best video card for $100- $150

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viper92086

Gawd
Joined
Sep 3, 2002
Messages
963
Hey guys so i've been out of the hardware loop for a couple years, and i just cant figure out the best bang for my buck. I dont mind if the card is new or used, but here's what i'm looking for: it could be either nvidia or ati. But it must be a quiet card with hdmi output. I'm looking to play the upcoming starcraft 2, i know its not the most graphically intense game. The card must also be somewhat energy efficient. and use as little power as possible, while still being a respectable card. thanks
 
4770 crossfire for $210 is nice, but the 4850 still outclasses it performance wise... a gtx 260 can easily be gotten for $130-140 after rebate...

Personally I like the gtx 260 but its up to you....
 
Zero82z said:
A 4870 1GB or GTX260 would be the best in that price range.
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this. both are good values right now. also a pair of 4850 is not bad either.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121291 130 AR asus 4870 1gb with AM cooling. nice card.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150394 XFX 4870 1gb reference card but excellent customer service and warranty

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121316 asus GTX260 for 145AR. (should be able to find cheaper, just not this moment on newegg)
 
HD4770 is good and will be easier to handle a low power requirement. How much power is your PSU rated for?

The HD4770 is much cooler temperature wise as well.
 
Zero82z said:
Because that doesn't affect the answer to his question.
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actually it does. the best video card for him may be different if he has an otherwise outdated pc and and/or poor power supply. not to mention the res he plays out is still part of this equation. I have seen these threads go on for hours or even days only to find out the OP has single core cpu or such.
 
HD4770: good performance + good cooling solution + low power requirements = pretty quiet card
 
cannondale06 said:
why doesnt somebody actually ask what the rest of his specs are???
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tired of asking. wish that you had to put it in your sig when you sign up. but to be honest I do expect most members here to know the basics. still your right it should have come up
 
well I definatly done game as much as I used to since graduating, but if I do I would like to game at 1680x1050 resolutions. The pc is a quad core with 8gb ram. Its actually that hp from staples that was on sale this week. (Don't flame me lol, I've built many pcs and done a lot of custom pcs, but I have since then started working full time and don't have the time to deal with building a pc right now or the desire). I quickly glanced at the psu and i think it was only 300 watts but I can't remeber if that was total or just the 12v rail. I'm mainly buying this card because I need hdmi. But I figured I'd get the best card this psu can handle so I can do maybe my once a month gaming lol. So the hd4770 seems like its still winning because of its low power req and low heat. (I don't need my room to be a sauna) when the pc is at idle.
 
viper92086 said:
well I definatly done game as much as I used to since graduating, but if I do I would like to game at 1680x1050 resolutions. The pc is a quad core with 8gb ram. Its actually that hp from staples that was on sale this week. (Don't flame me lol, I've built many pcs and done a lot of custom pcs, but I have since then started working full time and don't have the time to deal with building a pc right now or the desire). I quickly glanced at the psu and i think it was only 300 watts but I can't remeber if that was total or just the 12v rail. I'm mainly buying this card because I need hdmi. But I figured I'd get the best card this psu can handle so I can do maybe my once a month gaming lol. So the hd4770 seems like its still winning because of its low power req and low heat. (I don't need my room to be a sauna) when the pc is at idle.
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even a 4770 will be cutting it a little close with a quad and that psu. that 300watter that HP uses rarely actually makes its advertised 19 amps on its 12v rail even when new. plus those cheap oem psus dont make their advertised wattage at realistic temps either.
 
The psu is actually made by liteon. I'm not sure if they make good psus but they always made good dvd drives lol. I will check the amp rating when I get home. Worse case it will need to be upgraded, but I'd like to use it if I can.
 
viper92086 said:
The psu is actually made by liteon. I'm not sure if they make good psus but they always made good dvd drives lol. I will check the amp rating when I get home. Worse case it will need to be upgraded, but I'd like to use it if I can.
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HP uses lite on, delta, and hi pro for their 300watt psus and they all have the exact same specs which includes 19amps on the 12v. what is the exact cpu that you have? if its a really low power quad then you might be okay but I still would be a little hesitate.
 
