Bought a new video card...big mistake

[ken_cinder]

So I figured it was time to get a new video card, nothing fancy and nothing expensive.

 

I was running a Radeon 1650 Pro 512MB...

 

So you figure anything near current gen would be better right? WRONG!

 

I picked up a Radeon HD 5450(A DDR3 variant no less, not DDR2), knowing it was a "budget" card, but this thing HAS to be better than my old 1650 right? WRONG AGAIN!

 

God this thing fucking sucks, I'm gonna put my 1650 back in and see if it's as bad as I think.

 

How the hell can a 5000 series card be so under-powered in comparison, that I can tell right off the hop it's at least doing no better a job than a card a good 4-5 years older!?

[emsley]

Dude, Im off to get a new card next week a budget card no more than say 120-140 spent on the sucker and a extra stick of RAM, I hope I get something for my money after putting up with this 8800GS now for 6 months wimping out on me with some of the new games. I for 180 (what I want to spend no more) I could get a PS3...

Hacked..

 

Cinder, man thought you were a whizz with all the tech stuff, all Im looking for is a strong increase in clock spikes and a GIG in video ram.

[Inky]

the whole graphics card world is a mystery to me. the naming conventons are retarded. no way to tell what's better then what.

[ken_cinder]

I haven't kept up with the video card thing for years Emsley, and they seem to have made it intentionally confusing to a degree.

 

You would think the newer core in a 5450, with 512MB of DDR3 would outperform an x1650 with 512MB of DDR just on pure horsepower alone.

We're not even talking a craptastic bus, I am well aware of how hindering a 64bit memory bus is, this 5450 is 128bit...so there is no excuse for it's pathetic performance compared to my 1650.

 

I am not in the market to spend even $100 on a video card right now, I play almost no games on my PC anymore. All I wanted was a bit of a boost, and it would seem that I got totally ripped off instead.

Seriously, how the hell does a 5 year old card that isn't even top end of it's series, beat out a card from this generation? Budget card or not, that is just total horseshit.

 

The one thing I grasp, is a 5850 is better than a 5450. Well that's obvious. But why the hell is a 4850 better than a 5450? That is intentionally deceptive by manufacturers. I knew this too though, but can one find a comparison against an X series card? No...

 

For all intents and purposes, even this 5450 should whup my 1650 to some degree...not be WORSE than it! How fucking slow is a 5450 with 64bit DDR2? God I cringe just thinking about it...

[iq_132]

Just some advice in the future, always check reviews and comparison charts when buying cpu/gpu. Like you said, the companies have made buying them unbelievably confusing for your average joe.

A few months back I decided I need to upgrade my old geforce 8600 gt and spent two weeks trying to sort out what my best option for my price range was (I'm an Nvidia fan, so I was hoping to stick with them).

After reading the reviews, I decided on the gtx 460. This would have been an easy choice, but there are two version of the gtx 460, a 768mb and 1gb version, and on top of that there are several manufacturers that customize each card a little.

From there, I checked out the newegg listing, performance reviews (including noise levels from the fans!), the prices, and then customer reviews.

 

I still ended up getting not exactly what I wanted. The company making the card i bought had two different cooling solutions on the same product. I got the one that sounds like a mini-jet-engine with heavy usage.

[ken_cinder]

I just bought a 4650 512MB, which should outdo the 5450 by a good bit.

 

Turns out the 5450 has a 64 bit memory bus, and I specifically looked at this in store and thought I was buying a card with a 128 bit memory bus. It's not on the box anywhere, but was on some other types of cards I looked at. I either got sidetracked talking with the guy and just assumed, or another card I had off the shelf showed it was 128 bit.

 

I have someone coming to buy the 5450 today, and I'm only losing $15 on it...sucks but meh.

[emsley]

Unlucky cinder, I have been reading up like crazy today on cards, especially in my fathers Pc adviser mag that he gets monthly I have narrowed it down to a Nvidia GTX240 Or the New HD6800 (Not exact numbers) of the ATI varaity, which ever is cheapest on the day Is the one I will get. This is kinda like as expensive as a budgeting card can get for me, around 140 to 160£ Both these cards Ran crysis at full effects reseloution etc at 23-25FPS Im never that greedy in my games as it is I like 4 times AA - And 4 times on the other one cant remember its name... And the res is a little over standard...

(Im an nvdia guy now both my ATI cards cost a fair whack and didnt deliver I always associate these card as the lesser now after My nvidia card which I still have in my RIG been an 8800GS)

 

None of these cards will run direct x 11 well at all, but they jumped direct X 10 too fucking quickly as it is the son of a botches.

[ken_cinder]

I would have opted for a beefier card, but my power supply is an issue and upgrading it is not an option. I was looking at a 5830(?) and I don't want to risk not being able to use it.

 

I have a nice little MicroATX case under my TV, and it's only packing a 370w DiabloTek MicroATX PSU. To get a beefy PSU at such a size, is expensive.

Given I'm not very gaming focused on my PC anymore, I'm not spending lots of coin on anything.