An Appropriate GPU?

[Greyhorne]

I've got an E7200 on an ECS MB GF 7050VT-M
along with a couple gigs of Crucial 6400 DDR2 running on a PSU of 550.

While I've never had any intentions of gaming on it, a GS 8600 has adaquately served my needs for basic multimedia, but now is coming up short of the minimum required hardware (a GS 8800), for the new Tribes FPS anticipated next year.

I was thinking on upgrading to a Radeon 6850, but times being tight, I really don't want to spend on more card than what this system can feasably render. Would I experience any bottlenecks with this?

Thanks for shedding any light.

 

[txus.palacios]

I don't think so, and with a bit of luck you can overclock that E7200?

 

[mjw21a]

Possibly but I doubt you'd notice any difference. It will do what you need it to do. AMD is releasing their next gen of cards in January. If you wait until then, the prices should drop on the current gen of products and you could save a little $

 

[Mjolnir]

You'd definitely see a minor Bottleneck with that CPU at stock. Perhaps an OC is indeed in order..

If you want a cheap option for a graphics upgrade; consider a HD 6770 1GB. For around 100 bucks it's a solid card that'll play any game... Just not on the best settings. Should be able to run anything at medium no real issues though (probably with AA and such off though). Assuming you're at 1080p. If you're at say; 1680x1050 or 1600x900 this card is a great choice for those resolutions.

 

[mjw21a]

You'd definitely see a minor Bottleneck with that CPU at stock. Perhaps an OC is indeed in order..

If you want a cheap option for a graphics upgrade; consider a HD 6770 1GB. For around 100 bucks it's a solid card that'll play any game... Just not on the best settings. Should be able to run anything at medium no real issues though (probably with AA and such off though). Assuming you're at 1080p. If you're at say; 1680x1050 or 1600x900 this card is a great choice for those resolutions.

+1 the 6770. I've put these in mates computers and been surprised at just how quick they actually are.

 

[Greyhorne]

Much thanks for the informative replies, along with an interesting choice of options to consider.
That 6770 is an inviting alternative, and definitely more suitable to my current budget.
Then again, I can't help but wonder, if I'll live to regret, the visual disparity that $50, spent in a more concientious manner elsewhere, would ultimately make in 1920 x1080.

Servers hosting the last version I played of this game, dwindled to extinction some years back, and the 19" CRT Display I viewed at 1024 x768 has since been replaced with a 24" HD widescreen. Not sure how this one will look under similiar resolutions.

 

[Mjolnir]

For 1080p.. I honestly would say a HD6870 would be the minimum for decent settings on most games. You'll be running high for most settings with that card for most games. A HD6770 will only manage medium settings at 1080p in most cases. Or less depending on the game.

But if youre not worried about everything being perfectly pretty, the HD6770 will be your perfect budget card. Keep anti aliasing off and you'll be sweet!

 

[mjw21a]

Perhaps, though with those older Intel FSB based boards I think you'll find it bottlenecks so going with a higher end card may not really net him any additional performance gain..... Personally I'd go with a cheaper card to extend the life of the existing system, then replace the whole lot when you've budget to do so. It's always nice to have all components the same age. You tend to have fewer reliabillity issues in the long run when you do this.

 

[Bobnova]

I have yet to see a bottleneck severe enough that a GPU upgrade gains nothing.
Going to a card with double the power may not give you double performance, but an upgrade will almost certainly help.

E7200s are decent CPUs, especially if you lean on the OC a bit. Personally I see nothing wrong with a 6870 attached to one.

 

[Greyhorne]

I found an HD6770 over at Newegg for $110 that I think has my name on it.

That card should be more than adaquate, and I imagine I'll see some bump in performance simply with a gig of DDR5, compared to the 256mgs of DDR3 I've had.
Geez, these cards are getting beefy these days, I may need another fan.

Thanks again guys for casting the light of wisdom!

 

[Bobnova]

Oh man, were you gaming at 1080p on 256mb vram? You'll see a major difference

 

[Greyhorne]

I have yet to see a bottleneck severe enough that a GPU upgrade gains nothing.
Going to a card with double the power may not give you double performance, but an upgrade will almost certainly help.

E7200s are decent CPUs, especially if you lean on the OC a bit. Personally I see nothing wrong with a 6870 attached to one.

