Help, looking for a cheap low/mid end video card under $80...

[andsoitgoes]

Hi all,

Just had to replace my desktop PC, got an h8-1227 HP desktop which is a very nice improvement over what I previously had.


The one problem I have with it, however, is the video card. I believe the rebranded 6450 inside of it, noted as a 7450 HD, is causing some issues, especially with Windows 8.

That said, I also do not want to break the bank. I do not have any desire, anytime soon, to play any games. I just want a solid, inexpensive card that will allow me to load up windows 8 and maybe see a bit of a performance bump.

As the title says, I'd prefer to stick around or under $80 to do this. I don't want to have to wait until HP updates the drivers to work when 8 releases in October.

I'd appreciate any advice :)

Thanks.

Nick

[arclite]

Hi all,

Just had to replace my desktop PC, got an h8-1227 HP desktop which is a very nice improvement over what I previously had.


The one problem I have with it, however, is the video card. I believe the rebranded 6450 inside of it, noted as a 7450 HD, is causing some issues, especially with Windows 8.

That said, I also do not want to break the bank. I do not have any desire, anytime soon, to play any games. I just want a solid, inexpensive card that will allow me to load up windows 8 and maybe see a bit of a performance bump.

As the title says, I'd prefer to stick around or under $80 to do this. I don't want to have to wait until HP updates the drivers to work when 8 releases in October.

I'd appreciate any advice :)

Thanks.

Nick

With an $80 budget you can get a decent card that can play SC2, TF2, and BF3 at medium. If you go this route I can recommend the Radeon HD 6770 or 6670.

If you go to this page: http://ncix.ca/products/index.php?minorcatid=108
You will see a section on Top 10 most popular products in the Video Cards category

Look at the section below that and Sort it based on price. You should find some really cheap video cards.

[andsoitgoes]

Thanks for the reply.

I found 2 models of the 6670 (a 1.6 and 4 ghz, with a $10 difference) but I'm not sure what to choose. The top end states that it has a minimum requirement of 450w, which concerns me a bit, I'm not sure if that should be an issue.

But the provlrm with searching on NCIX, or future shop or whatever is that I'm not sure what cards would be the right step up from what I've got. I'd rather not spend $90 if there's a decent solution for $50... Though that 4ghz does look really freaking nice.

[arclite]

Thanks for the reply.

I found 2 models of the 6670 (a 1.6 and 4 ghz, with a $10 difference) but I'm not sure what to choose. The top end states that it has a minimum requirement of 450w, which concerns me a bit, I'm not sure if that should be an issue.

But the provlrm with searching on NCIX, or future shop or whatever is that I'm not sure what cards would be the right step up from what I've got. I'd rather not spend $90 if there's a decent solution for $50... Though that 4ghz does look really freaking nice.

The 450W is for the ENTIRE system, not just the video card.
I would recommend you have a minimum 450W power supply, but given that you have a pre-built HP desktop, the power supply might be a little under-powered.
With that said, you should also make sure you have a free PCIe slot in the machine.

[DavidY]

The 450W is for the ENTIRE system, not just the video card.
I would recommend you have a minimum 450W power supply, but given that you have a pre-built HP desktop, the power supply might be a little under-powered.
With that said, you should also make sure you have a free PCIe slot in the machine.

Based on the attached link, HP h8-1227 has a 460 watt PS....OP should confirm this visually however and should reply what the power supply's make and model (amps and volts on the side of the power supply would assist as well):

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c03363686&cc=ca&dlc=en&lc=en&product=5231380

FWIW, a lot of computer enthusiasts have recommended the HD 6670 or HD 7750 for 300 watt systems....no external power connectors required for the 6670 or 7750....7750 is a lot more powerful and efficient. Whether these graphics work on the 300 watt would depend on the quality of the PS. A 6770 and higher end graphics typically requires an external power connector.

HD 7450 should be fine for non-gaming applications. I would probably stick with it for now and save your $$.

Direct Canada has a HD 6670 for $47.62 after a $20 MIR. http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/part/gigabyte-video-card-gvr667d31gi

HD 6670: 1166 passmarks
HD 7450: 377 passmarks

Dave

[arclite]

I'd recommend you use: http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp
to find out the power usage of your system at 90% load with the 6670 video card. If you are under 460W with decent room then you'll be fine. If there is only a 10-30W difference then I'd be a bit cautious.

[andsoitgoes]

I ordered the 6670. For the after rebate price of $47, I can't pass that up. I don't need the high end of things. I just need a non branded card that won't give me provlems.

[DavidY]

No guarantee of no problems....even if the graphics card was priced over $300.

Dave

[andsoitgoes]

No guarantee of no problems....even if the graphics card was priced over $300.

Dave

It can't be worse than it is now. I can't even have my card properly detected because of HP's weird branding of the damn thing. I'm certain that this is one of the main reasons why I can't get Windows 8 installed and stable, plus I can take this card and use it in my other system that has a dying video card, this will be a nice step up from that 4 year old system.

[DavidY]

It can't be worse than it is now. I can't even have my card properly detected because of HP's weird branding of the damn thing. I'm certain that this is one of the main reasons why I can't get Windows 8 installed and stable, plus I can take this card and use it in my other system that has a dying video card, this will be a nice step up from that 4 year old system.

You probably can take out the 7450 card out and run the PC off the integrated graphics and see if it works any better. If not, you could reinstall the 7450 and see if it works better after the re-install. Remember to check and make any setup changes when the PC boots up.

Dave

[andsoitgoes]

So after all that, I did some more testing and it wasn't the card causing the provlems, but it was the Asus AI charger driver I used to help charge my iPad when connected to the computer.

That one little USB add on is what was causing all my problems and headaches.

[DavidY]

So after all that, I did some more testing and it wasn't the card causing the provlems, but it was the Asus AI charger driver I used to help charge my iPad when connected to the computer.

That one little USB add on is what was causing all my problems and headaches.

It's always the little things that cause the biggest headaches. Now you have a spare graphics card.

Dave

[andsoitgoes]

It's always the little things that cause the biggest headaches. Now you have a spare graphics card.

Dave

Exactly. My card from my 4 year old system was dying, I can take the card that isn't a troublemaker and swap it back into the other system. Best $50 I could have spent.