Gill01's Corner

Alexander Moore67 said:Back when you picked up those two HD 7770s, they were actually cheaper than the GTX 570 by about $333 despite delivering identical performance; honestly, spare me the lectures on CrossFire issues if your setup is running smoothly, and just start saving up for a GTX 970 or perhaps wait for the GTX 960.

Furthermore, there are rumors circulating that the Nvidia GTX 960 will be released in just a few months, alongside a new AMD offering featuring updated technology and a fresh chipset.

A colleague of mine has presented a proposal: he is offering me an AMD Radeon R9 280 OC, but in exchange, he expects my $500 plus a 7770—essentially two graphics cards. Is this a fair market valuation, or is he simply attempting to squeeze a massive profit out of me? 🤔

Just take a look at what an AMD Radeon R9 280 is going for—both new and used—and check on the warranty situation. Those guys mentioned you could probably offload the 7770 for about $133 per unit. Once you crunch all those numbers, you'll see if there's actually any profit left in this.

Edit: AMD Radeon R9 280 pricing

Brian Campbell36 said:A guy made me an offer. He wants to swap his R9 280 OC for my $500 + 7770 combo. Is this actually fair, or is he just trying to fleece me for some serious cash? 🤔

Tell him to take a hike 🙂. Just check the current listings on eBay for his card versus your two. If your pair is worth roughly $267, there is no way the gap between that and an R9 280 is even close $500. We are talking about used hardware here
.
An R9 280 goes for about $140-$567 on eBay. If your two cards are worth $80, the math is pretty simple.

mellowtiger83 said:Tell him to take a hike🙂, seriously. Just look at the prices on eBay for his card versus your two; let's say yours are valued at $267. The gap between that and an AMD Radeon R9 280 isn't even $500 close, especially when we are talking about used hardware
.
An AMD Radeon R9 280 goes for about $140-$$567 on eBay. If your two cards are worth $80 enough, the math speaks for itself.

The most I could possibly offer him would be my two 7770 CF cards plus some cash $167 🍿

I appreciate the advice, though it seems people would sell their very souls just to scrape together a few extra bucks.

So, he'd basically flip yours for $267, pocket an extra 1500, and then just grab himself a GTX 970

Haha, honestly, that's exactly how I would've handled it too 😈😈

Larry Ortiz5 said:haha, I’d probably do the exact same thing 😈😈

Nah, you'd just sell your GPU and blow all your cash on a roulette table😬 🤣

New AMD Radeon R9 280 cards are sitting at around $1500-$533, whereas used AMD Radeon R9 280 x models were moving for about $1000-$367

Robert Rodriguez2 said:Nah, you’d probably just sell the card and blow all the cash at a blackjack table😬 🤣

haha, I haven't touched a casino since last summer😁

My PC is running like a well-oiled machine, though I have to admit the CF setup—specifically that 7770—is definitely the weakest link in this entire configuration. On the other hand, my ASRock Extreme 4 is performing flawlessly, without a single hiccup or side effect.

A colleague of mine just approached me with an offer: he wants to trade his AMD Radeon HD 7970 Black Edition 3GB 384-bit GDDR5 for my $500 plus a 7770 graphics card. Now, I turn to you all: does this transaction actually make sense for me, or am I better off passing? I would truly appreciate your informed opinions on the matter. 🤔

For clarity, this is the specific card in question;

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150586

I need to give him my final answer regarding whether I'm interested in the deal by the end of the day. 😉

So, a GTX 650 is worth about $133, which means you'd be paying $633 for that card.

Those cards usually go for around 1200-$367, so I guess this guy is basically trying to screw you over 😁

Maybe just offer him $267 plus a 7770; honestly, that's probably the best deal he'll get.

For $500 + 400x2, you could grab a GTX 970 instead. It's the better card and sips way less power than the old stuff.

Or just go NVIDIA.
GTX 760 or a 960.
Some shops even carry the GTX 770.

fadedorca66 said:So the GTX 650 is worth $133, which implies he would personally pay $633 for such a card.

Given that those cards typically go for 1200-$367, wouldn't you say this colleague is attempting to take advantage of you quite significantly? 😁

I would suggest offering him $267 plus one GTX 650; honestly, that is the absolute maximum value anyone should expect for that amount.

