Going to buy a computer but confused about graphics card

A

1. What is the purpose of the computer? (Note: If you are planning to say multimedia, you will have to be more specific as all types of systems are capable of doing that)

A: Playing all the latest games, internet surfing, online share trading

2. Are you open to alternate ideas/products giving similar better performance but offering more VFM/ sellers? If not- why?

A:Yes

3. What is your MAX budget?

A: Rs.25000

4. Planning to overclock?

A: What is overclocking

5. Which OS are you planning to use?

A: Windows 7 or XP

6. How much hard drive space is needed?

A:500 GB

7. What resolution will the screen run at & whats the size of the screen you want?

A: Resolution 800 X 600 and screen size 15"

8. How would you rate your hardware knowledge from the count of 1-10? (1 being the lowest, 5 being you are somewhat in sync with the current performers and 10 being the highest)

A: 4

9. Have you ever built a desktop before or will this be done by an assembler?

A: Assembler

10. When are you planning to buy the system?

A: Within 2 weeks

11. Are you one of the types looking out for "future proof" configurations?

A: Yes. My choice of processor will be intel i3

12. Are there going to be any components that you don't want to include in this new rig? If yes, do mention.

A:Monitor, mouse, keyboard, sound box

13. Which city do you live in and are you open to buying from shops from other city/states?

A: I stay at Kolkata. I will not be able to buy it from any were else then Kolkata.

14. Mention any other points if deemed necessary
A: I have been suggested to buy the following config:

Processor: Intel Core i3-530, 2.93 GHz AND Motherboard: Intel DH55TC
DDR3 4GB RAM (2x2gb)
Graphics card: GT 9500 with 1 GB RAM
Hard Disc: Seagate Barracuda 500 GB Price
Optical drive: LG GH22 SATA 22x DVD-writer
PC Case:ATX iBall Pride
UPS: APC

Is it ok or should I change something? Another thing is that will I be able to play all future games upto next two years with this configauration??

Thanks in advance.

^Next two years of happy gaming with 9500GT is not @all possible.....
get a DX11 card low-end.....coz ur budget is low....

25k budget is too low to go for an Intel based system. Its better to go for AMD based system. Core i5/i3 is slightly better in gaming compared to its AMD counter parts but their price is too high and you will miss the most important thing for gaming, the Graphics card.
Here goes your config

AMD Athlon II X4 630 2.8 GHz @ 4.4k
Gigabyte GA880 UD2H @ 4.6k
Kingston 2 X 2 GB C9 1333 MHz DDR3 @ 4.6k
500 GB Seagate/WD with 32 MB cache @ 1.8k
Gigabyte 80 Plus Active PFC 460W @ 2.2k
Sapphire HD5670 512MB GDDR5 Artic Cooling @ 5.5k
LG 22X SATA DVD Writer @ 1k

Now the resolution you mentioned (800X600) is no gaming resolution. The games will look really bad. And 15" monitor will deliver I think minimum 1240X1024 I guess. So The Graphics card I suggested HD 5650, it a DirectX11 card and will be able to handle all the latest games in high setting at the mentioned resolution. Don't go for 9500 GT as it is a crap card for gaming and don't be fooled by the amount of Graphics memory they offered. High memory size in a low end card will not yield any better result. The card I've mentioned deliver almost same performance of 9800 GT with Dx11 support.
The AMD quad core and the graphics card combo will be great to handle all your games as well as applications, mainly in multithreaded ones.

i am from Kolkata also. So look in Vedant, Ezone, MD computers in Chandni. They offer a little less price.

A

Thanks a lot to both of you.

I am getting this prices for my given specifications:

Processor: Intel Core i3-530, 2.93 GHz AND Motherboard: Intel DH55TC –Rs.9300
DDR3 4GB RAM 2100 x 2 - Rs. 4200
Hard Disc: Seagate Barracuda 500 GB Price – Rs. 1700
Optical drive: LG GH22 SATA 22x DVD-writer – Rs 900
PC Case:ATX iBall Pride – Rs 1,200
UPS: APC - Rs 1800

Total: Rs. 19100

That means I will have Rs.25000-Rs.19100 = Rs. 5900 for graphics card.

