video card recommendation

So here are the specifications of my PC thus far.

CPU: Intel(R) Pentium(R) CPU G645 @ 2.90GHz
RAM: 4 GB
OS: Windows 8

The main game I want to play on my PC is FFXIV, which I meet all the requirements for except video card. The requirements for that are as follows:
Minimum: 512 MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600 series / ATI Radeon HD 2900 series or equivalent
Recommended: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 with 768 MB VRAM or equivalent

So what would be good for that? As far as best value for price?

Those are some pretty low requirements, any video card you pick up made in the last 4 years or so should have no problems with it. My daughter got my hand-me-down radeon 5990 and most everything runs really well on it (new games can't be on max settings) but I bought that card 4 or so years ago when the radeon 6000 series were just out and its still good enough.

as far as value ebay something older (if you just want to play ffxiv) < $50, or if you want to get something that'd be decent use newegg and sort by price range, grab one with the most ram at the $100 mark and it'll be fine for a while.

if you're looking higher performance i've not paid attention in a while, I've found that fixing other bottlenecks in your system pays off so much more than the latest and greatest video card. That 5990 coupled with an 8-core, raid array for games, ssd for os, and tons-o-ram worked a 6000 series in my sister's pc.

IF FFXIV is really the only game you want to play, then you could go to your nearest best buy and pickup a cheap one. It should still run the game pretty great.

Personally I recommend ATI graphics cards though. That's just me though.

Since you didn't specify at what resolution you'll be playing in, my recommendations will be based on 1920x1080, AKA 1080p.

On the Nvidia side, I would recommend the GTX 650Ti Boost with 2GB of RAM. Make sure it's the Boost version. This is much better than the regular 650Ti for just a few more bucks. I recommend the cards with 2GBs of RAM since you'l be playing an MMO. The extra RAM will help with the big world textures. There are 1GB cards if you want to save some money but the 2GBs will last you longer. You should find them on Newegg in the link below. All are under $200.

List of 650Ti Boost cards on Newegg

On the AMD side, I would recommend the Radeon 7850 with 2GB of RAM. Same details as above but you might get it cheaper than the GTX card. Also, I believe the Never Settle Bundle is still alive and you can get free games like the new Tomb Raider and Bioshock Infinite. Which gives this card a better value.

List of Radeon 7850 cards on Newegg


My overall recommendation would be the Radeon 7850. Games are becoming a lot more optimized for AMD cards and that will help get you more value for your card. And if you care about PS4/Xbox One ports coming to the PC, AMD will be better prepared for them.

If you have any other questions, just ask.

Something to keep in mind is with those beefier video cards you will most definitely need a good power supply. So be prepared to shell out some extra funds for that. But I can tell you it is honestly worth it because a good power supply will last at least 5-6 years and will make your whole computer more efficient.

I would say get the best you can afford so it will last you longer. You may have to upgrade something else in the next few years, but at least your video card will be good.

sanistasia said:

I would say get the best you can afford so it will last you longer. You may have to upgrade something else in the next few years, but at least your video card will be good.

Click to expand...

I definitely agree with this, get as good as you can for your budget and then depending on when you get your next PC you can continue to use it.

I got a good deal on the AMD Radeon 7850 so I went with that. As it turns out I need a better power supply anyway so I'm going to pick one up.

Nice!!

Congrats on your new hardware. Enjoy.

Let us know if you need power supply recommendations! It's definitely not a part you want to skimp on!