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Best ATI Graphics Card for around £130

madjam002

madjam002

madjam002

Associate
Joined
27 Oct 2011
Posts
15
Hi all,
I'm new to these forums, I'm also new to building a PC which is what I have just done. However after having it for a week I would like to install a graphics card instead of using the on-board nVidia one.

My processor is an AMD Phenom II x4 3.5Ghz 970 and at the moment I have a stick of Corsair 4GB Memory which I plan to upgrade.

I was wondering what you guys think would be the best ATI Graphics Card for 3D gaming and desktop usage in general is for around £130 and under.
Oh and also I need something preferably which doesn't have to be water cooled however I don't think in that price range I will have to worry about that. Not sure on that one...

At the moment I am using my 19" TV through VGA as a monitor but later on I will be buying a new <20" to connect through DVI and the TV will connect through HDMI. Therefore ports on the back of the card would preferably be VGA, DVI and HDMI, one or more of each would be nice!

Your advice would be much appreciated!
Thanks!
 
Yea the 6870.

But what PSU have you got? If you got some cheap generic brand PSU (which is already a problem on itself), it might have problem cooping with graphic card that require more than 1 PCI-E 6 pin (6870 need 2 PCI-E 6pin).
 
The video card normally comes supplied with an adopter that allows you to connect 2 4 pin molex connectors into a single 6 pin PCI-E plug.
 
And its the one component you should not have gone cheap on. That psu is rubbish and if you put a 6870 in there dont be surprised if you hear a bang followed by a burning smell and smoke. The amps on the 12v rails are not great. £17.95 tells you its rubbish.:(
 
As mentioned upgrade that PSU before spending a not insignificant amount of money on a decent video card. A combined 27A on the 12v rails is asking for trouble! :eek:

Even an aging 8800GT requires 28 amps from the 12 volt rails!
 
Last edited:
rolypolyman said:
And its the one component you should not have gone cheap on. That psu is rubbish and if you put a 6870 in there dont be surprised if you hear a bang followed by a burning smell and smoke. The amps on the 12v rails are not great. £17.95 tells you its rubbish.:(
Click to expand...

Completely agree - do not skimp on a PSU. Even if it's running OK now if it does die it's one of the only components that can take everything else along with it. Spending more gets you a better quality product, along with better protections in place to prevent this.
 
The best graphic card your poor PSU can handle without going bang is probably something that doesn't require external PCI-E power, such as the 6670. For any higher power-consumption card, you would need to upgrade the PSU.
 
Now I'm scared, I feel worried just by using the keyboard and mouse now :L
Can anyone quickly recommend any affordable PSU's quickly (for around £30) as it's an area I don't really want to spend much on but now I understand it's an important area.
 
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