With this if I include your given graphics card, then I will be able to save almost Rs. 400. Now tell me if this is a good configuration or not for playing games from 2005 to 2011-2012?

akashbothra said:
That means I will have Rs.25000-Rs.19100 = Rs. 5900 for graphics card.

With this if I include your given graphics card, then I will be able to save almost Rs. 400. Now tell me if this is a good configuration or not for playing games from 2005 to 2011-2012?

HD5670 512MB will be good for 2011-2012 if u use it in ur 15" monitor...
but above 19" monitor it wud be a problem for the card to run games.......

will you change the monitor in future??

akashbothra said:
Thanks a lot to both of you.

I am getting this prices for my given specifications:

Processor: Intel Core i3-530, 2.93 GHz AND Motherboard: Intel DH55TC –Rs.9300
DDR3 4GB RAM 2100 x 2 - Rs. 4200
Hard Disc: Seagate Barracuda 500 GB Price – Rs. 1700
Optical drive: LG GH22 SATA 22x DVD-writer – Rs 900
PC Case:ATX iBall Pride – Rs 1,200
UPS: APC - Rs 1800

Total: Rs. 19100

That means I will have Rs.25000-Rs.19100 = Rs. 5900 for graphics card.

With this if I include your given graphics card, then I will be able to save almost Rs. 400. Now tell me if this is a good configuration or not for playing games from 2005 to 2011-2012?

1st of all, you missed one of the most important but also most ignored component, SMPS or PSU. You are going with a Iball PSU which is having some crap PSU with 400-450 wattage but the original wattage will be like 250-300W. This is not at all compatible if a dedicated Gfx card is placed into your system. So invest at least 2k for a quality PSU like I've suggested.

And rather than Intel based system, also check the price of their AMD counterparts.

A

Thanks to all for your valuable informations.

@Jaskanwar Singh: Yes I will change my monitor in future but that will not be a big 20"-22" because I have a problem with space. I think maximum I can go up to 17".

@Cilus: thanks a lot for your advise. Can you tell me which SMPS or PSU should I use?

minimum: FSP Saga II 350W or Gigabyte 400W. both cost 1.5k. but a 400W unit from FSP or a 460W from Gigabyte will be a better buy considering they cost only 2k & are reliable as well as VFM units.

gigabyte 460W is the best deal here

@akash: dont go for crap iball.....just go for gigabyte PSU or corsair....

A

Thanks to all of you. You guys are great. Here is the configuration I am going to buy:

Processor: Intel Core i3-530, 2.93 GHz AND Motherboard: Intel DH55TC – Rs.9300
Ram: Kingston 2 X 2 GB C9 1333 MHz DDR3 2100 x 2 - Rs. 4200
Graphics card: Sapphire HD5670 512MB GDDR5 Artic Cooling - Rs.5500
Hard Disc: 500 GB Seagate/WD with 32 MB cache – Rs. 1700
Optical drive: LG GH22 SATA 22x DVD-writer – Rs 900
PC Case:Gigabyte 80 Plus Active PFC 460W - Rs.2200
UPS: APC - Rs 1800

Total: Rs. 26000

Do you think I need some extra fans?

no you wont need extra fans. 5670 will handle the 17" easily.

@akashbothra, thats not PC Case. its the PSU. you'll need buy cabinet separately.

I'd suggest you go with Cilus's config as you mentioned it needs to be futureproof. Your requirements right now are low but they will increase with time (the requirements for everything increases with time ;-)

). So in that case an athlon ii x4 which is a true quad core processor will be much more suited.

M

I'm having a 9500gt and for todays games, it stand nowhere.....dont go for that card.....go for atleast hd 5670 512mb....best vfm and suits your budget...

@OP
i suggest you go for an AMD config, will save you money!!!
also remember don't go for CM Extreme SMPS, watever the retailer say, don't go for it!!
also i suggest going for CM Elite 430 cabinet!

at your budget, amd is way-way better than intel.... will save you some bucks too n will also give you some more futureproofing.... but if you wanna go with intel, get your rig with giga apfc 460w(myself using it) n cm 310....

I m using ATI raideon HD series and this must be so helpful for you....

check out my siggy
get a gigabyte/msi motherboard
NEVER EVER go for intel mobo

i3+s2h -10k

^^Dude I c u got GTS450!!Is it already easily available??Coz of all the online stores I checked only mediahome had the card!!Dija buy it from some shop or online?If online, then can u plz temme the site?
1 more thing pal..U running the graphics card on 350W PSU!!Doesn't it require a 450W PSU?

