GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Hey everyone—I need some help picking out a GPU for a small case. Please, hit me with some suggestions before I lose my mind.

Specs are below.

√ Intel Core i5-2400 Processor
√ 3.10 GHz, 6M cache, 4 cores/4 threads
√ Intel HD Graphics 2000
√ Intel Stable Image Platform Program (SIPP)
√ Supports Intel vPro Technology

Thanks!

What kind of case are we talking about here? An HTPC build? Are you leaning toward mATX or maybe a smaller ITX format?

What's the primary goal for this PC? Is gaming going to be part of the equation? Also, what kind of budget are we working with?

Charles Hill24 said:Hey everyone, I could really use some help picking out a graphics card for a small form factor case. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Specs are listed below.

√ Intel Core i5-2400 Processor
√ 3.10 GHz, 6M cache, 4 cores/4 threads
√ Intel HD Graphics 2000
√ Intel Stable Image Platform Program (SIPP)
√ Supports Intel vPro Technology

Thanks.

What's the budget? SOMETHING LIKE THIS would be a decent best buy. What kind of power supply are you running?

Timothy Kim60 said:What do you mean by "small case"? An HTPC setup? mATX or ITX?

What's the goal for this PC—gaming? And what kind of budget are we talking about?

The machine is an HP Compaq 8200 Elite SFF.

I want to throw a GPU in there worth up to $167. I mentioned the small case because we're looking at low-profile cards if they're actually going to fit.

LP.

Running games? That means you'll need something low profile, likely with very low power draw to accommodate that weak power supply (240 Watt active PFC 87%/90%/87%).

Honestly, there isn't anything worth buying until you hit $167; your only options right now are some cheap, low-profile DDR3 junk. My advice? Don't buy a thing until you can save up for this level of hardware if you actually want to get into serious gaming.

😛

Timothy Kim60 said:Wants to play games? Then it’s gotta be low profile—probably super low power draw too, since that weak power supply is only 240 Watt active PFC 87%/90%/87%--basically nothing

There isn't anything decent to grab until you hit $167, just some low profile DDR3 junk. Honestly? My advice is don't buy a thing until you can save up for this if you actually want to do some serious gaming

Thanks for the suggestion, I just can't get this link you sent me to open LIKE THIS

My link works fine. If you're having trouble with Adam Moore3's, try right-clicking instead of just clicking the dot. Anyway, that GPU isn't going to work with your PC anyway.

I’m not entirely sure which specific case you’re working with, but just as a heads-up, you should probably double-check if the card comes with a low-profile bracket. Most of those HP's SFF chassis don't play nice with standard-height graphics cards, and trust me, you don't want to find that out after you've already spent the money.
Basically, you're looking for something like this:

I'm on the hunt for a used graphics card with a budget of $200. What should I be looking out for? From what I can tell, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 and the 7770 seem like my best bets, but I'm a little fuzzy on how many Watts they actually pull... especially since I'm already running a pretty hungry x4 860k and a 400W power supply.
It’s honestly a bit of a bummer that there aren't tons of sellers around Washington, D.C. or the surrounding Washingtonian area, but hey, you win some, you lose some...

The GTX 660 is definitely faster than an HD 7770, and it doesn't pull too much power—probably under 150W... though I guess you’d really need to specify which power supply model you're using.

crimsonstag84 said:Look, the GTX 660 is way faster than the HD 7770, no contest there. And honestly, it’s not even that much of a power hog—you're looking at less than 150W... but you really gotta let me know exactly which power supply you're running before we get ahead of ourselves...

I’ve got a few different ways I could go with this, but I’m definitely leaning toward picking up a unit that’s a legit, true 400W from a big-name brand you can actually trust. Honestly, I’m just torn right now between biting the bullet and buying something brand new or just sticking with my old Corsair that’s already eight years old... I'll probably just go with the new one though...

I was just pointing it out, really... those power consumption numbers on the 7x series seem absolutely massive to me. It honestly feels just as bad as those AMD processors...

Besides the ones we've already talked about, what other cards actually fit that description? It's getting pretty hard to find those rebranded GTX 77 xx series cards or even any of the R7 2 xx stuff out there on the market lately...

Chieftek isn't actually that bad, but eight years? In that kind of time, standards and technology have changed a hell of a lot...

Plus, you have to realize that power supply quality and performance degrade over time, so that Chief of yours almost certainly isn't hitting its rated wattage anymore...

The GTX 660 ti pulls significantly more power than the hd7770 (roughly 120w compared to 75w)

Hey 🙂,

What's the verdict on this card:

ZOTAC GeForce gt 740 ZT-71006-10L 2

That card is really just meant to get an image on your monitor—it's definitely not built for gaming...

If you're actually looking for a GPU to play games, you should at least aim for one with DDR5 memory. The one you mentioned only has DDR3.

Exactly, they’re generally a bad investment at this point. Right now, the absolute bare minimum worth spending money on would be something like a 250X for about $110, but if you actually want to play the heavy hitters without constant stuttering, grabbing a 750ti for a few hundred bucks is the next logical step for value.

Hey there.

I've finally decided it's time to stop staring at low frame rates and actually upgrade my GPU, but I have a few lingering doubts. What would you consider the absolute best bang-for-your-buck card that won't exceed $367, and more importantly, can my current power supply handle the jump?
Here’s what I'm running right now:

CPU: AMD A10 6800k
GPU: Radeon hd 8670 D Apa
Motherboard: MSI FM2-A85XMA-E35
RAM: 2x4GB DDR3 2400MHz Kingston
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 3.5 sat DVD-LG DVDRW
DVD Drive: LG DVDRW
PSU: Power-Corsair 430 w Builder Series CX430M
Cooler: Noctua NH-L9a
Monitor: Monitor-Acer V223HQV/V213HV
Case: Sonex 6010 gaming micro ATX small

The most demanding thing on my list is probably just NFS Underground 3; everything else I play is pretty light.
I'm also planning on picking up an SSD eventually, though that might have to wait until next year when the budget allows for it. Thanks in advance.

The power supply should handle it just fine; this card pulls about 70W.

Since you've got a pretty solid platform, maybe you could consider a GTX 950 (if you can squeeze in another $83 or so). It's definitely faster, and I guess your CPU would be a perfect match for it:

Alright, I think I’m going to pull the trigger on this second option after all, so thanks again for the help.

crimsonstag84 said:You've got a pretty decent platform here, so you might want to look into a GTX 950 (if you can swing another ~$83) since it's significantly faster. Your CPU should be a perfect match for it:

http://www.bestbuy.com/msi-video-card-...vi-retail.aspx

How does the R7 370 stack up against it?