graphics card for budget build

tango.charlie · 27 Sep 2011 at 20:13

i've recently put together my first build and now im looking for a graphics card to add

my system at the moment is:

amd athlon ii x3 450 3.2ghz
asus m4a88t-m
4gb (2x2gb) crucial DDR3 1333mhz
igp hd 4250
samsung spinpoint f3 1tb
corsair cx430 v2

mainly i want to be able to play world of warcraft and star wars the old republic when it comes out in december on max at 1920x1080 and perhaps a little call of duty/battlefield 3 but i don't expect to max these out particuarly just maintain a playable fps

budget is ~£100

also will i need a more powerful PSU to support a mid range graphics card?

stulid · 27 Sep 2011 at 20:16

also will i need a more powerful PSU to support a mid range graphics card?

Nope

its a great PSU and is easily capable of powering a £100 GFX (6850/GTX460 etc)
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Corsair-CX430-V2-Power-Supply-Review/1284

For £15 over your budget - http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-253-SP&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=1866

Or under - http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-165-OK&groupid=701&catid=1914&subcat=2077 - but is 768MB Vram. And you would need a molex to 6pin PCI-E adapter as the PSU only has one, this card needs two.

6850 vs GTX460 768MB - http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/291?vs=315

tango.charlie · 27 Sep 2011 at 20:29

doesn't look like much difference between the two? and at around 3/4 the price of the ATI i think i've chose my card

thanks

Reaper 392 · 27 Sep 2011 at 20:32

tango.charlie said:
doesn't look like much difference between the two? and at around 3/4 the price of the ATI i think i've chose my card

thanks

do you pay the leccy bill? as much as i love the 460 you'll be saving a lot of money on the electric bill by going for the ATI (i'm pretty sure im right in thinking that 1W ~ £1 per year on the electric bill PC wise, but im happy to be proved wrong here)

Xelene · 27 Sep 2011 at 20:38

For that price range if you can pony up a bit extra, there's 6850's going for around £110. The 560 non Ti's can be had for £125. At those sort of prices, part of the decision goes on whether you'd prefer a copy of Deus Ex or Batman Arkham City.

tango.charlie · 27 Sep 2011 at 20:54

i didn't notice those differences in load power consumption. im guessing playing warcraft/the old republic isn't going to be compareable to the power furmark draws though?

also whilst the ati draws less power it runs a lot warmer

hmm :confused:

stulid · 27 Sep 2011 at 20:57

If you decide to get a GTX460 refurb, then you also need one of these - http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CB-018-AK&groupid=1929&catid=153&subcat=

The refurbs are just the card, no extras.