MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
Looking for a cheap graphics card.
Not looking to play the latest games at high resolutions, just something that has 2 DVI/HDMI outputs and can run World of Warships smoothly.
The different chipsets and stuff are very confusing.
The system requirements state "Nvidia GeForce GT8800 , Intel HD 4000 or AMD 4650+".
Now would I get better performance out of an old "high end" second hand card from Ebay, like a GeForce GT8800 or an up to date budget card like the AMD Radeon R7 240?
I'd look at a secondhand newer card for that price, technology has moved a long way fast, it will also depend on your system, what kind of psu you have will also dictate which cards you can run as some will require an extra power supply.
A simple choice would be the Geforce 750 Ti as it doesn't need any extra power and has just been superseded by a newer model, it should be well capable on games from the last few years. I've been running one and just upgraded to the 1050 Ti so have one spare (this wasn't meant to be a thinly veiled advert!).
I picked up an Nvidia GTS 250 for £20 on eBay recently, but wont use it now, let me know if you want it & I can box it and send over. 2x DVI. I haven't tested it but if it works transfer me £20. It's just sat here on my office desk at the moment.
Had a 250 before and used to play Battlefield4 @ 1920 on it fine.
Something like an Nvidia GTX 660 would be able that price second hand I'd guess. Checking now, there's even a few GTX 670s for that sort of price.
Buying a mid range card from a few generations ago definitely seems to be a winner.
Oh yeah depending on card you might need 6-pin PCiEx power cable and half decent PSU, if you don't already have one.
(sorry for stealth ad, it's just conincidence but funny enough I have a Corsair 550W PSU with about 30hrs use on it, sat here too for £20 if you want that as well! was going to rebuild my gaming PC but got a PS4 at Xmas so abandoned that idea for now)
Thanks for the info.
(this wasn't meant to be a thinly veiled advert!).
Is it? If it is how much do you want for it?
Jimwah I might take you up on that. Do you have anympre spec on it?
6-pin PCiEx power cable and half decent PSU,
I doubt that my PSU will have that. I will open up the case and have a look.
Edit - From google it would seem I just need an adaptor cable. The PSU is 475w, is that a bit small?
GPU is PNY GTS250 ('XLR8' 512MB DDR3)
PSU is Corsair VS550
I usually have a google about for 'GPU benchmarks' and compare models on there, might be worth looking at various models (versus the old 8800 in your case) and see how they stack up, not definitive but gives you a feel for the kind of performance you can expect out of a card.
What brand is the PSU? Can you see an AMP value next to the '12v' rating on a sticker on the side of it? The Corsair here is 42A for reference, an old PSU with 20A ish I'd be tempted to bin.
Strongly recommend you buy only a GDDR4/GDDR5 card, NOT A DDR3 or GDDR3 card!
Geforce 750 or 750Ti is about as low as I would go. THESE DO NOT NEED AN EXTERNAL 12v POWER CABLE.
Yes you need to know if you can power it, but if you have 75W [6.5A at 12V] spare from the PSU you'll be fine. You can upload the full spec to the PC and a pic of the sticker on the PSU and we'll be able to figure it out for you.
GTX 670 would be miles quicker than a 750 Ti for the same cash, it would also use double the power and I do agree that with a low end 475w it's probably a safer bet! 🙂
Aye DDR3 is old hat, but with the minimum spec above I suspect it'll do alright for WoW. Drop me a mail if you want this GTS250 stuck in the post, having an eBay sort out this week so will be doing plenty of trips to the corner shop sending out boxes etc