The best PCIe Graphics card for under 3K? + A LCD monotor to match!

Sankar · 27th March 2009, 22:13

Dear geeky and uber geeky brothers and sisters, could you please suggest a best graphics card that money can buy for under 3k. My prime objective is to set up a cool entertainment machine, should provide very good movie playback quality. Gaming is not important but only once in a while that too NFS kind of games.

Also is there an LCD/Samsung monitor that supports DVI-D support and is not too expensive? Most of Samsung and LG items that come under 9k has only an analog input and no DVI. Couple of Viewsonic models like VA1928wm have DVI input and is under 9k. Size, either 19" or 17" is okay. Don't want to go beyond 19" and 9k.

As you must've guessed i'm on a budget.

greenhorn · 27th March 2009, 22:38

I think logtech has a 19" dell in stock for 9k. let me go hunt for a good card
EDIT: you want a monitor with DVI - dont think the dell has
Further edit: delta in chennai has listed an acer 19" with DVI at 6.5k
http://deltapage.com/

regarding the card, an 9500/8600GT might be the easy way out. should be easy to find one. you might want to look for a passively cooled model

even further edit: in case you're planning to buy an entirely new setup, new motherboard arent half bad. a 780G series chipset motherboard should do home theatre duties with ease, and handle the older ( underground 2 and earlier) NFS games with ease. if you want to play the very latest NFS at native resolution of the monitor ( 1440x900), then you might need a card.Also waiting for ImmortalZ's opinion.

Sankar · 27th March 2009, 23:01

Green, why not an actively cooled one with fan? How does this one look like?
GeForce 8400GS 512 - Rs.1,960.00 : Buy @ WHITES Systems, Best Price, Quick Delivery in INDIA, Quality Products, Good Service, Satisfaction Guaranty

Thanks for that link, really useful

I'll check up that Acer. Any diea regarding Viewsonics? The model i mentioned has 5ms GtoG response rates, which is not bad.

black12rr · 27th March 2009, 23:16

Go for 8600 and above series gfx cards , they are pretty cheap . For LCD no use going in for 19th , go directly for 22 inch and they also cheap like <10 K , like samsung or viewsonic , or pay like premium and go for dell 22 inch if possible . You will be happy for 22 inch .

greenhorn · 27th March 2009, 23:48

another site which has up to date prices ( probably apart from its graphics card section) , is TheITWares - Buy Computer Hardware , PC Components , Laptop Computers - One Stop for all Gizmos!!
viewsonic has a pretty bad replacement policy towards dead pixels ( in some cases , they will refuse even if you have 4 dead pixels) , and even for other issues ( muneemmk has a thread about problems he had with viewsonic RMA) . Key to buying is , go, inspect the monitor at the shop itself and make sure it has no dead pixels before buying/taking delivery. Both my monitors are Viewsonic , an E70fsb CRT , and a VG1930WM LCD. both have had no issues for 5 and 2 years respectively ( *touch wood*

)

passively cooled because when you are watching a movie, you dont want to be disturbed by the noise from the GFX card fan - that is , assuming you have silent CPU fan ( pentium IV's please excuse) and a cabinet/PSU fans. if they are noisy already, then no issues. whats one more fan

an 8400 GS is a very entry level card. a bit better than the best onboards. As long as we're spending 2k for a graphics card, might as well buy something with muscle . filling a 1440x900 display with pixels while gaming is not an easy job.

PS: its a 512MB - avoid them unless they are DDR3. usually most low/mid end cards are available in 512 and 256 MB. forget the size. check which one uses DDR 3 memory (usually the 256) and buy that !

also , expect tvm prices to be -10/+20% more expensive than chennai/mumbai prices

dcreator · 28th March 2009, 00:21

Go for the 8600GT 256mb DDR3 IMO, it's quite a solid VFM card. In fact, I have the same one and might be looking to sell it as well.

