Need GPU upgrade suggestions

846studios · Jan 2, 2013, 02:50 PM

I'm looking to upgrade my GPU, but there are so many out there that it's just confusing trying to pick one. My current GPU is the Nvidia GeForce 7300SE/7200GS and as you already know it is very limited in what it will handle but it was part of a budget build PC that cost $75 for the whole build. The case is a mid tower so I have some space but it can't be huge. I'm not a hard core gamer but I like it to work when I do play. Far Cry 2 runs fine on what I have now but games like The Saboteur and I Am Alive don't stand a chance. I am also a Freelance Photographer so it must be friendly with Photoshop CS5 Extended.
Here are some specs to consider-

PSU- OCZ 520ADJSLI http://www.ocztechnology.com/ocz-pow...ready-eol.html

Summary-
MSI MS-7350 Intel Core 2 CPU 6400 @2.13 GHz

My good monitor died so I had to pick up a cheapie to get me by. In doing so I lost my DVI connector, so it's just D-sub for now.

Supported resolution-
1024 x 768
1366 x 768 16:9
1360 x 768
1280 x 720 16:9
640 x 400 16:10

I am not opposed to a good used GPU and in fact it's probably more in my budget. I would like to not exceed about $100 but I know this may not be realistic, so just throw your suggestions out there.

Thanx in advance!

~Tim

brandonwh64 · Jan 2, 2013, 02:52 PM

You could get a decent GPU for 100$ used. Check the FS threads here and over at anandtech/Hardforums

You may luck up on a 6850/70 or 560TI

Jetster · Jan 2, 2013, 02:53 PM

You didn't mention a budget?

846studios · Jan 2, 2013, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jetster

You didn't mention a budget?

It's at the bottom, about $100.

brandonwh64 · Jan 2, 2013, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jetster

You didn't mention a budget?

This is what I based it off of

Quote:

Originally Posted by 846studios

I would like to not exceed about $100 but I know this may not be realistic, so just throw your suggestions out there.

Jetster · Jan 2, 2013, 02:58 PM

Ok, my bad. I hope to learn to read someday

846studios · Jan 2, 2013, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jetster

Ok, my bad. I hope to learn to read someday

OneMoar · Jan 2, 2013, 06:57 PM

this is pretty much as good as you are gonna get on that Budget
MSI N550GTX-Ti-M2D1GD5/OC GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Ferm...

and for 135.00
Galaxy 65IGH8DL7AXX GeForce GTX 650 Ti GC 1GB 128-...
Honestly if you intend todo any kind of gaming id save up and spend the extra on a 150-170 dollar card you have a lot more Options in that price bracket

846studios · Jan 2, 2013, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OneMoar

this is pretty much as good as you are gonna get on that Budget
MSI N550GTX-Ti-M2D1GD5/OC GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Ferm...

and for 135.00
Galaxy 65IGH8DL7AXX GeForce GTX 650 Ti GC 1GB 128-...
Honestly if you intend todo any kind of gaming id save up and spend the extra on a 150-170 dollar card you have a lot more Options in that price bracket

I appreciate the suggestion and input.

Quote:

Originally Posted by brandonwh64

You could get a decent GPU for 100$ used. Check the FS threads here and over at anandtech/Hardforums

You may luck up on a 6850/70 or 560TI

Thanks for the suggestion!

Found someone with a used but guaranteed working 8800GT for $50. I know it's been a good GPU in the past but would it even be worth it?

OneMoar · Jan 2, 2013, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 846studios

Found someone with a used but guaranteed working 8800GT for $50. I know it's been a good GPU in the past but would it even be worth it?

not for a 8800gt not for any kind of gaming

I should add that your CPU will also be a Major Limiting factor with ANY recent gpu right now your onboard video is hurting you good but adding a gpu is just gonna shift the problem to the cpu

846studios · Jan 2, 2013, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OneMoar

not for a 8800gt not for any kind of gaming

Kinda what I thought, thanks for the second opinion

brandonwh64 · Jan 2, 2013, 07:24 PM

Also can you please goto userCP and put in your system specs for us please?

