Is this a good graphics card?

[Razor505]

I am wondering if any of these graphic cards are good for gaming and surfing?
Diamond AMD Radeon HD 6450 1GB GDDR3 PCI-E Video Card : Video Cards - Future Shop
XFX AMD Radeon HD 6450 1GB DDR3 PCI-E Video Card : Video Cards - Future Shop
Diamond Radeon 6450 1GB DDR3 PCI-E Video Card : Video Cards - Future Shop
I have also bought a new power supply to change my old LITEON ps-6301-08a
Coolmax 500W Power Supply (14622) : Power Supplies - Future Shop

 

[DMHolt57]

Here is a quick comparison chart... AMD Radeon HD 6450 Review - Performance#

 

[bobkn]

Radeon 6450 cards are low-end. They should be adequate for web surfing, but for gaming they're weak.

PassMark Software - Video Card Benchmark Charts - Video Card Model List

What sort of system do you wish to upgrade? If you had, for example, a Radeon 5670 card, a 6450 would be a major downgrade.

 

[smarteyeball]

Radeon 6450 cards are low-end. They should be adequate for web surfing, but for gaming they're weak.

PassMark Software - Video Card Benchmark Charts - Video Card Model List

What sort of system do you wish to upgrade? If you had, for example, a Radeon 5670 card, a 6450 would be a major downgrade.

Yep.

If you give us a ballpark max budget figure we could help pick out an improvement.

Because as mentioned, the 6450 is not a gaming card.

 

[Razor505]

Radeon 6450 cards are low-end. They should be adequate for web surfing, but for gaming they're weak.

PassMark Software - Video Card Benchmark Charts - Video Card Model List

What sort of system do you wish to upgrade? If you had, for example, a Radeon 5670 card, a 6450 would be a major downgrade.

Yep.

If you give us a ballpark max budget figure we could help pick out an improvement.

Because as mentioned, the 6450 is not a gaming card.

My max budget is $70

 

[Razor505]

Radeon 6450 cards are low-end. They should be adequate for web surfing, but for gaming they're weak.

PassMark Software - Video Card Benchmark Charts - Video Card Model List

What sort of system do you wish to upgrade? If you had, for example, a Radeon 5670 card, a 6450 would be a major downgrade.

I was thinking of upgrading my ATI Radeon HD 5670 1GB GDDR3 card

 

[Jonesie85]

sorry for interrupting the graphics card talk but the psu does put a limit on the Graphics card. a 500w PSU is not enough for a highend Graphics card. However i have just read that you have a $70 limit so you most likely wont be able to buy a graphics card powerful enough to warrent upgradding the PSU. If you win the lottery and can then afford a high-end graphics car then be sure to upgrade the PSU as wel.

Oh, recently i upgraded my graphics card from a hd4870. it worked ok with mass effect 3 but i had to turn down all shadows and lighting. basically all the graphics settings the game has but it worked anyway. My point is that even if the 6450 isnt designed for gaming it will still work.

sorry for interrupting you guys. cya around.

 

[Razor505]

sorry for interrupting the graphics card talk but the psu does put a limit on the Graphics card. a 500w PSU is not enough for a highend Graphics card. However i have just read that you have a $70 limit so you most likely wont be able to buy a graphics card powerful enough to warrent upgradding the PSU. If you win the lottery and can then afford a high-end graphics car then be sure to upgrade the PSU as wel.

Oh, recently i upgraded my graphics card from a hd4870. it worked ok with mass effect 3 but i had to turn down all shadows and lighting. basically all the graphics settings the game has but it worked anyway. My point is that even if the 6450 isnt designed for gaming it will still work.

sorry for interrupting you guys. cya around.

i have changed my buget a little now, so its $80 and my new power supply is http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/prod...spx?path=4fb707e52ed1b60260b132aa8e3dd598en02

 

[Jonesie85]

sorry for interrupting the graphics card talk but the psu does put a limit on the Graphics card. a 500w PSU is not enough for a highend Graphics card. However i have just read that you have a $70 limit so you most likely wont be able to buy a graphics card powerful enough to warrent upgradding the PSU. If you win the lottery and can then afford a high-end graphics car then be sure to upgrade the PSU as wel.

