Looking for New Graphics Card, No Idea What to Get

ct5098 · Feb 2, 2011

I'm looking to buy a new graphics card as my old one quit on me (GeForce 8800GTS). However, I have no idea what I should get. I'm not looking to get anything more expensive than $300, and I would like to be able to run my games at 1920 X 1200. I don't care with Nvidia vs. ATI, I just want to get the best graphics card for the money. I appreciate any recommendations.

Mussels · Feb 2, 2011

the four that stick out to me as powerful cards that are still value for money:

GTX460
HD6850/6870
HD6950 (and possibly do the 6970 bios mod)

NdMk2o1o · Feb 2, 2011

Please post the rest of your specs (go to User CP) The above mussels said are good, though the 560 TI is worth a look at especially as you have the budget for it.

Mussels · Feb 2, 2011

i havent looked into the 560ti at all, it may well be good as well. its too new for me to have researched much into or made an opinion on it yet.

ct5098 · Feb 2, 2011

Thank you for the quick replies. I updated my system specs. As you can see, my system is older (DDR2); will this have any effect on the effectiveness of the graphics card(bottlenecking) or is that just dependent upon the CPU?

MxPhenom 216 · Feb 2, 2011

GTX560Ti or 6950 are WIN cards! I am considering ditching my 470 for a 6950 for the quietness, efficiency and along with quite a bit better performance even with tesselation

Mussels · Feb 2, 2011

ct5098 said:
Thank you for the quick replies. I updated my system specs. As you can see, my system is older (DDR2); will this have any effect on the effectiveness of the graphics card(bottlenecking) or is that just dependent upon the CPU?

not really, no. single threaded performance of the CPU matters first, then enough threads for what you're doing (some games need more than others), then enough CPU power to feed the video card.

You got a decent quad, so you're covered for any single GPU setup there, which is where your budget fits anyway.

Kreij · Feb 2, 2011

The 2GB 5870 is still a solid buy at ~$259 (for 1920x1080) ... no?

Relinquish · Feb 5, 2011

Kreij said:
The 2GB 5870 is still a solid buy at ~$259 (for 1920x1080) ... no?

plus an overclock and you'd be much faster than even a GTX 460.

Fourstaff · Feb 5, 2011

Kreij said:
The 2GB 5870 is still a solid buy at ~$259 (for 1920x1080) ... no?

I am not too sure about that, because the tesselation of the 5xxx series lags behind both the 6xxx and the GTX4xx or GTX5xx. If you are not concerned about tesselation, then by all means the 5870 is a very solid choice.

freaksavior · Feb 5, 2011

Mussels said:
the four that stick out to me as powerful cards that are still value for money:

GTX460
HD6850/6870
HD6950 (and possibly do the 6970 bios mod)

I second this notion. Is this what we are doing? voting because if we are voting, I vote for pie flavour.

anyway, I agree with the 460/560 HD6850/6870 or HD6950. You could probably find a used gtx 570 somewhere for close to your $300 range.

ct5098 · Feb 5, 2011

I'm pretty certain that I'm going to get the 6950. Thanks for all of the responses, they really helped narrow down the choices.

G21SF · Feb 9, 2011

nvidiaintelftw said:
GTX560Ti or 6950 are WIN cards! I am considering ditching my 470 for a 6950 for the quietness, efficiency and along with quite a bit better performance even with tesselation

I ditched my 470 and got a 6970,best move i ever made :rockout:

G21SF · Feb 9, 2011

Kreij said:
The 2GB 5870 is still a solid buy at ~$259 (for 1920x1080) ... no?

You can pick up a 6950 2GB @ newegg for $20 more.Flash it to 6970 and you got yourself a hell of a card :cool:

LDNL · Feb 9, 2011

6950 with a bios flash should do the trick

Over_Lord · Feb 9, 2011

HD6950 2GB FTW

buy it while stocks last(new revisions wont support bios flash to HD6970)

von kain · Feb 9, 2011

a cool trick it would be if you can use your on board gpu for phys-x though i can say if you can...

