# Decent upgrade for a Geforce 7 series card ?



## karthik316_1999 (Jul 21, 2011)

Hello gaming enthusiasts...

I'm looking for a graphic upgrade on my 3 year old PC. Would help if you could suggest a decent (one to hold good for the next 2-3 years atleast) graphic card "suitable" to my current system config.

Technology never stops growing & they are things like gddr3/gddr5 in the market nowadays but im more interested in a card that would go well with my current system spec. (no idea of upgrading my mobo/CPU/RAM) .. hence I dont want my mobo, for eg. to be a bottleneck after installing a high end (or not-so-high end) card onto the PC ! (like driving a ferrari on a road crunched with traffic  )

All that said, my PC runs on a Socket 939 AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Venice core CPU, Asus A8N-VM CSM mobo, 1 + .5 gb PC 3200 (200 Mhz) RAM modules, XFX Geforce 7600GS 256 MB PCI-E card.

I'm surprised that when trying to play some of the HD vidoes from the Digit DVD's.. the video lags sometimes ! Is my graphic card that very poor ?!

Would appreciate if you all can suggest me a 'good' card that would suit my present PC. Looking for a 70% increase in performance atleast :d budget.. I'm sure installing a high end on this 'bottlenecked' PC would not make sense ..so the right card should be somewhere around 6-7k?

Thanks for all the opinions


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## mithun_mrg (Jul 21, 2011)

If only HD video play back is the issue get a 5450@2.4K that will accerate the videos on GPU if i am right getting a 6-7K modern Gen card will be a bottleneck for ur hardware


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## kartikoli (Jul 21, 2011)

this board has passed a long time span [launched in 2005] 

time to upgrade else dont waste money on this setup


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## saswat23 (Jul 21, 2011)

Spending 7k for GPU that to on a your old rig will surely bottleneck. IMO you should spend your 7k on upgrading your Processor + Motherboard + RAM. 
For 7k you get:
CPU: AMD AthlonII X3 440 @ 3k
MoBo: Asus Asus M4A78LT-M LE @ 2.5k
RAM: Corsair Valur RAM 2GB DDR3 @ 1k
Total --- 6.5k

or get:
MoBo: MSI 880GM-E35 @ 3.5k
Total ---- 7.5k


The on-board graphics with the board will surely give much better performance than your current GPU IMO. And upgrading will bring you better graphics with a faster processor and faster RAM.


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## coderunknown (Jul 21, 2011)

@karthik, time to upgrade the PC, not only the GPU. go with saswat's first suggestion. try to sell your current components & save a bit more and then invest in a graphics card, if you want to play games also.


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## karthik316_1999 (Jul 23, 2011)

Hi.. thank you all for your replies... but.. as i said .. I'm somehow not interested to change my cpu/mobo...
How about a GTX 460 ? I come to see that.. it is the best price - performance card from this series.. 
will installing it in my present computer really be such a huge joke ? (I'm not worried about the few nanoseconds of processing delay... )

n btw, HD videos are not only my concerns... also looking @ playing games like latest nfs series, crysis 2, etc..

Thanks again....

bump...


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## Skud (Jul 23, 2011)

Your CPU would be a huge bottleneck for almost all the modern cards, trust me, even my e7400 can't keep up with the 6950. Your CPU would be a huge limiting factor.


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## karthik316_1999 (Jul 23, 2011)

Skud said:


> Your CPU would be a huge bottleneck for almost all the modern cards, trust me, even my e7400 can't keep up with the 6950. Your CPU would be a huge limiting factor.



How does one validate that ? Meaning.. how do u really know that.. Is it that you get lags on games that actually should play easily on the 6950 ?


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## saswat23 (Jul 23, 2011)

Yes, you have clearly mentioned that.. 
So, better go for a new rig instead..

Your CPU can't handle 460 efficiently. Even if it does so, it will not be able to give the best performance. So, upgrading to a newer GPU with the old CPU will surely be a loss only.


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## karthik316_1999 (Jul 23, 2011)

saswat23 said:


> Yes, you have clearly mentioned that..
> So, better go for a new rig instead..
> 
> Your CPU can't handle 460 efficiently. Even if it does so, it will not be able to give the best performance. So, upgrading to a newer GPU with the old CPU will surely be a loss only.



hmm.. just spoke with my local computer dealer and he says I should not have any problem running the GTS 250 on my current config 
he says the gpu is a processor by itself and it will work and stuff's like that....
he suggests me the zotac gts 250 @ 7k ......


