GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Hey there—between these two, which card is actually the better pick? http://www.asus.com/Graphics-Cards/S...X970DC2OC4GD5/ I mean, the PCI-E NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 Strix OC, 4GB DDR5 http://www.evga.com/Products/Product...04G-P4-2974-KR or the GeForce GTX 970 Superclocked ACX 2.0, 4GB DDR5?
Here's what my future build is looking like: ASUS Z170 Pro gaming
Intel Core i7 6700 k Cooler
Noctua NH-U14S cooler
16 GB G.SKILL Ripjaws 4 series RAM
2 TB Western Digital Caviar Black hard drive
Graphics card: ?
ASUS DRW-24F1MT/BLK/B/AS DVD writer
Cooler Master HAF 912 Advanced case
ANTEC EDG750 EC 750W power supply
I'm planning on playing at hd 1920 x1080 on ultra or high settings
I can probably swing about $1333 for the card
The shop I'm looking at is Best Buy

Jesse Flores11 said:Hey, which one of these two cards is actually better? The PCI-E NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 Strix OC, 4GB DDR5 http://www.asus.com/Graphics-Cards/S...X970DC2OC4GD5/ or the PCI-E EVGA GeForce GTX 970 Superclocked ACX 2.0, 4GB DDR5 http://www.evga.com/Products/Product...04G-P4-2974-KR
My future build: ASUS Z170 Pro gaming motherboard
Intel Core i7 6700 k Cooler processor
Noctua NH-U14S cooler
16 GB PC-17000 G.SKILL Ripjaws 4 series memory
2000.0 GB WESTERN DIGITAL Caviar Black hard drive
Graphics card: ?
ASUS DRW-24F1MT/BLK/B/AS DVD±RW
COOLERMASTER HAF 912 Advanced case
750W ANTEC EDG750 EC power supply
Planning to play at hd 1920 x1080 on ultra or high settings
I'm willing to set aside $1333 for the GPU
The shop I'm looking at: Best Buy

Since you’ve got a beefy enough power supply, you might want to look at the R9 390 instead. It actually pulls ahead of the GTX970 in pretty much every game title.

If you're dead set on picking one of those two, I'd go with the EVGA model.

The real question is when you're actually planning to pull the trigger on a new PC—if it's going to be in maybe two or three months, shouldn't we just hold off and wait for those new NVIDIA graphics cards to drop?

So, when are the new graphics cards actually dropping?

Word on the street is we're looking at about 2, maybe 2 and a half months

Larry Ortiz5 said:Rumor has it we’re looking at maybe 2 or 2.5 months

I wish. Honestly, I doubt we'll see anything happening here before summer hits. It's more realistic to expect stuff actually hitting the shelves by fall, rather than just being some talking point for the President to mention in five or six months.

If I were in the market for a GPU right now, I’d grab a GTX 970 in a heartbeat. Honestly, it’s tough to beat that card. 😉

Man, time really flies—I’ve actually been rocking my Strixx 970 since last Christmas, which was back at the start of December 2014. I'm only mentioning it because I noticed it's still listed for more than three grand... (my specific model)

maybe we could find out what the price tag looks like

Nah, but with a budget like that, you'll definitely have plenty of options to choose from.

Alright guys, I need some advice on picking up a GPU:
-PCI-E
-gpu(//)
-cpu: AMD FX 8350 4 GHz 8
-psu: 600W
ram: 8GB
-plan to game at 1080p
$1100$400 max budget
extra requirements: looking for something that can handle medium to high settings if possible within that price point. Needs to last me at least 2 years, minimum 2GB VRAM, must have a 256-bit bus, and an HDMI port.

Austin Williams said:Hey guys, I need some advice on picking up a GPU:
-PCI-E
-gpu(//)
-cpu- AMD FX 8350 4 GHz 8
-psu: 600 watts
ram- 8 gb
-planning to game at 1080p
$11 max budget $400 I can spend
extra requirements: ideally something with medium to high settings within my budget, needs to last at least 2+ years, minimum 2GB, must have 256-bit bus, and an HDMI port.

What kind of 600W PSU are we talking about?
In that price bracket, you don't have much to work with. It's either a GTX 750 Ti for $333 or an R7 370 which is slightly better. Anything above that, the GTX 950 is the move because it's $467

http://www.bestbuy.com/inno3d-geforce-...ddv-e5cmx.aspx
cheapest option available

I guess this power supply model is at least decent enough.

crimsonstag84 said:I'm guessing the PSU is decent enough.

Plus, this is a killer deal for the money.😉

Good evening, everyone.
I haven’t really kept up with GPU developments in quite a few years—so I could use some guidance here... The setup would be hooked up to a TV via HDMI for Full HD—that'll be my only "monitor." Beyond just streaming movies, I’m also looking to get some gaming in. What would you suggest in the $1,000 range and maybe something closer to $500? Thanks.

shadowotter54 said:Hey everyone.
I haven't really followed GPU development for years, so I could use some help here. This PC would be hooked up to a TV via HDMI for Full HD, which would be my only "monitor." Besides watching movies, I also want to play some games. What would you recommend in the $1,000 range and around $500? Thanks.

Do you already have the rest of the build? For $500 LIKE THIS, maybe. $17 is noticeably stronger than anything else in that bracket. Below that, you have the GTX 950, but it's significantly weaker. For about $1,000, the R9 270 is your best bet; HERE you can find one cheap.

It’s lower than the AMD 270 here

shadowotter54 said:Good evening, everyone.
I haven't really kept up with GPU development for several years now, so I could use some guidance. I'm building a PC to hook up to a TV via HDMI for Full HD resolution—that would be my only "monitor." Beyond watching movies, I also want to get some gaming in. What would you recommend in the $1,000 range and in the $500 range? Thanks.

What specific power supply model are you running? Also, what CPU are you using?

Adam Moore3 said:Do you have the rest of the rig already? For $500 SOMETHING LIKE THIS, $17it’s actually noticeably stronger than anything else in its class. If you drop down a notch, you’ve got the GTX 950, but that thing is clearly weaker. If you’re looking to spend around a grand, the R9 270 is your best bet, and HERE you can find it cheap.

Honestly, at the same shop for the same price, you can grab a Gigabyte R9 380 with a year more warranty than that XFX XFX click (it says it's out of stock right now, but I'd still ask because they sometimes have stuff listed as unavailable that's actually sitting in the back 😵 )

In this specific bracket, the absolute best value is definitely the R9 380.

swiftfalcon89 said:You can get the Gigabyte R9 380 at the same store for the exact same price, but with an extra year of warranty compared to the XFX. XFX click She’s technically unavailable right now, but go ahead and check with her anyway... sometimes they have stuff tucked away that isn't listed as available. 😵 )

Best Buy is definitely the way to go in that price range. R9 380

I saw it, but since it was listed as unavailable, I didn't bother... though it’s possible their website just isn't up to date.