What GPU for gaming at 1280x1024, 512mb or 1gb?

I'm torn between the 512mb and 1gb ATI HD5670, I know at higher resolutions this is a no brainer but at my resolution is it worth the extra $20 or is it just a waste of cash. I'd like to play new games and games from the last few years (Bioshock, Bulletstorm, Mass Effect 2, Call of Duty, GTA IV etc...) at high settings with decent FPS, maybe even throw in 2x or 4x AA if possible. I'm not concerned with over the top AA and don't need ultra settings with all the fancy lighting and shadow options enabled, around 75-80% of the max settings would be more than enough for me.

I know $20 is no big deal but I'm trying to build the best rig possible for the absolute lowest price, building this for next to nothing is half the fun for me in this, I know I'm messed!

The rest of my budget build (holding off for 18 months to build a true high end gaming rig and to get a 1080p monitor)

AMD Athlon II quad core at 3.0ghz (is the Phenom 3.2 ghz worth $40 more, how many FPS would I be gaining)

4gb of RAM-2x2gb of GSkill DDR3 at 1333mhz

Biostar 880g micro ATX motherboard (any real disadvantage to micro ATX for the build I'm going for)

Antec 430 watt PSU

500GB WD HDD 16mb cache (is it worth $15 more to go with 32mb cache, does it make any difference)

Maybe you guys could change up my specs a bit but remember I still have to buy Windows 7 64 bit and a case and want to keep my build to under or just above $500, any suggestion or tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks guys!

the memory difference in a card is actually not as important as you think...the way I See it: memory is just a stat used to keep people who dont know anything about hardware happy...so that they can say "OH THIS ONE SAYS 1GB, IT MUST BE THE CHEEZE!" anyway...I'll reccomend you get the 5670, its a nice card, and I see the difference in price is not too biglightleggy

Radeon HD3870 would do. Or something like an 8800GT.

HD 5340.

In essence any of these 30-50 pound cards should be able to handle that resolution.

Avoid 8600GT as that can't handle such resolution without drop in frame rates.

I use to have an 8600GT and wasn't very happy.

I am not sure if you would be satisfied buying a cheap graphics card. Cos to be honest. There's a high likelyhood that you'll regret buying such card as it won't be able to handle the latest games very smoothly.

For most games at 1280x1024 with a budget card will require you to decrease a few of the details down.

It's not a waste of money to buy a slightly more expensive card. Because in the long term it will last you for a lot longer than say going for a cheaper card. Plus more frames per second, the better.You also won't see the nice shiny graphics. This might at first sound like, "who cares about the graphics?" But it does matter. You will soon understand.

I personally would recommend you buy a PS3 or an Xbox 360 instead if gaming is what you have in mind. Cos honestly, I don't personally think you would be satisfied playing at lower resolution and constantly having to worry about what frames per second you get.

I ama 100% PC Gamer and I know from my past experience how I regreted when I bought the 8600GT 3 years ago. As a PC gamer I recommend either a strong graphics card like a GTX 560 Ti, GTX 570, HD 6950, etcor forget about PC Gaming altogether. As most of these cards are really mainly designed for HD videos, movies, etc. They are not really designed for gaming. If you are able to play any of the latestgames very smoothly I'd be very surprised.

Even at 1280x1024 you'll still need to at least spend £100 on a card and you might regret still...

I could recommend you an ATI Radeon HD 2400 Pro, it costs £14.99 but will you be satisifed? Squeezing too much of your cash when it comes to PC gaming is risky business, I tell ya!

Radeon HD3870 would do. Or something like an 8800GT.

HD 5340.

In essence any of these 30-50 pound cards should be able to handle that resolution.

Avoid 8600GT as that can't handle such resolution without drop in frame rates.

I use to have an 8600GT and wasn't very happy.

I am not sure if you would be satisfied buying a cheap graphics card. Cos to be honest. There's a high likelyhood that you'll regret buying such card as it won't be able to handle the latest games very smoothly.

For most games at 1280x1024 with a budget card will require you to decrease a few of the details down.

It's not a waste of money to buy a slightly more expensive card. Because in the long term it will last you for a lot longer than say going for a cheaper card. Plus more frames per second, the better.You also won't see the nice shiny graphics. This might at first sound like, "who cares about the graphics?" But it does matter. You will soon understand.

I personally would recommend you buy a PS3 or an Xbox 360 instead if gaming is what you have in mind. Cos honestly, I don't personally think you would be satisfied playing at lower resolution and constantly having to worry about what frames per second you get.

