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Thread: Yet another "which graphics card" thread

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    Yet another "which graphics card" thread

    A friend has asked me to recommend a graphics card. Thought it would be best to consult the regulars on here first

    Specifically he asked me about this card

    BFG 9500GT 1GB DDR2 PCI-E Graphics Card

    Which I think is poor value at 50 quid considering you can get a 512mb version for 37 on scan.

    His requirements are that the card will run gta 4 and other modern games (not really graphically over the top ones such as crysis though). Resolution wise we're not talking big screens, more likely 1024*1280. What options are better for 50 notes or less?

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    Re: Yet another "which graphics card" thread

    An HD4670 GDDR3 would be ideal IMHO:

    http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/512MB...-DL-DVI-I-HDMI

    http://www.dabs.com/products/sapphir...ml?q=HD%204670

    http://www.dabs.com/products/sapphir...ml?q=HD%204670

    The HD4670 Ultimate is passively cooled and has excellent reviews:

    http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum...rd-review.html

    Don't get the DDR3 versions as these are slower.

    Also what PSU does your friend have in their PC?? An HD4670 has relatively low power requirements as it is bus powered whereas other cards need an additional power connector. A relatively weak PSU can be damaged or even will stop working if you plonk in a more capable graphics card. Ventilation is also important as most graphics cards will dump a lot of heat into the case too and an HD4670 runs relatively cool.

    Other cards which are decent for the price are the HD3850 and the 9600GSO 384mb:

    http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/256MB...Cores-2x-DVI-I

    http://www.microdirect.co.uk/Home/Pr...-PCI-E-VGA-DVI

    http://www.microdirect.co.uk/Home/Pr...I-E-DVI-TV-Out

    http://www.microdirect.co.uk/Home/Pr...PCI-E--DVI--TV

    http://www.cclonline.com/product-inf...62&tid=gsearch

    All these cards have similar performance although they need more power to run than an HD4670.
    Last edited by CAT-THE-FIFTH; 30-08-2009 at 11:43 AM.

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    Re: Yet another "which graphics card" thread

    I would say save up some money and go for either a Radeon 4850 or a GTS 250

    IMO the Nvidia 9000 series was never particularly exciting or innovative.

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    Re: Yet another "which graphics card" thread

    4670 2 gb £44.08 + post

    http://www.ballicom.co.uk/video-card...1.p454037.html

    More power 4830 £65.59 with free post
    http://www.dabs.com/products/sapphir...-x16-5JQ3.html

    Also check second hand

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    Re: Yet another "which graphics card" thread

    Quote Originally Posted by nibbler View Post
    I would say save up some money and go for either a Radeon 4850 or a GTS 250

    IMO the Nvidia 9000 series was never particularly exciting or innovative.
    isn't the GTS 250 just a re-branded 9800GT?

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    Re: Yet another "which graphics card" thread

    Quote Originally Posted by circuitmonkey View Post
    isn't the GTS 250 just a re-branded 9800GT?
    The GTS250 is a re-branded 8800GTS 512mb/9800GTX/9800GTX+ with different clocks and PCBs.

    Anyway an HD4670,HD3850 and 9600GSO would be fine for gaming at 1280x1024 and are relatively cheap.

    Also the OP needs to know what the PSU in the PC is too!! If it is some cheap EZ-Cool then the PC is heading for disaster especially with a more powerful graphics card!

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    Re: Yet another "which graphics card" thread

    Thanks, I'm not able to go to the pc myself (friend lives quite a distance away) and he isn't too tech savvy. As he is unsure of the specific pc components I'm guessing it's a generic nasty psu. He is ordering this weekend so saving extra money is not an option.

    My concern was that his selected card is a pretty old chipset which doesn't seem to have great reviews especially as he specified wanting to play gta 4 which I know taxed my radeon 4850. Will prompt him to opt for one of the other options!

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    Re: Yet another "which graphics card" thread

    Quote Originally Posted by circuitmonkey View Post
    isn't the GTS 250 just a re-branded 9800GT?
    That's a pretty good point

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    Re: Yet another "which graphics card" thread

    If he has a generic PSU, he should stick with a bus-powered graphics card, at least the power regulation of the motherboard will offer some insulation from the PSU should it go *pop*.
    Quote Originally Posted by Agent View Post
    ...every time Creative bring out a new card range their advertising makes it sound like they have discovered a way to insert a thousand Chuck Norris super dwarfs in your ears...

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    Re: Yet another "which graphics card" thread

    Let's just do a quick break down of this card.
    BFG 9500GT 1GB DDR2 PCI-E Graphics Card
    BFG = good make
    9500gt = no good for gaming
    1gb DDR2 = What the heck are they thinking?? sticking that much low bandwidth memory on a 9500gt is utterly pointless, execpt for conning people who know nothing about hardware to think 1gb of memory is better than 512mb.
    I expect better than that from BFG

    A £50 graphics card for gta4 and other modern games is going to be pushing it.
    Quote Originally Posted by CAT-THE-FIFTH
    Anyway an HD4670,HD3850 and 9600GSO would be fine for gaming at 1280x1024 and are relatively cheap.

    Also the OP needs to know what the PSU in the PC is too!! If it is some cheap EZ-Cool then the PC is heading for disaster especially with a more powerful graphics card!
    I fully agree with CAT here, although you are looking at the lowest end of graphics and have to keep game settings lowish to get get anything new playable.

    If he could push his budget up a little he could get something much better, however you then start to hit the PSU requirements.
    Which means if he's got some cheap nasty PSU he'll probably end up killing his PC.

    Best advice I can give your friend is have some patience and don't impulse buy computer components.
    All you will do is waste money.

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    Re: Yet another "which graphics card" thread

    That's pretty much what I gathered from the limited reading I did. The budget is very limited and he is convinced the rest of the computer is up to spec but I can't get specific component details out of him. Hopefully a relatively decent bus powered card should suffice.

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    Re: Yet another "which graphics card" thread

    There is also the 9600GT Green Edition too which is bus powered:

    http://www.ebuyer.com/product/167474#

    I think the picture on the website is wrong though!

    This is a picture of the card.


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    Re: Yet another "which graphics card" thread

    IMO, your best bet is to pick up an 8800GT off ebay instead of buying new.

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    Re: Yet another "which graphics card" thread

    Quote Originally Posted by WorshipMe View Post
    IMO, your best bet is to pick up an 8800GT off ebay instead of buying new.
    Very true, however you're going to need a week or two to be able to win an auction for under £50
    You'll also have a power issue if the psu is the 9600GT Green Edition is probably the best option for a must-have-it-now option and less likely to have power issues.

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    Re: Yet another "which graphics card" thread

    I just had a look at the ended auctions. Most of them were under £50.

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    Re: Yet another "which graphics card" thread

    I'm also wondering on the best match for a new graphics card - main thing is I got Mass Effect for my pc, but haven't been able to play it because my previous graphics card on my old machine didn't support shader model (the latest version).

    Now I have quite a low end machine - AMD Sempron (2.0 Ghz), 2 gigs ram - Would ATI or NVidia be the way to go?
    Doo Doo Doo Da Da DA...

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