GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

That sounds great, thanks. It’s definitely a much better deal, $67. Quick question regarding the power requirements—since I'll likely need a new PSU anyway—does this GTX 1050 Ti pull all its power directly from the motherboard, or does it require those extra 6 or 8-pin connectors?

goldenpanther said:Great, thanks. And it’s actually cheaper too, $67. About power—do I need a new PSU? Does this GTX 1050 run just off the motherboard, or does it need those 6 or 8-pin connectors?

Look, that cheaper one is the 2 GB version. The 4GB model is $405 (still cheaper)

It needs a 6-pin connector, which looks like your current PSU has. But all in all, it won't pull much more than what you're using now—maybe 80W instead of your current 65W. You don't need a new power supply.

Is this the same item?
It shows a 3-year warranty and costs $360, but looks identical to that first 2GB card

https://www.comcast.com/evga-gtx-1050-ti-dp-dvi.aspx

edit: the link in my previous post for the 2GB card is dead; this one from the current post is actually available to order

It’s pretty much the same everywhere else, too—you're looking at $1220 to $1300 for the 4GB version.

goldenpanther said:it's basically the same everywhere then, maybe $1220-$1300 for the 4GB model

$405 Downtown vs. $437 over at the tech campus, but yeah, you're looking at roughly the same ballpark

The Gigabyte model doesn't even have a 6-pin connector. Personally, I’d opt for one that uses a pin—you get much more headroom and better overall stability.

By the way, grab the 2GB version. They don't carry it downtown, and if they do, the price is likely a mistake. The only place where the 4GB version actually has a reasonable price tag is at Micro Center.

Also, just a heads up:

The GTX 1060 3GB cards are overpriced, but you can snag a great deal on a genuine GTX 1060 if you look closely.click

I'm sitting here weighing my options between one of the $333 models, while he’s already trying to push a version with 2500 😁
.
But honestly, isn't it worth it to get the 4GB version if it's only about 100-$$67 more?

GTX 1070

I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking at here—but if I had the cash, I’d probably take the risk on 😁
.
EDIT: There's also a GTX 1060 available for about $260
EDIT2: The Gigabyte one is gone; now there's just these

goldenpanther said:I'm fighting for one of the $333 options, then he immediately tries to push some 2500 😁 version on me.

So what's the point if it's not better than 4GB, especially when it costs 100-$67 more?

Look, he put a price around 200 bucks because it's actually a decent deal.
If the card were any stronger, those 2GB would matter, but here? Slim chance you'll hit a bottleneck with that extra VRAM. For context, the GTX 950—which performs pretty much the same—never really struggled with 2GB.
Sure, there might be some games where an RX 460 can run, but needs more than 2GB. But given your CPU paired with that RX 460, it’s a balanced build; it probably won't have the muscle to actually utilize much more than 2GB anyway.

Timothy Kim60 said:Gigabyte doesn't have a 6-pin. I'd go with the one that has a pin—more headroom, more stability.

BTW, grab the 2GB version. They don't have it Downtown, and that price might just be a mistake. The only place with a fair price on the 4GB model is at Newegg.

[/URL]

Since this one is the OC model, I'm assuming it has the 6-pin?
It says it's available for order, so you should probably call and ask.

Here's the deal: they were originally $360 charging for the 4GB version (back when you couldn't even find it). $360 is definitely the actual price for the 2GB model—no question about it. At that price point, it's an absolute no-brainer.

@Adam Barrett7/">@@Adam Barrett7

Those prices for the GTX 1070 are fake; honestly, it looks like a total scam.

Timothy Kim60 said:The deal is they were pricing it $360 based on what the 4GB version used to cost (back when you couldn't even find it). $360 is the actual price for the 2GB model—no debate there. At that price point, it's a total no-brainer.

@Adam Barrett7

Those prices for the GTX 1070 are fake, honestly. Probably some kind of scam.

I think it was this specific product; they downgraded it to 2GB, but the URL clearly shows it was originally 4GB. That one is out of stock, but this one says it's available for exactly $360.
https://www.downtown-electronics.com/sapphire-rx-46...mi-dp-dvi.aspx

BTW, this whole fake GTX 1070 thing feels off. Usually, that kind of crap is sold on eBay or through an Amazon account run by someone in China. These two sellers are based in Germany and actually have established feedback and sales history.

At the end of the day, Amazon has solid customer support.

People over on PC Gamer are debating this too, but the general consensus is that it’s a scam. This guy and his shop have everything listed at "too good to be true" prices. Nobody wants to risk ordering from them—if anyone actually pulls the trigger, someone should definitely let us know what happens 😁

As for the RX 460, it's pretty clear it's going to become the budget GPU sitting right under the $333, which is awesome. We might even see 4GB models priced where the 2GB versions are today. Honestly, even the current prices for the 2GB versions feel like a solid deal

What would be the cheapest card on the market right now that supports DirectX 12 and can handle passive cooling? If one even exists at all?

Calling a GPU "DX12 compatible" is a massive generalization—pretty much everything on the market today supports it to some degree, but finding a passive model is actually quite rare.

http://www.amazon.com/s?k=Ti+KalmX+2+GB

Timothy Kim60 said:Calling something a DX12 GPU is a pretty broad way to put it—almost everything on the market supports it to some degree. There aren't many passive options out there that actually meet the standard.

http://www.amazon.com/s?k=Ti+KalmX+2+GB

So, what am I looking at here? Am I stuck waiting until the GT 930 hits the shelves?

A GT 730 would actually work for my needs, but as far as I know, that thing only handles the DirectX 11 feature level.

What are you talking about with a GT 930? The GTX 950 was basically the floor for entry-level cards back then (and now we've moved on to the 10xx series). We aren't seeing any more actual new low-end GPUs; if anything comes out, it’ll just be a rebranded version of old tech.

If that GT 730 uses the Kepler architecture instead of Fermi (since there are three different versions), then technically it counts as a "DX12 card."😁
But let's be real—that doesn't mean you can actually run a single DX12 game on it.

There’s probably a 99% chance we won't see anything lower than a GTX 950 or a GTX 1050 on the spec sheets.

The XFX R7 250 DDR5 is passive (around $217), but it's out of stock right now at places like Best Buy or Walmart, so who knows if they'll ever get more.

Next up might be an RX 460 for about $333+ 😛

Look, man, just grab any card under 50W and slap an Accelero S1 on it. If you aren't pushing it too hard, you might even get away with a beefier card.

Benchmarking the GTX 1060 3GB.

Just a quick heads-up for anyone interested - click