Help choosing appropriate card

madpunter · 05-09-2009, 12:32 PM

hi. I am building a new pc:

q9550,
4gb ddr2 1066,
gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P board
550watt ps with 2x12v 18a rails and a 6 pin pci-e connector
2 x 24" 1920x1200 monitors
BR/DVD RW

The one thing i am having great trouble deciding on is the video card to pair with this.

The use of the machine will be mostly HD video editing and general purpose functions. There will be some gaming, but I will not need to run Crysis...

My budget for this card after rebates, shipping, etc... is in the ~$50 range.

I don't care if the heat sink is passive or fan cooled. I do need two DVI outs that will run 24" monitors at 1920x1200.

I don't really care about overclocking so long as the board does what i need well. Preferably I would like a card that isn't a power hog.

I have gotten as many suggestions as people I have asked, from cheap 9400gt's to more expensive 4770's.

But even after choosing one there are then a multitude of variations - memory, mem speed, stream processors, core clock, etc...

Can any of you guys point me in the right direction?

Thanks!

**emosun** · 05-09-2009, 01:03 PM

Sure , I'm definitely going to go with the cheaper end of the scale and say the 9400 as well. Generally when your buying a low end card for only HD playback and basic functions the specs (memory speed , ect..) become less important. Most any modern card can achieve what your looking for despite it specs from other models. To make it under the 50 mark including shipping may be a bit tough though.

Heres a selection of them from newegg. Generally you want to stick with good brands such as EVGA , but you can dip into the lower quality brands if your budget doesn't permit it.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...ue&Order=PRICE

madpunter · 05-09-2009, 02:31 PM

Hi,
Thanks for the feedback. I am not married to either of those two that I mentioned. I guess for my needs I am just looking for that nexus of price to value.

How does the EVGA 01G-P3-N959-TR GeForce 9500 GT 1GB card stackup?

NewEgg has a decent price after rebate.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130395

**emosun** · 05-09-2009, 03:24 PM

As it is with all mid range cards , avoid the 1gb models. The gpu's can't really handle that much memory and it ends up being a waste. Stick with the 512mb versions. But as previously stated since your just looking for HD playback and basic functions any modern card is capable of that.

05-09-2009, 12:32 PM	#1 (permalink)
madpunter Registered User Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 2 OS: vista 64 ultimate	Help choosing appropriate card hi. I am building a new pc: q9550, 4gb ddr2 1066, gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P board 550watt ps with 2x12v 18a rails and a 6 pin pci-e connector 2 x 24" 1920x1200 monitors BR/DVD RW The one thing i am having great trouble deciding on is the video card to pair with this. The use of the machine will be mostly HD video editing and general purpose functions. There will be some gaming, but I will not need to run Crysis... My budget for this card after rebates, shipping, etc... is in the ~$50 range. I don't care if the heat sink is passive or fan cooled. I do need two DVI outs that will run 24" monitors at 1920x1200. I don't really care about overclocking so long as the board does what i need well. Preferably I would like a card that isn't a power hog. I have gotten as many suggestions as people I have asked, from cheap 9400gt's to more expensive 4770's. But even after choosing one there are then a multitude of variations - memory, mem speed, stream processors, core clock, etc... Can any of you guys point me in the right direction? Thanks!

05-09-2009, 01:03 PM	#2 (permalink)
emosun Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: usa Posts: 6,983 OS: xp pro sp2 My System	Re: Help choosing appropriate card Sure , I'm definitely going to go with the cheaper end of the scale and say the 9400 as well. Generally when your buying a low end card for only HD playback and basic functions the specs (memory speed , ect..) become less important. Most any modern card can achieve what your looking for despite it specs from other models. To make it under the 50 mark including shipping may be a bit tough though. Heres a selection of them from newegg. Generally you want to stick with good brands such as EVGA , but you can dip into the lower quality brands if your budget doesn't permit it. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...ue&Order=PRICE __________________ Gpu Benchmarks Cpu-Z Power supply information and selection Gpu-Z Video card quick list

05-09-2009, 02:31 PM	#3 (permalink)
madpunter Registered User Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 2 OS: vista 64 ultimate	Re: Help choosing appropriate card Hi, Thanks for the feedback. I am not married to either of those two that I mentioned. I guess for my needs I am just looking for that nexus of price to value. How does the EVGA 01G-P3-N959-TR GeForce 9500 GT 1GB card stackup? NewEgg has a decent price after rebate. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130395

05-09-2009, 03:24 PM	#4 (permalink)
emosun Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: usa Posts: 6,983 OS: xp pro sp2 My System	Re: Help choosing appropriate card As it is with all mid range cards , avoid the 1gb models. The gpu's can't really handle that much memory and it ends up being a waste. Stick with the 512mb versions. But as previously stated since your just looking for HD playback and basic functions any modern card is capable of that. __________________ Gpu Benchmarks Cpu-Z Power supply information and selection Gpu-Z Video card quick list