Need a graphics card for 1920x1200 max in StarCraft2/Diablo3

[Maverick2002]

I'm looking for the best/cheapest card to get to max out StarCraft 2 (and eventually Diablo 3) at 1920x1200 on a 24" screen. As in, the highest settings and some level of AA. If it's too expensive I could settle for a slightly lower resolution, but I don't think it should be. I played SC2 beta with my 7900GS and it worked fine with medium settings at 1280x800 or so ... and that's an OLD card.

Has anyone tested or know of the point at which a card becomes overkill for SC2 (and by extension D3)? I'd like to stay under $200.

The rest of my system is up to date:

Intel X25-M G2 SSD
Asus EVO H57
Core i3-530
8GB DDR3

I also spend a fair amount of time doing office-type work on my computer, so it would be nice if the idle power wasn't too high from an energy conservation perspective.

Thanks!

 

[narsnail]

Whats your budget? I just purchased a GTX 460 for $250, thats Canadian though, it will be able to max that game just fine. If your budget is lower maybe look into the 57xx series from ATI.

Coming from an HD 4870 owner, you would probably want something with at least that caliber; I also game at 1920x1200 and it maxed pretty much everything I did, and maybe 2xAA instead of 8xAA sometimes.

 

[TurtleCrusher]

As long as the 5830 has the low idle as it's bigger brothers (5850, 5870, 15w or so) that should be the one to get.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127491

$199, $149 after rebate.

 

[Russwinters]

I would go above 200 by a little and get the 460 1GB.

it is worth the extra $30.

 

[Maverick2002]

The rating for that particular card doesn't seem to be that great. Also, how are MSI rebates?

Because if I can't get that rebate, I might as well just get a GTX460, no?

PS. this is the board I'll be using it with (and an i3-530) : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...37;20evo%20h57

Shouldn't cause any problems, but just wanted to throw it out there.

Also, a Corsair 650watt PSU should be enough for all of these cards, right?

 

[Seero]

The rating for that particular card doesn't seem to be that great. Also, how are MSI rebates?

Because if I can't get that rebate, I might as well just get a GTX460, no?

PS. this is the board I'll be using it with (and an i3-530) : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...37;20evo%20h57

Shouldn't cause any problems, but just wanted to throw it out there.

Also, a Corsair 650watt PSU should be enough for all of these cards, right?

650 Watt is efficient for GTX460. Note that lots of people fried their PC, or components of the PC during SC2. Make sure the PC is cleaned and cooled properly before playing.

 

[narsnail]

The rating for that particular card doesn't seem to be that great. Also, how are MSI rebates?

Because if I can't get that rebate, I might as well just get a GTX460, no?

PS. this is the board I'll be using it with (and an i3-530) : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...37;20evo%20h57

Shouldn't cause any problems, but just wanted to throw it out there.

Also, a Corsair 650watt PSU should be enough for all of these cards, right?

Yes that PSU is good, I have the exact same one and im running i7, you should be perfectly fine.

Look into the Gigabyte GTX 460 1gb, it has a quiet and effective cooling system.

 

[faxon]

just out of curiosity, why did you spend so much more on your board but skimp on the CPU? there are plenty of great boards out for a lot less money (like gigabyte's P55A-UD3R). with that off my chest, as everyone has said definitely go for the 460 1GB, it's worth the performance for sure, and right now SC2 can only run AA with nvidia cards, so if you want any AA at all then that's your only option until ATI comes up with a fix

 

[Maverick2002]

Let's just say I had some restrictions on what I could get. i3-530 is plenty enough processor for me. I can't imagine SC2 or D3 maxing it out, and if they somehow do, I can always overclock it.

I probably will end up getting a 460 1GB at my local MicroCenter soon - just wanted to double check and see if I'm missing something big here.

 

[OCGuy]

GTX460 for $199.

 

[Face2Face]

9800gtx or 4850/4870 should do the job............. You don' t need a 4 series Geforce or a 5 series Radeon to max out these games.... I know Diablo 3 isn't out yet, but it can't be all that punishing--It's blizzard

 

[bryanW1995]

gma 4500 should be sufficient...

 

[Sylvanas]

GTX460 for $199.

This is what I'd do. This chart is a good summary

 

[nenforcer]

gma 4500 should be sufficient...

The onboard Intel HD video on his Core i3 530 exceeds this so he should even be fine with that.