OneMoar · Jan 2, 2013, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brandonwh64

Also can you please goto userCP and put in your system specs for us please?

hes got a 2.3 C2D anything more then a 6770/7770 or a GTX 540/630 is gonna be bottled necked to death

Honestly with that setup there is no point in dumping any money into it
time to start thinking about a full system upgrade

846studios · Jan 2, 2013, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OneMoar

Honestly with that setup there is no point in dumping any money into it
time to start thinking about a full system upgrade

This was my other concern as well. At least I only have like $75 invested in this current setup. This replaced a Compaq Presario SR1638 with an AMD64.

brandonwh64 · Jan 2, 2013, 07:34 PM

If you can salvage the money, A nice AM3+ or APU (A10-5800K) would be a good setup.

Fourstaff · Jan 2, 2013, 08:20 PM

Multiposts purged, may I highlight this great feature called edit the next time you guys feel like multiposting.

Rei86 · Jan 2, 2013, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OneMoar

hes got a 2.3 C2D anything more then a 6770/7770 or a GTX 540/630 is gonna be bottled necked to death

Honestly with that setup there is no point in dumping any money into it
time to start thinking about a full system upgrade

Have to agree with this post.

Not only do you have a very odd monitor as a place holder, spending 100 bucks now is just a bad investment. I mean really spend up to 100 bucks now for a card you really don't want or save up later for a class of card will actually suit your purpose.

Aleksander · Jan 2, 2013, 10:23 PM

I was in an even worse situation, but I think I made one of the most difficult bets out there, unlocking a Phenom II x2 550 to a Phenom II x4 B50 with a 55$ mobo and I was told on this forum it won't unlock. That was a big lie, cuz unlock is the same with all mobos, it is the cpu who gets it, so you will depend on it. This is my throw on your new system for the money you have:

http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/AMD_AM3/M4N68TM_LE/
AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Callisto 3.1GHz...
Crucial Ballistix 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM...

And I got an even worse combination of ram, so you will certainly win, either if you cpu will or won't unlock. As for GPU, it will surely handle a 7850, only if you can unlock all cores. You can get better cpu and mobo nowdays though.

allen337 · Jan 3, 2013, 03:27 AM

lol the cd2 ran crysis just fine and now its junk? My hd 2900 ran crysis fine with a e6600 and 4 gigs of ram I would sugest u buy a 8800 gt that would do the games your interested in

2V3X · Jan 3, 2013, 06:19 AM

i will suggest gtx650 video card,performance is same as gtx550ti or hd7750/hd6770 but consumes half power of this and it didn't need extra power cables http://www.amazon.com/Galaxy-GeForce...eywords=gtx650

Rei86 · Jan 4, 2013, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by allen337

lol the cd2 ran crysis just fine and now its junk? My hd 2900 ran crysis fine with a e6600 and 4 gigs of ram I would sugest u buy a 8800 gt that would do the games your interested in

umm yes when its bottlenecking your shiny new GPU that you spent over 150~1k bucks on.

Jetster · Jan 4, 2013, 06:30 PM

It gives him something to look forward to when he upgrades his board and CPU

Really you should always do this when you upgrade. Go a little further then what you need. Its not like you ever stop upgrading

