GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Look, first you need to figure out what kind of performance you're actually getting with that new CPU—specifically, which games are actually hitting a bottleneck because your GPU can't keep up.

Exactly. Just grab either of those two—just make sure to double-check the CPU support list on the motherboard manufacturer's website for the necessary BIOS update. If you’re planning on overclocking, you can go with the cheaper option since they're essentially the same architecture (similar to how a Phenom 955 and 965 behave). I really hope you aren't still using a stock Cooler. Try to flip your current one for $100 and you'll have an upgrade for just a few hundred bucks.

Down the road, once that CPU is installed, you could eventually pair it with a GPU like an AMD Radeon RX 580 or an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB.

I’ve got an AMD FX X8 8370 E on the way—I already have a Zalman cooler ready for the CPU—and I'm also picking up a BlackWidow keyboard once I finally get around to tearing this whole rig apart. 😁 I grabbed some replacement GPU fans off eBay, so I guess I'll just stick with what I've got for now. I'll probably need to run a BIOS update on the F8f, which is still stuck in a beta phase from back in December 2013 (lol).

Thanks to everyone for the help and the advice. 👍

Honestly, this is probably the absolute worst time you could ever pick to buy a graphics card (at least in my experience). Once things finally settle down—whenever that may be—you'll actually be able to snag something in the $200-$300 range that offers solid price-to-performance value.

If it's a Zalman cooler, I can push the clock speeds up to 4-4.2GHz (just shoot me a message).

So, I ended up grabbing an AMD Radeon RX 560. Money is a bit tight right now, so I couldn't go bigger, but hopefully, it does the trick.

Those damn crypto miners...

I hope you didn't end up paying more than $367 for it 😛

960 :1

Where did you pick that up?

I have no clue where he managed to score those, but gov.hr apparently has them sitting in stock for $358.

So, here is the situation: I'm working with an old SFF HP desktop, running an Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 with 4GB of DDR3. Right now, it has an HD 5450 tucked inside, which is frankly far too slow for even moderately recent titles.
Is it actually worth picking up a GT 710 with GDDR5 memory, or should I just push myself a bit further and aim for an NVIDIA GT 1030? My main goal is simply to get games running reasonably well on low settings at 720p resolution. Is that even feasible with this specific configuration, considering that upgrading to anything else isn't on the table for the foreseeable future?

The GT 710 isn't meant for actual gaming. An NVIDIA GT 1030 is plenty even for some light 1080p stuff. If you can swing it, try to stretch your budget for one of those, or maybe find a used GTX 750(Ti), though I doubt you'll find a decent deal on them lately.

GT 1030s usually sit under $200, and the card won't lose much value over time.

So, I was rocking an Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 paired with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 once. I honestly feel like that’s pretty much the ceiling for that specific CPU, you know? But hey, it gets the job done at 720p... and actually does a decent enough job, I guess.

Keith Anderson3 said:I previously ran an Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 paired with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650. It felt like that processor had reached its absolute limit there. Still, it handles 720p adequately. Quite well, actually.

True, but I specifically need a low profile card. Plus, power draw is a major concern because I'm working with an HP SFF unit that only has a 265W power supply.

As far as I am aware, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 doesn't even come in a low profile version, and if I recall correctly, it pulls about 100W.

So, the 740 is basically just a rebranded 650, and I think he mentioned on the hardware marketplace that he was actually considering picking one up. 😉

The NVIDIA GT 1030 pulls about 30W and performs similarly to a GTX 750. For $183...

I guess it really depends on what he's actually looking for, since there's no ShadowPlay on it. 😁 That's definitely a bit of a letdown, I suppose. 😁

wiredotter14 said:The GT710 isn't meant for any actual gaming. An NVIDIA GT 1030 is sufficient even for light 1080p tasks. If you can manage it, try to stretch your budget for that, or perhaps find a used GTX 750(Ti), though I doubt you'll find a decent price.

The GT1030 stays under $200 and the card won't lose much value.

Thanks, I am aware the 710 isn't anything special, but the DDR3 version is twice as fast as an HD 5450. My target was the GT710 with GDDR5 memory, $113 brand new, but I cannot find a single fucking review for the GDDR5 version.

In my view, the GT710 was crippled by slow DDR3; this GDDR5 variant operates on memory exceeding 5000MHz.

Keith Anderson3 said:The 740 is just a rebranded 650, and he mentioned on a hardware forum that he was considering picking one up. 😉

I am certainly considering it, though the issue is that it isn't available in a low profile version. My main dilemma remains whether it's worth spending $100 more on an NVIDIA GT 1030.

If you grab an NVIDIA GT 1030 and maybe find some cheap used quad core, you’ll probably be chilling for quite a while. I’ve got an Intel Pentium G1840 that basically performs right in line with a Q8300, and honestly, it gets the job done. 😉 Plus, I'm pretty sure those old 775 quad cores are selling for peanuts these days since the platform is just ancient.

The only catch is if your motherboard only has two RAM slots. If that's the case, you're stuck at a 4GB max. I actually rocked 4GB for a really long time myself, and the biggest hurdle for me was finally moving on—I really needed at least 8GB, which is surprisingly tough to hunt down for a 775 setup. But hey, assuming you can manage 4GB, it’s plenty for some light gaming. 2GB is just way too low.

EDIT:

Just one important thing though... I'm not entirely sure how much compatibility issues the 1030 might have with these older boards. I really hope it doesn't cause any headaches if they decide to pick one up.

If you aren't sweating the budget, just grab a used quad-core for the 775 platform along with a low profile 1050ti. Anything listed below that is basically a paperweight. And don't even bother looking at a GeForce GT 710; you won't see any meaningful difference compared to a Radeon HD 5450. It's just throwing money down the drain.