As for the monitor, I got the Dell SE198WFP a while back (19" and was around 9k iirc) and I'd definitely recommend it. It has DVI-D support. I'd say that you stay away from Viewsonics, they are value for money monitors and are very good but their after-sales service in India is quite bad. Samsung T190 is a beautiful monitor which is quite good, but I'm not sure if it supports DVI.

muneemmk · 28th March 2009, 02:29

To know more about Viewsonic read my thread
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/gadget...lcd-india.html

It would be best to get Dell or Samsung or LG, there other options also like Benq and AOC and BTW AOC is actually said to be good as they are OEM manufacturers for some other reputed companys. 9K is a really good budget now for a 19" LCD as 22" are now avaialble for 9.5K onwards.

The best graphics card to buy with your budget would be the 8600GT it's got decent processing power and come at a good price too.Also make sure that your power supply would be able to handle the power that will be required.

jkdas · 28th March 2009, 09:06

Sankar; contact me prior to buying one. I maybe able to get you better price. Maybe.

Prices have dropped for LCDs and hence get 19 incher atleast. NFS Most Wanted wants a better graphics card than what I have on board for my ViewSonic 19inch. Sad.

Sankar · 28th March 2009, 09:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by black12rr

Go for 8600 and above series gfx cards , they are pretty cheap . For LCD no use going in for 19th , go directly for 22 inch and they also cheap like <10 K , like samsung or viewsonic , or pay like premium and go for dell 22 inch if possible . You will be happy for 22 inch .

A good 22" with DVI-D would shift the budget beyond 9k man. LCD without DVI is available in between 9 to 10k.

Quote:

Originally Posted by greenhorn

another site which has up to date prices ( probably apart from its graphics card section) , is TheITWares - Buy Computer Hardware , PC Components , Laptop Computers - One Stop for all Gizmos!!
viewsonic has a pretty bad replacement policy towards dead pixels ( in some cases , they will refuse even if you have 4 dead pixels) , and even for other issues ( muneemmk has a thread about problems he had with viewsonic RMA) . Key to buying is , go, inspect the monitor at the shop itself and make sure it has no dead pixels before buying/taking delivery. Both my monitors are Viewsonic , an E70fsb CRT , and a VG1930WM LCD. both have had no issues for 5 and 2 years respectively ( *touch wood*

)

passively cooled because when you are watching a movie, you dont want to be disturbed by the noise from the GFX card fan - that is , assuming you have silent CPU fan ( pentium IV's please excuse) and a cabinet/PSU fans. if they are noisy already, then no issues. whats one more fan

an 8400 GS is a very entry level card. a bit better than the best onboards. As long as we're spending 2k for a graphics card, might as well buy something with muscle . filling a 1440x900 display with pixels while gaming is not an easy job.

PS: its a 512MB - avoid them unless they are DDR3. usually most low/mid end cards are available in 512 and 256 MB. forget the size. check which one uses DDR 3 memory (usually the 256) and buy that !

also , expect tvm prices to be -10/+20% more expensive than chennai/mumbai prices

Yeah i read Munnem's thread. When i asked about Viewsonic it's A.S.S that everyone was apprehensive about. But then we had a bad experience with Samsung too. A Samsung LCD monitor in our office developed vertical lines in it and we took it to Mereena Elecetronics, the authorised A.S.S in Tvm, it took 4 months for them to replace the monitor. First they said they'll repair it and some part is to come. Finally i wrote to Samsung and then got the call from Mereena saying they'll replace it. New LCD monitor came after 4 months.

Good point about fan noise, i completely overlooked it!

If i finally decide upon Viewsonic (good VFM) i'll check for dead pixels before i pay for it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dcreator

Go for the 8600GT 256mb DDR3 IMO, it's quite a solid VFM card. In fact, I have the same one and might be looking to sell it as well.

As for the monitor, I got the Dell SE198WFP a while back (19" and was around 9k iirc) and I'd definitely recommend it. It has DVI-D support. I'd say that you stay away from Viewsonics, they are value for money monitors and are very good but their after-sales service in India is quite bad. Samsung T190 is a beautiful monitor which is quite good, but I'm not sure if it supports DVI.

I never considered Dell, will check it out. Are the Dell LCD monitors better than their laptop LCD displays, i wish so. A colleague of mine had problems with his Dell laptop LCD and had to be replaced.