Jan 2, 2013, 02:50 PM	#1
846studios Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Illinois Posts: 18 (0.12/day) Thanks: 2 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Need GPU upgrade suggestions I'm looking to upgrade my GPU, but there are so many out there that it's just confusing trying to pick one. My current GPU is the Nvidia GeForce 7300SE/7200GS and as you already know it is very limited in what it will handle but it was part of a budget build PC that cost $75 for the whole build. The case is a mid tower so I have some space but it can't be huge. I'm not a hard core gamer but I like it to work when I do play. Far Cry 2 runs fine on what I have now but games like The Saboteur and I Am Alive don't stand a chance. I am also a Freelance Photographer so it must be friendly with Photoshop CS5 Extended. Here are some specs to consider- PSU- OCZ 520ADJSLI http://www.ocztechnology.com/ocz-pow...ready-eol.html Summary- MSI MS-7350 Intel Core 2 CPU 6400 @2.13 GHz My good monitor died so I had to pick up a cheapie to get me by. In doing so I lost my DVI connector, so it's just D-sub for now. Supported resolution- 1024 x 768 1366 x 768 16:9 1360 x 768 1280 x 720 16:9 640 x 400 16:10 I am not opposed to a good used GPU and in fact it's probably more in my budget. I would like to not exceed about $100 but I know this may not be realistic, so just throw your suggestions out there. Thanx in advance! ~Tim

Jan 2, 2013, 02:52 PM	#2
brandonwh64 Addicted to Bacon and StarCrunches!!! Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Chatsworth, GA Posts: 13,569 (10.00/day) Thanks: 2,149 Thanked 5,342 Times in 3,697 Posts System Specs	You could get a decent GPU for 100$ used. Check the FS threads here and over at anandtech/Hardforums You may luck up on a 6850/70 or 560TI __________________ Cruncher's: All GPU's GPU's: 7970 3GB Unlocked = 8 Threads 5770 1GB OCed = 2 Threads

System Name:	The StarCrunch Defender!
Processor:	I7 2600K @ 4.5ghz 1.32V
Motherboard:	Gigabyte Z68X-UD3H-B3
Cooling:	Corsair A70 Push/Pull
Memory:	G-Skill Ripjaws 2x4GB DDR3 1866mhz
Video Card:	Gigabyte 7970 3GB Reference Card at boost clocks
Hard Disk:	2x 500GB WD Blue Raid 0 / 1TB WD Black
Optical Drive:	Samsung DVD/R/RW SATA
CRT/LCD Model:	ViewSonic VG2227wm 1080P
Case:	NZXT Tempest 410 Elite
Sound Card:	Onboard Realtek (Azalia)
PSU:	Corsair 750TX
Software:	Windows 7 Home X64

System Name:	Delta // HTPC
Processor:	Intel i7 3770K // Intel i3 550 3.2Ghz
Motherboard:	ASRock Z77 Extreme6 // Gigabyte GA-H55M-S2H Socket 1156
Cooling:	Corsair H100 // SILVERSTONE NT07-1156 90mm
Memory:	Corsair Vengeance 1866 16gb //Corsair DDR3 1600 4 Gb
Video Card:	HIS 7950 3 Gb //Sapphire 6670 1 Gb
Hard Disk:	Samsung 840 250 SSD, WD Caviar Blue 500// Corsair M4 64 Gb Solid State, SAMSUNG F4 2 Tb, WD 1 Tb
Optical Drive:	LG DVDR 24X // Lite on DVDR 24X
CRT/LCD Model:	HP 23xi IPS 1080p" // 50" Samsung Plasma 720p
Case:	Corsair Obsidian Series 550D // Silverstone Granada GD05
Sound Card:	ASUS Xonar DS // HDMI Bit Stream to Yamaha RX V571
PSU:	Seagate M12II 750 // Corsair CX 430
Software:	Windows 7 64bit // Windows 7 64bit with XBMC Eden
Benchmarks:	I scored P9327 in 3DMark 11

