GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

If this graphics card holds its own, I’d probably stick with it through my next upgrade, which will likely be a CPU swap... I noticed you mentioned one in the link, $50 it's a bit cheaper, but the price difference isn't enough to make me pass on this one if it actually has some longevity. Thanks for the quick replies, I'm planning to pick it up on my way home today 😁

I didn't unlock anything because I don't really know my way around that stuff, so if it's a simple enough procedure I can handle it myself, but if not, would a local repair shop be able to take care of it, and is it even worth the trouble?

fadedorca66 said:If you aren't planning on moving that card over to a new build, there's really no point in dropping cash on it. I'd honestly just hunt down a decent used one for $133 that doesn't need an extra power connector, and an AMD Radeon HD 7750 would be a killer choice

So basically, even if my graphics are integrated right now, it doesn't matter, I just grab a dedicated GPU and plug it straight into the motherboard?

Timothy Kim60 said:Does the GPU have to be low profile?

I'm pretty sure yeah, so I should probably crack the case open and check how much room I actually have inside?

Picked up a new card, but I'm already running into walls. There isn't a single VGA port to be found, just HDMI and two DVI slots. My monitor only accepts VGA, so I figured I’d just try hooking it up to my TV with an HDMI cable instead. That’s where things fell apart—no signal at all. The fan on the graphics card is spinning away just fine, but the TV remains completely blank...

Pick up a VGA-to-DVI converter for the monitor.

As for the TV, I'm not so sure. Are you certain your Windows settings are actually configured to detect a second display and output the signal to it?

Yeah, that converter is pretty much my only option... my TV is just way too massive for me to actually get anything done on it; everything feels awkward and out of proportion.

I tried plugging and unplugging everything, and now it’s working—turns out something just wasn't seated quite right after I cleared things out a bit. We'll see how this card holds up over time, but thanks to everyone for the advice.🙂

edit: It really bugs me that there isn't a proper slot available, especially since there's still some empty space left, even though the spec sheet explicitly mentions a VGA port exists🙄 now I have to go hunting all over town because it seems like you can't find one in any of the major Best Buy locations.🙄

Why don't they include DVI ports on graphics cards anymore?

They're being stingy with them.

Timothy Kim60 said:Since when did they stop including those adapters with graphics cards?

They’re being incredibly stingy...

Nothing came in the box at all. 😠 I suppose I'll just head down to a local Best Buy tomorrow and pick up a female-to-male DVI adapter myself.

By the way, I think I finally unlocked the 4th core... found a guide online, enabled it in the BIOS, and now the OS reports four cores, though I have no idea when I'll actually notice the difference...🤷 😁

Timothy Kim60 said:Why don't they include those anymore with graphics cards (vga-dvi)?

They're being stingy.

Not anymore. Maybe on some lower-end models. I got one with my old card, but not with this new one.

Robin Fox2 said:By the way, I think I finally unlocked that fourth core. I stumbled upon a guide online, enabled the setting in the BIOS, and now Windows is actually showing all four cores active. Honestly, though, I have no clue how I'm going to notice any real-world difference in performance. 🤷 😁

If you check CPU-Z, that processor should show up as an unlocked Ryzen 5 5500 rather than an AMD Athlon X3. It’s basically a total lottery; depending on which specific chip you pull from the box, you might get a rock-solid quad-core that was just factory-rated lower, or you might end up with one that had a defective fourth core. If you start seeing system crashes, Blue Screens of Death, or other weird instabilities, you'll know exactly what the culprit is. In that case, just head into your BIOS and reset everything back to factory defaults.

You're going to notice a massive performance boost in any game that actually puts a demand on the CPU compared to that old AMD Athlon X3. It’s like switching from a four-cylinder sedan to a V8; once you get into titles that need those extra cores, the difference is night and day.

How does an AMD Radeon HD 6850 with 1GB of DDR5 stack up against something like an R7 260? I see it's got a 256-bit bus... what's a realistic price for this thing?

Two generations older and a bit weaker:

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1077?vs=1044
(Maybe drop a few FPS from the 260X results since the X version is slightly faster than the standard 260).

The actual price is probably around $133

R7 260X beats the R7 260, which outperforms the GTX 650Ti, while both outshine the HD7770/250X and the HD6850 alike.

What do you all think makes for a solid, future-proof GPU?
My goal is to find something that can reliably push most games at a stable 40 FPS at 1080p on high settings for the next few years. My theory is that we won't see massive leaps in graphical fidelity during this current generation, so an AMD Radeon R9 280X might actually be more than enough to get the job done.
What are your thoughts?

You might want to grab this while it’s still available at this price:

Though, I guess your theory is a bit questionable. 😬

We aren't really sure if the R9 3xx series is moving to a 20nm process yet, or even when that's actually happening.

GPUs are probably the one component you'll find yourself swapping out most often. In my opinion, if you have a 36-month warranty, the sweet spot is selling yours after about 18 to 24 months and putting some extra cash toward a newer model... On the other hand, you can pretty much leave the CPU alone for 3 to 5 years, much like I did back in the day with the i5 Sandy Bridge era. That said, since modern CPU advancements are increasingly seen in integrated graphics, today's i5 and i7 chips will definitely stay relevant for at least 3 years, and quite possibly even 5.

Paul Miller64 said:What do you guys think makes for a good future-proof GPU?
My goal is to keep everything running at a steady 40 FPS at 1080p on high settings for the next few years. My theory is that graphics won't actually see massive leaps this generation, so an AMD Radeon R9 280X should be plenty.
Thoughts?

Hitting a locked 40 FPS for the next couple of years isn't actually a small ask, even for today's high-end cards. But if you go with one of these two, you should be pretty much set for the next 2 years playing on max settings at 1080p.
R9 290
GTX 970

Paul Miller64 said:What do you think would be a solid future-proof GPU?
My goal is to maintain a steady 40 FPS at 1080p on high settings for all upcoming titles over the next few years. My theory is that graphical leaps won't be massive this generation, so an AMD Radeon R9 280X might actually be plenty.
Thoughts?

And what about the CPU and power supply?

I probably won't be pulling the trigger on a new GPU until mid-year,
so for now, I'm just doing some reconnaissance.

My CPU is an i5 4460
and I'm running a 600W Fortron PSU.

Paul Miller64 said:I probably won't pull the trigger on a GPU until mid-year,
just doing some digging right now.

CPU is an i5 4460
PSU is a 600w Fortron

That's solid. You can pretty much throw whatever GPU you want in there!

If only things worked out that way.