Dinosaur hunting requires GPU for dinosaur PC.

[K.C. Leblanc]

My step son noticed ARK is free on Steam. Trouble is my current GPU is a Radion 5450 which I don't think is going to cut it. (Other specs are i5-2400 with 16gb ram)

Recommended minimum cards are Radion 7870 or GTX670.

Are these my best option, they're quite old cards and I'm wondering if there's something more modern for a similar price that will do.

PC is on our living TV and often on all day so I really don't want something loud that's going to use loads of energy.

 

[Tired9]

GTX 1650.

 

[doodah]

You might want to consider the Member's Market, £100 or so should get you something half decent.

Edit - in fact, looks like there is a 1650 on there for a bit over £100.

 

[Trickle]

3gb Nvidia 1060s are the lowest I would consider starting at. £85 ish on Ebay.

You get more performance (not quite proportionally to the price difference) but likely better longevity from stepping up to the £115 6gb version. Its still the most commonly used gaming gfx card in the world, so will last.

 

[Orcvader]

What motherboard are you using? Some earlier Sandy Bridge/Ivy Bridge boards have trouble running newer GPUs and may require a BIOS update. If it uses UEFI it "should" be fine.

 

[K.C. Leblanc]

What motherboard are you using?

It's an Asus P8P67 LE,

 

[Orcvader]

It's an Asus P8P67 LE,

One of the BIOS updates mentions compatibility with the GTX 680 in UEFI mode so the latest one should be fine with any modern GPU.

 

[TrojanWhore]

It's an Asus P8P67 LE,

I had a P8P67 Pro and it worked fine with my GTX1070 (and an RX580 when I later donated it to a friend), so yes I imagine you'll be fine with most cards at least up to that era.

As for ARK, I'd go for the best you can afford, as the game has come a long way graphically since it's initial early access release in 2015 and I think the recommended specs may be a little optimistic these days .

RX580/GTX 1070 both handled it pretty well - 1080p, ultra textures with mostly medium post processing/effects.

It's the main game I play and I've upgraded GTX670 > 780ti > 1070 > 3060ti all in pursuit of more frames (and can now play 1440p ultra with my new card!)

Second hand, I'd aim for a 780/R290 as a minimum, if possible (and if your PSU is up to it!).
A GTX 1050ti/1650 would also be good and use a lot less power.

FYI - any videos you find on youtube showing a card's performance at various settings will almost certainly be on 'the island' map, which was the only one back in 2015 and is the least demanding. Later maps such as Lost Island will be more of a struggle.

You mentioned he will be playing on the living room PC - Will this be with a controller or KB/Mouse?
Controller is supported but the implementation is a little cumbersome at times and I would strongly recommend kb/m if possible for this game!