GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Actually, you can pick up a much more powerful R9 280 x for nearly the exact same price.

Hello everyone. A kid living in my building just picked up a PC without a dedicated graphics card because the seller decided to hold onto it, so he asked me for some advice on what to buy. Since you guys helped me put together my own rig here last week, I figured I’d reach out to this group for suggestions. 🙂

The motherboard is an ASUS M5A97 Le R2, which uses the AM3+ socket, AMD 970/SB950 chipset, and DDR3 memory.
The computer will definitely be used for gaming. He’s constantly over at my place playing GTA 5, Assassin's Creed 4, NFS, Diablo 3, and Skyrim on his Xbox, so I assume he'll want to play those same titles—and probably whatever comes out next—on his own setup. I'm not entirely sure which processor he has, but the machine he bought off Craigslist is roughly two years old.
So, if anyone knows of a decent GPU for about $533 that could handle these games and maybe even some slightly newer releases, that would be great. Thanks.

mistypilot9 said:Hey, kid in my building bought a PC without a GPU because the seller kept it, so he asked for help picking one out. Since you guys helped me spec mine last week, I figured I'd ask here. 🙂

He's got an ASUS M5A97 Le R2 motherboard, AM3+, AMD 970/SB950, DDR3
It'll definitely work for gaming. He’s always over at my place playing GTA V, Assassin's Creed IV, NFS, Diablo III, and Skyrim on his Xbox, so I assume he wants to run those and maybe some newer stuff on his own rig. I don't know his CPU, but the machine he grabbed off Craigslist is about 2 years old.
If there's a card for $533 that can handle those and maybe some newer titles, that would be great... thanks.

Nothing is a guarantee here. Find out what CPU and power supply he's actually running first, otherwise you're just guessing.

mistypilot9 said:Hey guys, some kid in my building bought a PC without a GPU because the seller decided to keep it, so he asked me for help picking one out. Since you all helped me put together my build last week, I figured I’d ask here. 🙂

He's got an ASUS M5A97 Le R2 motherboard, AM3+, AMD 970/SB950, DDR3
It should definitely work for gaming. He’s always over at my place playing GTA V, Assassin's Creed IV, NFS, Diablo III, and Skyrim on his Xbox, so I assume he'll want to run those same games—and maybe newer stuff—on his own rig. I'm not sure which CPU he has, but the whole setup he grabbed off Craigslist is about 2 years old.
If there's a decent card for $533 that can handle these titles and maybe a few newer ones, that would be great... thanks.

You really need to find out what processor he's running, because that changes everything when choosing a card. For that kind of money, he might find an R9 280, but if his CPU is a total dud, it's just going to be a massive bottleneck.

The CPU is an AMD FX-Series x4 4300 3.8 and I suppose the power supply is a 500W unit, though I am honestly unsure of the specific brand.

mistypilot9 said:the CPU is an AMD FX-Series x4 4300 3.8 and I'm not sure about the PSU brand, but it's 500W

The processor is fine, but you can't recommend anything without knowing the exact model of that power supply. If someone is running some cheap, off-brand unit and they buy an R9 280 based on our advice, then plug it in only to have their PC light up like a Christmas tree, that's going to be a massive problem. Pop the side panel off and check the specific model.

The power supply unit is a Power LC6550 550W...
It honestly doesn't matter if the graphics card is used or brand new!
But if I were to go the used route, how much of a risk am I really taking buying from someone on Craigslist? Or would it be wiser to just stick with something new?
I really don't want to screw this kid over and then have his parents breathing down my neck about it..

I spotted a Sapphire R9 280 over at Micro Center for just under $533, but honestly, the GTX 960 is the better move since it’s the cheapest option with similar performance but much lower power consumption.

Check this out: if you look below, you'll see user reviews for that power supply—it looks like a lot of people have had them die on them.

He's really stuck on this one, so I'm honestly not sure how to advise him..

http://www.newegg.com/p/product_info.php?products_id=13945

mistypilot9 said:He's really hung up on this one, so I'm honestly not sure what to tell him...

http://www.newegg.com/p/product_id=13945

Just give him two or three more options and let him know it's a bad deal. 😛 It makes zero sense to drop $1600 on a 270X when you can get a $33 GTX 960 or an R9 280 for basically the same price, both of which outperform the 270X in almost every way.

There are also more budget-friendly 270s available.

He can talk all he wants, but it won't matter when he's running a junk power supply 🍿

Robert Rodriguez2 said:as if he could pull that off with such a garbage power supply 🍿

Let's not go overboard here; the PSU isn't actually that bad. It has an 80+ certification, active PFC, basically every protection feature you'd want, and decent amperage on the 12V rail. It's definitely enough to handle a 270X and an AMD FX-4300, or even an AMD Radeon RX 580 if they decide to go that route.

Adam Moore3 said:I suppose we shouldn't be so dramatic; the power supply isn't actually that bad. It features an 80+ certification, active PFC, almost every protection circuit you'd expect, and the 12V amperage is quite decent. I'd say it is certainly sufficient to handle a 270X and an AMD FX-4300, or even an AMD Radeon RX 580 if that's what ends up being chosen.

Could you provide me with the exact link for the AMD Radeon RX 580 you are referring to? When I search for it, multiple different models pop up, and I just want to make sure we are all on the same page.

Robert Rodriguez2 said:not really, considering he's running such a garbage power supply🍿

Right now, he just wants a graphics card, but I suppose if it becomes necessary, the kid will just end up buying a new power supply later on..

mistypilot9 said:He’s looking for a GPU right now—but I guess if it turns out he needs a new power supply, the kid will just pick one up later..

Everyone keeps pushing for a new PSU just because—if he puts in a beefier card and the current unit fails under load—it could potentially fry the motherboard too. That might end up costing way more than just buying a new power supply in the first place.

What is everyone actually talking about regarding the power supply? 😬

It's the ultra quiet cooling series, which I guess is a step below the GeForce GTX series in terms of build quality, but it handles an AMD FX-4300 and an AMD Radeon RX 580 just fine without any issues.

Just picked up an Nvidia GTX 650 with three outputs

My plan was simple: hook up my monitor and my TV so I can watch movies straight from the PC. The monitor is connected via VGA and works perfectly fine. But the TV? Total nightmare. My TV only has standard HDMI, while this card uses mini-HDMI. I ordered an adapter off eBay, but now that it’s finally here, nothing is working. The TV detects a connection, but there's no signal—and it's like the graphics card doesn't even realize anything is plugged in...

Tried swapping out the HDMI cable too. Still nothing...

Anyone got any ideas?

The PSU isn't total garbage—on paper, it looks pretty decent—but looking at that link, it seems like more than half the people who actually bought it ended up with dead components (one guy even fried his motherboard). It’s a shame they didn't just release a GeForce GTX series card from LC Power instead. Honestly, I wouldn't tempt fate; you're better off grabbing a GPU that draws less power since the performance and price points are basically identical (the Nvidia GTX 960 saves you about 40-50w). Or, if that's still too much for him because he's over $533, an R9 270 for 1300-1400

EDIT

crimsonstag84, what are you talking about? That model is clearly a tier below the GP3 series, which explains why the price is so low—it's 550w cheaper than the 460w GP3, and the user reviews back that up

crimsonstag84 said:...just a notch below the GeForce GTX series in terms of build quality...

That’s pretty much what I was getting at 😁 a step/class