GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

It’s me again. I wasn't quite sure where else to turn for advice, so I figured I'd continue this thread here 🙂. I finally pulled the trigger on a GTX ti, but then my power supply gave out. I went ahead and picked up a new one, though honestly, there was a strange smell coming from the board itself, which makes me wonder if the motherboard died too. Right now, it seems like the card isn't being recognized—I've tried several different GPUs and none of them work—and the system won't even give me that familiar beep when I pull the RAM out. It looks like I need a new motherboard, so I'm looking for recommendations. Specifically, I want to know which board I should get so that I can reuse my current components for now, but still have a clear path to upgrade my CPU and RAM down the road
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Here is my current setup
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1) 650 W Antec Power Supply (the seller recommended this, but please let me know if I should swap it for something more reliable 🙂)
2) Intel Core i5 3350P CPU @ 3.1 GHz
3) ASRock P67 Pro3 SE Motherboard (looks like it's dead)
4) 8 GB DDR3 RAM
5) 500 GB Samsung 860 EVO SSD
6) Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Ti

Thanks in advance for the help
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@ruggedcanyon43/">@@ruggedcanyon43

Look, you're gonna need an 1155 socket motherboard, and those are basically extinct unless you hunt through eBay or Craigslist...

So, if it's because of the processor, then it probably isn't worth the investment. But what if you were looking at picking up a whole new motherboard, CPU, and RAM kit all at once?

It’s not like it’s a total waste, really, depends on where you're looking. You could probably score some old cards on Craigslist. Then again, you might just want to swap out the whole platform if you don't mind dropping about $1.00... especially if you sell off your current setup (cpu+ram)

EDIT: Check this out—someone in Washington, D.C. is asking 600 for an AsRock Z68 Extreme4, though he mentioned he's open to offers

Gigabyte B360M h motherboard, LGA 1151 8th Gen
Intel Core i3-8100 processor (6MB Cache, 3.60GHz), LGA 1151, BX80684I38100
8GB DDR4 (1x8GB) PC4-24000U 3000MHz CL16 G.Skill Aegis, F4-3000C16S-8GISB

Total: $679 - ADM

This was pretty much my floor for a budget build... though I guess it's still just a quad-core. It might have been better to stretch the budget for an I5 8400(+$167).

It's wild seeing people hunting for 700-$267 for some basic, five-year-old Z77 board 🤦

To be honest, I’m a bit out of the loop when it comes to the latest CPUs and motherboards. I think the last time I really dug into the specs was maybe five years ago. Back then, everything I had paired up with my graphics card worked perfectly fine for me. Looking at these prices, though, $200 feels like a massive jump. Considering what I paid for my current setup just 🙂 years ago,
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In my opinion, the smartest move would probably be to just swap out the motherboard and keep the rest of my hardware as is. I could always go the route of buying an entirely new rig, but since my current build still handles everything I need it to without any issues, I don't really see the necessity right now.

So, just to clarify—are you saying that stores aren't even stocking motherboards compatible with my specific processor anymore?

ruggedcanyon43 said:I'm not really up to speed on CPUs and motherboards. Last time I checked was probably five years ago. Everything I had running with my newer GPU worked just fine. It’s just that this $200 seems like a lot, considering what I paid for my current setup back then 🙂.

It would be easiest to just swap out the motherboard and leave everything else alone. I could go out and buy an entirely new rig, but since my current gear handles my needs perfectly well, I don't see much point in upgrading right now.

So you're saying they don't even stock those boards in stores anymore for my processor?

No, those motherboards aren't around anymore... hasn't been for a few years. There have been five generations of processors since yours 😁

Heh, interesting... it feels like it was just yesterday 🙂. What kind of "changes" can you even see when the old setup is working perfectly fine? Besides, I saw someone mention an i3 processor and assumed it was ancient tech.

