Joined: Feb '11
Location: Greece
Age: 58 (M)
Posts: 66
Hi all. I've bought an i3 computer and am now searching for a graphics card. I would like to buy GTX560 but it needs 2 6-pin connectors to the PSU and mine has only one. Preferably I'd like to buy a card that doesn't need any extra connectors at all because I plan to use it later on my old Pentium 4 computer (when I buy a better card for this one) to play Windows XP games (I have a HUGE collection of those and still like them a lot). So I'm thinking something like Radeon HD 7750. I'm also considering the older Radeon HD 6670 or even the Radeon HD 6570 with 4GB (if the extra memory has improved that card's ratings). What do you think of the cards mentioned and do you have any other suggestions? Thanks.
Joined: Apr '09
Location: Australia
Age: 40 (M)
Posts: 6483
Regarding extra connections, if you get a card that requires a connector that your PSU doesn't have, you can get splitter cables usually for about $2 that will convert the standard 4-pin molex connections into whatever you need.
------------ Also, if you've only got an i3 - I wouldn't bother spending more than US$100 on a graphics card, because your CPU is just going to bottleneck the system anyway.
Joined: Feb '11
Location: Greece
Age: 58 (M)
Posts: 66
Processor is i3 2120 at 3.3 GHZ. The GTX 550ti has about the same ratings as HD 7750 at about the same price but it needs more energy and it needs an external connection (which even if it can be taken care of it's still somewhat of a hastle). All these would make it more difficult to use with my older computer plus it's somewhat older technology so perhaps newer games can make better use of HD 7750's improved characteristics. And, for some reason, it's more difficult to find where I live at.
Joined: Apr '09
Location: Australia
Age: 40 (M)
Posts: 6483
Posted by Macubaas: Then choosing the 7750 it's a better option
Yeah.. I always prefer to go with AMD/ATI as well if I can, although NVIDIA and AMD are always swapping which give you best performance for buck.. But if all else is equal, then I'd opt for the AMD card.
Joined: Feb '11
Location: Greece
Age: 58 (M)
Posts: 66
Posted by jessthehuman: Also, if you've only got an i3 - I wouldn't bother spending more than US$100 on a graphics card, because your CPU is just going to bottleneck the system anyway.
That's quite useful, I was always wondering wether a fast card in a not so fast computer was some sort of overkill.
Joined: Apr '09
Location: Australia
Age: 40 (M)
Posts: 6483
Posted by Phoenix2104:
Posted by jessthehuman: Also, if you've only got an i3 - I wouldn't bother spending more than US$100 on a graphics card, because your CPU is just going to bottleneck the system anyway.
That's quite useful, I was always wondering wether a fast card in a not so fast computer was some sort of overkill.
Your computer is like a chain; only as strong as it's weakest link.
It's true of RAM, CPU and Graphics card. To a lesser extent your HDD speed. But yeah, there's no point buying fast/expensive RAM either, if you don't have a top-end i7 or something.
Obviously the bottleneck is different depending what you're doing on a computer, but with games for example - they are very intensive on the RAM, GPU and CPU and any other those things can significantly alter the overall performance - particularly the GPU and CPU - RAM speed is less important - assuming you have enough total free RAM to cover your needs.
Joined: Feb '11
Location: Greece
Age: 58 (M)
Posts: 66
So, I've narrowed down my choices between HD 7750 and the older, cheaper and slower HD 6670 1 GB GDDR3. I would prefer to buy the HD 7750 but don't know if my i3 computer and especially my older Pentium IV 3.2 GHZ can make full use of it.
Joined: Apr '09
Location: Australia
Age: 40 (M)
Posts: 6483
Posted by Phoenix2104: So, I've narrowed down my choices between HD 7750 and the older, cheaper and slower HD 6670 1 GB GDDR3. I would prefer to buy the HD 7750 but don't know if my i3 computer and especially my older Pentium IV 3.2 GHZ can make full use of it.
It's definitely super-mega-over-kill for ANY P4 CPU..A P4 3.2Ghz chip isn't even a fraction as fast as a single core of a modern 3.2GHz chip.. That's assuming your P4 board even has PCIe slot and not an AGP slot!
Joined: Feb '11
Location: Greece
Age: 58 (M)
Posts: 66
Well, my Pentium IV does have a PCIe X16 slot, but the speed issue still remains of course. So I think I'll get the 7750 or the 6770 (which is a bit faster), that I found for about 70 Euros, for my new computer and perhaps buy a used, cheaper card for my old one. Thanks a lot for your replies guys, they were very helpful.