Robert Rodriguez2 said:For $500 + 400x2, you could actually secure a GTX 970, which is a superior card and draws considerably less power.
http://www.newegg.com/product_info.php?product_id=13737

Or perhaps an NVIDIA option,
like a GTX 760 or a 960.
In certain shops, you might even find a GTX 770.

However, I notice that specific GTX 760 only features 2 GB of VRAM, which strikes me as a poor investment; modern titles demand a minimum of 3 GB to function adequately.

As for the GTX 960, it doesn't appeal to me either due to its 128-bit bus width; I anticipate performance bottlenecks during demanding games, whereas I would be far more satisfied with a 256-bit bus configuration.

While my motherboard is performing adequately, the graphics cards remain the weakest link in my current setup, necessitating an urgent upgrade.

I intend to decline my colleague's offer. Even if he maintains that the card is brand new $1100 and insists that I will benefit greatly from this purchase—guaranteeing a 40 FPS increase over my current setup (using CF GTX 650)

An increase of 40 FPS is certainly not trivial; the question now remains, what is the most prudent move to make?

Stop obsessing over specs and just look at actual performance. I don't think the 960 is worth what they're asking for here.

You could probably flip those two for $700-$800, toss in another $333, and you'd have an awesome card. Honestly, forget about the VRAM; I don't really get why everyone is obsessed with needing 16GB these days.

fadedorca66 said:Stop obsessing over raw specifications and start looking at actual real-world performance. Buying a 960 at the price they’re asking here simply doesn't make sense.

If you sell those two cards for $700-$800 and toss in another $333, you'll end up with an excellent graphics card. As for VRAM, just set that aside for a moment; I honestly don't understand this modern obsession with needing 16GB of VRAM for everything.

http://www.newegg.com/product_info.php?c...ducts_id=12801

This is the only option worth considering. From what I can gather, upcoming titles are demanding at least 3GB of VRAM just to hit Ultra settings. If our colleague was telling the truth about running Far Cry 4 on Ultra using that 7970 Black Edition OC, 🍿
then this might be the way to go.
I find myself quite interested in this specific card, and if he maintains that its performance is superior, then what is your take on it? My only lingering concern is that the price seems suspiciously low given the specs provided.🤔

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

🤣

Obviously it's all 4GB; you can tell it isn't Nvidia.

Brian Campbell36 said:http://www.newegg.com/p/product_info.php?c...ducts_id=12801

This is the only option worth considering. From what I'm reading, upcoming titles need at least 3GB of VRAM for ultra settings. And if this guy was actually right about running Far Cry 4 on ultra with that 7970 Black Edition OC, 🍿

I've got my eye on this card. If he's claiming his setup is better, what do you think of this one? My only concern is how cheap it is for these specs. 🤔

http://www.bestbuy.com/?naziv=graficka-...kl=051.806.963

Robert Rodriguez2 said:Is that Dell card actually a full 4GB, or is it like those Nvidia ones where they give you 3.5GB plus some 512MB leftover just to screw people over?

You're talking nonsense.

His friend's card is several generations old. At that price, it's a total waste. It pulls power like two RTX 3060s combined.

If you're playing on a single 1080p monitor, 2GB of VRAM is plenty. Don't get hung up on that. Look at actual user experiences instead of blindly following reviewers who get gear for free and test everything on 4K monitors, SLI, or SLI setups...

And regarding that whole VRAM drama with the RTX 3060, Linus Tech Tips just dropped a video on it. Go watch it... People are making way too much of a scene over nothing.

crimsonstag84 said:

Robert Rodriguez2 said:you're talking nonsense

That card my friend has is several generations old; at this current price point, it simply isn't worth it. It draws enough power to rival two RTX 3060s.

If you are gaming on a single 1080p monitor, 2GB of VRAM should suffice, but you shouldn't rely solely on that metric. You ought to look at the actual experiences of people who have used them, rather than basing your decisions on reviewers who receive equipment for free and tend to test everything on 4K monitors, SLI, or Call of Duty setups...

Regarding those concerns about VRAM issues with the RTX 3060, IGN just released a video today, so you might want to give that a watch... There seems to be an excessive amount of melodrama surrounding the topic.

It is most likely that I will go with the Dell that SmartThings recommended. Why would anyone be foolish enough to pay $500 + 7770 for an older generation when I could just pick up an RX 580 and enjoy my games for the next year?