R7 250?

[don_svetlio]

So, a friend is finally upgrading his system with a very tight budget - his current GPU is a 9600 GT

Thinking of going with a R7 250 (screen is 1280x1024) - what would you guys say? He plays Shogun 2, Hitman Absolution, Dragon Age Inqusition and such.
CPU is a Core 2 Quad 8400
PSU is a Super Flower 550W

I was thinking of a used 7770 but I'm also reluctant as the 250 comes with warranty and is guaranteed to be in good condition - I've heard a lot of horror stories about used products locally so not sure.

Anyone with a R7 250 here to run tests for me?

[GreezyJeezy]

can you get a 260 non X that will be better. It can run Gta 5 on 1280x1024 at 30FPS medium semi high settings. But population density on lowest

[don_svetlio]

Just now, GreezyJeezy said:

can you get a 260 non X that will be better. It can run Gta 5 on 1280x1024 at 30FPS medium semi high settings. But population density on lowest

That's overbudget though - 250 is around 150BGN and even that's a stretch. Hence why I'm wondering whether it will be a worthwhile investment

[Unhelpful]

1 minute ago, don_svetlio said:

That's overbudget though - 250 is around 150BGN and even that's a stretch. Hence why I'm wondering whether it will be a worthwhile investment

Can you not check out the used market?

[don_svetlio]

Just now, JoeyDM said:

Can you not check out the used market?

I did - can get a 7770 or 650 for a similar price - both perform better but neither has warranty and I have no idea of what the condition of those cards is.

[GreezyJeezy]

1 minute ago, don_svetlio said:

I did - can get a 7770 or 650 for a similar price - both perform better but neither has warranty and I have no idea of what the condition of those cards is.

Anything better then a 250 will be better.

[Unhelpful]

Just now, don_svetlio said:

I did - can get a 7770 or 650 for a similar price - both perform better but neither has warranty and I have no idea of what the condition of those cards is.

Gotcha. My advice when looking at cards that low end will always be "just save up." But if it's 1280x1024 with no plans of an upgrade... Maybe just go for it.

[don_svetlio]

Just now, JoeyDM said:

Gotcha. My advice when looking at cards that low end will always be "just save up." But if it's 1280x1024 with no plans of an upgrade... Maybe just go for it.

He spent 6 years with a 9600GT and Athlon X2 - he's unlikely to spend a lot of cash for a 370 or 380 - as for monitor - no upgrade plans

[don_svetlio]

1 minute ago, GreezyJeezy said:

Anything better then a 250 will be better.

No cash tho. If I had a DX11 card to replace a 6850 in a local office I'd try for that but alas.

[GreezyJeezy]

3 minutes ago, don_svetlio said:

No cash tho. If I had a DX11 card to replace a 6850 in a local office I'd try for that but alas.

Eh on the resaloution it should be fine but even a 260 can be chugging on the resolution. 

[don_svetlio]

7 minutes ago, DEcobra11 said:

http://www.ebay.es/itm/XFX-Radeon-HD-6870-1-GB-Double-D-Edition-PCI-E-35941-/121960507946?hash=item1c6569aa2a:g:2TUAAOSw3mpXFO1Q#shpCntId

Ships to bulgaria, still under 75 € (150 BGN)

And if you want a bit of thermi in your lyfe

http://www.ebay.es/itm/Zotac-GeForce-GTX-570-Synergy-Edition-1-28-GB-/191850664422?hash=item2cab30d1e6:g:ye0AAOSwgn5XFAnw#shpCntId

570 is too power-hungry to be an option. 6870 is an option - will look at it

[harrynowl]

What about cards based on VLIW4 like HD6800 and HD6900. I get a pair of HD6870s myself tomorrow and they should be surprisingly fast.

[LeStringMan]

57 minutes ago, GreezyJeezy said:

Eh on the resaloution it should be fine but even a 260 can be chugging on the resolution. 

I think you are underestimating the R7 260 and 360 a little. Although im not 100 percent sure about userbench's accuracy.

 

http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-GTX-750-Ti-vs-AMD-R7-360/2187vsm30045

[LeStringMan]

As for the op's question the used 7770 or GTX 650 would be my choice as they both would be quite a bit faster than the R7 250, which is equal to the higher end APU's integrated graphics.

[GreezyJeezy]

19 minutes ago, LeStringMan said:

I think you are underestimating the R7 260 and 360 a little. Although im not 100 percent sure about userbench's accuracy.

 

http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-GTX-750-Ti-vs-AMD-R7-360/2187vsm30045

I used to have one 

[don_svetlio]

16 minutes ago, GreezyJeezy said:

I used to have one 

Do you by any chance still have that? My friend could use all the help he can get. Local prices are bloody terrible - took me 2 years to save up for a simple 280

[GreezyJeezy]

1 minute ago, don_svetlio said:

Do you by any chance still have that? My friend could use all the help he can get. Local prices are bloody terrible - took me 2 years to save up for a simple 280

I'd have to look around in my storage 

[don_svetlio]

Just now, GreezyJeezy said:

I'd have to look around in my storage 

Please do

[TheCaptain53]

I know it has no warranty, but I would definitely look for secondhand cards. As long as you test it before buying it and see no artifacting/crashes etc etc, you should be good. If you can't test it, knock down the price significantly. I would knock down the price anyway, but more so if it can't be tested.
 

HD 7770 would be great for your friend.