GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

The graphics performance is decent for this resolution, though I guess it’s a bit weaker than what you'd get with the integrated chips in Dallas/Fort Worth.

Still, maybe we can track down something better. What kind of budget are we looking at? 😛¸

EDIT: I did some digging, and there isn't much out there that's significantly better—just a few configurations floating around, but this might be the best bet...

His budget is $233. Here’s the link to what he’s looking at $300, though the seller actually dropped the price for him—I was just browsing Craigslist and seeing people asking $700-$$267 for a Pentium 4 with 1GB of RAM and an AGP card; give me a break.

Here is the link

If you can find a computer based in Washington, D.C., where the price stays between $700 and $267, let me know. Honestly, I think this is still the best deal out there because I've been scanning other listings, and people are literally asking for the same amount of money for much weaker components.

Larry Ortiz5 said:And his budget is basically $233. Here’s the link to what he’s actually eyeing, which is a $300 deal since the seller actually dropped the price for him. Honestly, I was browsing Craigslist earlier and seeing people asking $700-$267 for an old Pentium 4 with 1GB of RAM and an AGP card—give me a break.

Here’s the link

If you can find a rig based in Washington, D.C., where prices fluctuate between $700 and $267, let me know. But seriously, this is probably the best deal out there right now because I’ve been scanning other listings and people are asking for the exact same money for much weaker hardware.

Man, Craigslist is just pure madness when it comes to pricing. If I were you, I'd spend some time looking through the classifieds on various forums and tech sites, like this one, CNET, PCMag, and so on.

Honestly, there isn't really anything out there—at least nothing in that specific price range, unfortunately.

Honestly, looking at the 8670D versus the HD4600... I remember reading a few months back about how much people were praising the 4600, claiming it was a massive leap over previous Intel integrated graphics. But after seeing those benchmarks yesterday? Man. I had no idea it lagged that far behind the AMD integrated option.
It’s such a shame they didn't just bake the GPU into the Core i7-2600K; that would have been a total home run... assuming they kept the price point right around the same level.

I have a question regarding the Socket AM4.
It looks like they don't support PCIe 3.0... if I'm reading this right.
Does that mean an HD 7770 won't work on this board, or even something like a GTX 650?

Raymond Anderson4 said:I have a question regarding the Socket AM4.
If I'm reading this right, it doesn't support PCIe 3.0...
Does that mean an HD7770 won't work on this board, or any GTX 650 for that matter?

It will work. The specific PCIe version doesn't matter because everything is backward compatible.

Does integrated graphics still rely heavily on whatever RAM we plug into the motherboard?
In other words, will faster DDR3 clock speeds actually result in better GPU performance?

Raymond Anderson4 said:Do integrated graphics still depend on whatever RAM we plug into the motherboard?
In other words, will faster DDR3 clock speeds actually result in better GPU performance?

They certainly do. Generally speaking, the faster the better.

Hey, I'm thinking about slapping a new GPU in my rig 😁 and was wondering what the absolute beastliest card is that my Ryzen 3 3200G can actually handle without choking... Any ideas?

northernbison64 said:I'm looking into upgrading my rig with a new GPU 😁 and I was wondering what the absolute strongest card is that my Ryzen 3 3200G can handle without breaking a sweat. Thanks

If you want my honest opinion,
HD 7850
- Sapphire makes an incredible cooling solution for it, you usually get a game bundled with it, and the price is pretty solid at our local retailers.

(You could also grab the 2GB version if you prefer— click

Just let me know what kind of power supply you're running so we don't end up with some cheap junk—you might need to pull up the website and type out the model name from the label if you aren't sure which one you have.

So, someone gave me a total junk power supply, but I was thinking about starting a new thread to get some solid recommendations for a PSU that won't choke on my build 🙂 Also, for newer titles, do I actually need those 2 GBs, or can I still game decently on 1 GB?? Thanks.

northernbison64 said:Basically, someone is using a junk power supply right now, so I was thinking about starting a different thread to ask for recommendations on a PSU that can handle my rig without any issues🙂 regarding newer games—is having 2 GB of VRAM actually necessary, or can you still game normally on 1 GB?? Thanks.

Be specific—it might work, but who knows.
If you pick up a Corsair CX430, lc460gp3, or an AMD Radeon RX 450, those are solid choices (even though some weaker units would probably pull it off), but at a minimum, look at this:

Regarding the graphics card, there isn't a massive functional difference; they're essentially the same card in terms of raw power. Having more video memory is mostly helpful for higher resolutions (say, 1920x1200 or higher) and using various in-game filters. It’s a nice thing to have for future-proofing, but it's certainly not a dealbreaker.

Right now I'm running an MS Platinum 400W... thinking about switching over to either a Corsair CX500 or that Spire Black Eagle 550W ( Probably gonna grab a 7850 2GB for the GPU, was looking at one from VTX—anyone know if their cooling actually holds up? 🙂

The VTX is definitely lower quality than the one mentioned above. If I were you, I’d go with a Sapphire card, even if it’s just the 1GB version. You could grab a CX500, but stay far away from Black Eagle—that power supply is absolute garbage. For that kind of money, a CX430 is exponentially better performance-wise.

Hey guys, quick question for you all... can I actually run this card on my desktop setup?

Nvidia GeForce GT 640
GPU brand: Nvidia GeForce GPU
GPU model: GT640
Buffer: PCIe 3.0
Memory [MB]: 2048
Memory type: DDR3
Memory interface: 128-bit
GPU clock [MHz]: 901
Memory clock [MHz]: 1782
Stream processors: 0

I’m asking because my rig is running on DDR3 RAM and the graphics slot is a PCIe x16. Is there any chance this thing will even fit in the slot, or am I just wasting my time here?

You can certainly do that if you have an available PCIe x16 slot. Just don't go thinking this is some high-end powerhouse; people tend to get hung up on the 2GB figure, but in reality, it’s nothing special.

Look, I'm not even questioning if it's any good—I know the memory clock is pretty mediocre. What I actually care about is whether this thing will actually work in my PCIe x16 slot if the specs say it's PCIe 3.0???????????????????

Also, I’m sitting here scratching my head wondering if this is even possible. Can someone please HELP PEOPLEEEEEE

Sure thing. All PCIe slots are backward and forward compatible, whether you're running 1.0, 2.0, or 3.0.

But then what’s the actual difference—is it just bandwidth? If I plug a PCIe 3.0 card into a 2.0 slot, does that mean I won't be getting 100% of its potential performance?