Looking for a simple display card, should I buy in the $35 range for lulz?

[Counter-Strike Player]

I'm looking for nothing more than a simple display card on my backup Ubuntu box. AMD still has issues on the latest Ubuntu versions so I'll be buying Nvidia this time (which is quite rare for me.) Here's the specs:

 

i7-920

6GB DD3-1600 tri-channel

xfx 4890 (which makes a ton of blower noise -- which is why I want to replace it.)

p5something deluxe mobo

some random 1tb hitache hdd (probably a deathstar)

 

requirements:

• hdmi but I can settle with a dvi adapter (as that's the way I'm doing it with the 4890.)
• no screen tearing (that's why nvidia not amd for linux)
• probably no gaming but at least the ability to playback 1080p at 30+ fps.

 

Now I know I can probably buy a card that costs $10-15 on ebay that satisfies these requirements but I would rather buy from somewhere NOT shady, is new, and has a minimal warranty. So that brings me to the $30 category: 210 Passive or 8400 GS Passive or GT 610 LP or GT 710 LP (don't be fooled by the scam "rebate card" here.) I'm not even sure those LP cards are going to fit inside a standard case -- everyone asks if a "LP bracket" is included, but isn't that for LP cases? The "standard" versions appear to go for $40.

[Tedster]

1 minute ago, Counter-Strike Player said:

I'm looking for nothing more than a simple display card on my backup Ubuntu box. AMD still has issues on the latest Ubuntu versions so I'll be buying Nvidia this time (which is quite rare for me.) Here's the specs:

 

i7-920

6GB DD3-1600 tri-channel

xfx 4890 (which makes a ton of blower noise -- which is why I want to replace it.)

p5something deluxe mobo

some random 1tb hitache hdd (probably a deathstar)

 

requirements:

• hdmi but I can settle with a dvi adapter (as that's the way I'm doing it with the 4890.)
• no screen tearing (that's why nvidia not amd for linux)
• probably no gaming but at least the ability to playback 1080p at 30+ fps.

 

Now I know I can probably buy a card that costs $10-15 on ebay that satisfies these requirements but I would rather buy from somewhere NOT shady, is new, and has a minimal warranty. So that brings me to the $30 category: EVGA GeForce 210 Passive or 8400 GS Passive or GT 610 LP or GT 710 LP (don't be fooled by the scam "rebate card" here.) I'm not even sure those LP cards are going to fit inside a standard case -- everyone asks if a "LP bracket" is included, but isn't that for LP cases? The "standard" versions appear to go for $40.

Why don't you look at USB display adapters?

[Counter-Strike Player]

2 minutes ago, Tedster said:

Why don't you look at USB display adapters?

All the non-vga ones are $40+ anyway?

[Tedster]

Just now, Counter-Strike Player said:

All the non-vga ones are $40+ anyway?

Looking on amazon.com I can see some that look a bit dodgy that are around $20. Looking on eBay, those devices are really dodgy. Seems like they're more prominent and cheaper over here in the UK, meh

[TheRandomness]

Find any card and zip tie a new, larger heatsink on c:

If you're just looking for a display output, go on eBay, go to the Graphics Cards category and sort lowest to highest in the buy it now tab.

[samocamo123]

3 minutes ago, TheRandomness said:

Find any card and zip tie a new, larger heatsink on c:

If you're just looking for a display output, go on eBay, go to the Graphics Cards category and sort lowest to highest in the buy it now tab.

" I would rather buy from somewhere NOT shady, is new, and has a minimal warranty. "

[TheRandomness]

Just now, samocamo123 said:

" I would rather buy from somewhere NOT shady, is new, and has a minimal warranty. "

New? GT 710. But the price/performance value is immense on eBay, and you could get an equivalent of the GT 710 for less than $10...

[Counter-Strike Player]

I like providing updates so here's an update.

 

I went with the 2GB 710 card and it's working nicely and silently. $30 after rebate card. Yes, I am a pussy for accepting such an offer but the retailers I frequent (#walmart) are able to do "split transactions" so I intend on using every penny on that $10 rewards card.

 

Also, can I just say how weird it feels inserting a "half-length" PCIe card into a full-length PCIe x16 slot? It really feels weird but the proprietary nvidia driver and hdmi all seems to be working fine after updating the drivers from mesa.

 

Clean, fresh, and new...almost like a lifestyle.