I'm in the market for the same thing, and based on what you have, I'd stay with the 4770. You could get a 4850 for the same price (sometimes even less than the 4770) but it uses much more power. With a 4870 I think your power supply would have to be replaced, but that's just a theory.

since you want low voltage and temp, I'd say ultimately get a 4770. you might pay a slight premium right now though compared to a 4850/4870 since they are cheap as balls now.
 
i saw the 4770 at newegg for 105 free shipping. if i can sell my laptop this weekend i will definatly pick up the 4770 from newegg and take the chance on the psu. the chip is the 95w one.... thanks guys, i will still remain open to opinions tho till i place my order so if u know of a card that is still great on performance while using minimal power, please let me know. does nvidia make any cards that are similar?
 
viper92086 said:
i saw the 4770 at newegg for 105 free shipping. if i can sell my laptop this weekend i will definatly pick up the 4770 from newegg and take the chance on the psu. the chip is the 95w one.... thanks guys, i will still remain open to opinions tho till i place my order so if u know of a card that is still great on performance while using minimal power, please let me know. does nvidia make any cards that are similar?
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which 95w one? my 5000 X2(95W) and 4670 would hit 190-195 watts during gaming and the 4770 will use 10-15 watts more. thats 200-210 watts at that wall which would be around actual 165watts. that psu realistically only has about 16-17 12v amps to offer in real world conditions. you should be fine but you will certainly be taxing that psu within 80-90% of its max 12v power. also there are situations where you could use even more wattage such as some benchmarks that will load your pc more than typical gaming. remember too that cheap oem psus use cheap parts that arent designed to handle loads like that especially long term.
 
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the q8200 hmm i wonder if i can get mbm working with this mobo, i gotta try it out later and see how strong the rail is now. i know its a asus motherboard
 
viper92086 said:
the q8200 hmm i wonder if i can get mbm working with this mobo, i gotta try it out later and see how strong the rail is now. i know its a asus motherboard
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MBM probably won't work as it hasn't been supported for years, and software voltage monitoring is useless anyway so it won't tell you anything. If you want to check the stability of the +12V rail voltage regulation, you'll have to use a digital multimeter.
 
viper92086 said:
well I definatly done game as much as I used to since graduating, but if I do I would like to game at 1680x1050 resolutions. The pc is a quad core with 8gb ram. Its actually that hp from staples that was on sale this week. (Don't flame me lol, I've built many pcs and done a lot of custom pcs, but I have since then started working full time and don't have the time to deal with building a pc right now or the desire). I quickly glanced at the psu and i think it was only 300 watts but I can't remeber if that was total or just the 12v rail. I'm mainly buying this card because I need hdmi. But I figured I'd get the best card this psu can handle so I can do maybe my once a month gaming lol. So the hd4770 seems like its still winning because of its low power req and low heat. (I don't need my room to be a sauna) when the pc is at idle.
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http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008 45 dollars AR (free shipping) 400 watt corsair PSU

and

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10009919&prodlist=froogle 89 dollars XFX 48050 (might want to think about upgrading to a 4870, look around when they come on sale)

and your still in budget :D though you might want to get a higher wattage PSU for future use. if you want to get a 4770 I would still think about going with a better PSU. The Asus models are in stock at newegg and run 110
 
+1 to Valsets suggestion. The 4850 beats the 4770 in many tests and is cheaper. The Asus 4850 is pretty cheap too and comes with great fan control and overclocking software.
 
If its the quiet and power you want 4770 is the card you want. BUT 4850 is cheaper/faster than 4770 and 4770 is still selling for retail price when it first released couple months ago(no price drop).
 
I had a 4850 and it handled every game I played @ 1680x1050 on a 22" which includes TF2, DOD:S, L4D, cs:s, call of duty 4 and world @ war. All with aa & af and more than playable fps.
 
I too would go with the 4780 for $140 shipped if you upgraded your PSU.

Just a thought but the 4670 can be had for $65 and should work on your stock PSU and as long as youre not going to be using very high resolutions should be able to play most games today with most of the bells and whistles It uses significantly less power and doesnt even need a power wire. It gets its juice from the PCI slot.
 
Gym Rat said:
I too would go with the 4780 for $140 shipped if you upgraded your PSU.

Just a thought but the 4670 can be had for $65 and should work on your stock PSU and as long as youre not going to be using very high resolutions should be able to play most games today with most of the bells and whistles It uses significantly less power and doesnt even need a power wire. It gets its juice from the PCI slot.
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actually I forgot that, the 4670 is not a bad little card. I would still replace that psu though
 
Valset said:
actually I forgot that, the 4670 is not a bad little card. I would still replace that psu though
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well the Q8200 is a very low power cpu for a quad. it and a 4670 would likely not even hit 160-170 watts at the wall under full system load. he would probably be okay with a 4770 too but that would certainly be at the very edge of I would recommend with that psu.

even an 8800gtx and Q8200 only pull 205 watts under load. http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core2quad-q9400_11.html#sect0
 
So a 4670 would be good enough for him. How does a 9800 GT compare in terms of power draw? Because the 9800GT can run most games well.
 
if the card requires an additional pci-express pin that will draw power from the psu its probably out of the question for the stock oem psu.
 
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