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## ajai5777 (Jul 23, 2011)

karthik316_1999 said:


> hmm.. just spoke with my local computer dealer and he says I should not have any problem running the GTS 250 on my current config
> he says the gpu is a processor by itself and it will work and stuff's like that....
> he suggests me the zotac gts 250 @ 7k ......



He is correct GTS 250 will work but you wont be able to play any recent games even in the lowest settings.Your rig is simply outdated man, you cant even think of playing current  games with that.Spending 7k on a GPU for that rig would be the biggest joke.Get a new rig like saswat23 suggested and only then think of a GPU.


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## karthik316_1999 (Jul 23, 2011)

Got that right onto my head !

Okay.. now we are onto the track for an upgrade.. lets fix the budget @ 10 k (all the CPU + mobo + RAM) put together...

Suggestions please ! (I'm looking for an AMD based system)

To start with.. how is this combo as suggested by a few..

AMD Phenom II X4 840 
MSI - 880GMS-E35 or GIGABYTE GA-MA78LMT-S2
1 or 2 GB DDR3

Few other points...

Will the above setup (/w on board graphics only) allow me to play the recent games atleast at a decent setting ?

Second, I hope my current PSU (Zebronics platinum 500w) is good enough for this rig

Third, can I save on the RAM cost by using my present 1.5 GB PC 3200 itself ?

Thanks !


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## Skud (Jul 23, 2011)

What's your monitor size and resolution? CRT or LCD?


And no, you can't use your RAM.


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## karthik316_1999 (Jul 23, 2011)

If you are asking that for the resolution @ which I would be playing the games @ ,, I use a 17" CRT @ 1024x768.. nothing more nothing less


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## guru_urug (Jul 23, 2011)

saswat23 said:


> Spending 7k for GPU that to on a your old rig will surely bottleneck. IMO you should spend your 7k on upgrading your Processor + Motherboard + RAM.
> For 7k you get:
> CPU: AMD AthlonII X3 440 @ 3k
> MoBo: Asus Asus M4A78LT-M LE @ 2.5k
> ...



Get this and add a ati 5670


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## karthik316_1999 (Jul 24, 2011)

guru_urug said:


> Get this and add a ati 5670



hmmm.. u mean to say I wont be needing a phenom II x4 after all ? Just thot it would be future - proof !


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## guru_urug (Jul 24, 2011)

u wont get future proof in 10k, especially since u want to do gaming too. If u are ok without the graphics card....get a phenom. Else extend your budget to 15k. 
The athlon x3 is good enough for your needs. If you want for gaming then get a good balance of processor and gpu. GPU is more imp for gaming, if you want a budget quad core look at the athlon II x4 635 similar to phenom x4 but without the L3 cache. 
Since you are not a power-user, Id say get a athlon II x3/x4. Spend more on graphics card. Also get atleast 2GB of RAM

What do you use your PC for most?


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## Skud (Jul 24, 2011)

karthik316_1999 said:


> If you are asking that for the resolution @ which I would be playing the games @ ,, I use a 17" CRT @ 1024x768.. nothing more nothing less




Get the Phenom II X4 840, a 880-based mobo, and 2 or 4 gb RAM. Enough for gaming at your resolution. I have played Crysis, Half-Life 2 etc. on a similar setup. At 13x7 resolution, in low to medium settings, gameplay is fluid. So just get this setup now. If you ever want to game at higher settings, you can easily put a mid-range graphics card later.


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## karthik316_1999 (Jul 24, 2011)

guru_urug said:


> u wont get future proof in 10k, especially since u want to do gaming too. If u are ok without the graphics card....get a phenom. Else extend your budget to 15k.
> 
> What do you use your PC for most?



PC usage: General everyday computing + browsing + HD/Blu-ray movies + gaming (My_Most_No.1_Priority) -> The very main reason for which I'm upgrading now.. I'm not very greedy to expect gr8 gameplay at the highest setting possible with max. AA @ my budget! All I need is decent gameplay with medium settings on current (+1 ~ 2 yr) future games...

That being said.. Please help me decide if I should settle down with a good onboard graphics mobo + phenom II x4 CPU (wont be installing a GPU in this case)

Or

Settle down with a lesser Athlon II x3/x4 CPU + mobo with low onboard graphics & invest saved money on a GPU now itself.. But ! _*This GPU should not dis-appoint me for next 3-4 yrs atleast !! & the CPU/mobo combination should not dis-appoint me 4 yrs later when I choose to upgrade my GPU ... (Just like how my Athlon 64 3000+ CPU & Asus A8N VM CSM mobo are forcing me to change them jus cuz I need a graphic upgrade !!)*_


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## guru_urug (Jul 24, 2011)

Please confirm your maximum stretchable budget. 10k?


