GTX 1050 vs. GTX 1060

So, when it comes down to the GPU—do you guys honestly think the GTX 950 or the GTX 960 is going to be a better bet than the GTX 750, especially considering everything we have on the horizon and what's coming our way next?

Of course, a GTX 750 doesn't even meet the minimum specs for most modern titles anymore (on paper, sure, you might squeeze out a few frames luckilly)

wiredotter14 said:fadedorca66, the jump from 4 to 8GB is basically doubling the capacity, so you'll see it. But going from 8 to 12? They won't feel a damn thing. Besides, this setup actually gives him proper dual channel instead of some weird "overflow" mess like he'd get otherwise.

So those $33 extra GBs are basically just... well, more memory. Maybe they won't feel it right now, but who knows what happens in a year or two? I guess it also sets them up better if they ever decide to bump it up to 16GB later on. Moving from single to dual channel isn't always a massive jump, but having more headroom might help eventually—or even just in a few specific games right now.

But hey, it's the OP's call, I was just throwing out an idea.

brightcyclist63 said:So, when it comes down to the GPU—do you guys honestly think the GTX 950 or the GTX 960 is going to be a better bet than the GTX 750, especially considering everything we have on the horizon and what's coming our way next?

Absolutely. The GTX 950 is significantly stronger and worth the price tag.

But honestly? You're basically anyone buying a card right now. If you can stomach waiting a month or maybe six weeks, you could snag performance close to a GTX 960 for about $333. New AMD cards are slated to drop late this month—they'll be in that same ballpark and pull power like a GTX 750.
Snagging one of those, or just grabbing whatever current gen card drops in price once they land, would be a smart move.

fadedorca66 said:So those $33 extra GBs are basically just... well, more memory. Maybe they won't feel it right now, but who knows what happens in a year or two? I guess it also sets them up better if they ever decide to bump it up to 16GB later on. Moving from single to dual channel isn't always a massive jump, but having more headroom might help eventually—or even just in a few specific games right now.

But hey, it's the OP's call, I was just throwing out an idea.

His rig is never going to actually need more than 8GB of RAM. It’s simple: developers aren't making games that (actually) demand that much memory.

Man, this whole situation has turned into such an absolute mess... I just got off the phone with the repair shop, and they told me the graphics card isn't even the culprit. Turns out, the motherboard and the processor are both acting up—basically, they need to be replaced immediately. They mentioned they're going to try and pull some strings with the warranty to see if they can make it work, like some kind of miracle scenario
. But honestly? If they can't get the warranty to cover it, they gave me the worst possible news: I might just have to bite the bullet and buy a whole new PC
. If it actually comes to that, I’m just going to build it myself from scratch. Honestly, buying a pre-built rig from those big-box retailers feels like getting robbed in broad daylight
. That said, if anyone happens to have any solid recommendations for a new motherboard and CPU combo, I’d really appreciate the help

It’s highly unlikely that both your processor and motherboard fried at once; if something did give out, there's a 99% chance it was just the motherboard. The good news is you don't need to drop a fortune on a whole new rig—just swap out that single component.

As for those pre-built PC configurations, most of them are nothing more than a massive rip-off, though I'll admit there are a few rare exceptions out there.

What does "urgent" even mean here?

They figure out what's broken and decide whether to swap it under warranty or not—there isn't a third option. If it’s covered by the warranty, you just replace the part and call it a day. You could always grab a used one too.

They told me the issue lies with both the motherboard and the processor—that I’d need to swap out both components. Honestly, I don't quite get it; it doesn't always mean both have to be dead at once, right? To make matters worse, they were pushing me to hurry up because my warranty was set to expire on May 27th, and now here we are on June 19th and nothing's been fixed.
I suggested just getting a whole new rig, since in my situation, I'm stuck with a graphics card that's basically useless anyway.

brightcyclist63, Kimberly Gomez34 made a good point about how insane it is for both the motherboard and the processor to die at once (while the power supply stays fine 😳).

Regarding the warranty, there’s no need to panic. I'm assuming you dropped the computer off before the coverage expired, so any extra time spent waiting shouldn't matter.

Second, they're obligated to fix the machine under warranty. Honestly, the GPU doesn't even matter since it's weak anyway. Did you actually take it in before the warranty ran out? If you did, just insist they fix the PC. Parts for an i3 3220 build are everywhere. As long as you brought it in or reported the failure before the deadline, they have to repair it. Period.

BTW, when exactly did you buy this PC?

If by some miracle the processor actually kicked the bucket (though I honestly doubt it—the odds are slim), then the manufacturer should swap it out if it’s still under warranty. You shouldn't have to shell out an extra dime for that. If they can't source an 1155 socket chip, they ought to provide a compatible 1150 model along with the appropriate i3

So, here’s the deal—I bought this rig back on May 27, 2013. I know, I missed the official window to drop it off, but honestly, that’s kind of beside the point. Like I mentioned before, the guy actually handling the machine over at the service center is a buddy of my dad's, so I'm hoping he can help me navigate the bureaucracy and get this pushed through despite the deadline. But really, the timing isn't even the biggest headache—the real nightmare is that the processor and motherboard are completely dead. Believe me, I wouldn't be sitting here telling you this if it wasn't true. I'm certain they did a full diagnostic on every single component once I got it in there. If you're wondering what triggered this whole mess in the first place: I’d try to boot it up maybe 15 or 20 times, and all I’d get was "no input signal." Then, after about 15 minutes, it would finally kick on, but then I'd have to sit there for another 10 minutes waiting for the system to stabilize because my monitor was just flickering like crazy. Even when it finally settled down, all the desktop icons were totally glitched out—none of them looked right, and I couldn't click on a single one! After that 10-minute wait, the taskbar was still broken too, so I had to manually launch almost everything using Task Manager. I was pretty convinced the graphics card was the culprit, but—surprise, surprise—it turns out that wasn't the issue at all.

Oh, and one more thing—in case we actually manage to get the warranty claim approved, the option they offered is that I can pick out a brand-new component from their shop and apply the credit from the warranty toward it. You know, sort of like a store credit discount for the repair value, if that makes sense.