GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Look, if you want my take, picking an R9 290 from the high end is probably your smartest bet for a sweet spot. Just don't skimp on the power supply—you're gonna need something in the 600W range to handle it.

Think Corsair, maybe a Seasonic or an EVGA Gold unit, something reliable like that.😁

You all are absolutely losing it with those price points... please, get a grip and just give me one solid recommendation
for a GPU under $100 that won't leave me stranded when I try to play new releases. It doesn't
have to run everything on ultra settings, obviously,

Here is what else is sitting in my rig:

an Intel Core Duo at 3.0GHz
4 GB of RAM
and a 550W power supply

You won't find a used one like that anywhere, and honestly, the processor is probably too weak anyway...

$100 regarding the graphics card 😁

I was thinking I could offer you my GTX 660 for $10, if that sounds fair to you?

Joshua Ramos14 said:$100 for a GPU 😁

I'll trade you my GTX 660 for $10, sound fair enough?

give it to me then
lol
but I don't have $10 xD

Jesse Brown90 said:You guys aren't making sense, what kind of money are we talking about here? Get real and just give me one actual suggestion
for a card under $100 that can actually run new games. It doesn't
have to be on ultra settings, obviously,

my other parts are:

Intel Core 2 Duo 3.0GHz
4 GB RAM
EVGA 550 W1

With a GPU that cheap, $100 you might be able to play Tetris on max settings. 😁 😁

Thinking about it more carefully, I’m currently running an EVGA 550 W1. It’s been powering my old 4870 for years, even with that card's power draw. I appreciate the suggestions, but it feels like everyone jumped straight to high-end gear rather than focusing on a true "best buy" option. 🙂I play games very rarely; my current 4870 handles GTA V reasonably well on medium settings. I wouldn't even consider upgrading if the memory wasn't starting to struggle. This ASUS GTX960 OC looks like a solid choice, though I'd certainly prefer it if the price were a bit lower.

http://www.newegg.com/?item=graphics-card-example

A bit more power-efficient than the HD 4870, I guess. 😉

Edward Miller33 said:Actually, thinking about it now, I've been running an EVGA 550 W1 for years, and it handled my old 4870 just fine despite how much power that card pulls. I appreciate the suggestions, but it feels like you guys jumped straight to high-end gear rather than focusing on a true "best buy" option. 🙂I barely play games at all, and even my old 4870 manages GTA V on medium settings reasonably well; I wouldn't even think about upgrading if the memory wasn't starting to fail on me. That ASUS GTX960 OC looks like a solid choice, though I'd definitely prefer it if the price were a bit lower.

In that case, this is probably your best value, especially since $33it comes with a GTX 750 Ti

Jesse Brown90 said:You guys are crazy, what kind of money are we talking about here? Get real. Just give me one solid suggestion
for a card under $100 that can actually run new games. It doesn't
have to be maxed out settings, obviously.

My other specs:

Intel Core 2 Duo 3.0GHz
4 GB RAM
EVGA 550 W1

Man, it’s definitely time for a new PC. 😉

Timothy Kim60 said:In that case, this is probably your best bet, especially since it's paired with the $33R7 265
.

It looks like a solid choice. From what I can tell, it's 256-bit, which means it has twice the memory bandwidth and faster speeds than the old one; it should be more than enough for my needs.

To answer why I was asking about a shorter card—my old Radeon was massive and heavy, causing issues because it kept sagging in the PCIe slot. I'd rather not deal with those kinds of headaches again.🙂

Edward Miller33 said:It looks pretty solid so far. From what I can tell, it’s got a 256-bit bus and twice the memory speed of the old one, so I guess it should be more than enough.

Honestly, those aren't even the most important specs when you're judging a card's actual power. 😉

The R9 270 is three times faster.

I think I have a spare GT 440 lying around somewhere—honestly, I’d be more than happy to part with it for $100 😁
. I'll even go through the trouble of vacuuming off all the dust first 😁
!

Edward Miller33 said:Are you actually wondering why I was asking about a shorter card? Look, those Radeon cards are absolute tanks—massive and incredibly heavy. I had a nightmare trying to seat one properly because the sheer weight caused it to sag out of the PCIe slot, and frankly, I have zero desire to deal with that kind of headache ever again.🙂

You really have to make sure it’s seated perfectly. And don't you dare forget to tighten that single screw on the back of the case to secure the bracket.

A friend of mine is eyeing this for $1000

Do you think this is a solid choice, or should he be looking for a better deal elsewhere?

http://www.newegg.com/?item=graphics-card-example

Current setup:

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H
CPU: i5-4670K (with a decent cooler)
RAM: 8 GB/2400Mhz Kingston HyperX (2x4GB)
Storage: SSD (120GB) + HDD (500GB)
PSU: Cooler Master GX550W (550W) 80+ Bronze
GPU: Radeon 5770HD Vapor-X (1GB)

Yeah, I'm just worried they might have to swap out the power supply. It’s hard to believe the GX can actually pull its rated 550W given those cheap capacitors and everything... honestly, I think only the GX450W from that series is actually any good.

Joshua Ramos14 said:A buddy of mine is looking at something around $1000

Is this decent, or is there a better deal out there?

http://www.bestbuy.com/product-details-example

Current setup:

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H
CPU: i5-4670K (with a decent cooler)
RAM: 8 GB/2400Mhz Kingston HyperX (2x4GB)
Storage: SSD (120GB) + HDD (500GB)
PSU: Cooler Master GX550W (550W) 80+ Bronze
GPU: Radeon 5770HD Vapor-X (1GB)

The GPU is probably a solid value for $1000, but he’s definitely going to need a new power supply. An R9 390x pulls enough juice that it asks for 550W-600W, but honestly, he should just grab a 650W or higher to be safe.

Just grab a GTX 970 and you won't even need to upgrade your power supply.

It all boils down to whether they’re looking for a serious upgrade. If they want more power, they'll need to invest in a new PSU. If not, they should probably just take your advice and grab the GTX 970.

The GTX 970 actually performs on par with the R9 390 in quite a few titles, and honestly, NVIDIA cards just handle those art and hair effects—like you see in The Witcher or Batman—much more smoothly than anything else.