20mmrain · Feb 9, 2011

Mussels said:
the four that stick out to me as powerful cards that are still value for money:

GTX460
HD6850/6870
HD6950 (and possibly do the 6970 bios mod)

Agreed with this statement maybe plus two.... a GTX 560 or 5850

PopcornMachine · Feb 9, 2011

I run my 6950 as a 6950. No bios mods. Plenty of power there.

Anarchy0110 · Feb 9, 2011

AMD Phenom II X4 955, so why don't HD6950 1Gb

ct5098 · Feb 9, 2011

Ordered my 6950 on Sunday, UPS was supposed to deliver it Tuesday, but there was a dusting of snow on the ground, so they canceled the delivery. Two days later, I still haven't gotten it...damn UPS :banghead:

GSquadron · Feb 9, 2011

Myself would go for the GTX 560

yogurt_21 · Feb 9, 2011

Aleksander Dishnica said:
Myself would go for the GTX 560

6950 is faster at stock and it has the option to unlock.

GSquadron · Feb 9, 2011

560 has cuda and physx

Zubasa · Feb 9, 2011

Aleksander Dishnica said:
560 has cuda and physx

That is if you actually use any apps that supports CUDA.
Physx? Seriously?

Processor	AMD Phenom II 955 BE @ 3.4 GHz
Motherboard	MSI K9N2G Neo
Cooling	Xigmatek heatsink
Memory	2 x 2GB DDR2 @ 800 MHz
Video Card(s)	Sapphire 2GB Radeon HD 6950
Storage	1TB Western Digital Black Edition
Display(s)	Auria 25" LCD
Case	NZXT tower
Audio Device(s)	N/A
Power Supply	550 Watt
Software	Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

System Name	Rainbow Sparkles (Power efficient, <350W gaming load)
Processor	Ryzen R7 5800x3D (Undervolted, 4.45GHz all core)
Motherboard	Asus x570-F (BIOS Modded)
Cooling	Alphacool Apex UV - Alphacool Eisblock XPX Aurora + EK Quantum ARGB 3090 w/ active backplate
Memory	2x32GB DDR4 3600 Corsair Vengeance RGB @3866 C18-22-22-22-42 TRFC704 (1.4V Hynix MJR - SoC 1.15V)
Video Card(s)	Galax RTX 3090 SG 24GB: Underclocked to 1700Mhz 0.750v (375W down to 250W))
Storage	2TB WD SN850 NVME + 1TB Sasmsung 970 Pro NVME + 1TB Intel 6000P NVME USB 3.2
Display(s)	Phillips 32 32M1N5800A (4k144), LG 32" (4K60) \| Gigabyte G32QC (2k165) \| Phillips 328m6fjrmb (2K144)
Case	Fractal Design R6
Audio Device(s)	Logitech G560 \| Corsair Void pro RGB \|Blue Yeti mic
Power Supply	Fractal Ion+ 2 860W (Platinum) (This thing is God-tier. Silent and TINY)
Mouse	Logitech G Pro wireless + Steelseries Prisma XL
Keyboard	Razer Huntsman TE ( Sexy white keycaps)
VR HMD	Oculus Rift S + Quest 2
Software	Windows 11 pro x64 (Yes, it's genuinely a good OS) OpenRGB - ditch the branded bloatware!
Benchmark Scores	Nyooom.

System Name	Ryzen Reynolds
Processor	Ryzen 1600 - 4.0Ghz 1.415v - SMT disabled
Motherboard	mATX Asrock AB350m AM4
Cooling	Raijintek Leto Pro
Memory	Vulcan T-Force 16GB DDR4 3000 16.18.18 @3200Mhz 14.17.17
Video Card(s)	Sapphire Nitro+ 4GB RX 580 - 1450/2000 BIOS mod 8-)
Storage	Seagate B'cuda 1TB/Sandisk 128GB SSD
Display(s)	Acer ED242QR 75hz Freesync
Case	Corsair Carbide Series SPEC-01
Audio Device(s)	Onboard
Power Supply	Corsair VS 550w
Mouse	Zalman ZM-M401R
Keyboard	Razor Lycosa
Software	Windows 10 x64
Benchmark Scores	https://www.3dmark.com/spy/6220813

