GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

William Gray90 said:I wouldn't drop more than $1300 on a GPU right now, so Nvidia is out. I'm looking at the 4890 or the 5770 instead. Looking at some benchmarks, the 4890 seems significantly more powerful. The obvious downside is the power draw—it runs hotter and louder. Silence during idle is a big deal for me, and it doesn't look like the stock cooler on the 4890 handles that well. Are there any decent aftermarket coolers for this card that would actually be worth the investment later?

Maybe check out the XFX HD 4870 1GB. It goes for about $350.
Here's how they stack up:
5770 vs 4870

So, which one of those 12 MB versions should I grab? I’ve got about $75 to spend... there are tons of them out there, but honestly, I have zero clue which ones actually perform well.

Thanks a ton

James Walker3 said:So just tell me which one of those 12 MB cards I should grab for about $50... please. There are tons of them out there and I have zero clue which ones actually work.

thanks a lot

I thought you were planning on picking up a GeForce GTX 460 😁
but for about $167 it’s going to be tough to find anything decent. Maybe check this out:

Anthony Ramos6 said:I thought you were looking to pick up a GeForce GTX 460 😁
around $167 bucks, but it might be tough to find anything decent at that price point. Maybe check this out: http://www.newegg.com/p/product_info.php?c...oducts_id=7582

🙂
Not really 😁

That card uses slow DDR2 memory. Having 1GB doesn't really help much there; it just makes it more expensive without any real benefit since the GPU can't actually take advantage of it...
Something like this would probably be a better bet:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/details/gr...e1700mhz/29950

Though, if you're actually trying to get serious about gaming, I guess you should look for a used 9800GT/8800GTS or maybe an HD 4830/4850 😉

That EVGA GTX 480 that smartic mentioned is actually a solid choice.
If he decides to step up to a more powerful graphics card, though, he’s going to need a much beefier power supply—honestly, if he tries to run anything high-end on that Codegen unit, it'll probably just give up the ghost right when he needs it most. 😉

Can an Intel Core 2 Duo actually handle an NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250 or a NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450?

Sure thing, no problem at all. My only real hesitation is the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450—I just don't think it's worth your hard-earned cash right now. It’s still sitting at a bit of a premium price point, actually costing more than the AMD Radeon HD 5770, yet you end up dealing with higher power draw and more heat under load. Honestly, you're better off grabbing the Radeon or just hanging tight for a little while until the prices on the NVIDIA GeForce GTS cards finally drop.

Hey guys, quick question

Can an Intel Core i5-750 actually handle an EVGA GTX 480 without breaking a sweat? 😕

In my opinion, the bigger headache isn't going to be keeping the processor cool—it’s going to be finding a power supply capable of actually feeding that GPU enough juice while also managing the heat it pumps out...

Mark Brooks72 said:Guys, quick question

Can a Core i5-750 fully handle an EVGA GTX 480? 😕

Of course it can.

Hey guys, I am seriously stuck in such a massive dilemma right now and I have no clue which one of these graphics cards I should actually go for, please help me out! :S

Zotac GT220 1GB

Sapphire ATI HD 5450 1GB

Or maybe this one

MSI R4650-MD1G 1GB http://www.msi.com/index.php?func=pr...9&prod_no=1742

Neither of these cards was ever truly intended to handle modern gaming, but if you find yourself absolutely forced to choose between them, I would suggest going with the Radeon HD 4650 👍

Alex Harris32 said:Honestly, neither one of them was really built for heavy gaming, but if you're stuck picking between the two, I'd definitely go with the Radeon HD 4650 👍

So I was looking at the MSI R4650-MD1G, and that's what I had in mind! 🙂 Thanks a ton!

AMD Athlon 64 x2 dual Core 4000 2,11
1 GB RAM
GeForce 8500 GT
Any ideas for a better GPU? Budget is maybe $500$333

Could you let me know which motherboard and power supply you're running with? Also, what kind of games are we talking about—and at what resolution are you trying to play them?

So, I finally pulled the trigger on this one... and honestly, it’s actually pretty awesome! What do you guys think? xD
http://uk.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID...Sgb&templete=2

Jeremy Richardson8 said:In the end, I went ahead and grabbed this one... and honestly, it's pretty decent... what do you guys think? xD
http://uk.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID...Sgb&templete=2

Not really. It's an older model—definitely a step down from the ones you were looking at earlier.

Casey Long2 said:Not really. It’s actually pretty old and honestly kind of worse than the ones you mentioned earlier.

So, would this one be any better?
http://www.msi.com/index.php?func=pr...9&prod_no=1742

Man, I don't know, the guy at the Best Buy I was talking to totally swore up and down that this was the better deal! :S

And of course, you can't expect anything else from a retailer—they’re always going to push their own agenda. Honestly, if they hadn't moved those cards, they probably would have just sat on the shelf forever.

It’s a bit of a gamble, really—walking into a store and hoping they'll let you swap it out for a Radeon HD 4650 just because your system starts acting up with those NVIDIA drivers. It's not exactly a smooth transaction.

Casey Long2 said:Well, duh, of course the shopkeeper is gonna say that! Honestly, they probably couldn't move those cards if they tried.

I mean, imagine walking into Best Buy, dealing with all that hassle, only to have your PC act totally wonky because of some NVIDIA driver issues, just to swap it out for a Radeon HD 4650. What a headache!

Haha, okay... I totally see where you're coming from now, and thanks a ton for the heads-up! 😁 🙏