GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Alexander Moore67 said:I've repaired enough laptops and PCs to know that there are still tons of old CRT monitors out there—19-inch ones with 1360 x 768 resolution where a GTX 1050 Ti actually performs quite well for gaming... Not everyone has cash to burn on the latest gear...

I'm with you 100% on that..👍
But my point was that we’re all sitting here waiting for the next generation of GPUs, yet you guys are trying to pitch us a card from three generations ago?!?!!? As if it’s something "new"?!
😠😠 😠 😠
Just imagine if there were a shortage of RAM and they suddenly started pulling old DDR2 sticks out of storage to sell them off.
Calling that "new" 🙂 🙂

That's what I meant..

Listen, folks, the current state of the GPU market is an absolute train wreck; there’s practically nothing left to grab...
I’m seriously weighing whether I should offload my GTX 1050 Ti while it still commands a decent chunk of change, just so I can pool that cash and aim for something actually competent down the road. Does anyone honestly think making this move is worth the hassle?

Jack Hernandez48 said:Hey everyone, things are looking pretty rough with GPU availability right now...
I've been thinking about selling my GTX 1050 Ti while I can still get a decent amount for it, maybe save that cash to pick up something better down the road? Does it actually make sense to pull the trigger on that right now?

I think you might be misreading the situation a bit, because the 1050 Ti isn't really part of this price surge. There should be plenty of them available since they aren't particularly useful for crypto mining anyway.

What do you mean it’s not included? You can see it right there. Back in the day, you could grab an RX 580 or even a GTX 1650 for that kind of money...

Just put it in the listing and see who bites...

Bryan Taylor6 said:https://www.bestbuy.com/site/graphics-cards

What do you mean it’s not included in the price? You can clearly see it right there; back in the day, you could have picked up an RX 580 or even a GTX 1650 for that kind of money.

Just list it in the ad and see who bites...

Exactly, that was my line of thinking as well, considering I paid significantly more than $333 for this exact card about two years ago. My only hesitation is whether I'll be stuck waiting indefinitely for prices to stabilize enough to actually justify upgrading to something more powerful.

I mean, if there were actual money on the line here... if things weren't such a crazy mess right now... how much could I even get for this? Like, for around $120, could I actually score a better card?

Quick side note here. I’m actually planning to build a rig with a four-monitor setup, and I’ve noticed that newer generation cards seem to have fewer outputs than the older ones. For instance, the GTX 16XX series usually tops out at three outputs—one DisplayPort, one HDMI, and one DVI—whereas the 10XX series typically offered five, like two DisplayPorts, two HDMI ports, and a DVI. I get that DisplayPort can daisy-chain multiple monitors, but plenty of older screens still rely on standard HDMI or DVI connections.

What's the reasoning behind cutting down the number of outputs, and do you think it’s actually a step backward compared to the previous generation?

fadedlynx10 said:Quick side note. I'm planning a quad-monitor setup and noticed newer GPUs seem to have fewer outputs than older ones. For example, the GTX 16XX series mostly sticks to 3 outputs—DP, HDMI, and DVI—whereas the 10XX series usually gave you 5—two DP, two HDMI, and one DVI. I get that DP supports daisy-chaining, but there are still plenty of older monitors floating around that rely on HDMI or DVI.

Why the reduction in ports? Is this actually a step backward compared to previous generations?

Depends on the specific card. Looking at ASUS and MSI graphics cards, like the 1060, 1660, or 2060, they all typically offer 4 outputs; they just dropped the DVI on the newer stuff. Most standard setups these days are 3xDP and 1xHDMI. High-end models usually run 3xDP and 2xHDMI.

https://www.gigabyte.com/de/Graphics...ev-10-11/sp#sp
https://www.gigabyte.com/Graphics-Ca...60OC-6GD/sp#sp
https://www.gigabyte.com/Graphics-Ca...D-rev-10/sp#sp

So, the ports didn't just vanish; some cards just have fewer. Most people don't need more than three screens anyway, and if you're stuck with an old DVI monitor, you can just grab a DP or HDMI adapter for maybe $10.$6.75
Removing DVI lets them line up all the ports on one side for better airflow, and probably saves the manufacturer a few cents per unit.

Finding 4 ports isn't hard. Anyone actually needing 5 screens will either pay for a premium card or just use DP daisy-chaining.

P.S. Not sure about specific models, but even back then, low-end cards (like an RX 460) often only had 3 ports—usually DP, HDMI, and DVI.

Look, I haven't done a deep dive into every single SKU—that's a rabbit hole depending on the specific card—but after comparing a few models within the same series, I'm starting to see a pattern here.

ASUS and MSI graphics cards
ASUS and MSI graphics cards
ASUS and MSI graphics cards

ASUS and MSI graphics cards
ASUS and MSI graphics cards

PALIT GTX 1660 SUPER
PALIT GTX 1660 SUPER StormX

Dropping from five outputs down to four? Fine. But cutting from five down to three feels like a blatant cash grab.

They probably figured they could save a few cents per unit since that tiny
It’s a much bigger headache than the laptop situation, where manufacturers almost never support multiple external displays, basically dodging the issue entirely. They could easily just throw in a second USB-C port for video, but they don't. Most laptops give you video output through either HDMI/mini DP or USB-C—but somehow, miraculously, they rarely give you both so you can actually run two monitors.

Is it actually worth picking up a used RTX 3050?

If it’s sitting between $700 and $267 max, I'm in.

It’s gotta be around here somewhere—I guess.

It depends on which specific model you're looking at, but prices for an RTX 3050 are starting at $667 now. Plus, there's a good chance that used one still carries a warranty.

Aaron Evans2 said:Well, it’s gotta be close by somewhere.

That's a decent deal. If you can hunt down an RTX 3050 version instead, go for it—the standard RTX 3050 is barely an upgrade over the old low-end cards.

Adam Moore3 said:It’s a decent deal. If you can find the 1650 Super version, go for it—the standard 1650 barely offers any real upgrade over a 1050 Ti.

That's just not true. It’s definitely more than a tiny bump; in almost every title at 1080p, it’s actually about 30 percent faster!

RTX 3050
PNY

Alexander Moore67 said:It’s barely an upgrade; it struggles at 1080p in almost every title. It’s only about 30 percent faster!

Maybe closer to 15-25%.


Either way, it’s a pretty mediocre card. They shouldn't have even bothered calling it a "Super" version; the standard RTX 3050 should have just been what the old RTX 3050 was meant to be.
But given how things look right now, a basic RTX 3050 for $267 doesn't seem that much of a bad deal.

Since my local shops are pretty much a desert when it comes to hardware, and I’ll be heading into Washington, D.C. next week, does anyone happen to have one of these up for grabs:
RTX 30-series
RTX 30-series
RTX 30-series (standard or super)
RTX 3050 (super only)

Does anyone happen to know where I might source an RTX 3060 Ti at a reasonable price point, inclusive of shipping costs?