I ama 100% PC Gamer and I know from my past experience how I regreted when I bought the 8600GT 3 years ago. As a PC gamer I recommend either a strong graphics card like a GTX 560 Ti, GTX 570, HD 6950, etcor forget about PC Gaming altogether. As most of these cards are really mainly designed for HD videos, movies, etc. They are not really designed for gaming. If you are able to play any of the latestgames very smoothly I'd be very surprised.

Even at 1280x1024 you'll still need to at least spend £100 on a card and you might regret still...

I could recommend you an ATI Radeon HD 2400 Pro, it costs £14.99 but will you be satisifed? Squeezing too much of your cash when it comes to PC gaming is risky business, I tell ya!

BLaZiNg_SPEED

I already own all three consoles so going that route is not an option, I want a decent gaming PC to hold me until I get a 1080p monitor that can play games at upper mid to high at 1280x1024, nothing more.

I'm trying to find the best line between performance and value, I know there is a dozen cards I could get for less that $50 but they would be completely useless for gaming where as the 5670 is from all I've read a decent card at low res in it's price point and doesn't require any additional power so it saves me another $20 on my PSU. Like I also said this is not a long term machine for me, next christmas I'm going to be making a high end machine with all the best parts available. Sure I know buying a GTX 570 would be way better but the cost of that GPU alone is 80% of the cost of my total build and with the res I play at and the CPU I'm getting it would be a total waste of cash, maybe moving up to a 5770 for $40 more or a 460gtx for $90 might make a little sense but the GPU's you listed would totally destroy my budget.

I'm torn between the 512mb and 1gb ATI HD5670, I know at higher resolutions this is a no brainer but at my resolution is it worth the extra $20 or is it just a waste of cash. I'd like to play new games and games from the last few years (Bioshock, Bulletstorm, Mass Effect 2, Call of Duty, GTA IV etc...) at high settings with decent FPS, maybe even throw in 2x or 4x AA if possible. I'm not concerned with over the top AA and don't need ultra settings with all the fancy lighting and shadow options enabled, around 75-80% of the max settings would be more than enough for me.

I know $20 is no big deal but I'm trying to build the best rig possible for the absolute lowest price, building this for next to nothing is half the fun for me in this, I know I'm messed!

The rest of my budget build (holding off for 18 months to build a true high end gaming rig and to get a 1080p monitor)

AMD Athlon II quad core at 3.0ghz (is the Phenom 3.2 ghz worth $40 more, how many FPS would I be gaining)

4gb of RAM-2x2gb of GSkill DDR3 at 1333mhz

Biostar 880g micro ATX motherboard (any real disadvantage to micro ATX for the build I'm going for)

Antec 430 watt PSU

500GB WD HDD 16mb cache (is it worth $15 more to go with 32mb cache, does it make any difference)

Maybe you guys could change up my specs a bit but remember I still have to buy Windows 7 64 bit and a case and want to keep my build to under or just above $500, any suggestion or tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks guys!

TellDaddy

Hd 5670 come in 3 different flavours:

1 GB DDR3 - Don't get this one, it's significantly slower.

512 MB GDDR5

1 GB GDDR5

I guess there is a few cases where the 1 GB GDDR5 version show better results, but if you are on a tight budget it's probably not worth it.

If you are planning an upgrade in 18 months it might be worth it to make a few adjustments to ensure that you can reuse as many components as possible. The PSU is a bit on the low side for pairing with a future high-end graphics card, Antec is a fine brand, but you should move to the 500 to 600W range.

With DDR4 delayed until 2015 the DDR3 memory is another prime candidate for reuse, so investing a few dollard extra to make it 1600 MHz might be an idea. You could also reasonably justify getting 2x4 GB as it will bepart of your system for 4 to 5 years it's probably not overkill a few years down the road, and DDR3 memory just happen to be very cheap at the moment.

I also had the notion of getting an AM3+ ready motherboard, but the cheapest ones I could find cost $100, so unless you can find a cheaper one I'd strike that requirement and settle for buying a new board when that time comes.

Harddisk speed is a strange science, there is really none of the specifications that can tell you how fast a disk is. For lack of better knowledge, get the cheapest.

If you want a slight step up you could get the Phenom II X4 840 3.2 GHz, it lacks the L3 cache of a "real" Phenom II, but you should find this reflected in the price.

In most games you shouldn't find CPU speed noticeable. However, if it matters it often matters a lot.