System Name:	The StarCrunch Defender!
Processor:	I7 2600K @ 4.5ghz 1.32V
Motherboard:	Gigabyte Z68X-UD3H-B3
Cooling:	Corsair A70 Push/Pull
Memory:	G-Skill Ripjaws 2x4GB DDR3 1866mhz
Video Card:	Gigabyte 7970 3GB Reference Card at boost clocks
Hard Disk:	2x 500GB WD Blue Raid 0 / 1TB WD Black
Optical Drive:	Samsung DVD/R/RW SATA
CRT/LCD Model:	ViewSonic VG2227wm 1080P
Case:	NZXT Tempest 410 Elite
Sound Card:	Onboard Realtek (Azalia)
PSU:	Corsair 750TX
Software:	Windows 7 Home X64

Jan 2, 2013, 02:53 PM	#3
Jetster Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Oregon Posts: 2,880 (2.35/day) Thanks: 941 Thanked 866 Times in 633 Posts System Specs	You didn't mention a budget?

Jan 2, 2013, 02:58 PM	#6
Jetster Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Oregon Posts: 2,880 (2.35/day) Thanks: 941 Thanked 866 Times in 633 Posts System Specs	Ok, my bad. I hope to learn to read someday

Jan 2, 2013, 06:57 PM	#8
OneMoar Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 2,287 (2.00/day) Thanks: 90 Thanked 431 Times in 370 Posts System Specs	this is pretty much as good as you are gonna get on that Budget MSI N550GTX-Ti-M2D1GD5/OC GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Ferm... and for 135.00 Galaxy 65IGH8DL7AXX GeForce GTX 650 Ti GC 1GB 128-... Honestly if you intend todo any kind of gaming id save up and spend the extra on a 150-170 dollar card you have a lot more Options in that price bracket __________________ I am not here to be nice, I am not here to be polite BUT I am here to help ... Last edited by OneMoar; Jan 2, 2013 at 07:06 PM.

System Name:	Waiting For Haswel
Processor:	Phenom II @ 4.0Ghz @ 1.480v 2600NB/1.25v
Motherboard:	MSI 990XA-GD55
Cooling:	Mugen RevB
Memory:	8GB DDR3 @ 1600
Video Card:	ATi 6870 @ 940/1100
Hard Disk:	WDBLUE 250GB && WD BLACK 500GB
Optical Drive:	x1 DVD
CRT/LCD Model:	HP w2071d
Case:	NZXT GAMMA
Sound Card:	RealtekHD
PSU:	Antec 520c
Software:	Windows 7 x64

Jan 2, 2013, 07:24 PM	#12
brandonwh64 Addicted to Bacon and StarCrunches!!! Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Chatsworth, GA Posts: 13,569 (10.00/day) Thanks: 2,149 Thanked 5,342 Times in 3,697 Posts System Specs	Also can you please goto userCP and put in your system specs for us please? __________________ Cruncher's: All GPU's GPU's: 7970 3GB Unlocked = 8 Threads 5770 1GB OCed = 2 Threads

Jan 2, 2013, 07:34 PM	#15
brandonwh64 Addicted to Bacon and StarCrunches!!! Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Chatsworth, GA Posts: 13,569 (10.00/day) Thanks: 2,149 Thanked 5,342 Times in 3,697 Posts System Specs	If you can salvage the money, A nice AM3+ or APU (A10-5800K) would be a good setup. __________________ Cruncher's: All GPU's GPU's: 7970 3GB Unlocked = 8 Threads 5770 1GB OCed = 2 Threads

Jan 2, 2013, 08:20 PM	#16
Fourstaff TPU Janitor Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Science Museum, Londinium Posts: 5,979 (4.70/day) Thanks: 261 Thanked 1,464 Times in 1,211 Posts System Specs	Multiposts purged, may I highlight this great feature called edit the next time you guys feel like multiposting.

