Looking to max out my friend's rig on a budget

LordJummy · Jan 27, 2012, 01:45 AM

So I recently fixed up my friend's Q6600 based rig, but it badly needs a new GPU so he can play recent games at decent settings.

I want to get something for him second hand off eBay or CL if possible as he doesn't have much spare cash right now.

Opinions on best budget card that won't be bottlenecked by a Q6600 at 1080p please! I normally buy for myself and I'm not bottlenecked, so I'm not 100% on what to get for him. I'd like to keep it around $100 for his sake. I bought one of my gtx 480s for $200 earlier this year so I don't think it will be too hard. Lots of good CL deals here.

PLZ HALPS

xBruce88x · Jan 27, 2012, 11:07 PM

get an aftermarket cooler (decent one around $25) and overclock that q6600 if you're worried about a bottleneck. As for gpu... I'd say a 6770 would be decent, tho a 6850 would be nice or at least a GTX550TI, 560 non-ti or GTX460/SE

LordJummy · Jan 28, 2012, 03:11 PM

What do you think about running a GTX 280 with it?

I found a 280 locally for about $40 - and they are still pretty decent.

Jarman · Jan 28, 2012, 03:20 PM

I'd look on ebay for a 460 or something, pref the 1gb version. Clock that q6600 if it has the good stepping to about 3.5 and you're good.

AlienIsGOD · Jan 28, 2012, 03:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LordJummy

I found a 280 locally for about $40 - and they are still pretty decent.

haggle with him, try and get it for 30-35 dollars. But yes for a price like that, its good. At the least it will hold him over for awhile until a decent card can be afforded.

BlackOmega · Jan 28, 2012, 03:34 PM

Hard to beat a 280 for $40. Although It makes you wonder what's wrong with it if he's selling it for so cheap.
If DX11 is of no concern, then definitely get that 280. @ 1080p it should plow through most games with ease.

eidairaman1 · Jan 28, 2012, 03:37 PM

No matter what machine you have there will always be a bottleneck. But that machine should be able to run a 4 or 5 series if he is serious about a NV card, otherwise id grab a R500 series

LordJummy · Jan 28, 2012, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackOmega

Hard to beat a 280 for $40. Although It makes you wonder what's wrong with it if he's selling it for so cheap.
If DX11 is of no concern, then definitely get that 280. @ 1080p it should plow through most games with ease.

Nothing wrong with it, there are just a ton of good deals to be had via craigslist here. I bought two gtx 480's for $350 total this year via CL. One of them was an OEM, the o ther was brand new in package pny.

I found a gtx 580 last night for $225 almost brand new. I missed it though, someone bought it before I could.

I think I'm going to get him the 280 for now so he can play SWTOR until he saves up some $$

eidairaman1 · Jan 28, 2012, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LordJummy

Nothing wrong with it, there are just a ton of good deals to be had via craigslist here. I bought two gtx 480's for $350 total this year via CL. One of them was an OEM, the o ther was brand new in package pny.

I found a gtx 580 last night for $225 almost brand new. I missed it though, someone bought it before I could.

I think I'm going to get him the 280 for now so he can play SWTOR until he saves up some $$

Ya if he did a vid upgrade now he would be able to later do a CPU, Ram, Mobo Upgrade.

JrRacinFan · Jan 28, 2012, 03:54 PM

I think i saw a couple unlockable 465's over at the BST's for $150. There's also Spartan805's 6850.

BlackOmega · Jan 28, 2012, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LordJummy

Nothing wrong with it, there are just a ton of good deals to be had via craigslist here. I bought two gtx 480's for $350 total this year via CL. One of them was an OEM, the o ther was brand new in package pny.

I found a gtx 580 last night for $225 almost brand new. I missed it though, someone bought it before I could.

I think I'm going to get him the 280 for now so he can play SWTOR until he saves up some $$

Wow those are some damn good deals. I can usually find some good deals around me too, but they're usually far and few between.

Although I did find a 1 month old 560Ti for $130 about 4 months ago.

LordJummy · Jan 28, 2012, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackOmega

Wow those are some damn good deals. I can usually find some good deals around me too, but they're usually far and few between.