System Name	Rainbow Sparkles (Power efficient, <350W gaming load)
Processor	Ryzen R7 5800x3D (Undervolted, 4.45GHz all core)
Motherboard	Asus x570-F (BIOS Modded)
Cooling	Alphacool Apex UV - Alphacool Eisblock XPX Aurora + EK Quantum ARGB 3090 w/ active backplate
Memory	2x32GB DDR4 3600 Corsair Vengeance RGB @3866 C18-22-22-22-42 TRFC704 (1.4V Hynix MJR - SoC 1.15V)
Video Card(s)	Galax RTX 3090 SG 24GB: Underclocked to 1700Mhz 0.750v (375W down to 250W))
Storage	2TB WD SN850 NVME + 1TB Sasmsung 970 Pro NVME + 1TB Intel 6000P NVME USB 3.2
Display(s)	Phillips 32 32M1N5800A (4k144), LG 32" (4K60) \| Gigabyte G32QC (2k165) \| Phillips 328m6fjrmb (2K144)
Case	Fractal Design R6
Audio Device(s)	Logitech G560 \| Corsair Void pro RGB \|Blue Yeti mic
Power Supply	Fractal Ion+ 2 860W (Platinum) (This thing is God-tier. Silent and TINY)
Mouse	Logitech G Pro wireless + Steelseries Prisma XL
Keyboard	Razer Huntsman TE ( Sexy white keycaps)
VR HMD	Oculus Rift S + Quest 2
Software	Windows 11 pro x64 (Yes, it's genuinely a good OS) OpenRGB - ditch the branded bloatware!
Benchmark Scores	Nyooom.

Processor	AMD Phenom II 955 BE @ 3.4 GHz
Motherboard	MSI K9N2G Neo
Cooling	Xigmatek heatsink
Memory	2 x 2GB DDR2 @ 800 MHz
Video Card(s)	Sapphire 2GB Radeon HD 6950
Storage	1TB Western Digital Black Edition
Display(s)	Auria 25" LCD
Case	NZXT tower
Audio Device(s)	N/A
Power Supply	550 Watt
Software	Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

System Name	Ryzen Reflection
Processor	AMD Ryzen 9 5900x
Motherboard	Gigabyte X570S Aorus Master
Cooling	2x EK PE360 \| TechN AM4 AMD Block Black \| EK Quantum Vector Trinity GPU Nickel + Plexi
Memory	Teamgroup T-Force Xtreem 2x16GB B-Die 3600 @ 14-14-14-28-42-288-2T 1.45v
Video Card(s)	Zotac AMP HoloBlack RTX 3080Ti 12G \| 950mV 1950Mhz
Storage	WD SN850 500GB (OS) \| Samsung 980 Pro 1TB (Games_1) \| Samsung 970 Evo 1TB (Games_2)
Display(s)	Asus XG27AQM 240Hz G-Sync Fast-IPS \| Gigabyte M27Q-P 165Hz 1440P IPS \| Asus 24" IPS (portrait mode)
Case	Lian Li PC-011D XL \| Custom cables by Cablemodz
Audio Device(s)	FiiO K7 \| Sennheiser HD650 + Beyerdynamic FOX Mic
Power Supply	Seasonic Prime Ultra Platinum 850
Mouse	Razer Viper v2 Pro
Keyboard	Razer Huntsman Tournament Edition
Software	Windows 11 Pro 64-Bit

Processor	i5 2500K @ 4.6 1.397
Motherboard	Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3P-B3
Cooling	GELID Tranquillo with sickleflow 1800RPM
Memory	8GB G.Skill 1600Mhz CL9
Video Card(s)	AMD Radeon 6950 unlocked to 6970
Storage	120GB Intel 320 SSD
Power Supply	OCZ Fatal1ty 550W Modular PSU
Software	Windows 8

System Name	Orange! // ItchyHands
Processor	3570K // 10400F
Motherboard	ASRock z77 Extreme4 // TUF Gaming B460M-Plus
Cooling	Stock // Stock
Memory	2x4Gb 1600Mhz CL9 Corsair XMS3 // 2x8Gb 3200 Mhz XPG D41
Video Card(s)	Sapphire Nitro+ RX 570 // Asus TUF RTX 2070
Storage	Samsung 840 250Gb // SX8200 480GB
Display(s)	LG 22EA53VQ // Philips 275M QHD
Case	NZXT Phantom 410 Black/Orange // Tecware Forge M
Power Supply	Corsair CXM500w // CM MWE 600w

