It's about damn time for me to upgrade my GPU.

I've decided that it is about time for me to get a new GPU, my 9600GT is getting old and slow...

The price should be from 100 euros to around 150 euros, i'm only 16 so i can't really afford a better one...

It should also be compatible with my motherboard and PSU, as i'm not going to buy new ones.


Specs:
Processor: Intel E8400 Core 2 Duo 3,0GHz
Motherboard: Asus P5B ATX
RAM: Kingston 4GB DDR2 800MHz
HD: WD 500GB Sata || (& 1TB Ext.HD)
GPU: ECS 9600GT 512MB Arctic Cooling accelero
PSU: 500W No-brand

P.S: I do not need a top of the game GPU, so do not come here saying i should buy a 300 buck GPU.

 

Well your mobo has the PCI x16 and unless anyone can present a valid reason as to why not you should find that many are saying a ATI 5770 is one of the best "bang for buck" cards at the moment. It s definitely within your budget, plays all of the current games and will allow DirectX 11 capacity:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...70&bop=And&SrchInDesc=5770&Page=1&PageSize=20

My 2c.

 

No brand name PSU isn't good. Never been fan of generic PSU's

the ATI 5770 would be a good improvement I think

that 9600gt isn't a bad card. What games you having issues with?

What games do you play and what country do you live in?

 

BC2 started lagging quite a lot after i patched it, that's what brought me to buying a new GPU so soon... Of course it's for future games as well...

And I'm from Finland.

If my 9600GT could play BC2 maxed out before patching, so i suppose it is to be expected for the 5770 to perform well in games for a long time also, right?
And i'll have to open my case and check whether or not the PSU has some brand, i have had to do it for like 6 months already but never got to it...

I also saw many recommendations for 5770 stating that it has the best bang for the buck, but i wanted to make sure anyways...

Also, i checked a local stores' website and found this:
http://www.lapstore.fi/product_info.php?products_id=34195

Translated:

I think that would be a good purchase, since it's only 162 euros and it's the same as the one Bold Eagle linked for me as far as i can see...

Do you think i should buy it?

Thanks for the 2c both of you.

 

I just opened the case, and wrote down everything that the PSU said...:

Micro-One
V2.2 / P4
ATX 12V For Pentium

that's all it said

 

Micro-one is a Finnish company so they are re-branding, good thing is that it respects v2.2 specs and that it already has a 6 pin connector. You should be OK.

 

Since you are using an Intel processor, Nvidia tends to be my recommendation (I like Nvidia anyway).

You could check out the Nvidia GTS 250, it's a decent card and definitely within your budget as well.

 

I don't think a GTS 250 from a 9600gt is much of a improvement.

The 5770 will not maxout BC2. I have a GTX 275 and max bc2 out with about 25-30 FPS

If you want to run BC2 on very high settings I would look into a 5850 but I think that's out of your budget.

Also BC2 is a very cpu hungry game.

 

How come i used to play it as maxed out as i could get it with a 9600GT?

I have always wondered how i could run gta IV so smoothly, too... especially since there were so many people whining about lag... no game has ever lagged for me before, maybe it's just the connection on BC2 servers?

 

When where you able to max BC2 out. During the beta?

 

I didn't play during the beta, i purchased it retail around one or two months after release... but i forgot to update it and couldn't play MP at all because of the lack of servers, but now that i have it all patched up, it started lagging like ALOT... i mean like it almost freezes for 30 seconds at a time, with around 5 minutes until it freezes again...

Oh, and i'm also running Assassin's Creed 2 maxed out, so...

 

Okay, well what about this one (still within his budget):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127511

EDIT: Not completely SURE this would work with his PSU, though...

 

That's around 220+ euros even in the cheapest stores in Finland, so, no.

EDIT: And yeah, i'd probably have to buy a better PSU

 

Oh, okay. Newegg had it for $200US (very slightly over 150 Euros).

 

Well how much is it gonna cost for me for them to send it all the way to me?

 

OMG, a Fermi?:eek I don't think so for the OP's budget, maybe a GTX260 but even that needs two 6-pin PSU plugs. Whatever made you choose that?:confused Even my 260 wouldn't work with my Antec 500W.

 

Sorry about that, got confused with EU. Perhaps pepe would like to get a 260 but will need a new PSU.

 

I'll probably wait until i know whether or not my new school offers any discounts for computer parts, and buy the 5770, it seems to be the most logical decision at the moment, since im not ready to buy a new PSU

 

Sounds like a reasonable plan and I hope the 5770 will run with your current PSU. Always a good source of info are the following on both GPU players:

AMD ATI Chips Comparison Table

NVIDIA Chips Comparison Table

Look on the 2nd page for "suggested" minimum PSUs.

Importantly I can't guarantee that the 5770 will play BC2 at "max" settings but I just offered what is being touted as the "best bang for buck" at this current point in time. The only limitation I can note with the card is that it only has a 128Bit memory interface, I prefer my 256Bit but that always increase the cost by about double.

Good luck and I hope it does improve the gaming .

 

Seems like the minimum for the 5770 is 450W, so i think (?) that it will run on my PSU... not sure though.

Thanks for teh linkz

 

Toms Hardware - Best Graphics Card for the Money, July 2010. And I agree with the above about your PSU. Quality power is essential for stable performance.