Cheapest gfx card for 22".

[cmndr_andi]

Thanks for that. I'm thinking, would I get a better 2nd hand card for £40?

Cheers

For gaming - yes (cards like the GTX 260 and HD 4870/5770 can be found for around this price).

But for HTPC duties the GT 430 is pretty hard to beat at this price range as it uses a lot of new tech - so more powerful older cards won't match it in those fields (plus they use a lot more power and put out more noise/heat).

 

[Drake5]

For gaming - yes (cards like the GTX 260 and HD 4870/5770 can be found for around this price).

But for HTPC duties the GT 430 is pretty hard to beat at this price range as it uses a lot of new tech - so more powerful older cards won't match it in those fields (plus they use a lot more power and put out more noise/heat).

Thanks - I'll go for the GT430 Then.

Not to bothered about noise really so the one with the fan will be fine.

Cheers

 

[Drake5]

Just wondering something else about the GT430. It uses GDDR3 RAM - It will certainly work with this Mobo?

http://uk.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3485#ov

 

[cmndr_andi]

Yea, it will be fine. The type of video RAM a graphics card uses does not affect it's compatibility with motherboards (eg. you can have a GDDR3 or GDDR5 graphics card running in a DDR2 motherboard like yours).

 

[555BUK]

5450 works fine for me. It won't play games, but TV and high-def playback are absolutely fine. Costs just £22 elsewhere.

 

[Drake5]

5450 works fine for me. It won't play games, but TV and high-def playback are absolutely fine. Costs just £22 elsewhere.

I want to save as much money as I can so that could be an idea. Hmm

 

[Drake5]

Does anyone else think the 5450 would do the job fine? Or would it really be worth paying the extra £20 for the 430?

Cheers

 

[cmndr_andi]

Well the HD 5450 is a slightly slower version of the HD 6450 mentioned earlier - it will adequately decode 1080p video.

However, I would direct you to this review again which explains why for HTPC uses the GT 430 is better than a HD 6450 and let you decide whether it is worth your extra money.

 

[Drake5]

Thanks, I did read it but it is pretty much just jargon to me to be honest.

It's simple really - I just want to have a nice smooth experience when watching 1080p. (Would there be a noticeable difference between the 430 and 5450 when watching 1080p?) But some very light gaming such as the occasional game of TF2 and a bit of Minecraft would be nice. Maybe I really should just go for the GT430...