And since nobody has mentioned it, Overclocking is a art where you squeeze a lemon till the last drop in order to make your Lamonade better.
Where lemon is your CPU, G-card or RAM.
And lamonade is your PC.
Thank you very much.

toad_frog09 said:
And since nobody has mentioned it, Overclocking is a art where you squeeze a lemon till the last drop in order to make your Lamonade better.
Where lemon is your CPU, G-card or RAM.
And lamonade is your PC.
Thank you very much.

cool example

@ akashbothra

Buddy stick with amd at your budget. An amd mobo has a better upgrade path and you can even fit a bulldozer proccy in future.Lets say at 4.5 k you get a decent 870 chipset based gigabyte board which can do crossfire and in future you can fit a phenom 2 x6 and don't forget bulldozer.

So go with cilus's config and you are good to go.

piyush120290 said:
cool example

.
Thank you sire.

vickybat said:
@ akashbothra

Buddy stick with amd at your budget. An amd mobo has a better upgrade path and you can even fit a bulldozer proccy in future.Lets say at 4.5 k you get a decent 870 chipset based gigabyte board which can do crossfire and in future you can fit a phenom 2 x6 and don't forget bulldozer.

So go with cilus's config and you are good to go.

You're wrong there. bulldozer will require a new socket AM3+ which will be backward compatible with AM3 processors but existing AM3 motherboards won't support bulldozer processors

^^ yup. thats right. sad for me & many others who brought AM3 in hope of making an upgrade in future to a faster & better processor. now it looks we all will have to get a good HSF & squeeze the last drop off the Lemon known as "Athlon II X4 635".

Sam.Shab said:
^^ yup. thats right. sad for me & many others who brought AM3 in hope of making an upgrade in future to a faster & better processor. now it looks we all will have to get a good HSF & squeeze the last drop off the Lemon known as "Athlon II X4 635".

+1
i bought a Crosshair IV Formula!!!

Cybertonic said:
You're wrong there. bulldozer will require a new socket AM3+ which will be backward compatible with AM3 processors but existing AM3 motherboards won't support bulldozer processors

oh man!!!
thats a really bad news

i have to agree with sammy

@ cybertonic

Opps buddy i didn't knew this. Thanks a lot for correcting. Anyways the op can still use the 870 or 880 board to upgrade to an am3 based x6.

Sam.Shab said:
^^ yup. thats right. sad for me & many others who brought AM3 in hope of making an upgrade in future to a faster & better processor. now it looks we all will have to get a good HSF & squeeze the last drop off the Lemon known as "Athlon II X4 635".

really bad!

mavihs said:
+1
i bought a Crosshair IV Formula!!!

IMO you need to sell that or return that if thats not too old!!.

^^ yup. i'll say better get rid of this board as soon as Am3+ board comes out. & the news spreads too much. you should get good return value.

Sam.Shab said:
^^ yup. i'll say better get rid of this board as soon as Am3+ board comes out. & the news spreads too much. you should get good return value.

are AM3+ boards out?
any info regarding them?........

not yet. actually no news. also as read in Fudzilla a few minutes ago, Llano pushed back till Q3 2011. so it means our PCs successor from AMD atleast 1yr away. thank God.

ssb1551 said:
^^Dude I c u got GTS450!!Is it already easily available??Coz of all the online stores I checked only mediahome had the card!!Dija buy it from some shop or online?If online, then can u plz temme the site?
1 more thing pal..U running the graphics card on 350W PSU!!Doesn't it require a 450W PSU?

didnt get it yet

will purchase it soon

^^Wat abt the PSU?Do u think 350W will be able to provide ample power to that card?

A

Happy Durga Puja Friends.