Quote:

Originally Posted by muneemmk

To know more about Viewsonic read my thread
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/gadget...lcd-india.html

It would be best to get Dell or Samsung or LG, there other options also like Benq and AOC and BTW AOC is actually said to be good as they are OEM manufacturers for some other reputed companys. 9K is a really good budget now for a 19" LCD as 22" are now avaialble for 9.5K onwards.

The best graphics card to buy with your budget would be the 8600GT it's got decent processing power and come at a good price too.Also make sure that your power supply would be able to handle the power that will be required.

I read that thread man. But we had a bad experience with Samsung too. Greenie is very happy with his Viewsonics. Okay one question

How do you find the display quality of your Viewsonic?

I checked out LG a friend bought an LG19" it cost him 7500 something, but it doesn't have DVI input. The 19" LG with DVI is 11000 bucks according to their website! This is why i'm leaning towards Viewsonic, quality of display is also said to be good.

Since the collective opinion is 8600GT with 256MB DDR3 i might as well go for it.

This is the 300W PSU i'm getting.
Welcome to Prime Source

Quote:

Originally Posted by jkdas

Sankar; contact me prior to buying one. I maybe able to get you better price. Maybe.

Prices have dropped for LCDs and hence get 19 incher atleast. NFS Most Wanted wants a better graphics card than what I have on board for my ViewSonic 19inch. Sad.

Yep will do. Hope you're free this afternoon.

aaggoswami · 28th March 2009, 11:41

I bought 9500GT for around 3K in Vadodara. This is a good card and with my 1.1 slot this can play Undercover, BurnOut Paradise and all the heavy titles.
Regarding monitor, stay away from Viewsonic. If you have a reasonable budget go for Benq E2200 HD. Its I think less than 12K from a wholesaler and does the job well. Go for Benq/LG/Samsung but not viewsonic. My VA1912W is over within a very short time.

Sankar · 28th March 2009, 14:41

No way in hell that i'm gonna buy a Viewsonic, not because of it's bad A.S.S, because it seems that they have cheated Muneem.

Graphics card i think i'll go for a 9500GT DDR3 256 MB.

BenQ E2200HD sounds a good bet, since Greenie also mentioned that he would like to go for it, it's a wee bit out of my budget. Are there any other monitor in the 9 to 10k price bracket that has DVI input?

greenhorn · 28th March 2009, 14:44

DVI input tends to be available only on the more expensive monitors. I dont think its significantly better than good old VGA

Hey wait. I got a DVI cable the other week , and its been lying around. will test it out and say if there is a big difference

Sankar · 28th March 2009, 15:03

Please do Greenie. I have read few reviews in which they have tested DVI and Analog on the same monitor and all of them reported an increase in picture quality with DVI. How's Acer LCD monitor, quality of component and quality of picture?

aaggoswami · 28th March 2009, 16:48

@sankar:
Dell 1909W is the one to have DVI input I think.
This wont cost a bomb. Have a look at the price here : TheITWares - Monitors & LCD's

muneemmk · 28th March 2009, 17:36

What is the price quoted for the PSU ? I have bought a Cooler Master True 360watts PSU 3 months back for 1.8K, it's extremely silent too also the cooler master cabinet fans costs just 125-200bucks each(80mm to 120mm Dia) and they are also extra quite.

The Quality of video in the Viewsonic is really good but this quality is seen only in the high end VX series all the other models have extreme ghosting and the overall quality is quite poor,but they cost just 6500rs onwards for 19",if you are buying a Viewsonic be sure to go only for the lowest model without DVI so you wouldn't have a regret in stowing it away and buying another monitor when it goes kaput as the time taken for repairs are ....so and so as i mentioned in the other thread. Get a Samsung or an LG they seems to be the best bet in terms of service.

