nvidia card recommendation

[keakar]

what is the best NVidia pci-e card that I can buy used for under $100? it doesn't matter how new or old the design architecture is as long as its going to play most of the newer games or at least play them on low settings.


yes this is NOT the system in my specs, this is a budget upgrade for a system with onboard video only right now.

the specs for the system this will be for is as follows:

mb - intel DH55TC
cpu - i5-650 3.20 GHz
system ram - 8gb
power supply - corsair cx430 @ 430 watt http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026&cm_re=corsair_cx430-_-17-139-026-_-Product

 

[P4-630]

GTX750Ti ?

 

[EarthDog]

You are aware you can use a molex to 6+2 pin PCIe adapter, right?

I also assume this is NOT for the rig in signature? The 750TX has at least 2 6+2 pin PCIe plugs...

EDIT: It has 4...

PCI-Express Connector - 4 x 6+2-Pin

 

[qubit]

You can buy molex to PIC-E adapters to get the extra plug. A 750W Corsair PSU is certainly powerful enough.

@EarthDog Dammit, beat me by seconds.

 

[Devon68]

Maybe a GTX 950 or an older GTX 660

 

[Azumay]

Gtx 950 is a good little card for one 6 pin connection,

 

[newtekie1]

GTX960

 

[Vellinious]

ASUS GTX 970 STRIX. It has a single 8 pin power cable, but the 6 pin / 8 pin pinouts are identical. 3 hot wires / 3 grounds for the 6 pin, and 3 hot wires, 5 grounds for the 8 pin. Get a 6 pin to 8 pin adapter, and viola...problem solved.

 

[L.ccd]

Depending on your budget, either a used 660 or a 960. The former will give you 75% of the latter's performance for a quarter of the price: http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/t...gtx670-vs-gtx760-vs-gtx960-benchmarks.219517/

 

[newtekie1]

ASUS GTX 970 STRIX. It has a single 8 pin power cable, but the 6 pin / 8 pin pinouts are identical. 3 hot wires / 3 grounds for the 6 pin, and 3 hot wires, 5 grounds for the 8 pin. Get a 6 pin to 8 pin adapter, and viola...problem solved.

That isn't entirely true. The 6-pin only requires 2x12v wires, and 3xGround. Most good quality PSUs have 3x12v, because they are really 6+2 connectors, AKA 8-pin capable. The actual specification for the 6-pin actually says "no connection" for the middle 12v wire. You can see the pin-out here. The 8-pin on the other hand requires the middle 12v wire be there.

If he has a decent PSU, then using a 6-pin to 8-pin adapter is ok, but most PSUs that only have a single 6-pin aren't decent. So I wouldn't recommend it, and we can't even guarantee that the middle 12v wire is there on his PSU.

 

[GhostRyder]

what is the best NVidia pci-e card that only needs one 6 pin connection? doesn't matter new or old as long as its going to play most of the newer games or at least play them on low settings.

im limited to one 6 pin plug because that's all my power supply has available for it

How much you want to spend matters because as stated above you can get a GTX 970 and a 6-8pin adaptor or similar to the other suggestions of Molex adaptors. If you just specifically don't want to deal with any of that, get a GTX 960.

 

[keakar]

You are aware you can use a molex to 6+2 pin PCIe adapter, right?

no I wasn't sure if it was ok to do that or not, don't you have to be sure each plug comes off a different rail?

I suppose I could buy 2 6+2 plug adaptors and connect one to each of the two separate unused wire leads with the molex type connectors to be sure I use separate rails for it.

hmmm, yeah that sounds like a plan to avoid accidentally overloading one rail so I guess that solves the question of power plugs.

I also assume this is NOT for the rig in signature?

ok geez sory guys I forgot the most important details the system specs

yes this is NOT the system in my specs

the specs for the system this will be for is as follows:

mb - intel DH55TC
cpu - i5-650 3.20 GHz
system ram - 8gb
power supply - corsair cx430 @ 430 watt http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...26&cm_re=corsair_cx430-_-17-139-026-_-Product

so now for the budget, geez I forgot to include that too , I just need to find a good as I can get for it, used video card I can pick up for under $100 on ebay.

 

[EarthDog]

That PSU is a single rail...

With that PSU, I wouldn't go much over a GTX 960 honestly...

 

[GhostRyder]

That PSU is a single rail...

With that PSU, I wouldn't go much over a GTX 960 honestly...

I agree, GTX 960 is probably the best.

 

[keakar]

I agree, GTX 960 is probably the best.

hmm, I saw a gtx 460 for $50 im thinking about hard but not sure how that would handle todays games?

I don't see any 960 for under $100 except broken ones and the under $100 price point seams to top out on the gtx660 cards so what would be a step above the 460 but less then a 660 that I might find under $100 used that could handle todays games?

 

[Toothless]

hmm, but I don't see any 960 for under $100 except broken ones

I saw a gtx 460 for $50 im thinking about hard but not sure how that would handle todays games?

what would be a step above the 460 but less then a 960 that I might find under $100 used?

A 460 won't do shit for newer games. Look for a 750ti or 950.

