GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Any recommendations for a solid graphics card? Needs to be PCI Express x16 compatible.

Ryan Reyes54 said:Any recommendations for a PCI Express x16 graphics card model?

Well, you haven't really given us much to go on here... What does your current setup actually look like? Give me the full rundown from top to bottom—especially your CPU and the specific make and model of your power supply... Oh, and most importantly, what kind of budget are we working with for this card?

Sorry, typing this on my phone. I'm looking at a PC setup meant for running some older titles—mostly stuff from around 2010 or 2011.

ATi Radeon HD 5450 512 MB
Athlon 64x2 4200+
4 GB
550 W

Given how low-end this rig is, I’d say maybe $50 to $200 for it used on eBay.

Ryan Reyes54 said:Sorry, typing this on my phone. I'm looking at a PC meant for older games from back in 2010 or 2011.

ATi Radeon HD 5450 512 MB
Athlon 64x2 4200+
4 GB
550 W

Since it's a low-end rig, maybe $50 to $200 on a used one via eBay.

It’s honestly not worth dumping money into that machine. Your CPU is way too weak to handle any decent graphics card; you'll just run into a massive bottleneck and won't see any actual performance gains from an upgrade. Trust me, I've been there—I used to run an Athlon 4400+, and putting anything stronger than an old NVIDIA 9600 GT in it was a total waste of time. Just keep those $200 and start saving up for 🙂. By the way, what motherboard are you actually using?

Adam Moore3 said:Honestly, it’s probably not worth sinking money into that rig—your CPU is just too weak to handle any decent GPU. You'll hit a bottleneck every single time, so an upgrade won't actually get you anywhere. Believe me, I'm speaking from experience here; I used to run an Athlon 4400+, and putting anything better than an old NVIDIA 9600 GT in there was just a waste of time. Maybe just save those $200 and start putting aside some 🙂 instead. By the way, which motherboard are you running?

It's an ASUS A8N SLI premium, so I could eventually swap in an Athlon 5200+. I know the machine is ancient, but I really only play one specific game. It runs fine if I overclock the graphics card via MSI up to 800/900—though it's pretty unstable, so I end up getting a Blue Screen of Death after a bit. So, in my case, upgrading the GPU actually does make sense, especially since the 5450 wasn't exactly built for gaming in the first place.

I'm hunting for a used HD5670 or 6670 with DDR5—around $100 would be a fair price. Honestly, I'd jump at anything for $83. I realize it’ll probably act as a bottleneck, but I just don't see any better options out there right now.

What’s the cheapest graphics card available that supports audio output via HDMI? I need something budget-friendly for a media PC dedicated to watching movies.

Timothy Kim60 said:He's hunting for a used HD5670/6670 DDR5—a fair price would be around $100. Might grab one for $83 if he finds it. Honestly, I think it’ll still be a bottleneck, but I don't see any better options out there.

A 6670 DDR5 is already a massive bottleneck. If he finds a cheap one, go for it, but he won't even be using half the card's potential. OP, what's your monitor's native resolution? What are you actually playing at?

Austin Rodriguez5 said:What's the cheapest graphics card that can push audio through HDMI? I need something cheap for a budget PC just to watch movies.

Any card with an HDMI port will work.

Adam Moore3 said:You can use any one with an HDMI port.

Not all of them work perfectly. The older model I have has an HDMI port, but I’m getting absolutely no audio.

Which one are you running right now? I think you might need an SPDIF adapter for some of them.

I have a 9800 GT sitting in my rig, but honestly, it’s basically just a glorified media player at this point. It has integrated graphics, but since it only offers a VGA output, I'm looking for a budget-friendly alternative that actually has an HDMI port.

Adam Moore3 said:A 6670 is already a massive bottleneck—if they find a cheap one, sure, why not? But it won't even touch half the potential of the GPU. OP, what’s your actual screen resolution? What are you playing at?

My monitor is 1920 x1080, but I actually run the game at 1024x768. Like I said, I don't need anything fancy—just something better than an old HD 5450. I assume that shouldn't be too hard to beat nowadays, but there are probably smarter people here than me, so I figured I'd ask.

SORRY FOR THE DOUBLE POST!

What’s the verdict on the GeForce 8800 GTX? Also—is there any chance it'll actually fit in a GeForce 9500 GT slot?

A buddy of mine has some old parts lying around—what would you guys suggest I grab?

HD 6570 1 GB DDR3
GeForce 8800 GTX GPU @ 750MHz
Radeon HD 5550 SAPPHIRE 1GB DDR2

Which game are we talking about here?

The 4870 is definitely the fastest, but man, it’s a power hog. You really should tell us the brand and model of your PSU, otherwise you might end up frying everything if you plug a thirsty card like that into a weak power supply.
Ditch the 5550.
An NVIDIA GeForce might work; I guess I'd try starting with that one.

fadedorca66 said:Which game are we talking about?

The 4870 is definitely the fastest option—but man, does it pull power. You really need to tell us the specific make and model of your PSU, otherwise you might end up frying everything if you pair such a hungry card with a weak power supply.
Ditch the 5550.
An NVIDIA GeForce might work—I’d probably start with that one if I were you.

Call of Duty. The PSU is a 500 W Dell Latitude. Thanks a ton for the advice—do you think the 4870 can handle this setup?

That power supply seems a bit risky; it doesn't even put out 200W on the 12V rail.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/graphics-card-listing-123

Or maybe this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/graphics-card-listing-456

Thanks for the tip, crimsonstag84. @ElonMusk, you agree with him, or do you think it’s worth giving the 4870 a shot?

fadedorca66 said:So how did you break it? What were you doing with it?

When I picked up the rig, it was already used. It wouldn't boot right away—just kept throwing errors saying the NVIDIA GeForce wasn't detected. Turns out one of the four pins on the power connector was snapped off. I could get it to work if I fiddled with the connection just right. It worked fine until recently, but then it finally gave up on me when I was in a rush. After about 20 failed attempts, I lost my cool and used way too much force.🙂

Ryan Reyes54 said:Thanks for the advice, crimsonstag84. @fadedorca66, do you agree with him or do you think it's worth trying the 4870?

crimsonstag84 found some excellent GPUs—but personally, I wouldn't dream of pairing them with that junk power supply... and I definitely wouldn't touch the 4870. You mentioned you have $500$200 to work with—you could easily find a decent power supply for the rest, though obviously used

Just being realistic (if you actually care about multiplayer gaming)—that CPU is also a bit of a weak link

Power Supplies:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/dell-latitude-parts-listing-13298146
http://www.ebay.com/itm/power-supply-listing-12490802
http://www.ebay.com/itm/power-supply-listing-12403800
http://www.ebay.com/itm/fortress-case-listing-13239164
http://www.ebay.com/itm/power-supply-listing-11712920
http://www.ebay.com/itm/fsp-brand-listing-12882474
http://www.ebay.com/itm/fortress-case-listing-12081211
http://www.ebay.com/itm/fortress-case-listing-12933075
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ocz-500w-listing-11769323
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ocz500sxs-listing-13371701

Those Chieftec 400-550W units priced between $100-$$67 are absolute garbage, but I like the first three best (especially the first one)