27th March 2009, 22:13	#1
Sankar Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2005 Location: Location Posts: 5,766 Thanked: 9,054 Times	The best PCIe Graphics card for under 3K? + A LCD monotor to match! Dear geeky and uber geeky brothers and sisters, could you please suggest a best graphics card that money can buy for under 3k. My prime objective is to set up a cool entertainment machine, should provide very good movie playback quality. Gaming is not important but only once in a while that too NFS kind of games. Also is there an LCD/Samsung monitor that supports DVI-D support and is not too expensive? Most of Samsung and LG items that come under 9k has only an analog input and no DVI. Couple of Viewsonic models like VA1928wm have DVI input and is under 9k. Size, either 19" or 17" is okay. Don't want to go beyond 19" and 9k. As you must've guessed i'm on a budget.
	() Thanks

27th March 2009, 22:38	#2
greenhorn Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: KL-01 Posts: 7,745 Thanked: 4,401 Times View My Garage	I think logtech has a 19" dell in stock for 9k. let me go hunt for a good card EDIT: you want a monitor with DVI - dont think the dell has Further edit: delta in chennai has listed an acer 19" with DVI at 6.5k http://deltapage.com/ regarding the card, an 9500/8600GT might be the easy way out. should be easy to find one. you might want to look for a passively cooled model even further edit: in case you're planning to buy an entirely new setup, new motherboard arent half bad. a 780G series chipset motherboard should do home theatre duties with ease, and handle the older ( underground 2 and earlier) NFS games with ease. if you want to play the very latest NFS at native resolution of the monitor ( 1440x900), then you might need a card.Also waiting for ImmortalZ's opinion. Last edited by greenhorn : 27th March 2009 at 22:57.
	() Thanks

27th March 2009, 23:01	#3
Sankar Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2005 Location: Location Posts: 5,766 Thanked: 9,054 Times	Green, why not an actively cooled one with fan? How does this one look like? GeForce 8400GS 512 - Rs.1,960.00 : Buy @ WHITES Systems, Best Price, Quick Delivery in INDIA, Quality Products, Good Service, Satisfaction Guaranty Thanks for that link, really useful I'll check up that Acer. Any diea regarding Viewsonics? The model i mentioned has 5ms GtoG response rates, which is not bad.
	() Thanks

27th March 2009, 23:16	#4
black12rr Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Ridin earth now Posts: 1,278 Thanked: 339 Times	Go for 8600 and above series gfx cards , they are pretty cheap . For LCD no use going in for 19th , go directly for 22 inch and they also cheap like <10 K , like samsung or viewsonic , or pay like premium and go for dell 22 inch if possible . You will be happy for 22 inch .
	() Thanks

27th March 2009, 23:48	#5
greenhorn Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: KL-01 Posts: 7,745 Thanked: 4,401 Times View My Garage	another site which has up to date prices ( probably apart from its graphics card section) , is TheITWares - Buy Computer Hardware , PC Components , Laptop Computers - One Stop for all Gizmos!! viewsonic has a pretty bad replacement policy towards dead pixels ( in some cases , they will refuse even if you have 4 dead pixels) , and even for other issues ( muneemmk has a thread about problems he had with viewsonic RMA) . Key to buying is , go, inspect the monitor at the shop itself and make sure it has no dead pixels before buying/taking delivery. Both my monitors are Viewsonic , an E70fsb CRT , and a VG1930WM LCD. both have had no issues for 5 and 2 years respectively ( touch wood ) passively cooled because when you are watching a movie, you dont want to be disturbed by the noise from the GFX card fan - that is , assuming you have silent CPU fan ( pentium IV's please excuse) and a cabinet/PSU fans. if they are noisy already, then no issues. whats one more fan an 8400 GS is a very entry level card. a bit better than the best onboards. As long as we're spending 2k for a graphics card, might as well buy something with muscle . filling a 1440x900 display with pixels while gaming is not an easy job. PS: its a 512MB - avoid them unless they are DDR3. usually most low/mid end cards are available in 512 and 256 MB. forget the size. check which one uses DDR 3 memory (usually the 256) and buy that ! also , expect tvm prices to be -10/+20% more expensive than chennai/mumbai prices Last edited by greenhorn : 27th March 2009 at 23:51.
	() Thanks

28th March 2009, 00:21	#6
dcreator Newbie Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: New Delhi Posts: 10 Thanked: 0 Times	Go for the 8600GT 256mb DDR3 IMO, it's quite a solid VFM card. In fact, I have the same one and might be looking to sell it as well. As for the monitor, I got the Dell SE198WFP a while back (19" and was around 9k iirc) and I'd definitely recommend it. It has DVI-D support. I'd say that you stay away from Viewsonics, they are value for money monitors and are very good but their after-sales service in India is quite bad. Samsung T190 is a beautiful monitor which is quite good, but I'm not sure if it supports DVI.
	() Thanks

