Graphics card help please

[ByronicHero]

Hello.

Recently I started to have black screen freezes when playing games which were "fixable" only by turning my PC on and off again. Re-installing drivers didn't work and it wasn't a temperature issue as far as the evidence suggested so I removed my graphics card (geforce 430) and tried playing some games on the integrated graphics to see if that fixed the problem. It appears to have, so this has necessitated my replacing the card.

I do enjoy some gaming but don't need to be able to play everything on high graphics settings though I would like to be able to play most games smoothly at some graphics level.

My computer is modest (i3 2100 @ 3.10GHz) and I am happy to spend up to 100 - 150 pound for a card that would be worth it.

So essentially I am asking for suggestions. I have done some cursory research but I am very farm from being an expert.

Many thanks in advance.

 

[ByronicHero]

I'd recommend either a 7790 or a 650ti maximum with that cpu as any higher will be a bottleneck. I've seen a 7850 get bottlenecked in sleeping dogs which is a gpu limited game with an i3 sandy bridge processor overclocked.

I would look for a 7850 or 660. Both of those will be ideal for a bit of light or even heavy gaming. The I3 could be a bottleneck but not something worth worrying too much over.

Thanks both of you for the advice.

There is some chance that I will update my CPU at a later date if it seemed necessary so I don't want to invest in a card I am likely to want to replace but of course I also don't want to unnecessarily waste my money. If spending 20 more pound or close is going to offer any significant improvement then that seems like a reasonable investment.

I wish I were more informed about all of this really but I've only recently started trying to learn everything and there is of course plenty to learn! For example, searching the cards suggested on overclokers yielded various - to my eyes similar, if not identical - results so I am not necessarily sure which exactly is being recommended. I am certain this is due to my incompetence and not any lack of clarity on your parts but any more guidance would be appreciated.

Thanks again.

 

[ByronicHero]

The biggest gain will from a new gpu and for your price range The 650ti boost 2gb version is what to get.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Gainward GeForce GTX 650Ti Boost Golden Sample 2048MB GDDR5
PCI-Express Graphics Card £137.99
Total : £148.79 (includes shipping : £9.00).


Best Graphics Cards For The Money: April 2013


http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/gaming-graphics-card-review,review-32671.html

+1

The 650ti is a bit faster than a 7790 but either card will suit your processor well.

That works for my price range, and certainly looks more impressive than my old 430

If this is the consensus opinion that I am happy to go with it.

On a slightly different note: when I was cleaning the dust out of my unit to ensure that temperature issues were not what was causing the crashes I accidentally wiped most of the thermal paste away - is it necessary for me to buy some and reapply a layer/where do I get it from.

Thanks.

 

[ByronicHero]

What power supply do you have?

From your description its not definitive that the problem is your graphics card (even though its most likely).

You may also need a new PSU for the GPUs being suggested so worth factoring that cost in.

I have no idea actually. What would indicate that I would need to replace it?

Indeed, although as the problem stopped once I took out the card I assumed that was a reasonable indication. This approach leaves plenty of room for me to be wrong but I didn't really know how else to begin trying to fix the problem.