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Card Reccomendations

S

skadeeb

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jul 25, 2001
Messages
359
First of all, I'll say I'm completely lost looking at the vast selection of cards available, I haven't bought once since the days of radeon 9500/9700s.

My computer is an HP quad core amd phenom with 8 gb of ddr2 and currently onboard nvidia 9100 graphics. The PSU is only a 300w liteon, but I can swap the 430w thermaltake out of my parents if necessary, which I figure it will be.

I want to upgrade the video so I can play things like starcraft 2, which the beta runs a little slow currently and i have to turn the textures way down.
Looking to spend around $100 CAD which is similar to USD right now.

Is a 9800 GT a good card for this price range? Please suggest good cards in this range.
Thanks.
 
More than likely that Thermaltake 430W PSU is a TR2 which means it isn't any better whatsoever than the Lite-On you have now. I recommend getting a new PSU as well if you want to do a GPU upgrade.

Either that or go for a really really low power video card like the HD 5570 or HD 5670.

EDIT: How much amperage is there on the +12V rail for that Lite-On PSU?
 
Last edited:
Danny Bui said:
More than likely that Thermaltake 430W PSU is a TR2 which means it isn't any better whatsoever than the Lite-On you have now. I recommend getting a new PSU as well if you want to do a GPU upgrade.

Either that or go for a really really low power video card like the HD 5570 or HD 5670.

EDIT: How much amperage is there on the +12V rail for that Lite-On PSU?
Click to expand...
its going to be a "rated" 19amps on the 12v for all 300 watt psus that HP/Compaq uses. yeah no way would it be safe to have a 9800gt and quad on that psu.
 
I can personally attest that despite being 300W, that PSU from HP is even worse and won't even come close to its rated amperage. Some Thermaltake PSU's also have the notorious reputation of being complete shit, check the model and check some reviews. If you want anything better than a GTS250, I'd strongly recommend getting a new PSU.
 
Im using a q6600 @ 3.0 ghz, 9800GT using a 375W Dell PSU, running SC2 at 1920x1080 on ultra. Runs perfect. :)
 
BaoTung said:
Im using a q6600 @ 3.0 ghz, 9800GT using a 375W Dell PSU, running SC2 at 1920x1080 on ultra. Runs perfect. :)
Click to expand...

To be fair, the 375W Dell PSU has 30A on the +12V rail. Far more than the 18A on the +12V rail for the Thermaltake TR2 430W PSU or the 300W Lite-On PSU.
 
Danny Bui said:
To be fair, the 375W Dell PSU has 30A on the +12V rail. Far more than the 18A on the +12V rail for the Thermaltake TR2 430W PSU or the 300W Lite-On PSU.
Click to expand...
yeah and isnt that Dell psu rated at 375watts continuous where as the Lite on and Thermaltake both have an unrealistic max rating? most of the newer mid range and below Dells now use lower end power supplies like HP/Compaq do though.
 
HP PSUs are generally crap, unlike Dell PSUs. Low end Thermaltake PSUs are also crap.

Best video in my opinion is the HD 5670. HD 5750 if you are daring.
 
Yeah 5750 is probably your best bet with that PSU. Draws 85w, far less than the 4850 which is around 110w, and I think it actually performs at the 4850/GTS 250 level but with far less power consumption. It's just a newer card.

It'll push the cost up to about 130-140 bucks but nix the next two cases of beer and save up your money and get a model with at least 1 gb vram. It'll be worth it especially if you want to play with cranked details and higher resolutions in current and upcoming games.

If you are feeling adventurous the 5770 performs like a 4870/GTS 260, and draws around 95w, still less than a 4850. It's also a little more expensive, the 1gb cards can be found starting around $150.
 
Wow thanks for the quick replies guys. I took a look and the Thermaltake PSU is indeed a TR2, I had no idea, i thought it was a pretty good one, at least compared to the generic crap that was in there before and died.

I'll take a look around and see what I can find in these cards that you've mentioned, as well as a PSU.

Thanks
 
skadeeb said:
I'll take a look around and see what I can find in these cards that you've mentioned, as well as a PSU.
Click to expand...
For any of the video cards mentioned in this thread up to this point, I recommend this PSU:

$60 CAD - Corsair 400CX 400W PSU
 
9800GT Eco should suffice and run on your stock PSU. The TDP is something like 65W, and the performance will be more than sufficient for SC2 playability (not max eye candy). Moving forward however, the card is a little dated for other modern games.
 
friend'scatdied said:
9800GT Eco should suffice and run on your stock PSU. The TDP is something like 65W, and the performance will be more than sufficient for SC2 playability (not max eye candy). Moving forward however, the card is a little dated for other modern games.
Click to expand...
yeah but he has a Phenom quad core so I am assuming is the Phenom 1 which is very power hungry. that pc even with a 9800 low power could easily use 15-16 12v amps under full load. its only rated for 19 12v amps and I guarantee you that it doesnt make that in the real world. in other words that cheap oem psu will be getting pushed pretty close to its realistic limits.
 
Go with a 5670 or 5570 if you don't want to upgrade your PSU. If you want more horsepower from your video card, you'll need to invest in a higher quality PSU.

Power consumption is the key here. The 5670 sips power compared to the competition. Check out the review at Toms.

5670 = 14W Idle, 61W Max.
5770 = 18W Idle, 108W Max.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-5670,2533-2.html
 
Another option just came up, a buddy of mine has a geforce 7800gt that he is looking to replace, I could pick it up for next to nothing and I think it would suffice for my needs for a while at least.

What is the power consumption on that? I'm thinking that might be all I need for the time being.
 
skadeeb said:
Another option just came up, a buddy of mine has a geforce 7800gt that he is looking to replace, I could pick it up for next to nothing and I think it would suffice for my needs for a while at least.

What is the power consumption on that? I'm thinking that might be all I need for the time being.
Click to expand...

Great. take the card and spend $100 on a good PSU. That will gpu should be okay until you can save up $150 for a good gpu.

coldstorm said:
about 236 watt total system draw in anandtech system http://www.anandtech.com/show/1755/10 so the 430 watt would be best to use to be safe.
Click to expand...

I would not recommend using the 7800GT with your current psu. I wonder if you even have a 6-pin power connector. The psu is the last place you want to skimp in a computer. Since the 300w liteon is probably rated at max, a total system draw of 233w will likely be straining it. The TR2 at 430 isn't great either. Why chance it? You have $100, buy a good psu. There were some screaming hot deals on seasonic 650w psus for $60 last week. That will last you for another gpu upgrade.
 
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