Graphics card suggestions please

[idahjo]

I have an Intel computer with the system specs now listed in my Profile. This board is a couple of years old and has an earlier expansion slot for PCI e 2.0x16 (no 3.0). I do not do gaming except for possibly flight (flying) programs. The current graphics card does not have an HDMI plug and this is my preference for hooking to my HDTV. I will mainly be using this computer for entertainment; watching Bly-rays and HDTV. It will most probably have the System Drive replaced with a 120GB SSD, if that makes any difference.
What are the Video Cards available to best fit my purposes? All suggestions welcome..
Thanks!

 

[AddRAM]

If you don`t want to spend too much but still have a good card, you could go with a 760.

EVGA - Products - Graphics - GeForce 700 Series Family - GTX 760

And yes, an ssd will be much better.

 

[archer]

You've got a good PSU. How much are you looking to spend on GPU?

AddRAM's suggestion will be a good choice to look into. You can also check these.

https://www.google.com/#q=AMD+cards+with+prices&tbm=shop

Out of the lot, this one is what I would like to have.

https://www.google.com/shopping/product/8498140910692191238?q=AMD+cards+with+prices&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.60799247,d.bGQ,pv.xjs.s.en_US.60Rsr1-mOJU.O&biw=1217&bih=715&tch=1&ech=1&psi=SonzUq22F6u9ygPg5ICIBg.1391692107435.6&ei=WYnzUufzKeqq7Qal8oCIAQ&ved=0CKIBEKYrMAM

They might have given a bit higher price. You can get this for much less.

 

[idahjo]

Thanks for the responses

I'm thinking under $200. I was hoping for some highlight points of information on what features in a card are beneficial for my intents and what is money wasted overkill. (I have no knowledge in this area and want to learn)
Thanks again

 

[ShamrockRig]

Sapphire Radeon R9 270X Dual-X Boost OC AMD Graphics Card - 2GB - 11217-01-20G - Scan.co.uk

MSI Radeon R9 270 Gaming 2G AMD Graphics Card - 2GB - R9 270 GAMING 2G - Scan.co.uk

XFX 7850 2GB DD 2GB AMD PCI Express Graphics Card - FX-785A-CDJ4 - Scan.co.uk

 

[cramble2005]

Hi idahjo,

You may refer to article: February 2014: Best Graphics Cards For The Money for detailed price/performance comparison of various video cards and select one as per your needs. Most modern video cards come with HDMI slot or a converter, so you would not face any difficulty connecting an HDMI display.
http://www.sevenforums.com/members/idahjo.html

 

[dsperber]

You say your older motherboard doesn't have PCIe 3.0 but only has 2.0. So I would think it makes no sense to get a "latest and greatest" card which will use lots of power and may have a compatibility issue with your board.

Also, you're not a gamer you say, so you don't need to get a screaming fast card.

You haven't mentioned whether your case is "small form factor" which require low-profile expansion cards/brackets or "mid-tower (full-size)" which take full size cards/brackets.

But a pretty decent upgrade that's still modestly priced and low-power (doesn't require external PCIe power connection) is this full-size Diamond HD7750, with DVI/HDMI/DP connectors. If you currently have an HD4850 then the HD7750 uses about 1/2 the power and outperforms the HD4850. And it has three digital connectors.

 

[idahjo]

Case is a GTX mid-tower.
Thanks kindly for the suggestions. I will check them out.
Giving serious consideration to updating the motherboard to a GigaByte with PCIe 3.0.

 

[ShamrockRig]

Updating the motherboard would be a good option to consider,Dsperber very good point!

 

[idahjo]

Gigabyte ga-z77x-ud3h

Updating the motherboard would be a good option to consider,Dsperber very good point!

Search Results for GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD3H at TigerDirect.com
This is what I'm considering. Believe it should work well with the Intel i7 2600K CPU from the old Intel DP67BG motherboard. I have had very good luck with GigaByte boards in the past but were always AMD based; this is the first venture with an Intel chip.

 

[idahjo]

EXACTLY what I was looking for...

hi idahjo,

you may refer to article: february 2014: Best graphics cards for the money for detailed price/performance comparison of various video cards and select one as per your needs. Most modern video cards come with hdmi slot or a converter, so you would not face any difficulty connecting an hdmi display.

thanks :d

 

[AddRAM]

You could also look into a 660 or a 650 Ti or even a 650, all of which should be well under $200.

Newegg.com - Computer Hardware, Video Cards & Video Devices, Desktop Graphics Cards, GeForce GTX 650, GeForce GTX 650 Ti, GeForce GTX 660

This was the 1st card I got for my latest build, it rocks, and it`s under $200

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127699

 

[cramble2005]

hi idahjo,

you may refer to article: february 2014: Best graphics cards for the money for detailed price/performance comparison of various video cards and select one as per your needs. Most modern video cards come with hdmi slot or a converter, so you would not face any difficulty connecting an hdmi display.

thanks :d

You are welcome. And one more thing, as you are not going to use the system for extensive gaming, I really would not suggest upgrading the motherboard just for PCI express slot rev 3.0. You would not notice any difference at all and moreover the video cards are backwards compatible so they will work on PCI express rev 2.0 as well. Radeon 7750 or 7770 will give you most bang for buck.

 

[idahjo]

Got it; THANKS again

 

[ShamrockRig]

hi idahjo,

you may refer to article: february 2014: Best graphics cards for the money for detailed price/performance comparison of various video cards and select one as per your needs. Most modern video cards come with hdmi slot or a converter, so you would not face any difficulty connecting an hdmi display.

thanks :d

You are welcome. And one more thing, as you are not going to use the system for extensive gaming, I really would not suggest upgrading the motherboard just for PCI express slot rev 3.0. You would not notice any difference at all and moreover the video cards are backwards compatible so they will work on PCI express rev 2.0 as well. Radeon 7750 or 7770 will give you most bang for buck.

You will notice a difference, using a new card, lets say a r9 270x for example, using it in a PCI-E 2.0 will be fine, but it will be holding the GPU back, whereas a 3.0 will enable it to use all its power depending on the CPU, Ram and PSU

 

[idahjo]

I think I'm going to 'hide and watch' till the smoke clears. Obviously, I am learning from all this; from others much more knowledgeable than myself. Frankly I'm old enough to know that saving 30-40 bucks can be penny wise and pound foolish in technology that changes so rapidly...

 

[ShamrockRig]

its all opinions mate lol, If your not gaming them its not gonna make much difference to you whether its backwards compatible or not, the 7750/7770 is also a good option to consider!

 

[idahjo]

I do plan on running a FlightGear Flight Simulator, but I suspect it is less demanding than what is termed "Gaming"?
re:FlightGear Flight Simulator | sophisticated, professional, open-source

 

[idahjo]

Let's suppose...

If I left the Intel board w/ PCIe 2.0x16 slots, which of the two of these would you choose?
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GV-R726XOC-1GD Radeon R7 260X 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 HDCP Ready Video Card
Newegg.com - MSI N650TI-1GD5/V1 GeForce GTX 650 Ti 1GB 128-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 HDCP Ready Video Card

why? (thanks for hanging with me)

Or, IF the board was changed as proposed previously for PCIe 3.0 slots, would this be a good choice?
GIGABYTE GV-N660OC-2GD GeForce GTX 660 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - Newegg.com

...considerable difference in total $$ outlay, eh?

 

[ShamrockRig]

I'd always recommend AMD mate, simply because you usually get more bang for your bucks!