Oh, recently i upgraded my graphics card from a hd4870. it worked ok with mass effect 3 but i had to turn down all shadows and lighting. basically all the graphics settings the game has but it worked anyway. My point is that even if the 6450 isnt designed for gaming it will still work.

sorry for interrupting you guys. cya around.

i have changed my buget a little now, so its $80 and my new power supply is Coolmax 700 Watt Power Supply (CTI-700B) - English : Power Supplies - Future Shop

i haven't been able to find any reviews on that psu. however, the specs do look ok.
all 3 of your first graphics card choices state it needs no more than a 400w (500w to be safe) PSU and all 3 do not need the extra power cables (6pin or 8pin pci-e cables directly from the psu to the g-card). (i mentioned the psu just incase you choose to spend a tonne of cash on a topend card).

you'll probably need more cable options if your going for a powerfull graphics card. For example, the pci-e 6pin plugs that go directly into a grpahics card to give the card more juice. my hd6970 requires a 6pin and an 8pin cable to provide it power.

If you choose a top end G-card you'll Definetely need a much better psu. Not so much in the form of wattage but MORE cable options. A 700w PSU is overkill for the graphics cards you have chosen but it always wise to have more power than you need just in case.

anyway. my hd6970 is old and is still worth £280. It is starting to have issues playing highend new releases. So if you cant afford to go all the way and buy top end

 

[bobkn]

Radeon 6450 cards are low-end. They should be adequate for web surfing, but for gaming they're weak.

PassMark Software - Video Card Benchmark Charts - Video Card Model List

What sort of system do you wish to upgrade? If you had, for example, a Radeon 5670 card, a 6450 would be a major downgrade.

I was thinking of upgrading my ATI Radeon HD 5670 1GB GDDR3 card

The 5670 is a good mid-range card. You may have trouble finding a better one within your budget. I'd suggest a Geforce GTX 460 (1GB version) or a Radeon 6850, but those are each more like $150CDN (at www.newegg.ca).

Also, while online reviews have to be taken with a grain of salt, you may want to look at:

Newegg.ca - COOLMAX CTI-700B 700W ATX12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Power Supply

Looks like QC at CoolMax may not be the best in the industry. Feeling lucky?

 

[Solarstarshines]

Radeon 6450 cards are low-end. They should be adequate for web surfing, but for gaming they're weak.

PassMark Software - Video Card Benchmark Charts - Video Card Model List

What sort of system do you wish to upgrade? If you had, for example, a Radeon 5670 card, a 6450 would be a major downgrade.

I was thinking of upgrading my ATI Radeon HD 5670 1GB GDDR3 card

The 5670 is a good mid-range card. You may have trouble finding a better one within your budget. I'd suggest a Geforce GTX 460 (1GB version) or a Radeon 6850, but those are each more like $150CDN (at www.newegg.ca).

Also, while online reviews have to be taken with a grain of salt, you may want to look at:

Newegg.ca - COOLMAX CTI-700B 700W ATX12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Power Supply

Looks like QC at CoolMax may not be the best in the industry. Feeling lucky?

Ok I must jump in here and say Scratch the coolmax PSU I've used a 600watt Coolmax but quickly jumped to a better PSU
For one it isn't 80plus certified and could pop because of it being so cheap and it might not take stress to well Mind you I have ran a 6870 on one no issue

I would save some money I know you want to jump in and get some gaming going but Budget is everything and 200.00 dollars at least is needed for some decent performance if you want a boost

This is the direction you should look PSU Newegg.com - OCZ ZS Series 550W 80PLUS Bronze High Performance Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandy Bridge Core i3 i5 i7 and AMD Phenom 64.99

Video card Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 7750 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card ( 11202-00-20G) 99.99

you could work this for about 200.00 flat with tax and all you are half way there it wouldn't hurt to rethink the plan and get more money worked up because you want to play not studder while everyone else is smooth as butter

 

[Razor505]

I was thinking of upgrading my ATI Radeon HD 5670 1GB GDDR3 card

The 5670 is a good mid-range card. You may have trouble finding a better one within your budget. I'd suggest a Geforce GTX 460 (1GB version) or a Radeon 6850, but those are each more like $150CDN (at www.newegg.ca).

Also, while online reviews have to be taken with a grain of salt, you may want to look at:

Newegg.ca - COOLMAX CTI-700B 700W ATX12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Power Supply

Looks like QC at CoolMax may not be the best in the industry. Feeling lucky?

Ok I must jump in here and say Scratch the coolmax PSU I've used a 600watt Coolmax but quickly jumped to a better PSU
For one it isn't 80plus certified and could pop because of it being so cheap and it might not take stress to well Mind you I have ran a 6870 on one no issue

I would save some money I know you want to jump in and get some gaming going but Budget is everything and 200.00 dollars at least is needed for some decent performance if you want a boost

This is the direction you should look PSU Newegg.com - OCZ ZS Series 550W 80PLUS Bronze High Performance Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandy Bridge Core i3 i5 i7 and AMD Phenom 64.99

Video card Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 7750 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card ( 11202-00-20G) 99.99

you could work this for about 200.00 flat with tax and all you are half way there it wouldn't hurt to rethink the plan and get more money worked up because you want to play not studder while everyone else is smooth as butter

Is there anything on FutureShop I could get, so if anything is wrong I could return it. Also I am wondering how do I find out what PCI-E does my computer have, all I know is that it is a white slot with the hook thing at the end since this computer is pre-made.