Yeah, I think it may be time for me to explore some potential of this CPU.
My last system still has an old pentium4 2.4C that I always thought about OCing but never did.

Once I get this card installed, I'd like to open this processor up, and try some different settings.

 

[Mjolnir]

If you've even been gaming at all on your old card.. The gains will be HUGE going to this one..

http://www.hwcompare.com/5769/geforce-8600-gs-oem-vs-radeon-hd-6770-1gb/

Is just the theoretical comparison. Leaps and bounds better! Coming from your current card; with a bit of an OC; you'll be playing quite nicely on your system..

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102938

Would be my pick. 105 after rebate; and I believe the flex is a solid model... The HD 6770 power draw is great as well. Especially in Idle. Most of the HD 6xxx series power usage is quite good. The HD 6770, last I checked; also only requires a single 6-pin PCIE connector. Get back to us once you've made your final choice!! (Assuming you haven't already bought it ).

And don't worry; you won't need extra cooling; not for this card .

 

[Greyhorne]

If you've even been gaming at all on your old card.. The gains will be HUGE going to this one..

http://www.hwcompare.com/5769/geforce-8600-gs-oem-vs-radeon-hd-6770-1gb/

Is just the theoretical comparison. Leaps and bounds better! Coming from your current card; with a bit of an OC; you'll be playing quite nicely on your system..

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102938

Would be my pick. 105 after rebate; and I believe the flex is a solid model... The HD 6770 power draw is great as well. Especially in Idle. Most of the HD 6xxx series power usage is quite good. The HD 6770, last I checked; also only requires a single 6-pin PCIE connector. Get back to us once you've made your final choice!! (Assuming you haven't already bought it ).

And don't worry; you won't need extra cooling; not for this card .

Thanks for looking into this Mjolnir,
I'm glad I checked back as I was getting ready to order, to get it shipped out today.
The one I had found was a different Sapphire 6770,
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102940
Its not the Flex, but its $109. Otoh I'll spend the few extra bucks if you believe theres more reliability.

 

[Greyhorne]

The card I initially planned to purchase sold out, but I found another with virtually the same general description except for a slight model no variation, thats too superficial for even the search engines to distinguish.

SAPPHIRE 100338L Radeon HD 6770 1GB

SAPPHIRE 100328L Radeon HD 6770 1GB

On the Radeon site, the same card is simply listed twice. Comparing the two, reveals a listing of very few disparities on an applet page,

(pictured here).

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/8082/comparisen.jpg

It appears one has slower memory AND clockspeed, which makes it logical to deduct, the faster model is 100328L.

The SAPPHIRE FleX also runs at the higher speeds, Done.

 

[txus.palacios]

Have you looked at the 5700 Refurbished?

These cards are quite cheap here at Spain. I have bought some of those for friends (IIRC, brand was Sapphire) and they're still rocking.

Remember that 6770 is the same thing as 5770 with another shiny name.

 

[Bobnova]

Grab a 256bit card if possible, that should be at least a little bit faster than the 5770, which was crippled by a narrow bus.

 

[Greyhorne]

Have you looked at the 5700 Refurbished?

These cards are quite cheap here at Spain. I have bought some of those for friends (IIRC, brand was Sapphire) and they're still rocking.

Remember that 6770 is the same thing as 5770 with another shiny name.

I'm getting this as part of a Christmas present, in addition to my own $$ which is more or less a Christmas present to myself, but it needed to be here for Xmas, which cancelled out any deals shipping from Spain. Here in the states, it looked to me like the 5770's were slightly higher in price than the 6770's.

 

[Greyhorne]

Grab a 256bit card if possible, that should be at least a little bit faster than the 5770, which was crippled by a narrow bus.

Having checked around, I didn't think any of the 6770's were available in 256 bit, only 128. Unless I'm mistaken, for 256 bit I probably had to step up to the 6790 or 6850.

 

[txus.palacios]

I'm getting this as part of a Christmas present, in addition to my own $$ which is more or less a Christmas present to myself, but it needed to be here for Xmas, which cancelled out any deals shipping from Spain. Here in the states, it looked to me like the 5770's were slightly higher in price than the 6770's.

I did not told you to buy them from Spain, because the S&H will rape you wallet . Just told you that the 5770 Refurbished were cheaper.

Anyway, if the 6770 are cheaper than the 5770, grab a 6770.