28th March 2009, 02:29	#7
muneemmk BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Cochin Posts: 832 Thanked: 99 Times View My Garage	To know more about Viewsonic read my thread http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/gadget...lcd-india.html It would be best to get Dell or Samsung or LG, there other options also like Benq and AOC and BTW AOC is actually said to be good as they are OEM manufacturers for some other reputed companys. 9K is a really good budget now for a 19" LCD as 22" are now avaialble for 9.5K onwards. The best graphics card to buy with your budget would be the 8600GT it's got decent processing power and come at a good price too.Also make sure that your power supply would be able to handle the power that will be required.
	() Thanks

28th March 2009, 09:06	#8
jkdas Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Thiruvananthapu Posts: 9,687 Thanked: 1,492 Times View My Garage	Sankar; contact me prior to buying one. I maybe able to get you better price. Maybe. Prices have dropped for LCDs and hence get 19 incher atleast. NFS Most Wanted wants a better graphics card than what I have on board for my ViewSonic 19inch. Sad.
	() Thanks

28th March 2009, 11:41	#10
aaggoswami Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Vadodara Posts: 4,982 Thanked: 2,931 Times	I bought 9500GT for around 3K in Vadodara. This is a good card and with my 1.1 slot this can play Undercover, BurnOut Paradise and all the heavy titles. Regarding monitor, stay away from Viewsonic. If you have a reasonable budget go for Benq E2200 HD. Its I think less than 12K from a wholesaler and does the job well. Go for Benq/LG/Samsung but not viewsonic. My VA1912W is over within a very short time.
	() Thanks

28th March 2009, 14:41	#11
Sankar Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2005 Location: Location Posts: 5,766 Thanked: 9,054 Times	No way in hell that i'm gonna buy a Viewsonic, not because of it's bad A.S.S, because it seems that they have cheated Muneem. Graphics card i think i'll go for a 9500GT DDR3 256 MB. BenQ E2200HD sounds a good bet, since Greenie also mentioned that he would like to go for it, it's a wee bit out of my budget. Are there any other monitor in the 9 to 10k price bracket that has DVI input?
	() Thanks

28th March 2009, 14:44	#12
greenhorn Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: KL-01 Posts: 7,745 Thanked: 4,401 Times View My Garage	DVI input tends to be available only on the more expensive monitors. I dont think its significantly better than good old VGA Hey wait. I got a DVI cable the other week , and its been lying around. will test it out and say if there is a big difference
	() Thanks

28th March 2009, 15:03	#13
Sankar Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2005 Location: Location Posts: 5,766 Thanked: 9,054 Times	Please do Greenie. I have read few reviews in which they have tested DVI and Analog on the same monitor and all of them reported an increase in picture quality with DVI. How's Acer LCD monitor, quality of component and quality of picture?
	() Thanks

28th March 2009, 16:48	#14
aaggoswami Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Vadodara Posts: 4,982 Thanked: 2,931 Times	@sankar: Dell 1909W is the one to have DVI input I think. This wont cost a bomb. Have a look at the price here : TheITWares - Monitors & LCD's
	() Thanks

28th March 2009, 17:36	#15
muneemmk BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Cochin Posts: 832 Thanked: 99 Times View My Garage	What is the price quoted for the PSU ? I have bought a Cooler Master True 360watts PSU 3 months back for 1.8K, it's extremely silent too also the cooler master cabinet fans costs just 125-200bucks each(80mm to 120mm Dia) and they are also extra quite. The Quality of video in the Viewsonic is really good but this quality is seen only in the high end VX series all the other models have extreme ghosting and the overall quality is quite poor,but they cost just 6500rs onwards for 19",if you are buying a Viewsonic be sure to go only for the lowest model without DVI so you wouldn't have a regret in stowing it away and buying another monitor when it goes kaput as the time taken for repairs are ....so and so as i mentioned in the other thread. Get a Samsung or an LG they seems to be the best bet in terms of service.
	() Thanks