Reccomend Graphics Cards

[cptwhite_uk]

Nvidia...nothing below 460, or 560 (6 being the most important number)

You might have better luck second hand.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

This HD5770 does come with both the latest Deus Ex game and a DiRT3:

http://www.dabs.com/products/xfx-ati...%206770&src=16

However,I would spend a few more quid and get an HD6850 1GB:

http://www.ebuyer.com/338547-sapphir...d-11180-00-20r

http://www.dabs.com/products/xfx-ati...%206850&src=16

[Stylis10]

Nvidia...nothing below 460, or 560 (6 being the most important number)

You might have better luck second hand.

Well if I can manage to get to 100 or just a bit over then scan has a gtx 1gb EVGA GTX 460 superclocked

This HD5770 does come with both the latest Deus Ex game and a DiRT3:

http://www.dabs.com/products/xfx-ati...%206770&src=16

However,I would spend a few more quid and get an HD6850 1GB:

http://www.ebuyer.com/338547-sapphir...d-11180-00-20r

http://www.dabs.com/products/xfx-ati...%206850&src=16

I have read a few reviews that have said that the xfx 6850 is very loud due to idle fan speed being at 40% or something along those lines.

I take it the £90 graphics cards are not better than the integrated gpu on the i5 2500k

[scaryjim]

Pretty much any graphics card, and certainly any over £50, would be better than intel integrated, but whether its worth you buying one depends on what you plan to do with it! I assume you're not really a hardcore gamer if you've managed this long with the integrated, so what is it that you want to do that requires a gpu now?

[Stylis10]

Pretty much any graphics card, and certainly any over £50, would be better than intel integrated, but whether its worth you buying one depends on what you plan to do with it! I assume you're not really a hardcore gamer if you've managed this long with the integrated, so what is it that you want to do that requires a gpu now?

Well this was my personal pc as my and my brother shared a pc for gaming before (albeit I'm not a hardcore gamer, skyrim, bf3, minecraft and gta is about it for me). I also used the other pc for all my video editing and rendering aswell as photoshop. Since my brother has moved away I have to start using my own pc for these uses and I would like a better graphics card as I don't feel the current one it upto scratch.

It should also let it be known that I don't use a computer monitor, but instead a 22inch hd tv. I use a dvi to hd cable to connect it to my pc. I use this tv as I also play my Xbox on it aswell as the ps3

[scaryjim]

OK, if you do video editing / photoshop you need to check whether the software you use can be accelerated by a graphics card, and if so which ones. There are certain tasks that can be acheived much faster using the graphics card.

If you're happy to play with some of the details turned down in your games, a £90 card should be fine for your (I assume) 1080p TV. Ooooh, jjust found a DDR5 4850 for £65 at ebuyer - that's a phenomenal deal IMNSHO and would be a good card for gaming - at least as quick as the more expensive 6750/6770. It's only DX10, not DX11, but if that's not a deal-breaker for you then I'd strongly recommend it (assuming you're happy with an ATI card). If you want something from a more recent generation, however, I'd suggest a 6750 / 6770 to stay within budget, or if you can stretch the budget go for a 6850 at just over £100.

On the nvidia side you're looking at either a GTS450 (make sure you pick a DDR5 version, not DDR3) at around £80, or stretching the budget a tiny bit (betwen £90 and £100) gets you into GTX550 Ti territory.

The only reason I can see to not go for the 4850 is if your video software can only be accelerated by nvidia graphics cards - at £65 that card is an absolute steal, assuming the specs are accurate (I can't find any information on it from the powercolor website, which is a bit odd...). If you find that your software will benefit from nvidia graphics (look for CUDA in the description!) I'd strongly recommend stretching the budget to get a 550 Ti, it's 20%+ faster in many games so (for once) you will actually get the additional performance you're paying for!

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

An HD6850 1GB can be had for around £100:

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/amd-...vatech-1123762

[Stylis10]

OK, if you do video editing / photoshop you need to check whether the software you use can be accelerated by a graphics card, and if so which ones. There are certain tasks that can be acheived much faster using the graphics card.

If you're happy to play with some of the details turned down in your games, a £90 card should be fine for your (I assume) 1080p TV. Ooooh, jjust found a DDR5 4850 for £65 at ebuyer - that's a phenomenal deal IMNSHO and would be a good card for gaming - at least as quick as the more expensive 6750/6770. It's only DX10, not DX11, but if that's not a deal-breaker for you then I'd strongly recommend it (assuming you're happy with an ATI card). If you want something from a more recent generation, however, I'd suggest a 6750 / 6770 to stay within budget, or if you can stretch the budget go for a 6850 at just over £100.

On the nvidia side you're looking at either a GTS450 (make sure you pick a DDR5 version, not DDR3) at around £80, or stretching the budget a tiny bit (betwen £90 and £100) gets you into GTX550 Ti territory.

