Need Video Card Advice for Recent Build

Started by derspiess, March 04, 2010, 12:41:27 PM

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derspiess

March 04, 2010, 12:41:27 PM
Okay, so I went ahead & did my system build and have an el cheapo (in fact it came free in a bundle) 8400 GS video card that is seriously impacting my Windows Experience score.

My build consisted of:

*Core i3 530 2.93ghz processor
*ASUS P7H55-M PRO (micro ATX) motherboard
*4GB (2x2GB) Corsair XMS3 4GB DDR3 RAM
*430W power supply I had lying around (this will be upgraded at some point)
*1TB Seagate HDD
*cheap but sturdy Cooler Master micro ATX case
*8400 GS video card

Win7 Ultimate x64 installed very quickly & without a hitch.  Started moving files & installing stuff last night & will install one or two PCI HDTV tuners once I decommission my current main PC.  Will also bump up an additional 2 or 4gb of RAM whenever I start to see my current 4gb topped out.  Will also replace the CPU cooler if I decide to overclock.

For shits & giggles, I ran the Windows Experience thingie, and the video card scored a surprising 5.9 for 'gaming' but a pitiful 3.1 for Windows Aero.  I know to take those scores with a grain of salt, but obviously I need to upgrade the video card.

Here is what I would like:
*sub-$100
*handles 1080p video without any hitches
*can handle light to medium gaming
*2x DVI ports
*will not crowd the PCI slot below it
*not overly noisy

Any & all suggestions appreciated.
"If you can play a guitar and harmonica at the same time, like Bob Dylan or Neil Young, you're a genius. But make that extra bit of effort and strap some cymbals to your knees, suddenly people want to get the hell away from you."  --Rich Hall

Caliga

#1
March 04, 2010, 01:05:51 PM
Is this the Tiger Direct bundle I saw advertised a week or so ago?  :cool:

Anyway, despite what all of the Languish naysayers were going on about in my thread, I did buy an ATI HD Radeon 5770 a few weeks back and am loving it so far.  Last I checked it was around $160.  I got the Sapphire Vapor-X version and it's completely silent most of the time, and only puts out minimal noise under heavy load.
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derspiess

#2
March 04, 2010, 01:18:33 PM
Quote from: Caliga on March 04, 2010, 01:05:51 PM
Is this the Tiger Direct bundle I saw advertised a week or so ago?  :cool:

Nope, it was a Newegg bundle late last year.

QuoteAnyway, despite what all of the Languish naysayers were going on about in my thread, I did buy an ATI HD Radeon 5770 a few weeks back and am loving it so far.  Last I checked it was around $160.  I got the Sapphire Vapor-X version and it's completely silent most of the time, and only puts out minimal noise under heavy load.

I'm trying to keep it under $100; in fact if I could get by with something considerably cheaper than $100, I'd do it.
"If you can play a guitar and harmonica at the same time, like Bob Dylan or Neil Young, you're a genius. But make that extra bit of effort and strap some cymbals to your knees, suddenly people want to get the hell away from you."  --Rich Hall

viper37

#3
March 04, 2010, 01:56:42 PM Last Edit: March 04, 2010, 02:01:22 PM by viper37
I have the GTX 260, and it's a great card, but it's 2x the price you want to put on.

For that price point (100$), maybe try the 9800GT.  Low end card by now, but much better than the 8400GS.
9800GT
I don't do meditation.  I drink alcohol to relax, like normal people.

If Microsoft Excel decided to stop working overnight, the world would practically end.

Josquius

#4
March 04, 2010, 02:03:25 PM
Pardon my windows xpness but... windows aero? :unsure:
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derspiess

#5
March 04, 2010, 02:30:42 PM
Quote from: Tyr on March 04, 2010, 02:03:25 PM
Pardon my windows xpness but... windows aero? :unsure:


Why, it's the best-designed, highest-performing Microsoft user interface ever :D

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-vista/features/aero.aspx

I know the geek-appropriate attitude is to disable it & mock the newbs who use it, but I like it & use it.
"If you can play a guitar and harmonica at the same time, like Bob Dylan or Neil Young, you're a genius. But make that extra bit of effort and strap some cymbals to your knees, suddenly people want to get the hell away from you."  --Rich Hall

Grey Fox

#6
March 04, 2010, 02:34:20 PM
Aero of Vista is pure crap

Aero of Win7 is way more stable.

Don't trust the windows experience, it just wants more card memory.
Colonel Caliga is Awesome.

grumbler

#7
March 04, 2010, 02:37:03 PM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121334R
Is a pretty good card but might crowd your next card.

