Graphics Upgrading on a budget

Hey guys!

I was wondering what GPU should I get on a Students budget that would be good for dual screening plus playing games at the same time!

My current card is the GeForce 8600 GT 512MB.

Since I am a student I dont really have that much money to spend on the card so would be greatful of the advice. As there are loads to go for. Also when the machine is not being used I am going to be FAH on the GPU and the CPU. So any advice would be greatful!

Also I have a slim line machine from Hp, its the pavillion slimline s50000 . Is there any graphics cards for this computer type?


Thanks Guys!

 

Not really a card for gaming but: Low Profile GT430

You will struggle to find a decent card for gaming that is low profile.
You may be best off with a new case so you can fit a full size card.
If you havent upgraded already your PSU will probably need replacing too.

 

Cool, thank, I do have a Full size case machine so I can get a full size card really.

So for the silmline case you would think that I'll have to get rid of the case and get a new one to get the graphics in then?

Since i am looking for one for a full size case and a slimline case.

 

Your a bit stuffed.

That slimline has its own little motherboard, not sure its even of a atx standard, I know the psu connector to it is not standard.

Your going to need a semi decent psu, graphics card and prob motherboard.

Might not be worth it.

Whats your budget.

 

Go second hand.
I have:

Q6600
4GB DDR2
HD4870
Mobo

All for £142 and all second hand.
Its the cheapest way to go

 

+1 on going second hand... and since even some of the old DX9 cards are faster than the 8600GT (7900GTX, X1950XT), you'll be amazed if you get some of the newer hardware. Even an ATI 4850 would be a big step up from an 8600GT, but it all depends what your budget is. Going by ebay completed listings, the following is what you can expect to pay for a reasonable upgrade, even though they sometimes fetch more:

ATI 4850 - £35-40
ATI 4870 - £45-50
Nvidia GTS250 (same as 9800GTX) £35-40
Nvidia GTX260 - £50ish
Nvidia GTX460 - £85ish, depending on memory size

As the other guys have said, what's your budget? And what's the rest of your hardware? You'll need a beefy PSU for the higher end graphics cards, but not for a 4850.

 

Damn, thats disappointing! Big style about the slimline!

My budget is about £50-£60

Current Rig
Q6600
4GB DDR2
8600 GT 512MB
2x 1TB Internal
1x 1.5TB Internal
1x 1TB External
DVD-RW Internal
1x 24" Monitor
1x 15" Monitor
PSU 580W
Its ever since I have added the extra monitor that I have noticed the FPS drop. So it has to do with the GPU really. Just need a better one than current!

 

If all you want is better then get an ATI X1950XT or a 7900GT or GTX on ebay for £20. No offence but the 8600GT is not a good card at all!

If you want A LOT better, then go for an ATI 4850 or an Nvidia 9800GTX/GTS250 for about £40. Beyond that you'll probably find yourself needing a better PSU; generic PSUs with high wattage tend not to have sufficient amperage on the 12v rail(s).

 

You may have to increase your budget by about £10-20. You can pick up an 8800GTX for about £35. A 2nd hand psu (400w or so) will cost about £25-30.

Its too bad you don't have enough posts to join the marketplace. Some fantastic deals on there. My 4870 was £37 incl. delivery.

 

Hmmm by the looks of it i'll have to get two things then! How many posts do i need for the marketplace? So most of you are in agreement that a 4870 is the best option? Any good choices in Nvidia or is that pushing my luck?

I've just found an old old PSU in the attic of my parents house that i could use! 230W. That shoud surfice the power outage!

 

Doesn't have to be a 4870. It can be an 8800GTX (slightly cheaper) or similar. You need 75 posts i think.

That PSU does NOT have enough power! Pleeeeease don't use it!

 

8800GTXs are actually still expensive (some idiots still think it is the "King of GPUs" )... a 4850 is better than an 8800GTX anyways, usually cheaper, can have 1GB of vram, and has a much lower power requirement. The 8800GTX is a relic now... power hungry and slow.

4870 or GTX 260 are a considerable step up again and will go for about £45-60, but both require more power.

No matter what GPU you choose, you will need at least a 500W PSU, preferably a good one with 18A on the 12v rails.

 

Doesn't need a 500W PSU.

430 builder series will be more than fine.

 

Ah ok, fair enough but isnt the 8800 GTX just the one up from mine though? Both look good though.

It isnt enough to just run a GPU with nothing else to power? Well that sucks! .

 

The 8800GTX is quite a step up from the 8600 IIRC.
For reference, my psu is a 450W Corsair, and it handled a 6870 with plenty of breathing room.

 

500 is a nice round figure... I just didn't want to be overly pedantic; at the end of the day most low wattage PSUs are in the same price bracket anyways so it doesn't really matter, be it 437.16 watts or 500 watts.

The problem with low wattage PSUs is that most of their amperage is on the 3.3v and 5v rails, so the 12v will have nowhere near enough juice for a GPU even though the total output is over 200W. I have a 300W PSU lying around and the 12v rail maxes out at 10 amps = 120W peak LOL.

And as Neal says, the 8800GTX is a HUGE step up from the 8600GT.

 

Ah ok thanks guys! I'll be on the look out for a second psu and a gpu on either ebay or something like that! Once again thanks for the help!

 

If you can find a HD4850 or a 9800GTX+ go for that instead of the 8800GTX. The GTX is quite a considerable power hog compared to the other two.

Also grab a better Power supply please.

 

8600GT is a great card, it runs Bad Company 2 at ~25fps on our home computer, and has been running without a hitch since a month after its release. I feel very defensive about my underdog card, be nice

 

i have found that it is a really good card but can't deal with a dual screen of 24" 1920x1020 with a 15" 1024x780. When playing a basic DoWark Cursade i get less than 10fps now. Used to get about 40 fps for a really smooth game play!