And why on earth is that old motherboard listed for such a high price on eBay? Is it being treated like some kind of antique or something? 😁

I’ve been doing a bit of digging online... and from what I can tell, that processor actually still holds its own, doesn't it? It's listed for the exact same price on eBay $233. So, my thinking is that it's probably best to just grab a used motherboard for now until I'm ready to upgrade to something better. I would love to find something a bit more budget-friendly, though—is it even possible to find a decent deal on used parts, or am I dreaming?

Think of an i3 as a lower tier—kind of like how a Jetta sits below a Golf in the Volkswagen lineup. It isn’t really about how old the tech is. The reality is that things have shifted over the last few years; a modern i3 actually outperforms your older i5, even if it’s just by a slim margin. Nowadays, i3 chips are quad-core, similar to what you're running, while the newer i5 models have jumped up to six cores.

As for that motherboard, they're asking premium prices because supply is tight and demand is high from people in your exact situation. It's just basic supply and demand.

Actually, looking at everything, I think my best move is to follow the advice from crimsonstag84 and just sell off the RAM and the processor.

On another note, I had a quick question about my setup. Is it possible to run a dual-monitor configuration using this Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Ti, or would I need to pick up some kind of converter? I really need the extra screen real estate for work. I recently picked up one of those budget graphics cards, but it only has a single output available.

You should definitely go with the I5 8400 then...

What do you mean by "only one output"? Which specific graphics card are you running? You might only see one HDMI or DP port, but there’s no way you don't have more outputs available; it's just a matter of which combination they're using.

Regarding what > suggested earlier—it looks like a solid choice. My only concern is how to set up a dual-monitor configuration. Looking at the specs, I only see one output mentioned. Would I need to pick up an additional graphics card just to get that second screen running?

So, how's your single-monitor setup looking right now—which cable are you actually using? Is it HDMI, DVI, or maybe a Displayport? Because if you're running it through DVI, you'll definitely need a second monitor that has an HDMI or Displayport input to make things work. Also, regarding that processor... honestly, you'd be much better off just jumping to a newer I5 8400.

Yeah, I think I'm going to go ahead and grab that i5.

It’s currently connected via DVI. My monitors only have VGA and serial ports available. Does anyone know if there's a specific converter that would work for this?

One last thing—what do you guys think is a fair price to list my old processor and RAM on eBay?

These cards usually come with 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, and 2-3x Displayport

You can grab a cheap passive HDMI to DVI or Displayport to DVI adapter since both HDMI and Displayport carry the DVI signal anyway.

Like this one.

Or just get those adapters that plug directly into the DVI port on the back of the monitor, then you can just use a standard Displayport or HDMI cable.

Finally, after what feels like an eternity, we’re seeing the Polaris 11 graphics card at a relatively reasonable price point

click - if you use the ePay promo code for a 10% discount, you can actually bring the cost down to about $600

Are these actually normal prices? CLICK

I honestly don't get why anyone would drop $1800 on an RX 570, no matter how cheap it looks compared to those insane prices we were seeing a few months ago.

Adam Moore3 said:Umm, "normal" prices? CLICK

I don't get why anyone would drop $180 on a Radeon RX 570, regardless of how cheap it looks compared to those insane prices from a few months back.

Because a Radeon RX 570 with a 3-year warranty is a better buy than the cheapest GeForce GTX 1060 3GB ITX with a 2-year warranty (the one you linked).

There isn't a third option in this price range.

Given that this was once the most sought-after GPU for mining, grabbing it for $350 is actually a solid win. To be fair, it’s not a massive steal when you compare it to the GeForce GTX 1060, but this model is a much better beast than that tiny single-fan version. All in all, things are looking up; if we just hang tight for a bit longer, we might even see a new generation drop right in time.

Hey everyone.

I need some advice on picking up a new GPU. My old card (an R7-265, 2GB) finally kicked the bucket yesterday. Now I’m torn between buying something brand new or hunting for a used one. As far as gaming goes, I play nothing but World of Tanks, and honestly, my old setup handled it just fine.
The rest of my rig is a clocked Pentium G3258, an Asrock B85, 8 GB of RAM, and a Corsair CX-430m.
I'm leaning heavily toward going the used route, but I have no idea what I should actually be looking for or how much I should be spending.