 

[Jonesie85]

Bobkn is right. I have learn't the hard way not to skimp on a PSU. If you buy a sub standard model/unknown brand you will end up let down. buy a well known brand. I have used Zalman and Antec. Both were fantastic.

Im sorry, i should have mentioned this in my previous post.

 

[Jonesie85]

what motherboard have you got. and what specific hd5670 are you after. pci-e 2.1 cards can fit into pci-e 2.0 slots (not sure if it'll work in pci-e 1 however).

is this your setup?

Acer Aspire AM3400-E2212 AMD Athlon II X4 635 4GB 1TB DVDRW Windows 7 Home Premium Desktop - Acer - PT.SE002.001

 

[Razor505]

what motherboard have you got. and what specific hd5670 are you after. pci-e 2.1 cards can fit into pci-e 2.0 slots (not sure if it'll work in pci-e 1 however).

is this your setup?

Acer Aspire AM3400-E2212 AMD Athlon II X4 635 4GB 1TB DVDRW Windows 7 Home Premium Desktop - Acer - PT.SE002.001

Yep, it's exactly the one I have, its not very good for gaming though.

 

[Razor505]

Bobkn is right. I have learn't the hard way not to skimp on a PSU. If you buy a sub standard model/unknown brand you will end up let down. buy a well known brand. I have used Zalman and Antec. Both were fantastic.

Im sorry, i should have mentioned this in my previous post.

I have found Coolermaster, not sure if its well known.
Cooler Master Extreme 500 Watt Power Supply (RS500-PCARA3-US) : Power Supplies - Future Shop

 

[Jonesie85]

what motherboard have you got. and what specific hd5670 are you after. pci-e 2.1 cards can fit into pci-e 2.0 slots (not sure if it'll work in pci-e 1 however).

is this your setup?

Acer Aspire AM3400-E2212 AMD Athlon II X4 635 4GB 1TB DVDRW Windows 7 Home Premium Desktop - Acer - PT.SE002.001

Yep, it's exactly the one I have, its not very good for gaming though.

That motherboard has:-

• PCI Express® 2.0 x16 slot - This is the socket you'll need.
• Two PCI Express® 2.0 x1 slots - not sure about this
• PCI™ v2.3 (5 V) slot - or this one

But the PCI-E 2.0 x16 slot is the one you'll use for a new graphics card.

PLEASE NOTE: if there is a chance that the link i posted above is wrong then ignore what i have s

It looks like most hd 5670 cards are either pci-e 2.0 or 2.1. 2.1 cards will fit and work in a 2.0 socket but it'll downgrade to a 2.0 card. Please could you post a link to your choice of 5670

 

[Solarstarshines]

Video card ASUS Radeon 7750 1GB GDDR5 PCI-E Video Card : Video Cards - Future Shop 122.00


Psu Cooler Master Extreme 550 Watt Power Supply (RS550-PCARE3-US) : Power Supplies - Future Shop not 80+ but hell of alot better then what you picked trusted brand here <----------59.99
Corsair 600W PC Power Supply (CMPSU-600G) : Power Supplies - Future Shop I would go with the Corsair though just me <----------Gamer Series 77.99

 

[Razor505]

Video card ASUS Radeon 7750 1GB GDDR5 PCI-E Video Card : Video Cards - Future Shop 122.00


Psu Cooler Master Extreme 550 Watt Power Supply (RS550-PCARE3-US) : Power Supplies - Future Shop not 80+ but hell of alot better then what you picked trusted brand here <----------59.99
Corsair 600W PC Power Supply (CMPSU-600G) : Power Supplies - Future Shop I would go with the Corsair though just me <----------Gamer Series 77.99

Thanks, I am going to go buy them.

 

[Jonesie85]

Video card ASUS Radeon 7750 1GB GDDR5 PCI-E Video Card : Video Cards - Future Shop 122.00


Psu Cooler Master Extreme 550 Watt Power Supply (RS550-PCARE3-US) : Power Supplies - Future Shop not 80+ but hell of alot better then what you picked trusted brand here <----------59.99
Corsair 600W PC Power Supply (CMPSU-600G) : Power Supplies - Future Shop I would go with the Corsair though just me <----------Gamer Series 77.99

the graphics card you have chosen is pci-e 3.0. can that fit his motherboard?