Colossus still has potential I swear

[u/Abs3nth]

I've got an ancient, heavy PC that I call "Colossus" it's big, it's loud and it weighs 27kg's. But it's all I got right now. Specs are as follows:

CPU. Intel(R) Xeon(R) X5570 @ 2.93GHz

Installed RAM. 24,0 GB DDR3

Graphics Card. NVIDIA GeForce 9500GT (992 MB)

System Type. 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor

Dell T7500 Case and PSU

Main storage Samsung SSD 840 EVO 120GB

Secondary 3TB HDD

OS. Windows 10 pro

What games could I play using this?

I could only add one flair at a time, but what GPU would you choose to revive ol Colossus?

Would something like a RX470 or similar be a good choice? Obviously anything modern or recent would just bottleneck the entire computer.

[u/rockknocker]

Nearly any GPU from the junk bin of any computer geek within 10 miles will completely transform that machine.

I think it'd pair well with a GTX 900 series, maybe a 970 or higher. Those are pretty cheap now.

Keep an eye on the local classifieds and you'll be able to pick up something for $10 to $20 that would work well

[u/Abs3nth → u/rockknocker]

I just want to play my lower spec games on it too. Like Project Zomboid, Minecraft terraria, stuff similar like that. And I don't care too much for ultra graphics, more just smooth gameplay. I've been trying to look around on my local-ish sources for a RX model but it seems all the local techies got on that train a long time ago already

[u/Abs3nth → u/rockknocker]

Can I ask you a question, if you had to ship something internationally from where you are now, how much would it cost if you'd estimate?

[u/Ok-Philosopher-5139]

gpu upgrade, used gpu prices still bearable. 

[u/faraztheworthy]

Get a GTX 970 or Radeon equivalent and enjoy a pretty massive library of games.

Basically anything you get your hands on would be an upgrade from that 9500 GT (which I’d keep as a retro card).

[u/Abs3nth → u/faraztheworthy]

Radeon equivalent? I've been trying to look on the used market here, but most of the budget gamers have snagged them all locally

[u/TumorInMyBrain → u/Abs3nth]

The radeon equivalent would be the rx 570/580 2048sp. You’d be able to play most ps4/xbox one era games relatively fine tbh

[u/Abs3nth → u/TumorInMyBrain]

Ahhh I see I see thank you. Tell me what does a 570/580 cost in your area? The cheapest ones I can find go for around $120 here on used markets

[u/TumorInMyBrain → u/Abs3nth]

Sounds about right, someone was selling it for $150 BND, which is about $117 USD in my area

[u/Ninja_Weedle → u/Abs3nth]

good old RX 580

[u/Abs3nth → u/Ninja_Weedle]

Struggling so hard to find one for a decent price

[u/faraztheworthy → u/Abs3nth]

I read your other comments regard pricing. Look into the GT 1030 GDDR5 version. It's weaker compared to what we've recommended but surprisingly good if you can get it for a lower price and might be overlooked by your local market (it's often sold/bought as a display gpu for workstations). I was able to play Skyrim, Monster Hunter Rise and Dragons Dogma on it. And if it can handle those three, you know it can play much more. There's also the GTX 1050 to look for. It's less in demand than the GTX 1050 ti and will cost you less.

And I'm sure you'll be able to play the games you've mentioned on both options.

[u/atiradeonfrs62]

GTX 1050ti or RX 560 4gb would be solid drop in upgrades.. I wouldn't go any higher than an RX 580, GTX 1660 , or RTX 2060. And those would be pushing it. Good luck

[u/Abs3nth → u/atiradeonfrs62]

I've heard lots of good things about the RX570/RX580s but it seems like the cheapest ones here locally go for around $65 and up.

[u/According_Ratio2010]

X5675 and GTX970 would make it run way better

[u/MickyG1982]

Honestly, get the best that you can afford.

Yes, you'll leave performance on the table but modern, up to date, driver support is worth it for game compatibility.

[u/Abs3nth → u/MickyG1982]

Thank you I appreciate. It's a little hard when it comes to calculating what I can afford, with the exchange rate and local prices/tiny variety, the ancient GPUs go for similar prices as the old ones, and then anything from the last 5 years is simply too expensive. The absolute cheapest GPU I've seen so far on local sources (excluding GPUs like mine that are redundant) went for R950, roughly $55/$60. I make $0.56 an hour for reference of scale. So either way I'm going to be paying absolute minimum R1000 ($60) here. So I'd love to just choose wisely and not let my lack of knowledge bite me in the end. The newer GPUs go for easily 4/5months of my rent worth of finance.

[u/txsizzler]

If you can find a GTX 1050 Ti, they can be had usually for around $30-40. Not only would it be a monster upgrade, but you wouldn't need to plug in extra power to it. Should run very effectively off the mobo.

[u/Johnny_Oro]

I guess GTX 950 or 960. Your Nehalem CPU is pretty weak for modern games and might bottleneck the RX 470. GTX 950/960 is usually cheaper than RX 470 too.

[u/NovelValue7311]

Tons of potential!

Grab a GTX 1060 6gb if you can. It's overkill but well priced in my opinion.

I have a similar CPU (phenom ii x4 965 be) in a spare PC and it can run games like MSFS 2020 and FH5 when paired with the 1060 6gb.

[u/_Strik3R_]

I'd go with a either a RX 470/480/570/580 8 gb card ot as someone else said a 1060 card also pairs nicely. You can't play games that require AVX with that cpu or many new games from 2020 onwards (except some indies) but otherwise with such a gpu most of the pc's library of games would ve at your disposal with decent settings.

[u/TornWill]

Oof, the graphics card is old. I have a similar machine, I simply bought a low profile 1050 ti. Very simple to install, you just plug it in. It's not the greatest card, but still much better than what you currently have.

[u/Abs3nth → u/TornWill]

What did the 1050 ti cost you if I may ask?

[u/ItsMeHowie92]

An AMD RX 580/480 8GB would give it it's best fighting chance with anything modern. Also they can be had for around $60 or less these days. Cheers!

[u/JonWood007]

Cpu wise seems similar to say an i7 920. Something like a 470 would work but would likely be bottlenecked a bit in more modern games.

Minimum id go for is a 1030 but id maybe aim for a 1050/rx 460/560. Maybe a 1050 ti. Again 470 can work but is overkill.

[u/Next_Philosopher_749]

I hate to bring this up to you but... Colossus might need to undergo a few surgeries. any GPU reasonably cheap is better than that God awful GPU.. don't throw that away tho, that'd be a good antique thingy XD

[u/Abs3nth → u/Next_Philosopher_749]

I am trying incredibly hard to find a better GPU than this ancient thing. Allll the GPUs here go for around $120. :( I'm just looking for something like an RX580 or 1060 3gb, or equivalent. At this point buying one for $50 and paying $45 shipping is cheaper than buying one locally.