Finding A New Graphics Card

[Guy]

So I recently purchased a new tower seeing as my old one dates back to around 2003/4 and unfortunately the AGP graphics cards max-out at 512MB of RAM in most cases. However, I've decided to purchase a newer tower, nothing too fancy, for a very decent price. The specs are below:

New PC Specs

AMD Athlon II X2 250, 3.0Ghz
Nvidia GeForce 7025, PCI-E, 256MB(built-in)
4GB RAM DDR3
1TB harddrive
Windows 7

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

These are my old/current specs if you're interested.

Old PC Specs

Intel Pentium 4 Processor, 2.8Ghz
GeForce 6 6200, AGP, 512MB
250GB harddrive
Windows XP Service Pack 3

Now I'm in need of a graphics card for my new DDR3 machine. I'm looking at a £70 maximum budget, nothing off the chain, but a budget performer is all I require. Making the most of my money, however, is essential.

I've currently found two potential cards, which you can see below, and may give you an idea of what I'm after. Any help is welcome:

Candidate 1

Candidate 2

[Devilmaypoop]

The 5670 is much faster than the 5570. If you can find a 5770 for close to those prices, go for it.

[_Elysium_]

I've got a Sapphire HD5670 512MB, and I love it to bits. Or should that be bytes? Anywho, you could get an HD5770 1GB for just under £75.

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1gb-x...dp-single-slot

If you decide to get a 5670, be aware that many of them are dual-slots (taking two expansion slots), despite their images showing single-slot.

[mrmouth]

Holy hell, a Pentium 4 sighting.

This is always handy: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...card,2964.html

[CoconutFred]

eBay isn't the best site to shop for PC goods. Something more along the lines of Newegg or TigerDirect would offer a wider range of parts, and sometimes better deals.

[Guy]

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I just happen to have installed Windows 7 Enterprise after receiving this bad boy yesterday and it runs like a treat. I feel like running multiple programmes just for the sake of being able to. Not too sure if I'll ever use this 1TB harddrive though...

At the moment it's running on a 256MB GeForce 7025 (intergrated). After rushing to install Assassin's Creed, I later learned that it was rubbish. The FPS were so slow that it almost made it impossible to quit the game due to being unable to click "Exit"! I will definitely invest in a graphics card soon.

I've got a Sapphire HD5670 512MB, and I love it to bits. Or should that be bytes? Anywho, you could get an HD5770 1GB for just under £75.

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1gb-x...dp-single-slot

If you decide to get a 5670, be aware that many of them are dual-slots (taking two expansion slots), despite their images showing single-slot.

Thanks for the advice.

The double slot issue won't be a problem. Although the side panel is transparent, I can never quite see how many there are. However, I must have around 5/6 with only 1 filled (PCI wireless antenna) so it'll be fine and dandy.

Holy hell, a Pentium 4 sighting.

This is always handy: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...card,2964.html

This is old school, bro - really really old school. Isn't a bad performer when you consider its age and a sound 2.8 GHz runs the odd game. Runescape, maybe? If you're lucky...

Shall give it a read. Appreciated.