What are you currently using? I assume your old 7900GS was AGP or was it PCI-E?

Have you even tried your onboard video? It might actually work without AA or frying your computer.

 

[edplayer]

You want the best and the cheapest? :awe:

This is what I'd do. This chart is a good summary

Use that and this:

http://www.techspot.com/review/305-starcraft2-performance/


to decide for yourself. I am thinking the GF106 cards coming from Nvidia will be a good choice for you as I believe only Nvidia can use AA as of now and it should be fairly efficient. Don't know what fps is acceptable to you.

 

[Zillatech]

I would go above 200 by a little and get the 460 1GB.

it is worth the extra $30.

+1 on that one.

 

[Maverick2002]

Price difference for me will be more like $40. I have a couple cards in stock at my local Micro Center for $190 each:

Palit GeForce GTX 460 768MB GDDR5 PCIe 2.0 x16 Graphics Card

Sparkle GeForce GTX 460 768MB GDDR5 PCIe 2.0 x16 Graphics Card

This good? I guess I could fork over the $40 for 1GB.

PS. Thanks for those links, they helped a lot. 460 seems like the sweet spot, especially since I'm running on a 24".

 

[bryanW1995]

You want the best and the cheapest? :awe:






Use that and this:

http://www.techspot.com/review/305-starcraft2-performance/


to decide for yourself. I am thinking the GF106 cards coming from Nvidia will be a good choice for you as I believe only Nvidia can use AA as of now and it should be fairly efficient. Don't know what fps is acceptable to you.

Wrong, amd came out with a patch a couple days after all the hoopla about it.


@OP: running at 19x12 I would definitely recommend the 1gb card. it will be worth the extra $40 for you.

 

[Maverick2002]

I ended up getting the Palit 768mb card for $190. It runs great at 1920x1200 at Ultra settings. The game is beautiful ... I think I lost some matches because I spent too much time zoomed in during battles and just looking around. Then again I'm coming from a 7900GS so this is an order of magnitude upgrade. No AA, but I don't think it's necessary at this point. If I ever want to mess with AA, I can always drop the resolution a bit if it starts getting lower frame rates. Is there a way within SC to check the frame rate or do I need fraps?

 

[evident]

i run 19x12 on my 8800GT and E8400.

 

[Maverick2002]

Ultra settings? Hard to believe.

Anyway, an update on my card. I just returned it over lunch. No heatsink on anything other than the main die. It gets loud and hot. After doing some more research and reading the reviews, I got the Gigabyte card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814125333

$40 more but I'm ok spending it (1GB, factory OC, cooler/quieter). I think with the 768mb, stock, louder/hotter card I'd be pissed that I'm just short of hitting that sweet spot - 1920x1200, Ultra settings, basic AA. With this I should get over 60fps in SC2 and D3, which is all I care about game-wise.

 

[KeithTalent]

I'm on a HD5770 with a stock E6600, running at 1920x1200 with everything on ultra. Have not had any slow downs.

KT

 

[Maverick2002]

AF/AA? Frame rate? <- curious about this

Doesn't seem to jive with this:

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/foru...tarcraft-ii-gpu-performance-comparison-6.html
http://www.techspot.com/review/305-starcraft2-performance/page7.html
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/starcraft2-wings-of-liberty_5.html#sect0

 

[Russwinters]

according to reviews my Q6600 gets demolished on ultra settings, but in beta i didn't notice my frames being slow at all, at all ultra with a 9800GTX, that was at 1440x900 though.


I haven't gotten the retail version yet, but now im running 1920x1080 w/ a 460 1GB, so ill find out how bad this Q6600 is soon enough.

cant afford/dont want to upgrade until the next refrsh, so ill have to tough it out.

 

[KeithTalent]

AF/AA? Frame rate? <- curious about this

Doesn't seem to jive with this:

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/foru...tarcraft-ii-gpu-performance-comparison-6.html
http://www.techspot.com/review/305-starcraft2-performance/page7.html
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/starcraft2-wings-of-liberty_5.html#sect0

Well I don't really measure my frames because I only do that if it feels slow at all and it has not felt slow at all; even with myriad enemies on screen, it does not slow down an appreciable amount. I have AF at 8x I believe (I have not bothered to increase it because it looks fine as is), however I have yet to up the AA; I have just not gotten around to it yet.

KT