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Video Card Replacement suggestion
I am using a GTX 260 and the thing might finally be going. Looking for a decent mid range graphics card (AMD or Nvidia, no preference) that would be a good replacement.
Note: i am married with 3 kids so price must be decent (aka low if possible lol) :P around $150
Comments
Depending on your budget, i would recommend the following,
$100 or less : Ati radeon 7750 or 7770 ( best 128 bit video card ) aprox $90
under $200 : Ati radeon 7850 2 gig ddr 5 ( best 256 bit video card ) aprox $179
under $300 : Ati radeon 7950 3gig ddr 5 ( best 384 bit video card ) aprox $289
Granted this is just my opinion in these price ranges but i do believe each catagory is "best bang for the buck" .
Good Luck on your upgrade!
I looked it up on toms hardware site , its recomended if you get the ati radeon 7850 make sure you get the 2 gig ddr5 model, gigantic preformance over the 1 gig for little difference in price.
I myself usually only buy XFX video cards, i have always had excellent customer service from them and the cards a almost all guarenteed for life. I currently run a ati radeon 6950 2gig ddr5. Loved it for 2 yrs now. I am looking at possibly upgrading mine to the new 7950 3gig ddr5 model soon as it is now under 300 bucks!
Nvidia makes some pretty good cards now also, its just my opinion that currently, the best bang for the buck is ati radeon.
Sapphire is a solid brand (I got a Sapphire 6850 and it works like a champ). The 7850 is a good buy, 2gb is better over 1gb but I would not go over 2gb, it would be a waste.
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The difference is that one has 1 GB of video memory while the other has 2 GB. Most of the time, that difference won't matter, but sometimes the 2 GB version will let you use high resolution textures and the 1 GB won't without killing your frame rates.
Currently using a Sapphire 6950 and it runs silent even after almost 3 years of use (high and low including video editting) with no issues so I say as a brand they are good.
For the under 300 option you should rather get gtx 760 and nvm the 7950, if you decide to go in this price range that is.
Brenics ~ Just to point out I do believe Chris Roberts is going down as the man who cheated backers and took down crowdfunding for gaming.
They're actually equal if you disregard the 3gb of RAM on the radeon.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ea/Voodoo5-5500-photo.jpg
Might be a bit too expensive for you though.
Actually the gtx 760 cost less than the 7950
which is why I said he should go with the gtx 760, about equal performance but one costs less.
Brenics ~ Just to point out I do believe Chris Roberts is going down as the man who cheated backers and took down crowdfunding for gaming.
The big names in AMD cards are probably, in rough order of price (not necessarily quality):
Asus / MSI
XFX
Sapphire / PowerColor
HIS / VisionTek
I think Diamond may still make them, but I'm not entirely sure.
Personally, I use a Sapphire reference card. The one I have now has been chugging along for 2 1/2 years now. Most of what you are going to pay for will be:
Factory overclocks (these are expensive)
Fancy coolers (these tend to be bundled with the factory overclocks, in and of themselves aren't terribly expensive)
Heavier duty parts (capacitors, PCBs, etc)