System Name:	Asus K50-X5DAB
Processor:	Athlon QL-65 2.2Ghz
Memory:	1x1GB + 1X2GB
Video Card:	Mobility Radeon HD4570 512mb
Hard Disk:	Samsung 840 250Gb
CRT/LCD Model:	15.6" 1366x768

System Name:	Main Rig \| HTPC
Processor:	intel i7-3770k \| AMD A8-5600k
Motherboard:	Asus Maximus V Formula \| ASRock FM2A75M-ITX
Cooling:	Corsair H100 \| Antec Kuhler H20 620
Memory:	Mushkin Blackline 16GB (8GBx2) \| GSkill Sniper 16GB (8GBx2)
Video Card:	EVGA GTX Titan SC Sig SLI \| AMD Radeon HD 7560D
Hard Disk:	intel 330 180GB + OCZ Vertex 4 256GB + 3TB Seagate \| OCZ Agility 4 128GB
Optical Drive:	Lite-On BR Burner + Asus DVD burner \|
CRT/LCD Model:	Crossover 27Q
Case:	Cooler Master Cosmos II \| BitFenix Prodigy
PSU:	Corsair AX1200i \| Seasonic X650

Jan 2, 2013, 10:23 PM	#18
Aleksander Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 3,028 (2.39/day) Thanks: 648 Thanked 280 Times in 228 Posts System Specs	I was in an even worse situation, but I think I made one of the most difficult bets out there, unlocking a Phenom II x2 550 to a Phenom II x4 B50 with a 55$ mobo and I was told on this forum it won't unlock. That was a big lie, cuz unlock is the same with all mobos, it is the cpu who gets it, so you will depend on it. This is my throw on your new system for the money you have: http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/AMD_AM3/M4N68TM_LE/ AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Callisto 3.1GHz... Crucial Ballistix 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM... And I got an even worse combination of ram, so you will certainly win, either if you cpu will or won't unlock. As for GPU, it will surely handle a 7850, only if you can unlock all cores. You can get better cpu and mobo nowdays though.

System Name:	Mercury
Processor:	Phenom II x4 B50
Motherboard:	ASUS M4A89GTD PRO
Cooling:	Cooler Master Hyper TX3
Memory:	6GB Ram (4GBx1 Corsair 2GBx1 Nanya)
Video Card:	PowerColor AX6770 V2.0
Hard Disk:	1TB Hitachi, 500 GB WD Blue
Optical Drive:	DVD-RAM
CRT/LCD Model:	Philips 247E-LPH 24" 1920x1080
Case:	Mercury
Sound Card:	Integrated Realtek
PSU:	Corsair 750TX
Software:	Windows 7 64-bit
Benchmarks:	Maybe it is time to benchmark :D

Jan 3, 2013, 03:27 AM	#19
allen337 Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Danville IL Posts: 910 (0.29/day) Thanks: 77 Thanked 117 Times in 108 Posts System Specs	lol the cd2 ran crysis just fine and now its junk? My hd 2900 ran crysis fine with a e6600 and 4 gigs of ram I would sugest u buy a 8800 gt that would do the games your interested in

Processor:	Q6600 go
Motherboard:	DFI inf 965
Cooling:	Vapochill XE II
Memory:	patriot 4X1gig 800
Video Card:	MSI 8800GT
Hard Disk:	wd 250
Optical Drive:	Samsung 20x sata
CRT/LCD Model:	22 acer
Case:	VAPO
Sound Card:	realtek onboard
PSU:	hiper 880
Software:	win xp pro sp2-windows vista ultimate

Jan 3, 2013, 06:19 AM	#20
2V3X Join Date: Dec 2012 Posts: 13 (0.09/day) Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	buy gtx650 i will suggest gtx650 video card,performance is same as gtx550ti or hd7750/hd6770 but consumes half power of this and it didn't need extra power cables http://www.amazon.com/Galaxy-GeForce...eywords=gtx650

Jan 4, 2013, 06:30 PM	#22
Jetster Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Oregon Posts: 2,880 (2.35/day) Thanks: 941 Thanked 866 Times in 633 Posts System Specs	It gives him something to look forward to when he upgrades his board and CPU Really you should always do this when you upgrade. Go a little further then what you need. Its not like you ever stop upgrading

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