Looking for a cost effective/cheap upgrade from ATI Radeon HD 3450

[jimbob555]

I've got loads of games from past steam sales and the majority work fine when tweaking with the graphics settings. I'm not big on graphics but I do like to see a game with a good framerate. I'm currently running a ATI Radeon HD 3450 and i'm looking for a decent cost effective graphics card to upgrade into.

Using a NARRA3 3.02 motherboard? Not too sure. CPU-Z claims I can use PCI-Express and x16. No idea about the voltage though. I'm also English so i'll have to find the price myself if you recomend me a card. I have DDR2 RAM.

I'm looking for something in the range of £40-60ish (like $90? American prices are much cheaper due note.) Maybe more. I wouldn't mind to use this card in the future if I ever upgrade my pc.

Like I said before I don't care so much about graphics (I can force most source engine games into Direct X8 and they look lovely and lag free) just a nice smooth gaming experience. A low profile card would be a plus because the card I have in at the moment isn't all that big.

Thanks!

 

[Robert-The-Rambler]

Here is an example available to US customers

SAPPHIRE 100323L Radeon HD 6570 1GB DDR3 PCI Expre...

That is $75 with free shipping and is low profile. A 6570 is not exactly a strong performer but not knowing what power supply you have makes it difficult to suggest a video card. We need to know if you have enough power available and whether you have and how many PCI express connectors. It should be a huge upgrade from what you had and requires very little power anyhow.

P.S Fill out your system specs in your profile and we will better be able to help you out.

 

[NdMk2o1o]

You can get an HD 6570 for around £50 - £60 on ebuyer.com, that would be 2-3x as powerful as your 3450 if not a bit more and be fine for casual gaming.

 

[jimbob555]

How would I go about finding the voltage and the connectors then?

Also new egg isn't a opition for me as they don't ship outside the US (last time I checked..) but it's a reasonable price on amazon.

But yeah. I'm more interested in finding my voltage and connectors if that is a big deal.

 

[robal]

Hi, and welcome to TPU !

HD3450 is very low-end for gaming.
You'll definitely see and admire the difference by switching to something more recent/powerful.

Within your price range, you can look at HD6670.
UK store here: http://www.scan.co.uk/shop/computer-hardware/all/gpu-amd/radeon-hd6670-pci-e-(480-cores)

If you like smooth gaming, are you sure you don't want to get something better ?
HD6770 doesn't cost much more, but pack a punch:
http://www.scan.co.uk/shop/computer-hardware/all/gpu-amd/radeon-hd6770-pci-e-(800-cores)

Cheers,

 

[robal]

How would I go about finding the voltage and the connectors then?

Don't worry about that.
You've got PCI-E. All modern GPU will work with you motherboard.

Cheers,

 

[Robert-The-Rambler]

In recommending a 6770

Hi, and welcome to TPU !

HD3450 is very low-end for gaming.
You'll definitely see and admire the difference by switching to something more recent/powerful.

Within your price range, you can look at HD6670.
UK store here: http://www.scan.co.uk/shop/computer-hardware/all/gpu-amd/radeon-hd6670-pci-e-(480-cores)

If you like smooth gaming, are you sure you don't want to get something better ?
HD6770 doesn't cost much more, but pack a punch:
http://www.scan.co.uk/shop/computer-hardware/all/gpu-amd/radeon-hd6770-pci-e-(800-cores)

Cheers,

It would still be wise to figure out what power supply we are dealing with here. The 6670 and 6570 are safer bets since you just put them in the slot and don't need extra power from the PCI express connector.

To find out what your power supplies ratings just open your case and look at the power supply and check the readings where it states amps for 12v rails. Also look for a cable that has 6 pins. It should say PCI E.

 

[jimbob555]

The reason I don't want one too expensive is because I don't want to put too much commitment into a pc if it decides to have a hissyfit on me and die. Though it's usually a HD problem. I'll consider the

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1gb-...z-gddr5-gpu-850mhz-800-cores-dp-hdmi-dl-dvi-i

Seeing as it's such a big improvement over the last one. It's just that i'm no PC person and I don't want to get the card and find it doesn't work at all. Like I said i'm looking for smooth gaming and I have a 360 for all my gaming needs (forgive me!).

So i'll probably go for the http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1gb-...-480-stream-processors-dl-dvi-i-dvi-mini-hdmi ..

Thanks for the help so far guys. I'll probably just get a quick view from a friend who has looked at my pc with me before, before buying.

 

[Robert-The-Rambler]

What are the eta on those items?

The reason I don't want one too expensive is because I don't want to put too much commitment into a pc if it decides to have a hissyfit on me and die. Though it's usually a HD problem. I'll consider the

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1gb-...z-gddr5-gpu-850mhz-800-cores-dp-hdmi-dl-dvi-i

Seeing as it's such a big improvement over the last one. It's just that i'm no PC person and I don't want to get the card and find it doesn't work at all. Like I said i'm looking for smooth gaming and I have a 360 for all my gaming needs (forgive me!).

So i'll probably go for the http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1gb-...-480-stream-processors-dl-dvi-i-dvi-mini-hdmi ..

Thanks for the help so far guys. I'll probably just get a quick view from a friend who has looked at my pc with me before, before buying.

It seems the better priced items there are out of stock and I don't see an ETA.

 

[NdMk2o1o]

The reason I don't want one too expensive is because I don't want to put too much commitment into a pc if it decides to have a hissyfit on me and die. Though it's usually a HD problem. I'll consider the

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1gb-...z-gddr5-gpu-850mhz-800-cores-dp-hdmi-dl-dvi-i

Seeing as it's such a big improvement over the last one. It's just that i'm no PC person and I don't want to get the card and find it doesn't work at all. Like I said i'm looking for smooth gaming and I have a 360 for all my gaming needs (forgive me!).

So i'll probably go for the http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1gb-...-480-stream-processors-dl-dvi-i-dvi-mini-hdmi ..

Thanks for the help so far guys. I'll probably just get a quick view from a friend who has looked at my pc with me before, before buying.

Whats the rest of your system specs, CPU and memory ?

 

[jimbob555]

Whats the rest of your system specs, CPU and memory ?

AMD Athlon II X2 245 2.9GHZ I believe. Not overclocked.

3GB DDR2 Memory

500GB

 

[dom99]

http://www.dabs.com/products/xfx-at...-1gb-pci-express-2-1-hdmi-7J38.html?q=hd 6670

 

[boise49ers]

AMD Athlon II X2 245 2.9GHZ I believe. Not overclocked.

3GB DDR2 Memory

500GB

Go to UserCP and fill out your system specs. It benefits everyone including yourself.
You will be coming back