Thursday, April 26, 2012

What is the best video card for my motherboard under $150?

I want to buy a card for gaming but I have no idea what the differences are or which ones will work on my motherboard.



This is my motherboard: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5235299&CatId=2838|||Well the motherboard doesn't really restrict your graphics card choices aside from finding the right interface (PCI-Express x16 or AGP) but your power supply does.



Higher-end cards require more power, so depending upon what you've currently got, you may need to upgrade your computer's power supply.



For example, with a 300 watt power supply the best card you can install is a GeForce GT240.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as…



If you power supply is 400 watts, that's enough for a Radeon 5670 or GeForce 9800GT.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as…



To run cards like the Radeon 4850, GTS 250, Radeon 5750, GTS 450 and Radeon 5770 your computer needs a 450-500 watt power supply.



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as…

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as…



So one of those cards, plus a 500W power supply is probably your best choice. If you already have a 450-500W power supply, you could swing a Radeon 5770.



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as…

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as…





The GTX 260, Radeon 4870, GTX 460, Radeon 6850 and higher cards probably aren't options for your system (even if you found a great deal for under $150) because those cards require a minimum 500-550W power supply that provides TWO dedicated power connectors. Power supplies like that typically cost $80-$100 all by themselves and computers don't come with psus like that unless a card of similar performance was originally installed.|||The good news is that it looks like you might be able to squeeze a larger GPU into that pci-e x16 slot. It'll probably cover the next slot down but who needs that? (unless you actually do need it XD )



So, for $150 you can pick yourself up a GTS 450, a 5770 (which I wouldn't recommend cuz I have one and I want to shoot it) or a 768 MB GTX 460.



Honestly if you bump your budget up to the $180- $200 you can get something a lot better.



Now, for the "Teach a man to fish" portion of this question, check out newegg.com



http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.…



On the left you can specify exactly what you want for your card.|||If you can find an Nvidia GTX 460 for under $150, then go for it. Otherwise, get a Radeon 5770.

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