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Graphics Card Recommendations?

  • Thread starter Thread starter KittyLee
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Thanks to everyone here for your help! I have a lot to consider here, this is all very confusing! but at least I have somewhere to start now, so thanks!
I'm really not looking for the Best, just something that Works Well. When I say 60fps, I mean at most a fairly steady 60fps, i really don't need or want my games to run any faster. Another reason I'm sticking with Win7 rn is because, for some reason, Dolphin and MelonDS run *significantly better* on it than they do on my Win10 "gaming" laptop, which has higher stats all around. Plus, it's nice to have a Win7 PC in case I want to play any really old games, because I hear Win10 has issues with compatibility. If I really want to play a really new game, I have my Win10 laptop (which can't actually handle Minecraft with shaders either, and perhaps even runs a bit worse).
 
Last edited by KittyLee,
KittyLee said:
Thanks to everyone here for your help! I have a lot to consider here, this is all very confusing! but at least I have somewhere to start now, so thanks!
I'm really not looking for the Best, just something that Works Well. When I say 60fps, I mean at most a fairly steady 60fps, i really don't need or want my games to run any faster. Another reason I'm sticking with Win7 rn is because, for some reason, Dolphin and MelonDS run *significantly better* on it than they do on my Win10 "gaming" laptop, which has higher stats all around. Plus, it's nice to have a Win7 PC in case I want to play any really old games, because I hear Win10 has issues with compatibility. If I really want to play a really new game, I have my Win10 laptop (which can't actually handle Minecraft with shaders either, and perhaps even runs a bit worse).
Click to expand...
what games are you planning on playing at 60 fps? Does this include newer games like 'Alan Wake 2' which requires a beast GPU to play.

I know you mentioned 300$ budget. But I stick by my initial recommendation, get an RX 580 8gb.. you can get one used or brand new for around ~60-80$ USD. If your PC has 8gb ram, upgrade to 16 or 32. Save the rest of the $$ towards your next PC.

Also I see you mentioned Dolphin emulator, did you know Dolphin no longer supports Windows 7 as of 2022?
https://dolphin-emu.org/blog/2022/06/09/leaving-a-legend/
 
Last edited by Kazesama,
KittyLee said:
I wish to turn my Windows 7 desktop computer into a bit of a gaming PC. Currently, it has an Intel Core i5-4460 processor and an Intel HD Graphics 4600 graphics card. I want to get a new graphics card first, but I don't know what to get. I want one that's good, but not too too expensive, but mainly I'm worried newer graphics cards won't be compatible with Win7 (Is this even an issue?). I want to be able to run Minecraft with shaders at 60fps.
Click to expand...
Did you check the bottleneck score of your system through a reliable bottleneck calculator? Here is one I know: https://thepcbottleneckcalculator.com/
 
KittyLee said:
I wish to turn my Windows 7 desktop computer into a bit of a gaming PC. Currently, it has an Intel Core i5-4460 processor and an Intel HD Graphics 4600 graphics card. I want to get a new graphics card first, but I don't know what to get. I want one that's good, but not too too expensive, but mainly I'm worried newer graphics cards won't be compatible with Win7 (Is this even an issue?). I want to be able to run Minecraft with shaders at 60fps.
Click to expand...
KittyLee said:
I wish to turn my Windows 7 desktop computer into a bit of a gaming PC. Currently, it has an Intel Core i5-4460 processor and an Intel HD Graphics 4600 graphics card. I want to get a new graphics card first, but I don't know what to get. I want one that's good, but not too too expensive, but mainly I'm worried newer graphics cards won't be compatible with Win7 (Is this even an issue?). I want to be able to run Minecraft with shaders at 60fps.
Click to expand...
Your i5-4460 is still fine for Minecraft, but the Intel HD 4600 is the main bottleneck. Adding a dedicated GPU like a GTX 1050 Ti, GTX 1060, or GTX 1650 would easily handle Minecraft with shaders at 60 FPS. Just note that very new GPUs may not fully support Windows 7 drivers. It’s also a good idea to run a quick bottleneck check to make sure your CPU and GPU are well balanced before upgrading.
 