Thanks to all of you. I am going to buy the following config:

Processor: AMD Athlon II X4 635 2.8 GHz Rs. 4350
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA880 UD2H Rs. 4200
RAM: Corsair 2 X 2 GB C9 1333 MHz DDR3 Rs. 2150*2 = Rs. 4300

Hard Disc: 500 GB Seagate/WD with 32 MB cache Rs. 1675
SMPS: Gigabyte 80 Plus Active PFC 460W Rs. 2200
Cabinet: Anything with the above SMPS Rs. 1000
Graphics Card: Sapphire HD5670 512MB GDDR5 Artic Cooling Rs. 5500
DVD Writer: LG 22X SATA DVD Writer Rs. 825
UPS: APC Rs. 1800

Total: Rs. 27000 with VAT

I just want to know if there is any substitute for the graphics card, because I searched many shops but they are saying its out of stock. So please give me 2-3 substitutes (if any). And please do the same for the SMPS and cabinet.

Thanks in advance.

for psu look at fsp saga II 500w @ 2.2k
for gfx card look at msi gts450 cyclone @ 7.8k
for cabinet cm elite 310 @ 1.5k or zebronics bijli without smps @ 1.2k

How do u do this Jas?U jus come up with solution to everything!!Thats insane:C_insane:!! :high5:

U definitely r no.1 :number1:

!!

A

@Jaskanwar: Thanks for your suggestion. But I think the gfx card you are talking is much costlier for my budget, I want something within 6k.Can you suggest any substitute for Sapphire HD5670 512MB GDDR5 Artic Cooling Rs. 5500.

@ssb1551
thanks

@akashbothra
a normal sapphire 5670 512mb for 5k..a 1gb version might be there for 6k but very-2 less performance difference b/w 512mb and 1gb

A

Is there any difference between sapphire HD 5670 and XFX 5670 card? In Vedant they are offering me the XFX one for Rs. 5800, should I take there offer?

ssb1551 said:
^^Wat abt the PSU?Do u think 350W will be able to provide ample power to that card?

v.Na5h said:
didnt get it yet

will purchase it soon

yeah definitely

first of all it provides (16+16)32a on 12v rail (ample amperage gts 450 will nedd approx 15-10a)

secondly its tdp is 106w

so

i3(75w)+mobo/kb/mouse/hdd/ram/fans/dvd etc(60w)+450(110w)===245w
and thats at peak load

so normal load would be around 200-220w

moreover saga 350 provides 400w peak and 350w constant

even after considering cap ageing etc i think it will support

moreover my friend is running 5770(110w) with amd x4 640(90w tdp) on saga 350

sorry for bad presentation....was on mobile

^^Wow!! 5770 with X4 640 on a 350W Saga!! :shock:

...NICE!!

v.Na5h said:
yeah definitely

first of all it provides (16+16)32a on 12v rail (ample amperage gts 450 will nedd approx 15-10a)

secondly its tdp is 106w

so

i3(75w)+mobo/kb/mouse/hdd/ram/fans/dvd etc(60w)+450(110w)===245w
and thats at peak load

so normal load would be around 200-220w

moreover saga 350 provides 400w peak and 350w constant

even after considering cap ageing etc i think it will support

moreover my friend is running 5770(110w) with amd x4 640(90w tdp) on saga 350

sorry for bad presentation....was on mobile

guys thats just theory

but will it be feasible practically(considering temp,etc etc)

some inputs on this guys....

Did you check if fsp 350w has a overload protection circuit?

Ideally, its best to use 70-80% of the psu's potential rather than stressing it to its limits by using 100% of its peak load potential. In any case why take such changes. Consider seasonic 380 s12II or corsair cx430.

^^^ i already have it(fsp 350w)
i will then have to reconsider gts 450
the only vfm card below it will be 5670 which is a bit low end for me

The Sorcerer said:
Did you check if fsp 350w has a overload protection circuit?

yes it has one.
wat does it actually do??
my guess, during overload the pc would be restarted aint it??

I know. BTW, the meaning of cheap and VFM is significantly different but advisors fail to understand that. Recommending stuff just because its cheap and can fit within one's budget is plain wrong, eventually ending up with some issue or ther other in the very near future.

Many also need to know that the peak load capacity eventually decreases in time, especially if its on load. Lifespan depends on the load, depending on what kind of components is used (more details on the psu guide). Stressing it more on a power supply with limited potential will decrease the lifespan of the product considerably and if it doesn't have any proper over-voltage circuit on the psu then its just a matter of time your hardware will fail.

Edit: Btw, that circuit refuses to start your system. That also protects if you connect wrong connectors in wrong places (hey don't look at me, but I've seen geniuses who manage to connected a pcie power connector on atx12v)