Need help finding a good video card for under $200

[TheRobReport]

Okay so I bought the ATI Radeon HD 5450 1gb ddr3 for my PC when I got it in August and I recently got Grand Theft Auto 4 and even with the game settings turned all the way it won't play without horrible lag.

I did a test on system requirements lab and it says the problem with my set up is my video card.

Help!


PC Stats

AMD Phenom (tm) II x6 1035T Processor 2.60 GHZ

4.00 GB Ram

Windows 7

ATI Radeon HD 5450 1GB DDR

 

[Hydro2Oxide]

To be honest, GTA4 will run pretty poorly with most hardware, but the 5450 is a pretty bad card and an upgrade will definitely see improvement.

My personal suggestion is the 6850, though it just about ties with nVidia's 460 in price and performance. It really comes down to company preference or deals there.

 

[Lawyers Guns N Money]

Yeah, the 6850 (ATI/AMD) or the 460 1GB (nVidia) is your best bet for under 200.

Make sure your PSU is up to the upgrade, though. And if you go the nVidia route, don't buy the SE version, it's a gimped card.

 

[mang9432]

I just built a system with a 6850 and I'm really happy with it so far.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-radeon-hd-6870-geforce-gtx-570,2834-4.html

 

[War Art]

Just built a system for my friend with a 6870 and he is running almost every game flawlessly. - GTA4 runs poor on the PC in general it is a bad port.

 

[Thassodar]

I have a Palit Sonic Platinum OC GTS 450 I bought about 2 months ago and it plays just about everything very well. NFS: High Stakes almost maxed out runs beautifully at 1920x1080. Been playing Team Fortress 2 maxed, METRO 2033 in DX11 almost maxed, Just Cause 2 maxed and they all run fantastic. It's SLi compatible as well so I'm thinking of getting a second one. They should be no more than $160. I got mine on sale for $145 after tax.

 

[Curufinwe]

My video card is almost dead, so I'm thinking of upgrading to this one which is only $120.

EVGA GeForce GTS450 FPB 1 GB GDDR5 PCI-Express 2.0 Graphics Card

http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-...TF8&coliid=I3CVVOLB3L1OG6&colid=1V8443L1EC6JP

 

[hcamacho]

[quote name='mang9432']I just built a system with a 6850 and I'm really happy with it so far.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-radeon-hd-6870-geforce-gtx-570,2834-4.html[/QUOTE]


I just did the same thing 2 months ago, and I am in heaven with that cheap card!My CPU is a phenom2 x6 OC @ 4.01 GHZ (from 2.8 GHZ) and 4GB of PC3-10600 DDR3...and Im quite in heaven, and Bulletstorm runs flawlesly @720p. 60fps locked!

 

[Lawyers Guns N Money]

[quote name='hcamacho']I just did the same thing 2 months ago, and I am in heaven with that cheap card!My CPU is a phenom2 x6 OC @ 4.01 GHZ (from 2.8 GHZ) and 4GB of PC3-10600 DDR3...and Im quite in heaven, and Bulletstorm runs flawlesly @720p. 60fps locked![/QUOTE]
Only 720p? You're not doing your hardware justice at such a low resolution. It's like buying a sports car and only driving it 30 mph.

 

[mang9432]

[quote name='Lawyers Guns N Money']Only 720p? You're not doing your hardware justice at such a low resolution. It's like buying a sports car and only driving it 30 mph.[/QUOTE]

yeah man, bump that shit up. I don't have a ton of games yet, but SC2 runs locked @ 60fps at 1080p on my system with a 6850. I'm waiting patiently for the bulletstorm demo and crysis 2 demo to put it to the test.