GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Unfortunately not, though things are looking a bit more stable now.

I'm not sure what kind of budget you're working with, but you'll get much better value out of three specific options: a GTX 1050 Ti (provided it stays under $433), a GTX 1060 6GB (ranging from about $700 up to $833), or a GTX 1080 (roughly $1500).

Timothy Kim60 said:Unfortunately not, though things are looking a bit more reasonable here

I'm not sure what your budget looks like, but you might get better value out of three different GPUs—a GTX 1050 Ti (if it stays under $433), a GTX 1060 6GB (somewhere between $700 and maybe $833), or even a GTX 1080 (around $1500)

Well, I live in the States🤣
I actually just stumbled upon the RX 560 on PassMark a couple of days ago; it's twice as good as the RX 460 despite being the same price, somewhere north of 😳

It isn't quite accurate to say the 560 is twice as powerful as the GTX 460 (mind you, make sure you aren't looking at an old GTX 460). The RX 460 and 560 both run on the same Polaris 11 chip; the 560 simply has all its cores unlocked, making it just a few percentage points faster overall.

Timothy Kim60 said:Your 560 isn't twice as good as a 460—check your specs, you might be thinking of an old GTX 460. Both the RX 460 and 560 run on the same Polaris 11 chip; the 560 just has all its cores unlocked, making it a few percent faster.

If you're willing to mess around with an unofficial BIOS, you can actually unlock an RX 460 to basically turn it into an RX 560. 😛 Oh AMD, stop it 😒

Adam Moore3 said:If you use an unofficial BIOS, you can unlock some RX 460 cards to basically function as an RX 560. 😛 Oh AMD, please stop. 😒

It doesn't work on every single one, and honestly, you really want a card that actually has a power connector. But yeah, it works on plenty of models.

wiredotter14 said:It won't work on every single build, so I’d definitely recommend picking up a card that actually has a power connector. That said, it should work fine on plenty of models.

That's true. A buddy of mine was upgrading his rig and ran into this exact issue—he couldn't unlock it because he grabbed the single-gig version without a power connector, and there isn't a modded BIOS out for it. 🕺 It was cheap, under $300 at a local Best Buy sale.

Adam Moore3 said:True. I upgraded my rig recently and couldn't unlock it because I grabbed the single-slot version without a power connector—turns out there isn't a modded BIOS for that specific one. 🕺 It was cheap, under $300 at a local discount shop.

Yeah, he probably has the exact same card as mine (mine is a Windforce 4GB, his might be 2GB, but they're basically identical models).
I couldn't find a BIOS to unlock mine either, but since I specifically hunted for a card without a power connector, I don't really care about losing that extra 10% performance.

BTW, undervolting this thing is super easy and actually works.



It holds 1213MHz below 1.0V no problem. It isn't loud, even in Furmark, and you can barely hear the fans while gaming. (For example, it's been running at 100% load for hours now and the fan is still under 1000rpm.)

wiredotter14 said:Yeah, he probably has the exact same one as mine (I have the Windforce 4GB version; he might have the 2GB, but it's basically the same model).
I couldn't find a BIOS to unlock mine either, but since I was specifically hunting for a card without a power connector, that extra 10% performance doesn't really matter to me.

By the way, undervolting this card is super easy and actually works great.



It stays rock solid at 1213MHz even below 1.0V. It isn't loud at all—not even during Furmark—and while I'm gaming, you can barely hear the fans. (For instance, it's been running at 100% for hours now and the fan is still under 1000rpm)

Yep, it's a Windforce, 2 gigs. If it were mine, I'd undervolt it too, but since it isn't, I wouldn't bother playing on it anyway.

Adam Moore3 said:Yeah, it’s a Windforce, 2 gigs. If it were mine, I’d undervolt it the exact same way, but since it isn't, I’d rather just not play at all.

No real need. Without an undervolt, it’s barely pulling 70-90W anyway and the fans aren't even making noise.
One thing though: You really should bump up the power limit—maybe by like 25%—otherwise the boost clock starts throttling. Without that headroom, it tends to drop down to around 1100MHz. It's pure power throttling; temps look totally fine.

So, I’ve got this chance to snag a PS4 Pro through AT&T for about $25 a month. If I pull the trigger, my monthly bill is gonna be roughly $8.25 higher than what I'm paying now. Honestly, I’m torn—do I stick with the Pro, or should I just offload it for maybe $2,200 or $2,300 and put that cash toward a GTX 1050 Ti or even a decent 1060 6GB? Right now, my rig is running a Pentium G4560, 16GB of RAM, an R7 260X, and I'm hooked up to a 4K TV. Part of me is really leaning toward upgrading the PC rather than hanging onto the console. I’ve already lined up a buyer for my PS4 Slim for about $20, so I’ve gotta reinvest that money somewhere else. That leaves me with my Xbox 360 and my PC. What kind of performance am I actually looking at with my current setup paired with one of those two GPUs compared to the PS4 Pro? It feels like every time I try to upgrade my graphics card, I end up just adding more consoles to the pile😁

