edge and it will blow. It will either not start, or if it does in a very short space of time temperature in the PSU will take it or the amount of current flowing through will do.

When a power supply blows, that isn't the end of it. As it is cheap, more than likely it has no, or very poor, surge protection, so that goes pop, massive amount of current to other components, they go pop. Now it isn't just a case of geta new power supply, it is a case of get a new motherboard, CPU, memory and another video card as well. You won't be able to send it back to Dell - you have modified their product after all even if it is still in warranty, and you can't send any parts back to a manufacturer, 1 because they are OEM from Dell, and 2 because warranty doesn't cover failure due to another component failing
 
the 5770 is legendary. Crysis 2 at 1650 by 1080, full details and graphics, at around 35 frames a second. if i was building another computer i would choose it in a heartbeat.
 
Perkomate said:
the 5770 is legendary. Crysis 2 at 1650 by 1080, full details and graphics, at around 35 frames a second. if i was building another computer i would choose it in a heartbeat.
Click to expand...

It is, performance wise, on par with a GTX 260 and just above that of a GTS 450, which sits in the middle of a 5750 and a 5770
 
correct me if im wrong, but the 4850 is a performance card, while the 5670 is a mainstream card. Going from this, the 4850 would outperform the 5670.
 
wolfeking said:
correct me if im wrong, but the 4850 is a performance card, while the 5670 is a mainstream card. Going from this, the 4850 would outperform the 5670.
Click to expand...

Yes you are correct. A 4850 is much, much better than a 5670 is. The numbers are correct in showing that it is just behind a 5750, which makes it still more than capable of playing any game out now or in the near future, even though it is 2 generations old.
 
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