The only reason I can see to not go for the 4850 is if your video software can only be accelerated by nvidia graphics cards - at £65 that card is an absolute steal, assuming the specs are accurate (I can't find any information on it from the powercolor website, which is a bit odd...). If you find that your software will benefit from nvidia graphics (look for CUDA in the description!) I'd strongly recommend stretching the budget to get a 550 Ti, it's 20%+ faster in many games so (for once) you will actually get the additional performance you're paying for!

None of the programs can use gpu acceleration, which i suppose isn't that great. so if the graphics card wont help with the video encoding is it just worth me getting one that will allow me to play games at say a high setting.

it is indeed a 1080p TV with a screen resolution of 1360 X 768 (if that helps)

I have also realized that since im using lian li v351 case, some cards will be too long for it, hence a shorter/medium length card would fit.

how does the gtx 550ti compare with the 6850? am i loosing out too much?

[scaryjim]

it is indeed a 1080p TV with a screen resolution of 1360 X 768 (if that helps)

OK, those two statements don't go together If it's a 1080p TV it should have a native resolution of 1920x1080. If the maximum resolution is can display is 1360x768, then it's not 1080p On the other hand, that makes it a really easy choice. Buy the £65 4850. It'll massacre that resolution, to the extent that you are unlikely to notice the difference with a more powerful graphics card. If in the future you upgrade to a higher resolution TV / monitor, think about upgrading the card too. But for £65 it's a bit of a no-brainer to me.

I have also realized that since im using lian li v351 case, some cards will be too long for it, hence a shorter/medium length card would fit.

A quick google suggests it should be fine with any of the class of card I've recommended, which are all mid-range cards and shouldn't be too long.

how does the gtx 550ti compare with the 6850? am i loosing out too much?

Depends on the game; the 6850 is quite a distance ahead of the 550 Ti in some games, and about level with it in others. If you've got the leeway in the budget a 6850 would future-proof you for upgrading your monitor, or alternatively let you turn more settings up on your current monitor, if that's your thing. Personally I don't think either of them if worth spending 50%+ more than the 4850, but then I'm happy playing my games with lower detail settings than a lot of people would use. Whether it's worth the extra cash for you is a completely different question

[Stylis10]

An HD6850 1GB can be had for around £100:

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/amd-...vatech-1123762

i think i will just go for a 6850 card and £100 isn't too much.

OK, those two statements don't go together If it's a 1080p TV it should have a native resolution of 1920x1080. If the maximum resolution is can display is 1360x768, then it's not 1080p On the other hand, that makes it a really easy choice. Buy the £65 4850. It'll massacre that resolution, to the extent that you are unlikely to notice the difference with a more powerful graphics card. If in the future you upgrade to a higher resolution TV / monitor, think about upgrading the card too. But for £65 it's a bit of a no-brainer to me.

Depends on the game; the 6850 is quite a distance ahead of the 550 Ti in some games, and about level with it in others. If you've got the leeway in the budget a 6850 would future-proof you for upgrading your monitor, or alternatively let you turn more settings up on your current monitor, if that's your thing. Personally I don't think either of them if worth spending 50%+ more than the 4850, but then I'm happy playing my games with lower detail settings than a lot of people would use. Whether it's worth the extra cash for you is a completely different question

i think you now understand my knowledge of tv's and screen resolution, i assumed that since it was hd that it was 1080p....and i got screen resolution off recommended setting from desktop

also as i said above it would be worth me just buying the 6850, and like you said it would future proof me, and i don't really see myself changing this pc or doing much to it for a few years now so why not just get a decent graphics card in comparison to the onboard.

[Stylis10]

i know im most likely going to get either the 6770 or 6850, but just as a point of reference, how accurate is this table?

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...ce,3067-7.html

[qwio]

Id say the Gtx 550ti is a good bet but be careful with the power supply, you can run it fine with a 520W but I wouldnt try and do any overlcocking.

[tieran7890]

I'd wait for the AMD HD7770,should be sub £100 and according to leaks and rumours its going to perform on par with the HD6850.Also will be 100W TDP,so will save on electricity.

[Stylis10]

I actually managed to get a EVGA GTX 460 SC for £60...i took it, it was brand new and boxed unopened.
was it a bad deal? should i have gotten the 6850 or was what i got worth the money i paid for it

[scaryjim]

At £60? Fantastic deal. Is it the 1GB version or the 768MB? The 1GB is only just behind the 6850 in performance, the 768MB lags a little further behind still, but both are *well* ahead of the 6770 and GTX550Ti which cost a fair bit more than £60 new.

My congratulations on a good find

[p5-]

Definitely a good deal for brand new and box sealed!