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## karthik316_1999 (Jul 24, 2011)

Skud said:


> Get the Phenom II X4 840, a 880-based mobo, and 2 or 4 gb RAM. Enough for gaming at your resolution. I have played Crysis, Half-Life 2 etc. on a similar setup. At 13x7 resolution, in low to medium settings, gameplay is fluid. So just get this setup now. If you ever want to game at higher settings, you can easily put a mid-range graphics card later.



Is this gameplay for Crysis 2 ?!
Just like I've said above to Guru, will this setup hold good for the next 3 yrs without a GPU ? If so.. i'm the luckiest person 



guru_urug said:


> Please confirm your maximum stretchable budget. 10k?



If given a good reason.. I might stretch.. but it all depends on its worth.. request you to shoot out the options for both the stretched / unstretched budget for me to decide...

Also, hope you have seen my edit to the above post..

*This GPU should not dis-appoint me for next 3-4 yrs atleast !! & the CPU/mobo combination should not dis-appoint me 4 yrs later when I choose to upgrade my GPU ... (Just like how my Athlon 64 3000+ CPU & Asus A8N VM CSM mobo are forcing me to change them jus cuz I need a graphic upgrade !!)*

Also, I think stretching the budget might work if I get a good price for these old components that I can actually give-off to the dealer as a buyback?

- AMD 64 3000+ CPU
- Asus A8N VM/CSM mobo
- 1GB + 512MB ddr RAM modules

Additionally, I have my 2006 system too in the store room that I just happened to check !

- ATHLON XP 2400+ CPU
- ASUS A7N266 VM/SE mobo
- Iball cabinet (the carry case /w power button on top style one) /w 300W PSU
- An additional Xtech 400w PSU (stored when I upgraded to the Zebronics 500W)

Would all these components help me save atleast 5-6k ? (hope i'm not greedy here !)

I have not added to the above give away list my current XFX Geforce 7600GS 256MB PCI-E card (might use it sometime later) , My current cabinet & the 500w 22A @ +12V rail Zebronics platinum PSU (As I believe I can use these for the new PC as well)


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## saswat23 (Jul 24, 2011)

Just sell off your old rig and the other parts. You might get around  4-5k for all these. So, use this 4-5k + your 10k and go for this:
* CPU: AthlonII X4 640 -- 4k
* MoBo: GA-880GM-UD2H -- 4.2k
* RAM: Corsair 2GB DDR3 RAM -- 1k
* PSU: FSP SAGAII 400W -- 1.8k
Total --- 11k
+
* GPU: Sapphire HD5670 512MB DDR5 -- 4.2k
Grand Total --- 15.2k 

This card will allow yout to game almost all games at max. resolution on your monitor. You can also spend 0.8k extra and go for PhenomII X4 840 at 4.8k.


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## Tech_Wiz (Jul 24, 2011)

*www.thinkdigit.com/forum/pc-components-configurations/144149-quick-question-gpu-upgrade-worthy.html

Already you started this :$

Try to keep questions in 1 thread. 

Also even with gfx to satisfy you for next 3-4 yrs? If you gonna watch Movies and Internet then Yes it will. ANd for Gaming a BIG NO.


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## Skud (Jul 24, 2011)

Tech_Wiz said:


> *www.thinkdigit.com/forum/pc-components-configurations/144149-quick-question-gpu-upgrade-worthy.html
> 
> Already you started this :$
> 
> ...




Not exactly NO, depends on at what level of gaming you are satisfied. Graphics is just one part of gaming.


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## Tech_Wiz (Jul 24, 2011)

Ok He can exclude Dave & Solitaire. But what about everything else 

Jokes apart but if his Satisfaction = 800 x 600 and LOW/Med Setts then maybe. Gfx is part of it but its a major part.


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## karthik316_1999 (Jul 24, 2011)

saswat23 said:


> Just sell off your old rig and the other parts. You might get around  4-5k for all these. So, use this 4-5k + your 10k and go for this:
> * CPU: AthlonII X4 640 -- 4k
> * MoBo: GA-880GM-UD2H -- 4.2k
> * RAM: Corsair 2GB DDR3 RAM -- 1k
> ...



You got a handful of config's up your sleeve I guess !