Firstly, have you checked what power supply cables you have available? This is important because you may not have the required cables. You almost certaintly don't have the required cables for a 3090. If for some reason you don't have any GPU power cables then your fastest option becomes a RX6400 hands down. Unfortunately there's not much else out there without GPU power cable requirements and you will have trouble finding one (I did at least).

If you have GPU power cables available make sure you know how many. Some prebuilts have only one 12volt rail.

If you do have the above, and have two PCIe power connectors. I second trying an AMD GPU such as the RX 7600. Specifically because of Linux. Unpopular an opinion as it is, avoid Linux Mint in the future and look into Bazzite. If you're picky about your operating system then you'll likely be happier there. As for Minecraft. Are you using Java Edition? Bedrock edition runs only on Windows 10/11 I think? It's been a while. Shaders only work on Java Edition iirc.

If you do in fact check Linux again in the future get Prism Launcher to set up your shaders.

Is this a computer you built yourself or a prebuilt? If it's a prebuilt PC which one?

In my experience going from an integrated graphics chip like Intel's HD series graphics to anything discrete will be a significant improvement even if it's bottlenecked quite a lot.
 
Last edited by PattyFatty,
Totally fair approachaiming for a stable 60 FPS instead of chasing max performance is smart and more cost-efficient. Just keep in mind that while Windows 7 can feel better for older titles and some emulators, it’s no longer supported, which can cause driver and security limitations over time.


A good middle ground is to use Windows 10/11 for modern support and consider dual-boot or compatibility tools for older games. Also, you might want to check your hardware balance, especially for emulator performance something like mypcbottleneck.com can help you quickly see if your CPU/GPU setup is holding you back.
 
KittyLee said:
Thanks to everyone here for your help! I have a lot to consider here, this is all very confusing! but at least I have somewhere to start now, so thanks!
I'm really not looking for the Best, just something that Works Well. When I say 60fps, I mean at most a fairly steady 60fps, i really don't need or want my games to run any faster. Another reason I'm sticking with Win7 rn is because, for some reason, Dolphin and MelonDS run *significantly better* on it than they do on my Win10 "gaming" laptop, which has higher stats all around. Plus, it's nice to have a Win7 PC in case I want to play any really old games, because I hear Win10 has issues with compatibility. If I really want to play a really new game, I have my Win10 laptop (which can't actually handle Minecraft with shaders either, and perhaps even runs a bit worse).
Click to expand...
Great thread! Before finalising any GPU purchase it's worth running a bottleneck check first otherwise your new graphics card might be held back by your CPU.


I've been using https://mypcbottleneck.com it checks DLSS, ray tracing, cooling and storage type alongside CPU/GPU compatibility. Really helped me avoid a costly mismatch before upgrading!
 
With an older CPU like the i5-4460, it's not just about picking the fastest GPU you can afford. The goal is to find a balanced combination that can deliver a stable 60 FPS without overspending on hardware that may be underutilized.

Before upgrading, I'd recommend using a CPU Bottleneck Calculator to compare different GPU options with your current processor. It can give you a rough idea of how well the components will work together and help avoid pairing a high-end graphics card with a CPU that may limit performance.

For your use case (Minecraft with shaders, older games, and emulation), something in the GTX 1650, GTX 1060, or RX 580 range is a sensible starting point, assuming your power supply can support it.
 
Here's a question for you clowns: why the hell do you keep necrobumping a thread from 3 years ago with the same bloody advice? Just how long do you think the op is busy building that computer?
 
Taleweaver said:
Here's a question for you clowns: why the hell do you keep necrobumping a thread from 3 years ago with the same bloody advice? Just how long do you think the op is busy building that computer?
Click to expand...
OP's looking for ram as of two minutes ago. Not looking great though.
 
I went from a 6GB 1060 OC to a 16GB 5060ti, and I can now play Minecraft in native 4K on my 4K TV with full shaders and a 256x texture pack, and still somehow hit a solid 60fps. Best GPU purchase ever.
Post automatically merged:

Murazik said:
3090 is enough for all games, especially if you don't bother with 4k textures. Everything else will be more than enough for the next decade.
Click to expand...
The first only reason I upgraded from my 6GB 1060 OC was because the new doom game required RTX, and my 10 year old card didn't have it.
 
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