Cheap Graphics Card - ATI ~£30 - PCI-E

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amp88

Limp Gawd
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Sep 3, 2007
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I'm going to be RMA'ing my current graphics card (ATi HD3870x2) because there's a problem with the fan. I don't know exactly how long it will take to get the card back or for it to be replaced if they decide not to repair it. It could be anything from 3 days to 4 weeks. So, I'm looking at getting a fairly cheap card to replace it for the time I don't have my normal card. I intend to use this card for the period where I don't have the main card and possibly in the future to drive a 3rd monitor if I get one. I don't need a hugely powerful card, something that will play high def video and do OK in low demand games. I'm looking at getting an ATi card (the card I'm RMA'ing is ATi and I don't want to go through the process of swapping graphics drivers from ATi to nVidia and back again). I don't really have a set budget but would like to stick below £30 if possible. I have identified these possibilities:

Asus 4350 512MB - £24.42
PowerColor 3650 512MB - £27.75
Asus 4550 512MB - £29.61

Of those 3 options I think the 3650 is the best choice (best performance overall and good value for money). Any alternative suggestions or would the 3650 be the best choice?
 
3650 sounds good, the rest of those cards have less shaders and 64-bit memory.

I would just advise you to check that the card has DDR3 and a full 128-bit memory bus (considering how cheap it is, could be a cut-down version with DDR2 or 64-bit bus). Anything less and the card will crawl in modern games.
 
defaultluser said:
3650 sounds good, the rest of those cards have less shaders and 64-bit memory.

I would just advise you to check that the card has DDR3 and a full 128-bit memory bus (considering how cheap it is, could be a cut-down version with DDR2 or 64-bit bus). Anything less and the card will crawl in modern games.
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Hmm, I was looking at this card and it's got 1GB of DDR2 128 bit RAM. Problem is I can't find any benchmarks which compare this card to the 512MB version (in either DDR2 or DDR3). Does anyone know what the order of performance would be in normal desktop usage, high definition video playback and gaming between the 512MB DDR2, 512MB DDR3 and 1GB DDR2 versions of the 3650?

edit: Actually, it looks like I could get a 512MB DDR2 4650 for about £5 more than the 1GB DDR2 3650. This review seems to suggest the 4650 would be better value for money than the 3650.
 
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amp88 said:
Hmm, I was looking at this card and it's got 1GB of DDR2 128 bit RAM. Problem is I can't find any benchmarks which compare this card to the 512MB version (in either DDR2 or DDR3). Does anyone know what the order of performance would be in normal desktop usage, high definition video playback and gaming between the 512MB DDR2, 512MB DDR3 and 1GB DDR2 versions of the 3650?

edit: Actually, it looks like I could get a 512MB DDR2 4650 for about £5 more than the 1GB DDR2 3650. This review seems to suggest the 4650 would be better value for money than the 3650.
Click to expand...

Yes, but I told you very clearly above that DDR2 would ruin the performance of that card, because it tops-out at around 800-900 MHz. The last card to NOT be limited by DDR2 was the 7600GS, and that's an ancient piece of tech.

Let me put this in-perspective for you: in the review you linked, the 3650 was running DDR3 ram at 1600 MHz (double the bandwidth of DDR2), and the 4650 was running DDR3 at 2000 MHz. Putting DDR2 on either of these models will severely cut performance.

The problem with dirt-cheap cards is they try to sell crap to unaware consumers. They take mid-range cards like the 3650 or 4650 and put cheap DDR2 ram on there.

If you want the best performance for your dollar, IGNORE ALL MODELS WITH DDR2, AND BUY ONE WITH DDR3, even if it is only 512MB. You won't notice the difference between 512MB and 1GB.

Here's one good example. Naturally, it's a bit more expensive than the DDR2 cards you were pricing, but you may be able to find one cheaper.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-113-PC

If you insist on saving money and castrating performance with DDR2, just buy a 3650 512MB and be done with it, you won't see any better performance with the 4650.
 
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amp88 said:
Ok, thanks for the advice :)
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Holy FUCK - that card I linked is actually DDR2! But the title says GDDR3! It's also an AGP card, so you can tell just how much attention I was paying.

I don't know what to tell you man, it looks like their entire inventory of 3650 and 4650 parts is DDR2. You might have trouble finding something better without stepping-up to a 4670, in which case you should probably just settle for your super-cheap 3650.
 
defaultluser said:
Holy FUCK - that card I linked is actually DDR2! But the title says GDDR3! It's also an AGP card, so you can tell just how much attention I was paying.

I don't know what to tell you man, it looks like their entire inventory of 3650 and 4650 parts is DDR2. You might have trouble finding something better without stepping-up to a 4670, in which case you should probably just settle for your super-cheap 3650.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I didn't actually buy the card you linked to but I've taken your advice on board.
 
An HD4650 (DDR2) can be got as cheap as AU$45 now - definitely your best bet if you can find one at that price. Yes, it will be slower than a card with DDR3 - but you're looking to spend minimal money to tide you over for a while ...

Plus this is a card that you could then give as a present to someone who wants to play Guild Wars or WoW ...
 
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