System Name	ZeroUptime \| M.A.S.S / MM1
Processor	Xeon 2659 v3 / Xeon 2683 v4 / ARM A14
Motherboard	Asus X99-E-10G WS / ASRock x99 usb 3.1 / Apple
Cooling	NZXT Kraken / Noctua NH-L12 / Apple
Memory	16Gb DDR4 / 32Gb DDR4 / 16GB HBLM
Video Card(s)	Powercooler ATI vega 64 / GT 7300 / ARM
Storage	Samsung 970 512 Evo NVMe / A lot. / 256 + 512 External TB3
Display(s)	Acer Predator X34 / Headless / Acer X34 Non predator
Case	NZXT H630 \|Rosewill 8bay 4u server chasiss / MMM1
Audio Device(s)	Onboard / Onboard / Onboard
Power Supply	Corais HX850 \| Corsair TX750 / Internal 250w
Mouse	g502 proteus core / Headless / g502 proteus core
Keyboard	Corsair K95 Cherry Blue / Headless / K65 Cherry Red
Software	Windows 10 / ESXI / Big Sur 11.2.2

System Name	The Kingdom
Processor	AMD X6 Thunban @ 3.8 GHZ
Motherboard	Biostar TA890FXE
Cooling	Corsair H50
Memory	8GB Patriot Sector 5 DDR 3 1600
Video Card(s)	Diamond 6970 2GB
Storage	western Digital 500 GB
Display(s)	I-INC 28 inch
Case	Lian -LI
Audio Device(s)	Creative XFI
Power Supply	800 watts Corsair Gold silent pro ( Modular)
Software	Windows 7 ultimate (X64)
Benchmark Scores	Benchmarking ? hmmm let me see... well i don't benchmark :(

System Name	BAH! - - tHE ECo FReAK
Processor	Athlon II X4 620 @ 1.15V
Motherboard	ASUS 785G EVO
Cooling	Stock
Memory	Corsair Titanium 4GB DDR3 1600MHz C9
Video Card(s)	Sapphire HD5850 @ 1.049v
Storage	Seagate 7200.12 500GB
Display(s)	BenQ G2220HD
Case	Cooler Master Elite 334
Audio Device(s)	Onboard
Power Supply	Corsair VX550W
Software	Windows 7 Ultimate x64

System Name	intel-hate
Processor	Amd phenom 2 955 @ 3800
Motherboard	msi 790fx-gd70
Cooling	coolermaster
Memory	4096 @1600 corsair
Video Card(s)	sapphire 5770 @950-1350
Storage	1 seagate 80gb sata2 1 160gb seagate sata
Display(s)	20inch wide lg
Power Supply	chieftech 750w
Software	windows 7 x64
Benchmark Scores	nah

System Name	My Gaming System
Processor	Intel i7 4770k @ 4.4 Ghz
Motherboard	Asus Maximus VI Impact (ITX)
Cooling	Custom Full System Water cooling Loop
Memory	G.Skill 1866 Mhz Sniper 8 Gb
Video Card(s)	EVGA GTX 780 ti SC
Storage	Samsung SSD EVO 120GB - Samsung SSD EVO 500GB
Display(s)	ASUS W246H - 24" - widescreen TFT active matrix LCD
Case	Bitfenix Prodigy
Power Supply	Corsair AX760 Modular PSU
Software	Windows 8.1 Home Primeum

System Name	Vulcan
Processor	i6 6600K
Motherboard	GIGABYTE Z170X UD3
Cooling	Thermaltake Frio Silent 14
Memory	16GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB)
Video Card(s)	ASUS Strix GTX 970
Storage	Mushkin Enhanced Reactor 1TB SSD
Display(s)	QNIX 27 Inch 1440p
Case	Fractal Design Define S
Audio Device(s)	On Board
Power Supply	Cooler Master V750
Software	Win 10 64-bit

