Graphics Options

[SpaceFish]

Hi Guys,

I am planning on getting an i5 3570K with all the trimmings, however I am not sure on the graphics card. Still in the early planning phase so cant ellaborate on mobo type yet.

I only do light gaming, general internet and blu ray type stuff so not sure on how much I would have to spend before the card provided better graphics than the cpu. Can anyone tell me at what point its worth going discrete graphics?

Sorry I know its a pretty vague one but debating card or no card.

Thanks.

 

[shadow_boxer]

What resolution is your monitor? Best low-mid range bang for buck card right now is the 6850 which can be had for around £80 when it's on offer.

 

[SpaceFish]

Right now its an old CRT so will be upgrading that too. Its very early in the planning stage so just putting some costs together.

I take it that card will be noticeably better than the i5's onboard GPU?

 

[shadow_boxer]

Much much better. Don't expect the Intel HD4000 to be able to play any new games at your new monitors native resolution.

 

[SpaceFish]

Well that answer is exactly what I was looking for "decisive" cheers will look in to that.

Any recommendation on specific cards or is anything with that chipset fine?

 

[shadow_boxer]

Here's a review of the Intel HD4000. As you can see, even on a fairly oldish and not particularly demanding title like Left 4 Dead 2 at 1920x1080 your not going to get playable framerates with minimums down to the low 20s. Performance is good remembering that after all it's an integrated GPU and performs only slightly behind the 6550D (found on the higher end Llano processors) and ahead of the 6450 (which really isn't a card aimed at any sort of gaming).

What sort of budget do you have for this build? Do you need any other peripherals like mouse/keyboard/speakers along with the monitor? Do you need a copy of Windows 7?

As for recommending a card, there isn't a 6850 on offer this week but chances are there will be tomorrow (refresh of this week only deals at 9am).

Remember also that adding a video card easy so no reason why you couldn't leave the gpu out for the time being and pick one up later if you do want better performance or have a bit more cash to spend on one.