Is there anything better in this price range, say up to $317?
How’s the XFX model hold up?
Got a dilemma here; is it actually worth dropping $33 more just to get 4GB of VRAM? Normally I wouldn't overthink it, but I'm stuck on a few things: 1) That would bump the card price to $333, which is only $100 less than a 1050Ti 2) I'm looking at a card without a power connector. Since the RX 460 is already power-throttled anyway, those extra 2GB of memory are definitely going to pull more juice—especially if I manage to unlock the card to full P11. 3) Is it even realistic to expect an RX 460 to run games that demand significantly more than 2GB? I know you can technically launch some titles with a card this weak even if 2GB is nowhere near enough, but can it actually push modern games at medium settings at 50-60FPS?
One last thing—anyone have experience undervolting Polaris? Results online are all over the place. Some people say 1v works fine, others say no. I'm wondering if an unlocked RX 460 would still run okay without a power connector if I undervolt it.
Anyway, if anyone has a moment to weigh in, let me know. ☕🙂🙂
First thing you gotta do is check what the manufacturer actually recommends for the power supply.
System Requirement 500W PSU You’re gonna want a 600W PSU if you're running a CrossFireX ™ system. Don't skimp on it.
Manufacturer claims about graphics cards? Total guesswork. It’s like watching a local weatherman try to predict a storm. My R7 260 x box suggested a 500W PSU, but that whole setup with an i3 processor pulls less than 200W. Ridiculous.
Alexander Moore67 said:Super Flower just dropped their new Gold Leadex series. It’s basically a high-end power supply designed to handle heavy lifting. If you're looking at building a rig that actually stays stable under pressure, this is one to watch. The specs look solid. It’s built for efficiency and reliability, which is more than I can say for half the junk being sold online these days. They're pushing it as a premium option for enthusiasts who don't want to worry about their hardware frying mid-game. Honestly, in a market flooded with cheap, no-name units that claim to be "gold rated" but fail the second you draw any real wattage, seeing a brand like Super Flower step up is a relief. It’s predictable, it’s stable, and it does exactly what it says on the box. No fluff, just power. It’s got 350 watts and it just sits there. $156 You won't find anything better than this in America for that kind of money. Abroad, it's a whole different story. And I'm sure it'll hold up your rig, too.
Great power supply, but still feels a bit thin. It needs at least a System Requirement 500W PSU just to have some breathing room.
analogtiger19 said:wiredotter14
Something’s off with that HyperX price. 🤔 $209 😬
This one. Antec Gold. Seasonic’s coming. $230
Of course it’s messed up. They screwed something up. When I originally posted the link, the price was totally fine. That Antec unit is solid, but it's definitely pushing my budget too far. evo :
FSP 500W power supply. Looks standard. Probably fine for basic builds, but don't expect miracles. Just another entry-level unit sitting on the shelf.
Look, this setup is totally fine for 1080p right now. But honestly? You might be better off just holding out until Veg drops—probably sometime in Q2 this year.
Honestly, if you're going to do anything, just grab a GTX 1070 and a 1440p monitor. You can always keep what you have for a dual monitor setup.
Anything else is basically just flushing money down the toilet. If you're sticking to 1080p, swapping out the GTX 970 isn't going to give you any noticeable jump.
I’d probably lean toward the i3 too. Lower power draw, newer platform.
Long-term, the FX8300 might be more "future-proof," but there's really no point if we're just sticking to the requirements we laid out. If the goal was running heavy AAA titles down the road, then an 8-core AMD would make sense.
As it stands, the i3 is likely the smarter move. It'll do the job just fine, and you can always upgrade later if demands actually spike—which, based on this list, they won't.
northernsurfer54 said:It's fine for gaming. Maybe I should just grab an unlocked i7 and an RX 480 GPU?
Depends on what you're willing to spend.
An H110 or B150 board paired with an i7 6700 and an RX 480 is a solid setup. But if the budget's tight, just go for a similar motherboard with an i5 6402p/6400 and the RX 480 instead.
What’s the actual budget here? You already bought anything?
The RX 470 is a solid pick for your resolution and setup (especially on your budget). It’ll be a balanced build. An RX 460 is "just enough" for what you're doing, but an RX 480 is starting to lean into overkill territory.
If you're checking out Prometheus, they carry the Sapphire Nitro, so you won't go wrong there.
Sure, you can hunt down a low-profile GPU, but if you actually want to play anything, you're going to need a card that costs more than those entire builds. Those setups will struggle to run pretty much any modern game from the last few years.
What's your total budget looking like, and do you absolutely need a machine that comes pre-installed with original macOS?
If you’re planning on dropping something like $667, you'd be better off grabbing a full desktop or finding something worth upgrading with a used card in the $200 range.
Thomas Wells5 said:Old PCs used to beep, and new ones can too; now most of them just power on, fans spin, but you get absolutely nothing on the monitor.
In the last 7 years, I've dealt with over 1,000 trashed PCs. Even with 200 of them having busted RAM, I've never seen a computer throw that specific error on the screen.
Fine, my bad. I guess that only happens when there’s a compatibility issue, not because of the slots themselves or whatever.
Still... I'd say there are at least 3 or 4 other things that are way more likely than two ripped-out slots. It could be an issue with the CPU, or maybe the PSU is losing contact if the jacks are loose.
Have you tried testing them one slot at a time? Usually, if the RAM is the culprit, the PC throws an error code on the screen. It sounds pretty wild that you actually fried both slots; surely you’d remember using that much force just because you tried to shove them in the wrong way or something. Honestly, there's a much higher chance you bent some pins in the CPU socket or just have a loose connection somewhere.