I mostly play stuff like Madden and FIFA, though I jump into other games every now and then. Saving up for a solid GPU takes forever, so this deal feels like a pretty sweet way to make the transition😁

steelfox36 said:I’ve got an offer to grab a PS4 Pro through AT&T for $25 a month. Honestly, my monthly bill would end up being higher $8.25 than what I'm paying now. So, I'm torn—should I stick with the Pro, or just sell it for $2,200/$2,300 and pick up a GTX 1050 Ti or maybe even a 1060 6GB? My current setup is a G4560, 16GB of RAM, an R7 260X, and a 4K TV. I'm leaning more toward buying a GPU rather than keeping the Pro. I already agreed to sell my PS4 Slim for $2k, so I need to put that cash toward something else. I’ll still have my Xbox 360 and my PC. What kind of performance should I expect from my current parts paired with one of those two GPUs compared to the PS4 Pro? It feels like every time I try to pick a better GPU, I end up with more consoles instead.😁

You walked into the "Desktop PCs" subforum and you're actually debating between a console and a PC? 🙂 😬

jk, it's your call. You've already got a decent budget rig, so you could really beef it up with a new card. The real question is: what are you playing, and what are you actually looking for in an upgrade? Like, what's the specific goal you want to hit by getting a stronger GPU?

Edited post😁 So, it’s really just about the Song and FIFA for me; everything else is kind of an afterthought. Honestly, my main priority is just getting this new GPU so I can actually relax and not worry about my rig dying on me for a while, which is why I'm low-key stressing that the GTX 1050 2 might end up being a total bust.😁

steelfox36 said:I edited the post.😁 Song and FIFA are my main priorities; other games don't really matter that much. Honestly, I just want to get this new GPU and be set for a while, so I'm worried the 1050 2 might end up being a total letdown...😁

Well, if we’re only talking about Song or FIFA, then PlayStation is a total no-brainer. You get 4K, grab a controller, and just go for it. You aren't even thinking about FPS or worrying about that 30 FPS cap. If you ask me... 🙂

Adam Moore3 said:I mean, if we're just talking about Song or FIFA, then going with PlayStation is a total no-brainer. You get that 4K resolution, you grab your controller, sit back, and just lose yourself in the game. You aren't even thinking about the FPS or sweating over a 30 FPS cap. If you ask me, 🙂

My colleague is actually getting his hands on a PS4 Pro in a few days, so we’ll finally see how much of a difference it makes compared to the PS4 Slim. Hopefully, by then, I'll have made a smarter call myself😁 It would honestly be the dream setup to have both the Pro and a GTX 1060 6GB, but I know that's just not happening right now😵

steelfox36 said:A colleague is getting a PS4 Pro in a few days, so we'll see how it stacks up against the PS4 Slim. Hopefully, I'll be making smarter choices by then😁 It would be perfect to have both the Pro and a 1060 6GB, but that's just not happening😵

I'm no console expert, but from what I gather, the big difference is the 4K support. If you're rocking a 4K TV with a PS4 Slim, you're basically stuck playing in FHD. So, upgrading to the Pro should feel pretty significant if you've got the right screen. But hey, you'll be the judge of that once you try it.🙂

On consoles, sports titles typically run at a smooth 60 FPS and usually get the most polished versions first. On PC, you’re often stuck waiting for those ports to finally arrive—for instance, we didn't even see the PC version of the latest flagship soccer title catch up to the console release until this year. So, if your gaming life revolves strictly around sports sims, stick with a console; but for everything else, PC is the way to go. That said, even with a decent mid-range setup like a GTX 1050 2, you can still play sports games quite comfortably alongside a bit of everything else.

Greetings.

Here is my current setup:

Motherboard: Asus P7P55D-E graf
GPU: Nvidia gt 730 CPU
CPU: Intel I5 750 SSD 250
SSD: 250 GB Samsung EVO 850
RAM: 8GB

Since I play World of tanks on this rig, I can't really get any decent visuals—I’m stuck running the SD client with almost everything turned off just to keep things moving... I would love to actually try out the HD client on some Medium to High settings, though. My budget isn't exactly massive at the moment, so I've been eyeing the GTX 1030. My question is, will this card actually push World of tanks to perform better? Also, I was wondering if there is any real difference between the low profile version and the standard one, aside from the physical size...
Thanks in advance!

Switching up the CPU isn't going to make much of a difference here.

Those low-profile cards usually suffer from weaker cooling, which can lead to lower clock speeds or less boost. Personally, I think your CPU is still pretty decent—it definitely holds its own by today's standards. Since the GTX 1030 isn't anything to write home about, if I were in your shoes, I’d save up for at least a GTX 1050 2GB (around $333), an RX 560 2/4GB ($890-$350), or ideally a GTX 1050ti ($1250-$450). Those would be the sweet spot for your current processor, so just run them until you're ready for an upgrade. Alternatively, you could look for some used gear like a GTX 750Ti, an HD7850/7870 (R7 265/370 or R9 270/270X), or a GTX 660.

Timothy Kim60 said:

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 😁

Madden NFL 18 just dropped, so I need a new GPU, any suggestions?... Honestly, I'm looking for something cheap, not trying to build a beast here, just enough to run Madden NFL 18 smoothly at 1080p and hit at least 60fps...

Current specs:
- motherboard - ASUS B85M-K
- CPU - i3-4170 3.7GHz
- GPU - (integrated)
- RAM - 8GB

Since Madden NFL 18 supports Vulkan, if it's true that Vulkan shifts more of the load to the graphics card and takes some pressure off my weak little processor, should I be looking specifically for that? Aiming for Vulkan-ready graphics... Either way, it should work, my system requirements are already pushing it, but people play stuff on way worse rigs than this... Anyway, let me know what you think, I'm all ears... :