Thinking about getting a new graphics card, total hardware noob

[nutluck]

You're more than welcome.

[RitualClarity]

Enjoy!

[gooboo]

Someone on the Dell forums recommended a different graphics card, but it looks to be very similar to the one ritualclarity mentioned-

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487024

 

for comparison, here is the one ritualclarity posted-

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487025

 

It's only a ten dollar difference, so I suspect their capabilities are pretty similar, but I'm just curious to know what the difference between these two are, if anything. 

[deathparade]

If you're looking in a certain price range http://www.logicalincrements.com/ is very handy

[gooboo]

I'm fine  with the price on either of these two, I just wanted to know if one was actually noticeably better than the other. 

[RitualClarity]

The second one is overclocked. You are going to pay 10 dollars more for the company to overclock the card for you. Other than that it is the same card from what I see. you could over clock the card yourself if you desired using the software provide by EVGA.

[gooboo]

Would the overclocked card make it more unstable, or heat up too much? I don't know anything about overclocking, and I certainly wouldn't attempt to do it myself haha.

[RitualClarity]

We were already worried about heat. The overclocked card could indeed create more heat. This wouldn't even be a concern had your case been an aftermarket one with plenty of fans but it isn't. I had considered the overclocked version before giving you the other one. It is cheaper and likely cooler. The difference can be saved with other money and can bulid a complete custom gaming machine.

[nutluck]

The problem with overclocking it is two fold. One heat which is already a concern with your small case, the other concern is really that card is honestly more than you really need unless you want to go high end ENB's and the like. I use a GTX 660Ti 2gig card and run Skyrim on max with the HD pack and a bunch of graphic mods to make skyrim look good. About the only thing I can't run is high end ENB's.

 

So not sure just how much of a performance boost you would really see in the end and the heating issue. Which with your case is a real issue, I mean it is the reason I recommended the ones I did originally cause I thought they would be cooler.

[RitualClarity]

The equipment that both Nutluck and myself  suggested including he power supply is a good base for your gaming rig. You are limited by the hardware it is going in. The case, Motherboard, Memory, Processor and likely even the Hard drive. Hell It probably even has a Sata 1 port instead of Sata3. All of these issues will slow things down. The more you spend on the graphics runs a greater chance of running into problems.

 

Later when you finally upgrade the rest of the components, Case Mobo, Processor and such to a more modern set of equipment you can then move to a 660ti, 770ti or even perhaps an 880ti if one comes out. Until then you are really greatly limited by the current hardware that has to be worked with.

[RitualClarity]

Oh, trust me .. the improvement with the graphic cards suggested and the memory you will be set for some time unless your needs for gaming exceed the middle or upper middle gaming requirements. at that point you will need to completely rework the computer.  You are afterall moving from a HD 2000 to a 650, or 750ti. That is massive improvement.

[...0...]

I've been thinking about upgrading my graphics card in the hopes of improving my ability to play Skyrim. My current get up work pretty well, as I can play Skyrim on medium vanilla settings without many problems. After downloading all of the  popular patches and fixes available for making Skyrim more stable, I don't really have any issues with the game crashing frequently anymore. I would however like to try to play Skyrim with higher display settings and perhaps and enb, and also be able to fight in bigger battles without my game slowing down as much as it does. If I try to play any enb right now- even the lighter, low performance kind- my computer slows down too much to do anything beyond taking a screenshot. When I first bought this computer getting a high-end graphics card wasn't really a priority, so I didn't spend much money on it. 

 

I'll be totally honest and say I'm completely a noob when it comes to computer hardware, or figuring out what kind of hardware I can use with my current system and all that. I'm not looking to rebuild my entire computer, just get a component or two that could make gameplay a little smoother, and also won't be too obsolete for some of the other games that will be coming out in the future like Dragon Age III or Fallout 4.

 

This is the info I got from dxdiag. If I'm missing some important piece of info, let me know-

 

System Model: Dell Vostro 460

Processor: Intel Core i5-2500 CPU @ 3.30 GHz (4 CPUs), ~3.3GHz

Memory: 8192MB RAM

 

Graphics Card; NVIDIA GeForce GT 420

DAC Type: Integrated RAMDAC

 

Assuming that getting a new graphics card will help improve my Skyrim performance, does anyone have any suggestions what I should get? Or maybe where I should start looking? There's so many different hardware and graphics card options out there I'm not even sure where to start looking for one that works with my current system, or which graphics cards are overkill for what I need.

 

Like I said, I'm very much a noob when it comes to this kind of thing, and any help I could get would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

 

http://www.trustedreviews.com/opinions/radeon-r7-265-vs-geforce-gtx-750-ti-which-is-best-for-1080p-gaming

 

AMD is fastest but dunno about prices these days with crypto mining.

 

Also AMD need a little bit more energy so maybe for your system not optimal.

 

I show both brands becouse is bit dumb to show only one as most fans do always better have wider choices don't stick to one one brand if other maybe have better option.

 

Both are good videocard makers don't believe the fans.

[nutluck]

Yeah nothing wrong with AMD, i am just a lot more up on Nvidia so I know there performance a lot better so can give a better opinion/advice on them.

[RitualClarity]

EVA

AMD wasn't mentioned due to size. The 750ti is small and will fit in this case and energy efficient (hence less heat) which will allow most games to play very well and it is below 150 dollars. The card you shown is a very long one and likely won't fit. There isn't a debate on AMD vs nVidia. The OP needs a very short low powered, low heat card. This one fits both needs.

 

Edit

Using your own link and reference

 

It is stated that the 750 is more efficient. The heat difference is better which is a concern due to the case this is going to go into. 

 

Quote;

"The fact that Nvidia's hardware is playable in almost every game while consuming so little power is impressive, and that makes AMD's rebadged hardware look decidedly old-hat"