Video Card

Discussion in 'The Veterans' Lounge' started by Malasur, Feb 3, 2022.

  1. Malasur New Member

    I don't see a tech forum, so posting here.

    Video card prices have spiked over the last couple years and now anything decent is insanely overpriced. Does anyone have suggestions on an inexpensive card that will play EQ well at med/high settings and handle recent games adequately? Not talking high FPS shooters, just normal stuff. Let's say in the $100 - $200 range.

    The rest of the system is good: core i5, 16GB RAM, etc.
  2. I_Love_My_Bandwidth Mercslayer

    GTX 970 is a great card for EQ. Really, anything semi-modern with more than 2GB of vRAM will run EQ nicely.

    Side note, modern APUs like Ryzen 5600G or Intel 11th Gen run EQ really well also.
    Rexa likes this.
  3. Sup Rog Elder

    You don't need any special video card to run EQ. I run EQ on my mini Intel NUC11, that has on-chip video(Iris XE), didn't turn off anything for video in game. I can have 7 instances of EQ running and it doesn't even slow down at all. If you are running a lot of instances, just get like 16GB ram. Any pc will do pretty much, don't think you will notice a difference with upgrading a video card.
    Xianzu_Monk_Tunare likes this.
  4. Kazint Augur

  5. ForumBoss Augur

    Integrated graphics is fine if you're on 4th gen intel or higher. Otherwise I used to use some 1050ti for a low power solution.
    Xianzu_Monk_Tunare likes this.
  6. KermittheFroglok Augur

    I recommend posting similar questions to this in the Player Support forum in the future. I asked a similar question seeking PC recommendations not to long ago. EQ's requirements are pretty low so most modernish dedicated graphics cards are going to work.


    I agree with ForumBoss the even more modern processor/boards with integrated graphics will work with some concessions. However, I caution that if you go the integrated graphics route you might want to beef up your system RAM because the game isn't well optimized, using system memory to run the game and render the game will be rough on your machine. Also don't expect to box if you're using integrated graphics.
  7. KermittheFroglok Augur


    I guess to add, ForumBoss is right that a 1050ti probably does fit your build/budget. Used I see it's about $200 and my last machine was running 3 instances of EQ with a 1050ti, old 2008 Xeon processor, and only 8 gb of RAM. (Only 8 gb because most of the mother board's DIM slots died on me).
  8. Malasur New Member

    This "old" model is going for $300+ now. The price hikes are unreal across the board.

    Even the 1050ti is about $300 now. That's probably double of what it was a couple years ago. Chip shortages, supply chain problems, bitcoin mining, scalpers... all of this adds up to a bad situation for casual gamers.

    I do appreciate the replies. I'll keep my eye out for any deals.
  9. Smokezz The Bane Crew


    That would be totally incorrect. I used to play on a laptop, it had a 980m in it. But I never enabled it for EverQuest. I just used the integrated GPU (Intel HD 530). I had zero problems 6 boxing on that machine. Had zero problems in raids. EverQuest is mostly CPU bound. When I did switch to the 980m just to test performance, the difference was very minor.
    Xianzu_Monk_Tunare likes this.
  10. Jumbur Improved Familiar

    This could mean that videocard requirements for EQ may change sometime in the future.
    Maybe the graphical detail for the next expansion will be higher, or maybe they will do a 3d-render upgrade as the next "big project" after they have updated the UI-system.
    Caell likes this.
  11. KermittheFroglok Augur

    Not "totally incorrect", likely just a differing opinion of what acceptable performance is? If the OP were comfortable or happy with Integrated solutions they clearly wouldn't be asking for alternatives or setups.

    It's probably also important to remember that you can't just buy integrated graphics. The OP would obviously need to buy a processor &/or compatible board. Relative to their budget, it probably makes more sense to go the GPU route Kaznit & Forumboss suggested, especially if Malasur wants to do some "recent games adequately". (But that could mean a lot of things... and again it depends on which i5 processor they already have)
  12. I_Love_My_Bandwidth Mercslayer

    I don't control prices.