 

[GhostRyder]

hmm, I saw a gtx 460 for $50 im thinking about hard but not sure how that would handle todays games?

I don't see any 960 for under $100 except broken ones and the under $100 price point seams to top out on the gtx660 cards so what would be a step above the 460 but less then a 660 that I might find under $100 used that could handle todays games?

Ohhhh, that's the budget. Well if you want something that cheap lets see whats available:

Heres a cheap GTX 950 which is a pretty good card:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/MSI-GeForce...250522?hash=item58d840d8da:g:b8IAAOSwZtJW-7TQ

Or if you want cheaper and used, you should be able to find a GTX 760 under $100 like this one:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/COLORFUL-NV...432944?hash=item3d18581d70:g:5F8AAOSwiYFXGwJx

 

[keakar]

Ohhhh, that's the budget. Well if you want something that cheap lets see whats available:

Heres a cheap GTX 950 which is a pretty good card:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/MSI-GeForce...250522?hash=item58d840d8da:g:b8IAAOSwZtJW-7TQ

Or if you want cheaper and used, you should be able to find a GTX 760 under $100 like this one:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/COLORFUL-NV...432944?hash=item3d18581d70:g:5F8AAOSwiYFXGwJx

well the point of going used is to get a better card that costs way more then $100 if just bought it new, but because its used, I can get it for only $100 and have a much much better card then buying a new one that fits in the $100 budget.

so that's why im only shopping the used card market

 

[EarthDog]

Problem with that is your MEH(at best) PSU. That thing loses its mind (can't output its power) over 30C... You need to stick with a low powered card. I would see if you can find those a 960 used or increase the budget.

Much less htan that its not a worthwhile gaming card.

 

[Kursah]

That PSU is a single rail...

With that PSU, I wouldn't go much over a GTX 960 honestly...

Gotta agree here, but I have a 5 year-old CX430 that spent almost 2 years pushing a GTX 570 and has been pushing a GTX 660 FTW for a year now with 0 issues at all. Been a very impressive little PSU that I really expected to have replaced by now. GTX570's are power hogs...and the system is in my sig (Family PC 1). Granted it is on an i3 1155 system, so might be saving some power there compared to the i5 650.

Not saying you should push the boundaries of that PSU by any means, I agree a 960 or 970 would be as-far-as I'd push it. I'm not sure what the GTX 660 pulls, but FAR less than the 570 did!

 

[keakar]

Problem with that is your MEH(at best) PSU. That thing loses its mind (can't output its power) over 30C... You need to stick with a low powered card. I would see if you can find those a 960 used or increase the budget.

Much less htan that its not a worthwhile gaming card.

so what are a list of low power cards that would do "ok" with todays games and run on that PS? because my thinking is the higher number runs higher power so I thought all 900's would be power hogs

as far as maxing out the PS I don't want to do that so maybe something that wont use more the 75% of its power would be my comfort zone.

if all else fails I "might" consider a different PS but I severely doubt it, but I don't buy used power supplies and a "good" PS is NOT cheap so I say it only has a 5% chance of a replacement PS happening.

 

[thebluebumblebee]

A CX430 should be able to power a GTX 670. On the red team, you could look at a 7950 or R9 280.
This is the brand and model that I'd look for: http://www.ebay.com/itm/MSI-NVIDIA-...807735?hash=item1eaf0bd777:g:iQIAAOSwKfVXFYVZ
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_670_Power_Edition/

my thinking is the higher number runs higher power so I thought all 900's would be power hogs

no. The important number is the second to last number. Typically, the higher it is, the higher the card's performance and power draw.

 

[EarthDog]

There is 374W on the 12v rail on the CX430........ so long as it is kept under 30C (my house ambient is 22C......).

As far as wattage of the cool stories above....

570 = 219W
660 = 140W
670 = 170W

i3 2105 = 65W CPU.

 

[silentbogo]

There are only few good cards that fall within your $100 budget.
While I personally own two GTX 750Ti's (MSI Gaming and MSI low-profile), I still suggest to look at other options.

1) GTX650Ti Boost - almost the same performance. A bit cheaper than 750Ti and it supports SLI
2) GTX660/OC fell in value to almost below GTX750Ti. I recently bought one without a heatsink for ~$60 locally. Perfect choice for 1080p gaming if you don't care about DX12.

Both cards require 1x6pin PCI-E connector. Both are 2-way SLI capable. Both are cheap.

My last rig ran an i5-2400 + GTX660 from an old and cheap Athenapower 400W PSU no prob.
That CX430 will be just fine.

 

[keakar]

A CX430 should be able to power a GTX 670. On the red team, you could look at a 7950 or R9 280.
This is the brand and model that I'd look for: http://www.ebay.com/itm/MSI-NVIDIA-...807735?hash=item1eaf0bd777:g:iQIAAOSwKfVXFYVZ
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_670_Power_Edition/

no. The important number is the second to last number. Typically, the higher it is, the higher the card's performance and power draw.

ok so your saying I should shop for 660 or 670 in green and 7950 or 280 in red and that's what fits my budget and system specs best? (I would presume the 750 or 760 falls in there too)