You really don't want to go below 256-bit memory, and ideally would want more than half a gig of it.  Doing that for less than $100 is going to be tough unless you can wait for a sale or are willing to take a crapshoot with the quality of the card maker.
The future is all around us, waiting, in moments of transition, to be born in moments of revelation. No one knows the shape of that future or where it will take us. We know only that it is always born in pain.   -G'Kar

Bayraktar!

derspiess

#8
March 04, 2010, 04:18:44 PM
Quote from: Grey Fox on March 04, 2010, 02:34:20 PM
Don't trust the windows experience, it just wants more card memory.

Ahhh-- that makes sense, then.  This card weighs in at a puny 256mb of RAM.
"If you can play a guitar and harmonica at the same time, like Bob Dylan or Neil Young, you're a genius. But make that extra bit of effort and strap some cymbals to your knees, suddenly people want to get the hell away from you."  --Rich Hall

derspiess

#9
March 08, 2010, 10:19:22 AM
Thanks for the advice, everyone.  I'll weigh my options over the next few weeks.  It looks like I will need to push $100 to get a noticeable boost, and spending $60 for a marginal upgrade would be cost effective.

My current video card seems to handle HD video (h.264, divx & wmv9 via Media Center) pretty well, but it's even crappier than I thought it would be with the two games I tested.
"If you can play a guitar and harmonica at the same time, like Bob Dylan or Neil Young, you're a genius. But make that extra bit of effort and strap some cymbals to your knees, suddenly people want to get the hell away from you."  --Rich Hall

derspiess

#10
March 15, 2010, 07:32:30 PM
Still looking at my options, but for shits & giggles I figured I would give the integrated CPU graphics a shot to see how it compares to my crappy card.  I went into the BIOS & upped the clock to 700mhz from the default 600mhz & selected 128mb (the maximum setting) as dedicated graphics memory.

After installing the latest Intel drivers, I have to say I'm pretty damned impressed with it.  My 8400 stuttered a little when playing HD video and was slightly laggy in Media Center (I really didn't notice how spotty it was until just now). 

Hard to believe you can get this much performance from a GPU that is integrated into a CPU.  I still plan to upgrade, but am in less of a rush than before.  If I had the Core i3 running in a home theater PC, I probably wouldn't bother adding a video card.

FWIW, the Windows Experience Index gave it a 5.2 for "Graphics" and a 5.4 for "Gaming graphics".
"If you can play a guitar and harmonica at the same time, like Bob Dylan or Neil Young, you're a genius. But make that extra bit of effort and strap some cymbals to your knees, suddenly people want to get the hell away from you."  --Rich Hall

derspiess

#11
March 17, 2010, 11:51:15 PM
It's a good thing the integrated GPU is doing well, because I'm pretty sure the PCI-E x16 slot is dead.  System won't post now if I have anything plugged into that slot, regardless of how I change the BIOS settings for the primary/secondary graphics adapter.

I updated the BIOS, swapped in a more powerful PSU, swapped in 2 other graphics cards, unplugged everything but the bare essentials, and I get nuthin'.

Gonna return the mobo back to Microcenter this weekend; thankfully I can swap it for a new one on the spot rather than having to go through the RMA thing with an online retailer.
"If you can play a guitar and harmonica at the same time, like Bob Dylan or Neil Young, you're a genius. But make that extra bit of effort and strap some cymbals to your knees, suddenly people want to get the hell away from you."  --Rich Hall

derspiess

#12
March 19, 2010, 09:05:48 AM
Got a wild hair & exchanged the mobo for a good one.  Though I'm still clueless about overclocking, I was able to overclock my little Core i3 processor from 2.93GHz to 3.50GHz with stock cooling (I need to find a 1156 bracket for that Zalman cooler I have).  Apparently, some have overclocked the i3 to run stable at 4.5GHz.  I'd be ecstatic if I could break 4.0.
"If you can play a guitar and harmonica at the same time, like Bob Dylan or Neil Young, you're a genius. But make that extra bit of effort and strap some cymbals to your knees, suddenly people want to get the hell away from you."  --Rich Hall

viper37

#13
March 19, 2010, 10:39:20 AM
The Intel processors have a reputation of being overclocker friendly, compared to AMD.

And it used to be the total opposite not so long ago...  Ah, the good old days :D
I don't do meditation.  I drink alcohol to relax, like normal people.

If Microsoft Excel decided to stop working overnight, the world would practically end.

derspiess

#14
March 23, 2010, 12:55:57 AM
Okay, you guys are gonna hate me.  I bought this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150396

It was $55 w/ free shipping. 

So far, it seems to fit my needs perfectly.  I just need to dig out that extra DVI cable I had somewhere :unsure:
"If you can play a guitar and harmonica at the same time, like Bob Dylan or Neil Young, you're a genius. But make that extra bit of effort and strap some cymbals to your knees, suddenly people want to get the hell away from you."  --Rich Hall
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