Why not we settle down for a lower cost mobo and invest the additional money on a better GPU ? As I see that the 5670 hardly lives up to even the GTX 250 
GeForce GTS 250 512MB vs Radeon HD 5670 – Performance Comparison Benchmarks @ Hardware Compare

The max. resolution that you say I can get /w the 5670 is the max. resolution of my monitor or the max. of the game itself ?

Also, what is amp rating on 12v rail for the saga II psu ? I tried searching but could not find it anywhere..

Somehow I'm confused about the mobo's now.. What would I be sacrificing by choosing a lower cost mobo apart from a better onboard graphics ?

@ Skud & Tech_Wiz,

As said earlier, my current zebronics PSU has an additional PCI E power cable.. Will that not hold good in anyway ? cuz.. that way i can save that 2 k to invest on a better GPU ! 

@ skud.. 

by this time, you should be aware of the level of gaming that i'm looking at.. so will the zebronics hold good ?

What surprises me is that.. I have been running the Geforce 7600 GS GPU previously on a xtech 400w PSU that supplied just 14A on the 12V rail !



Tech_Wiz said:


> Crysis is not recommended on any IGP. For Graphics card tell me budget first.
> 
> PSU will depend on what GFX you choose. With a low GFX I guess it might just work but its highly recommended to get a CX400 or FS Saga for 2-2.5k



Sorry on the other thread.. thot one was for the upgrade config & the other for the PSU..

Coming to your question, budget for the GPU around 7k I would say ? Again, logic is if we are able to save on the mobo cost by opting a lower cost model (since im anyways installing a separate gpu) .. then the 7k can be stretched !

I believe all the GPU around the 7 - 10 k slot are all entry level & should go well with my present PSU ?


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## ajai5777 (Jul 24, 2011)

I dont know what your point is.Your resolution is just 1024 x 768 and you dont need more than a 5670.Its pretty good up to 1600 x 900.You need better cards only if you plan to game on higher resolutions.

For recent games you just need

An Athlon quad or tri
average mobo 
2GB ddr3
5670/6670

you can get this in 10-11 k

Also the 500W zeb platinum is good for this config even with 5670.


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## ico (Jul 24, 2011)

karthik316_1999 said:


> Why not we settle down for a lower cost mobo and invest the additional money on a better GPU ? *As I see that the 5670 hardly lives up to even the GTX 250 *
> GeForce GTS 250 512MB vs Radeon HD 5670 – Performance Comparison Benchmarks @ Hardware Compare
> 
> The max. resolution that you say I can get /w the 5670 is the max. resolution of my monitor or the max. of the game itself ?


GTS 250 is a previous gen card. No point in going for it. Although yes, it is much faster than HD 5670.

4.5k - best cards are HD 5670 and HD 6570. Both perform similar to each other and are priced same.

5.7k - HD 6670. Performs almost compared to GTS 450 (6.5k) and consumes much less power.

7.4k - HD 5770 or HD 6770. These are perhaps the most popular DirectX 11 cards.

10k - GTX 460 1GB or HD 6850 1GB. HD 6850 is 5-10% faster. Both of these cards are overkill for your resolution unless you plan buying a LCD monitor in future.

The only nVidia cards worth buying are GTX 560 Ti and GTX 580. I guess everyone will agree on this.

And you need to revamp everything including the PSU. It'd be better if you create a fresh new thread in the PC Configuration section after filling the sticky template thread.


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## karthik316_1999 (Jul 24, 2011)

Let me come to the GPU later.. 

With regards to a mobo, I contemplate between the Asus M4N68T-M & M4A78LT-M. Can you help me decide ?

For the Asus M4N68T-M, I see 4 different version listed by the manufacturer... can u tell me wat the differences would be ?!

ASUSTeK Computer Inc.

Also, a little bit more research.., .. Asus M4A78LT-M .. specs look to be more superior like 4 ram slots, support upto upto 16GB ram, 2 PCI slots , dvi/hdmi port too, (although yes I wont use them) and 6 audio jacks .. (why would I need these?)

Again, this model has 3 different variations

ASUSTeK Computer Inc.

and I guess the generic M4A78LT-M is the most superior among the lot..?


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## asingh (Jul 24, 2011)

If the OP will play at 1024 x 768, he can just put a mid-sized card on the current rig. No matter what CPU/GPU combination you use at this resolution, the CPU will be the controlling factor.


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## karthik316_1999 (Jul 24, 2011)

ico said:


> unless you plan buying a LCD monitor in future.



Yes, I will definitely go for a 19" LCD in the near future.
1024 x 678 is just the max resolution that I know of  as of now with the Geforce 7600GS! If new CPU is going to push the limits, why would I not want to play games @ a higher resolution !


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