Switching to PC Gaming: Need a New Graphics Card

LTheSlayr on 27/12/2018 - 19:34
Last edited 28/12/2018 - 02:06 by 1 other user

G'day Ozbargainers,

I am looking for a budget GPU upgrade for my old pc, it will hopefully be used for 720p gaming on 2016 and before titles. Switching from Xbox One. Budget of <100 dollars.

My current specs:

Mobo:Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3L ATX LGA 775

RAM: 16GB DDR2 1066mhz
CPU: Intel Core2Quad Q9550 @ 2.83ghz
GPU: Msi GeForce GT610 2GB

Can you guys and gals help me?

EDIT: I'm going into the game dev industry, so my rig needs to handle Unity2D.

EDIT 2: Okay, I've got a choice between a HD 7870 or a GTX 750ti (the 750ti is $15 more expensive) which should I get? Or is there a better choice for 65/80 dollars?

Computing Computer Component Video Card

Comments

  • thatonethere on 27/12/2018 - 19:58
    +3

    Gtx 750ti isnt a bad choice. Low power too.

  • kathmandu-jeff on 27/12/2018 - 19:59
    +1

    Try and get an Nvidia GTX 750 Ti. They seem to be going for around $60-100 online. You may want to however first check if it will fit in your PC case and if the computer can supply enough power to it.

    Don't bother with a more powerful GPU as your CPU will hold back its performance.

    • TheSlayr on 27/12/2018 - 20:07

      The case is rather large, it should be able to hold a 750ti, how would the performance be with this card?

      • dcep on 27/12/2018 - 20:21

        750ti no problem at 720p

        your cpu and mobo can OC easily even on stock cooling , just push the fsb from 333 to 400 and walla~ 3.4ghz on 4 cores.
        many got it to 3.8 / 4ghz with better cooling

        you can get 1050ti or rx570, if you can find a cheap one

        rx570 was $150 new from MSY few days ago during sale , maybe wait for next sale ? rx570 always got cheap sale.

        EDIT: do you know the model of your PSU power supply ?

        • TheSlayr on 27/12/2018 - 20:33

          Thanks for the reply.

          I don't know my PSU model (I assume it would be very basic).

          Could you please explain the principle of overclocking, and what performance benifit I would gain?

        • Godric on 27/12/2018 - 20:39

          A processor being overclockable doesn't mean it's capable to keep up with today's hardware, there's other architecture inside of a chip that makes an impact on performance

          My AMD 955 chip was overclocked to 4.6ghz, but got to the point where it even bottle necked my GTX970

          • dcep on 27/12/2018 - 20:41

            @Godric: by no means ghz clocks pars performance of current gen

            but it helps substantially 2.83 to 4ghz for q9550

            every bit counts

          • TheSlayr on 27/12/2018 - 20:41

            @Godric: So…overclocking isn't worth it?

            • dcep on 27/12/2018 - 20:46

              @TheSlayr: it's worth it when you're on tight budget, else he won't even bother with gtx970 on his amd 955

              • Godric on 27/12/2018 - 20:53

                @dcep: Actually that's what triggered me to build my current rig lol, but of course it helps marginally.

                Although i'm going to assume OP has never even replaced the thermal compound so going straight to bumping clock speed could even cook it

                • TheSlayr on 27/12/2018 - 20:57

                  @Godric: Nope. Thermal Compound probably should be replaced before I do anything else.

                  Thanks for Reminding me!

  • Godric on 27/12/2018 - 20:03
    +4

    Sounds like you need an entirely new rig

    • TheSlayr on 27/12/2018 - 20:10

      That is sadly not possible as my budget is very limited and I have no need to if my current rig can handle the titles I want to play and develop.

      • MSG on 27/12/2018 - 21:02

        For under $200 you can get a 3rd Gen i5 PC - good performance bump from your existing rig, though above your budget :(.

        • TheSlayr on 27/12/2018 - 21:36

          Yeah, I looked into this. Sadly my budget doesn't allow it.

  • Zylam Marex on 27/12/2018 - 20:15
    +2

    Why not remain with the Xbox One? For the budget you have, the console will serve you way better.

    • TheSlayr on 27/12/2018 - 20:19

      As mentioned in my post, I am getting into game development (spent a lot of time making mods for various games, wanted to go a bit further) and the lack of RTS titles, RPGs and old titles caused me to make the switch.

      • Godric on 27/12/2018 - 20:40

        Out of curiosity what games do you intend to develop on this machine?

        Old school pixelated top down rpgs?

        • TheSlayr on 27/12/2018 - 20:43

          Oh Yes. I am a huge fan of those games, and I wish to share my love with the community.

          • Godric on 27/12/2018 - 20:53

            @TheSlayr: Cool!

          • crabcancer on 28/12/2018 - 17:17

            @TheSlayr: If you can bring the Ultima series esp 6 and Worlds of Ultima into today's graphics, I will definitely support it.

  • [Deactivated] on 27/12/2018 - 21:02
    +1

    I don’t think you’re going to get any better performance than an Xbox One with that rig.

    • TheSlayr on 27/12/2018 - 21:38
      +1

      I'm thinking I will stick with my Xbox One for New Titles, but this PC is for game development and playing RTS and RPGs.

  • scrimshaw on 27/12/2018 - 21:14

    If you're interested in getting better performance out of your current rig (in terms of CPU performance) you can try the LGA775 Xeon mod… which involves buying a used 3ghz Xeon from Aliexpress/ ebay and then modding it to make it work inside of an LGA775 motherboard.

    https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/365998-mod-lga771-to-lg…

    There's a seller on eBay that is selling a CPU that is already modified, meaning that you don't need to cut the notches off the CPU socket, or do the sticker mod. It just installs into the board.

    Some boards will probably require a microcode flash to support the Xeon. Instructions are here Read it first, if it sounds too complicated I would just stick with the Q9550 CPU and just overclock it.

    Also a word of warning. Some of the no-brand GPU's sold by Chinese sellers are ebay are fakes. Look closely at the specifications and the description to make sure you're getting what you paid for.

    This one for example is actually a reflashed GTX 550 Ti which is much worse and older than the 750 Ti.

    • TheSlayr on 27/12/2018 - 21:39

      Thanks for the words of warning. I will look into the modded Xeon and steer clear of Chinese knock-offs.

    • GTR12 on 28/12/2018 - 10:31

      That's not a 550, it looks to be a 3870, but the specs are all mismatched. It says "AGP x4" then says "PCIe" the next few sentences.

      Also chipset is "ATI".

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