What can $200 buy me for a graphics card?

[TheComet]

title....I need a new graphics card for my system, the current card does not agree with my gaming and I'm irritated by how a 6 processor system can somehow chug running Diablo 3 or Skyrim


I'm looking for a good Nvidia card for $200, but I really don't know what's good right now as far as cards go (I've been out of the loop for far too long)

[Foxpup]

So let me get this straight: you want good performance, a low price, and you want both from an Nvidia card? Sorry. Best you can do for under $200 is the GeForce GTX 560, which should be sufficient for your purposes, but you might want to at least consider ATI's offerings. The RadeonHD 7770 is both faster and cheaper; you just can't ignore ATI if you're on a budget.

[Dusty]

You don't really need a top of the line graphics card to be able to play Skyrim on ultra settings because it isn't all that intensive a game. I'm currently using an eighty dollar card and it does the job quite admirably.

[Weisseman]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500196

Top end of your budget (slightly over come tomorrow) but I heard the 560 Ti was a good card when it was new.

[Ziel]

I have to second the suggestion for the 560 Ti. It's what I'm using, and it seems to handle anything I throw at it. Just make sure your power supply will be able to handle it. It will require 2 6-pin power connectors. Not exactly rare these days, but it should still be checked to make sure you have that.

And yes, the Ti is a bit stronger than the regular 560.

[Foxpup]

I third the 560 Ti. The only reason I didn't suggest it originally is because I didn't know you get one for under or close to $200; I thought they were normally around $250-$300. It's faster than the regular 560, but still not as fast as the RadeonHD 7770. Think about it.

[Ziel]

I third the 560 Ti. The only reason I didn't suggest it originally is because I didn't know you get one for under or close to $200; I thought they were normally around $250-$300. It's faster than the regular 560, but still not as fast as the RadeonHD 7770. Think about it.

Most of them are more between $220 and $250, from what I see. Which really surprises me, because I bought my 560 Ti nearly a year ago now, and it was still the same price back then. I would have thought they would have gone down in price at least a bit by now...

[Weisseman]

Graphics card technology has been advancing VERY quickly. I bought the HD5870 2 years ago and they're already talking about the 8000 series.  It's 100% that anything you buy will be out of date come 6 months to a years time.

[Old Rabbit]

Perhaps this is helpful.

I am using a GeForce 9800 GT.. even though it's
been out a few years it works pretty well for
gaming.. Runs smooth on Diablo 3, and warcraft.
Windowed at 1280x720..

Using it with a quad core pentium 2.4 gz.. 2gig memory.

Price is around $120..

[Avan]

I managed to get skyrim to run on systems well below its minimum specs, including an HD3k-i5m, 8600GT-Pentium D (NOT Pentium Dual, but the old, P4 version), E350 APU.

Anyways, I'd go with either an AMD or nVidia card, and the 7700 looks good, though the 560Ti is also viable if you want nVidia.

[Kay]

My step-dad's desk top is this really great alien-ware brand computer designed for games... But due to it not being used for so long the computer needed it's graphic's card changed, but he did it for only about a hundred dollars if I remember correctly. As far as WHAT to get; I don't know about that, I do know that you can do it though.