Although I did find a 1 month old 560Ti for $130 about 4 months ago.

yeah i monitor CL constantly for key words and try and snipe the best deals. I often resell things for a quick $100 or so on the weekends.

thebluebumblebee · Jan 28, 2012, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xBruce88x

get an aftermarket cooler (decent one around $25) and overclock that q6600 if you're worried about a bottleneck. As for gpu... I'd say a 6770 would be decent, tho a 6850 would be nice or at least a GTX550TI, 560 non-ti or GTX460/SE

A 6770 is a 5770, rebadged. A GTX550TI is an overclocked GTS450 which has about the same performance as a GTS250. A 1GB GTX 460 is hard to argue against. I picked up 2 GTX460's for $200 recently from CL. If the MB will handle SLI, getting one GTX460 now and plan on a second one latter. Same thing with Crossfire.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LordJummy

What do you think about running a GTX 280 with it?

Does he have the PSU for a GTX280?

Quote:

Originally Posted by LordJummy

I found a gtx 580 last night for $225 almost brand new. I missed it though, someone bought it before I could.

Stolen!

LordJummy · Jan 28, 2012, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thebluebumblebee

Does he have the PSU for a GTX280?

Yeah I cleaned up his rig and upgraded him to an 850 watt XFX black edition that I had.

thebluebumblebee · Jan 28, 2012, 04:57 PM

My local CL has a GTX470 for $100, retail box included

JrRacinFan · Jan 28, 2012, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackOmega

Although I did find a 1 month old 560Ti for $130 about 4 months ago.

I need to start scrounging through CL.

Jarman · Jan 28, 2012, 05:06 PM

wtf is cl?!

LordJummy · Jan 28, 2012, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JrRacinFan

I need to start scrounging through CL.

yeah bro, CL is a gold mine if you are on at the right time.

just make sure you check daily in the computer/electronics sections. I have a script that searches my keywords and dumps to a log file that I have tailed in my VM desktop. then I just browse through legit deals and make offers. you can make some decent money on the side from reselling certain stuff. I mostly do it for fun though.

a while back I traded a razer naga for a loaded core2duo rig with a couple 1TB drives, nice capture card, full tower case, etc. I stripped it down to the bare bones rig and resold it for a lot more than the razer naga was worth brand new lol.

eidairaman1 · Jan 28, 2012, 05:07 PM

Craigs List

BlackOmega · Jan 28, 2012, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JrRacinFan

I need to start scrounging through CL.

Back in august I found a month old XFX 5850 for $120. The guy never registered for the warranty, I did and got it. (2 year warranty if registered after 30 days).

I find NIB stuff all the time. There was a guy selling 990x's NIB for $600.

Wished I had the money for those at the time. Could have EASILY made a profit of $400 per CPU.

LordJummy · Jan 28, 2012, 05:14 PM

So I talked to the guy with the gtx 280 a minute ago, and he's going to do $35 if I pick it up.

Pretty sweet deal, no?

Jarman · Jan 28, 2012, 05:17 PM

yer....u wouldn't get it for triple that here in the uk

LordJummy · Jan 28, 2012, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jarman

yer....u wouldn't get it for triple that here in the uk

sweet. looking at eBay I see I'm getting a nice deal.

the guy is now going to drop it off for the extra $5. so $40 lol. fine with me. it ends up being cheaper not wasting gas to drive there.

BlackOmega · Jan 28, 2012, 05:39 PM

Wow great deal. And you can always use it as a power PhysX card later on.

LordJummy · Jan 28, 2012, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackOmega

Wow great deal. And you can always use it as a power PhysX card later on.

Yeah, this is for my buddy who doesn't know a thing about hardware. He'll probably use this card for a few years. He had an nvidia 6k series card in there lol, so this 280 will blow his mind.

Jan 27, 2012, 01:45 AM	#1
LordJummy Join Date: May 2011 Location: US of A Posts: 1,346 (1.82/day) Thanks: 352 Thanked 250 Times in 220 Posts System Specs	Looking to max out my friend's rig on a budget So I recently fixed up my friend's Q6600 based rig, but it badly needs a new GPU so he can play recent games at decent settings. I want to get something for him second hand off eBay or CL if possible as he doesn't have much spare cash right now. Opinions on best budget card that won't be bottlenecked by a Q6600 at 1080p please! I normally buy for myself and I'm not bottlenecked, so I'm not 100% on what to get for him. I'd like to keep it around $100 for his sake. I bought one of my gtx 480s for $200 earlier this year so I don't think it will be too hard. Lots of good CL deals here. PLZ HALPS __________________ if you build it, they will hate

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Jan 27, 2012, 11:07 PM	#2
xBruce88x Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Winder, GA, USA Posts: 2,218 (1.70/day) Thanks: 652 Thanked 506 Times in 401 Posts System Specs	get an aftermarket cooler (decent one around $25) and overclock that q6600 if you're worried about a bottleneck. As for gpu... I'd say a 6770 would be decent, tho a 6850 would be nice or at least a GTX550TI, 560 non-ti or GTX460/SE __________________

