Need suggestions for new graphics card

I have an AMD Radeon HD6670 1GB DDR5 that's on its last legs. The fan whines and it seems to slow down the whole system at times. I have 2 monitors, both with DRI and VGA inputs only (no USB, etc.) I enjoy Flight Simulator and am excited about getting the 2020 version. I have seen Microsoft's system requirements which to me is not all that useful because there are only 6 graphics cards listed (minimum, recommended and ideal.) I know there are dozens of graphics cards on the market now. Can anyone please give me a list of maybe 10 cards I should look into? I want a nice one but I don't want to break the bank buying one. This way I could shop for the best deals on the cards. I appreciate your time and effort in advance. Thanks, Dave

If your card still is good enough for what you need, and only the noise (and perhaps high card temperature when gaming) is the problem. Then try cleaning the card.

 

If it's a desktop Disconnect the pc from the wall power. Then press the power button (the "start the pc button" I mean) once or twice so residual current on the mainboard can drain. Also unplug the monitor from the wall power. Then open the case, unplug the monitor cable from the card. Then remove the card from the pc.

Buy a can of compressed air.

Put the card down on a sheet of cardboard that you put on your desk. (cardboard is a good electrical insulator).

Hold the fan so it can't turn and blow the dust out with the can of compressed air. (hold the fan to stop it from spinning. If it spins it creates a current that could damage the card).

 

A videocard that has been in a pc for a few years will be full of dust. (dustbunnys). It will need more then a light puff of air so clean it thoroughly. (sometimes to get the big dustbunnys out a pair of tweezers or a bamboo saté skewer comes in handy).

 

The fan of a card cools a metal block (the heatsink), and the video chip is under that cooling block.

Be careful of that chip, don't press down on the cooling block.

Try to touch the card as little as possible. Especially don't touch the gold contacts that plug into the mainboard with your bare fingers.

 

Getting the dust out will most likely stop the noise. Also the airflow improves so the cooling will improve. That means the fan will no longer need to spin so fast and that makes it quieter too.

 

Enjoy!

il.

Thank you all

I assume you are using a 1080p monitor since you are using older hardware. Since you want a relatively cheaper card I will advise you on a modern 1080p video card. The AMD 5600XT is a good pick and so isn't nVidia's GTX 1660Ti. If those are still too expensive for you I suggest grabbing an AMD RX 580 or a GTX 1660 Super.

Thank you zSchizoz. Out of all of the postings, you are the first to actually read my question and give me a direct answer. U da man

If you plan to run the new MSFS, you might consider the RTX2060 Super. It is not only more powerful, but it is also more futureproof. It isn't a lot more than the GTX 1660ti.

Thank you zSchizoz. Out of all of the postings, you are the first to actually read my question and give me a direct answer. U da man

 

No problem! If you need further help feel free to ask.

I always try to find the sweet spot of performance:price with my graphics cards. Here's what I recommend:

 

Head over to the VideocardBenchMark.Net "Price Performance" list. Here you can select video cards based how much performance they deliver per dollar.

 

* Your HD 6670 scores a 695 on the Passmark test. Pretty low nowadays.

* For $130, you could pick up a Radeon RX570 that delivers 6967 on the Passmark. That's over 50 passmark points per dollar, very good.

* The GEForce GTX 1650 Super currently tops the value chart. It delivers 9827 Passmark points for $160, or just over 60 points per dollar.

* If you want to stay under $100, the Radeon RX 560 delivers 3673 Passmark for $99. Only 36 points/dollar, but still 5x your current card.

* Or if you want a really fast card that's still a decent value, the GEForce RTX 2070 delivers 16268 Passmark for $400, about 40 points/dollar,

 

Be sure to verify compatibility with your motherboard before you buy, and consider if you have Nvidia/Radeon preferences.

Thank you all

You also have to consider what you want to do with the card. A "good value" card with 4 gig of memory may be useless if your application requires 6 gig of memory. If you plan to run 720p resolution, your choice my be different than if you plan to run 4K.

Grab a GeForce GTX 2060 Super with 8Gb of memory on the card. You'll be able to run three 2K (1440P) monitors without any issues. It's about $400.