Processor	Intel Core i5 12400F Alder Lake Hex-Core Processor @ 2.5 GHz
Motherboard	Asrock B760M Pro RS/D4
Cooling	Thermalright Assassin 120X Refined SE
Memory	16GB DDR4 2666MHz Dual Channel Corsair Vengeance LPX
Video Card(s)	Asus RTX2060-DUAL-O6G EVO (NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060)
Storage	1TB Samsung PM9A1 NVMe + 500GB Crucial P3 NVMe + 2TB WD Black P10 External HDD
Display(s)	Asus VG278Q TN Full HD 144Hz Gaming Monitor
Case	MSI MAG Shield 110R
Audio Device(s)	Logitech G Pro X Wireless Gaming Headset
Power Supply	CoolerMaster MWE Bronze v2 450W
Mouse	Razer Viper V3 Hyperspeed w/ Hyperpolling Dongle + Razer Deathadder V3 Wired
Keyboard	VGN VXE ATK68 Gateron Mechanical Hall-Effect\| Monka 3075 V2 Pro Cherry Powder
Software	AtlasOS v0.4

System Name	Dark Stealth
Processor	Ryzen 5 5600x
Motherboard	Gigabyte B450M Gaming rev 1.0
Cooling	Snowman, arctic p12 x2 fans
Memory	16x2 DDR4 Corsair Dominator Pro
Video Card(s)	3080 10gb
Storage	2TB NVME PCIE 4.0 Crucial P3 Plus, 1TB Crucial MX500 SSD, 4TB WD RED HDD
Display(s)	HP Omen 34c (34" monitor 3440x1440 165Hz VA panel)
Case	Zalman S2
Power Supply	Corsair 750TX
Mouse	Logitech pro superlight, mx mouse s3, Razer Basiliskx with battery
Keyboard	Custom mechanical keyboard tm680
Software	Windows 11
Benchmark Scores	70-80 fps 3440x1440 on cyberpunk 2077 max settings

System Name	Dark Stealth
Processor	Ryzen 5 5600x
Motherboard	Gigabyte B450M Gaming rev 1.0
Cooling	Snowman, arctic p12 x2 fans
Memory	16x2 DDR4 Corsair Dominator Pro
Video Card(s)	3080 10gb
Storage	2TB NVME PCIE 4.0 Crucial P3 Plus, 1TB Crucial MX500 SSD, 4TB WD RED HDD
Display(s)	HP Omen 34c (34" monitor 3440x1440 165Hz VA panel)
Case	Zalman S2
Power Supply	Corsair 750TX
Mouse	Logitech pro superlight, mx mouse s3, Razer Basiliskx with battery
Keyboard	Custom mechanical keyboard tm680
Software	Windows 11
Benchmark Scores	70-80 fps 3440x1440 on cyberpunk 2077 max settings

System Name	Thought I'd be done with this by now
Processor	i7 11700k 8/16
Motherboard	MSI Z590 Pro Wifi
Cooling	Be Quiet Dark Rock Pro 4, 9x aigo AR12
Memory	32GB GSkill TridentZ Neo DDR4-4000 CL18-22-22-42
Video Card(s)	MSI Ventus 2x Geforce RTX 3070
Storage	1TB MX300 M.2 OS + Games, + cloud mostly
Display(s)	Samsung 40" 4k (TV)
Case	Lian Li PC-011 Dynamic EVO Black
Audio Device(s)	onboard HD -> Yamaha 5.1
Power Supply	EVGA 850 GQ
Mouse	Logitech wireless
Keyboard	same
VR HMD	nah
Software	Windows 10
Benchmark Scores	no one cares anymore lols

Processor	Core i7-12700k
Motherboard	Z690 Aero G D4
Cooling	Custom loop water, 3x 420 Rad
Video Card(s)	RX 7900 XTX Phantom Gaming
Storage	Plextor M10P 2TB
Display(s)	InnoCN 27M2V
Case	Thermaltake Level 20 XT
Audio Device(s)	Soundblaster AE-5 Plus
Power Supply	FSP Aurum PT 1200W
Software	Windows 11 Pro 64-bit

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