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Jan 28, 2012, 03:11 PM	#3
LordJummy Join Date: May 2011 Location: US of A Posts: 1,346 (1.82/day) Thanks: 352 Thanked 250 Times in 220 Posts System Specs	What do you think about running a GTX 280 with it? I found a 280 locally for about $40 - and they are still pretty decent. __________________ if you build it, they will hate

Jan 28, 2012, 03:20 PM	#4
Jarman Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Wrexham UK Posts: 383 (0.17/day) Thanks: 6 Thanked 72 Times in 51 Posts System Specs	I'd look on ebay for a 460 or something, pref the 1gb version. Clock that q6600 if it has the good stepping to about 3.5 and you're good. __________________

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Jan 28, 2012, 03:34 PM	#6
BlackOmega Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Michigan, USA Posts: 562 (0.36/day) Thanks: 150 Thanked 157 Times in 117 Posts System Specs	Hard to beat a 280 for $40. Although It makes you wonder what's wrong with it if he's selling it for so cheap. If DX11 is of no concern, then definitely get that 280. @ 1080p it should plow through most games with ease.

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Jan 28, 2012, 03:37 PM	#7
eidairaman1 Eligible for custom title Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: HTX Posts: 10,078 (4.68/day) Thanks: 1,359 Thanked 1,159 Times in 1,035 Posts System Specs	No matter what machine you have there will always be a bottleneck. But that machine should be able to run a 4 or 5 series if he is serious about a NV card, otherwise id grab a R500 series __________________ Athlon XP USERS with COD 4 FIX http://www.techsupportforum.com/foru...ls-202011.html http://www.howorks.com/2011/02/24/ho...-memory-limit/ “Sometimes my level of fail is unprecedented.” -TheMailMan78 “This is what the force of a thousand suns looks like.” -3870x2

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Jan 28, 2012, 03:54 PM	#10
JrRacinFan Served 5k and counting ... Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Youngstown, OH Posts: 16,121 (7.13/day) Thanks: 4,149 Thanked 4,552 Times in 4,027 Posts System Specs	I think i saw a couple unlockable 465's over at the BST's for $150. There's also Spartan805's 6850. __________________ Graphics Artists United™ Request Thread Low Cache CPU Club Solaris Utility DVD 3.0 DanishDevil's Logitech Soundroom TPU Video Gallery Sciencemark Revisited

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Jan 28, 2012, 04:57 PM	#15
thebluebumblebee Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Portland, OR USA Posts: 2,141 (1.20/day) Thanks: 1,559 Thanked 880 Times in 627 Posts System Specs	My local CL has a GTX470 for $100, retail box included __________________ I got this because I am a fan of the simplistic sleek look of a computer case that doesn't look like Optimus Prime just threw up on my desk with enough LED's to land a commercial airliner. review P280 Newegg.com

Jan 28, 2012, 05:06 PM	#17
Jarman Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Wrexham UK Posts: 383 (0.17/day) Thanks: 6 Thanked 72 Times in 51 Posts System Specs	wtf is cl?! __________________

Jan 28, 2012, 05:07 PM	#19
eidairaman1 Eligible for custom title Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: HTX Posts: 10,078 (4.68/day) Thanks: 1,359 Thanked 1,159 Times in 1,035 Posts System Specs	Craigs List __________________ Athlon XP USERS with COD 4 FIX http://www.techsupportforum.com/foru...ls-202011.html http://www.howorks.com/2011/02/24/ho...-memory-limit/ “Sometimes my level of fail is unprecedented.” -TheMailMan78 “This is what the force of a thousand suns looks like.” -3870x2

Jan 28, 2012, 05:14 PM	#21
LordJummy Join Date: May 2011 Location: US of A Posts: 1,346 (1.82/day) Thanks: 352 Thanked 250 Times in 220 Posts System Specs	So I talked to the guy with the gtx 280 a minute ago, and he's going to do $35 if I pick it up. Pretty sweet deal, no? __________________ if you build it, they will hate

Jan 28, 2012, 05:17 PM	#22
Jarman Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Wrexham UK Posts: 383 (0.17/day) Thanks: 6 Thanked 72 Times in 51 Posts System Specs	yer....u wouldn't get it for triple that here in the uk __________________

Jan 28, 2012, 05:39 PM	#24
BlackOmega Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Michigan, USA Posts: 562 (0.36/day) Thanks: 150 Thanked 157 Times in 117 Posts System Specs	Wow great deal. And you can always use it as a power PhysX card later on.

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