FrostTrooper Posted August 13, 2013 Posted August 13, 2013 I'm looking to upgrade my video card since I haven't bought one in several years. I'm currently running a Radeon HD 6800. I'm looking to upgrade for under $150, with 150 being my absolute MAX and would ideally like to be closer to $120 if possible. Thanks in advance
magecutter Posted August 13, 2013 Posted August 13, 2013 try - http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007709%204017&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&Pagesize=100 looks like they may have some decent cards within your budget.
FrostTrooper Posted August 13, 2013 Author Posted August 13, 2013 Thanks for the link. There are some good options there, my problem is, I'm not 100% sure what is a GOOD option. I don't want to buy a new card just for the sake of buying a new card. I need something that is an upgrade. Is there a certain model I should be looking at?
NOTACTICS Posted August 13, 2013 Posted August 13, 2013 I would ensure it is Diretx 11 Compatible and is of the latest PCIe slot type, and pick one that ideally has 2GB Video Ram or more. ATI and NVidia are still the main two chipset brands but each model gets manufactured with quite a few different specs packaged under different names and from different manufacturers. I have still have a older ATI Radeon 3760HD by the way and it handles the game ok enough but if will need a upgrade myself soon.
rjcooper Posted August 13, 2013 Posted August 13, 2013 Try going to the Video Card Benchmark website. It's just kind of a summary of video card qualities, but it will give you an idea on what one may run like. And it also has the average prices for most of them so you can shop for a "diamond in the rough" card that is competing at high end with low cost.
magecutter Posted August 13, 2013 Posted August 13, 2013 Thanks for the link. There are some good options there, my problem is, I'm not 100% sure what is a GOOD option. I don't want to buy a new card just for the sake of buying a new card. I need something that is an upgrade. Is there a certain model I should be looking at? I have never used AMD so had to do a bit of research and found this... "Compared to competitors, performance falls in line with the 1 GB cards of the Nvidia GeForce GTX 460". source - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radeon_HD_6000_Series scroll down to the Radeon HD 6800 section. if the quote is true then this would be a nice upgrade from what you have now - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127703 MSI is a good brand ( my gaming laptop is msi and am very happy with it ) and the GTX 600 series would be a nice step up. also, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127725 this one is a Ti ( titanium edition ) and spec's a little higher for only a few dollars more. read/compare the spec's for both cards, imo the Ti is worth the slight bump in price. ( almost double the cuda cores and slightly better mem clock speed ). either card will support swtor and you should be able to get max graphic settings ( maybe need to turn shadows off? ) as well. as far as AMD products someone else will have to advise you on that. just my two cents, hope it helps a bit, good luck! -
Heal-To-Full Posted August 13, 2013 Posted August 13, 2013 (edited) HD 7850 is the highest-performing card in your price range. It's a last generation card too, no drawbacks here. It's almost as fast and based on most of the same tech as the chip that will go into next generation consoles. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102998 comes down to $149, this is the one you want if you have to get the best below $150. $10 can be saved by going with http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202004. With cards in this performance range, 1GB vs 2GB makes little difference. You can safely skip on the extra VRAM. For comparison vs GTX 650Ti, see here: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/EVGA/GTX_650_Ti_SSC/27.html In all cases, HD7850 will be significantly more powerful (30%+) than a 650Ti. However, if saving a bit of money is an issue, and if you really want that coupon, it's not a bad option. Nvidia drivers are a little better and updated a little more often, but in this price range it just doesn't matter - on newest high-end games Radeon drivers may have bugs, but a less powerful NV is as likely to be limited to a slideshow instead of a game, and with time both get fixed. SWTOR is a very GPU-demanding game, as far as MMO go, but not too buggy, so it makes sense to maximize performance. HD7870 or GTX660 is just about enough to run it adequately. 660 is much more powerful than 650Ti; 7870 is a little more powerful than an overclocked 7850/2GB. With 7850, you'll still be a little short of the sweet spot. I can't in good faith recommend going any lower. 7850 is likely to still pull next generation games, it's close enough in performance and compute capabilities; with anything cheaper you're running a significant risk of throwing money away on a card that will need replacement in very little time. Edited August 14, 2013 by B-Dick
Cydyrx Posted August 13, 2013 Posted August 13, 2013 (edited) I have used www.gpureview.com for years. It lets you compare base model video cards side by side, it's reliable, and it even gives you prices from different places. Edited August 14, 2013 by Cydyrx typo
FrostTrooper Posted August 14, 2013 Author Posted August 14, 2013 Thanks a lot for all the information here, I appreciate you all taking the time to respond with your opinion and advice.
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