Honestly, these prices are getting a little out of hand lately. I feel like I actually scored a massive win when I picked up my EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 for $525, because nowadays, you can't even find one for less than $615.
Using a TN panel really only makes sense if you're looking at budget-friendly 144Hz monitors. That's usually what people mean when they claim "TN is better for gaming," rather than talking about those cheap 60Hz models. Honestly, picking up a 60Hz or 75Hz screen when you could get an IPS or VA panel for roughly the same amount of cash feels like a bit of a missed opportunity.
I’m currently running a BenQ XL2430T 144 Hz which is also a TN panel, and I honestly don't have any complaints. During those first few hours—or even the first couple of days—after I made the switch from a VA panel, everything looked a little "washed out" to me. But I guess it's just a matter of getting used to it, because now everything looks perfectly "normal" to my eyes. 😁
In this particular scenario, swapping out the CPU probably won't make much of a difference at all.
Since Low profile cards usually don't have the best cooling setups, you might see slightly lower clock speeds or less aggressive boost behavior. Personally, I think your current CPU is still pretty decent—it can definitely hold its own by today's standards—but since the GTX 1030 isn't anything to write home about, I'd suggest saving up just a little bit more. It would be worth aiming for at least a GTX 1050 2GB (around $333), an RX 560 2/4GB (maybe $350), or if you really want to push it, a GTX 1050 Ti (roughly $450). Those cards represent the sweet spot for your specific processor, and you could ride that setup comfortably for quite a while. Alternatively, you could look for some used deals on a GTX 750Ti, HD7850/7870 (like the R7 265/370 or R9 270/270X), a GTX 660, and things along those lines.
I actually have a Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 Dual-X OC-Edition available for $300 plus free shipping 😁
Hey everyone, I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice on what kind of price I should be asking if I find some interested buyers for an NVIDIA GeForce GTX graphics card?
So, I'm looking at a BenQ 1080 p setup running at 144Hz. If I pull the trigger on a GTX 1080, am I pretty much set for a few years when it comes to smooth gaming? My main hesitation is the price tag, though—it looks like the GTX 1080 starts around $550. I noticed this one Gigabit model is sitting at about $565, while the G1 gaming edition is an extra $25 on top of that because it boasts a 64 MHz boost. Is it just that clock speed difference making it pricier, or is there some other hidden factor I should be looking out for?
Hold on a second, I need to make sure this is actually going to play nice with my current setup, or am I looking at needing a full upgrade to get everything up to speed? I'm running an Intel Core i7-4770K, an ASUS Z87 Pro, and a 700W power supply.
Hey everyone! I'm finally pulling the trigger on a new graphics card, and I've pretty much set my sights on the EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 AMP! I found the Base model for about $490, but I'm sitting here wondering if it's actually worth shelling out an extra $45 to grab the EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 AMP! Ultra edition instead, or if that's just throwing money down the drain for nothing?
MSI B350 PC Mate Netzteil ATX 550W AntecVPF 550 EC (80+ Bronze) Aerocool gt Black Advance ATX BarraCuda 1TB Zota 3 GB D5 GTX 1060 CPU AMD AM4 Ryzen 5 1500 x G.Skill Aegis DIMM Kit 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4-3000 CL16-18-18-38
Edit: I was also wondering why nobody seems to be including optical drives in their builds anymore—you know, those CD/DVD RW or Blu-ray players... just nothing at all lately.
The only thing that feels a little bit off to me is how cheap that VPF550 is ($43)... I wonder if it might be some kind of RMA model😬
What exactly is an RMA model?
fadedorca66 said:Right now, going with Intel just doesn't make much sense; for the same budget, you can grab an i5 that's quad-core, whereas this Ryzen gives you four cores plus SMT (effectively 4+4). On top of that, you can actually play around with overclocking the Ryzen, which isn't really an option with Intel right now.
If you're really set on Intel, I'd suggest holding out until around October when their new series drops. They'll be bumping up the core counts—making the i3 quad-core and the i5 hexa-core—and hopefully adjusting prices then, because what they're offering currently just can't compete with the value of Ryzen.
Got it, thanks for the heads-up!
By the way, my little guy is insisting that we skip the SSD for now, so I was wondering if the money we save by cutting the SSD could be better spent elsewhere to beef up the build, like maybe upgrading the processor or the graphics card?
Hey there! Since you guys have been doing such an awesome job helping everyone out lately, I was hoping you could help me put together a solid build with a budget of around $700. I’m looking for something that can handle some heavy lifting for schoolwork, specifically CAD drawing, but I also want to dive into some gaming on the side—mostly just jumping into Call of Duty or Assassin's Creed every now and then. Could you give me two options? One that includes an SSD and one without, just so I can see the price difference. I've been eyeing parts over at Best Buy http://www.mylelemon.at Thanks so much!
Honestly, I feel like they really should have kept those "Find all posts by..." and "Find all threads started by..." options available too. Those features were such a lifesaver for navigating the boards, and I’m genuinely scratching my head trying to figure out why they decided to pull the plug on them!