    A quick search on eBay yielded precisely what you're looking for, in your current budget:

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/224779367575?hash=item3455e4f497:g:q2cAAOSwER1h2G3k&LH_BIN=1

    You're welcome.
  13. Smokezz The Bane Crew

    You said "don't expect to box". That's completely wrong. Hell, I was boxing just fine back on a 2012 laptop with the HD4000 integrated GPU as well, only 3 chars back then but it worked without an issue.
  14. Malasur New Member

    I wasn't trying to knock your suggestion, merely stating that due to a combination of factors, video cards are way more expensive now. If you haven't been in the market for a while, I bet you'd never think the 970 would be nearly that expensive. I sure was surprised to see the current prices!

    Also, I'm extremely wary of buying used or refurbished computer hardware on eBay (or elsewhere, for that matter). It's easy to do a Google search and click the first thing in your price range; I did the same. Unfortunately, after further investigation, it's often a case of "too good to be true".

    Anyway, thank you all for the suggestions. It points me in the right direction.
  15. I_Love_My_Bandwidth Mercslayer

    I have incredibly good luck with used computer parts. In fact, the only bad part I have ever received was a motherboard that refused to POST. The seller refunded my money, I returned the board. Also, eBay's Money Back Guarantee HUGELY skews to the buyer. If the buyer is so much as teary-eyed when they receive the item eBay will force the seller to refund the sale. Ask me how I know....

    And yes, I am well aware of the GPU market scarcity. Prices are beginning to come down. I have seen the GTX 970 locally as low as $200.

    Lots of good suggestions in this thread. You can run EQ on a 10 year old potato laptop. You'll find something to suit your needs.
  16. KermittheFroglok Augur


    I wouldn't be as worried about buying used, if it has to be new you could try to see if any brick and mortar nearby stores have anything. For example, I checked Microcenter's website and their store in my area has a couple dozen unopened GTX 1650 in stock each listed between $220 to $289, so you could get a new newer card if you're near one and willing to up your budget a little (obviously make sure it works with your system). The lower tier GPU stay in stock a little (keyword little) longer online so you could also keep your eye on Best Buy too, but it'll be harder.
  17. Xianzu_Monk_Tunare Augur

    Any on board graphics from the last 5-8 years and any video card from the last 15 years will run EQ perfectly fine. Even 3-6 boxing.

    What generation i5 do you have?
    Bigstomp likes this.
  18. Vumad Cape Wearer

    Didn't read all the posts.

    EQ is mostly CPU intensive. Years ago I bought a GPU and it made almost no changes to EQ gameplay. This mostly hasn't changed now. EQ doesn't need much in GPU resources, but can need a lot of CPU. The graphic settings only go so high and most of the lag comes from either the internet or the CPU.

    The biggest issue, I believe, with performance is CPU heat. Integrated GPU adds heat to the CPU. My Macbook plays EQ fine, but when it starts to get hot, my FPS tank hard. Having the GPU on the CPU makes the CPU hotter.

    Not to say EQ can't benefit from a better GPU, but I have a GTX1060 6gb in my desktop and am using very little GPU resources.
  19. Zalamyr Augur

    As others mentioned, for EQ, modern integrated graphics will work just fine. But handling other "recent games adequately", is probably a stretch for that budget at the moment. Sadly, your only real option is watching the used market for 5 year old cards that sell for more today than they were new. Something like an RX 570 can probably be found in your budget and would work wellish enough for 1080p gaming.

    The only new card you can find for sale easily is the 6500xt, and that card is an utter turd if you aren't putting it in a pci-e gen 4 system due to limited pci-e lanes...and it's still kind of a turd even if it is in a gen 4 system...and it's still likely to land outside your budget.

    Fun times for buying GPUs for sure.
  20. I_Love_My_Bandwidth Mercslayer

    You're correct on almost all points...until you start running EQ at higher resolutions. Also, IGU cooling on PCs isn't a problem. I'm guessing you have an Intel-based Mac. They always get hot.

    I run EQ at 4k. I also 6-box at 4k. Granted I leave all visuals turn up to max, but my RTX 3090 hits 80%-90% GPU usage in GGH or Lobby. I could definitely tune things to use far less GPU, but I like having everything turned on.