GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Those used cards offer about the same punch as a new RX 560, and they actually outperform an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 🤷. The new card is definitely the most efficient option and comes with a solid three-year warranty. As for how long it’ll last—look, there are people out there upgrading much beefier setups than this $1333... Honestly, even here in the States, it's become totally standard for gamers to drop a small fortune just on a GPU, though you obviously need a decent rest of the rig to actually support it. It all boils down to your specific criteria—what games you play, what settings you want, and your target FPS or monitor refresh rate. You won't be getting two or three years of smooth sailing once the heavy hitters start dropping. Plus, you wouldn't be doing anything wrong by picking up a faster CPU or more RAM if you're eyeing those demanding new releases. But for casual gaming? These are some of the first truly serious GPUs worth considering. Everything is relative. I’m running something similar to what you mentioned, actually slightly weaker (an NVIDIA GeForce GTX), and I mostly stick to AAA titles from around 2012 or 2013. I occasionally dip into newer stuff, but usually just lighter indie titles or less demanding games, and everything runs flawlessly. I'm not saying you can't play modern AAA titles, but you'll have to make compromises—lower settings, lower frame rates, and so on.

I feel like I might’ve wandered into the wrong thread, but hey, since I'm already stuck here... My kid spends all his time playing Minecraft, GTA 5, Fortnite, Roblox, Overwatch, and Subnautica.

For most of those games, you’re looking at a good or even excellent experience (though GTA V won't hit max settings), but honestly, it wouldn't hurt to throw in some more RAM. BTW, I'm moving this over to the GPU recommendations thread.

That’s awesome. I'll just grab some more RAM and a new GPU then and let the machine rip. Thanks for everything.

Regarding my previous rundown on those NVIDIA GeForce GTX cards—specifically the 1060, the 1050 Ti, and the 1050—as well as the 780... I can't help but wonder where the NVIDIA GeForce GTX actually fits into this whole narrative. I'm asking because a buddy of mine is currently busy dusting out his junk drawer at home, and I need to know if it's even worth digging through the grime to find it...

It’s roughly twice as slow as an NVIDIA GeForce GTX, though that varies depending on the task. If you're comparing it to an NVIDIA GeForce GTX, it’s actually about three times slower. Still, it’s going to be significantly more powerful than your GT 710—by several multiples, at least—so if that card is useless to you, 🤷
In more demanding titles, the gap widens even further because that 1GB VRAM limit acts as a massive bottleneck for modern hardware.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX

Timothy Kim60 said:Honestly, you could probably swing a beefier CPU and more RAM too...

What kind of CPU would be a solid upgrade without totally breaking the bank? And any specific brand of RAM you guys swear by? Thanks again!

Unfortunately, you're working with a "dead" platform at this point, meaning there aren't really any meaningful upgrades left on the table. Honestly, the CPU you've got is pretty much one of the top performers for that specific socket—trying to find something better would probably only net you a tiny percentage of improvement, so it’s likely not even worth the hassle. If you actually want to swap out the processor, you're looking at a full overhaul involving the motherboard, the CPU, and the RAM (since what you have is DDR3 and modern boards have moved on to DDR4).

To get those three components updated, you're probably looking at a minimum of roughly $667, though obviously, the more you spend, the better the gear will be...

Just one more thing—a colleague of mine actually has an NVIDIA GeForce GTX up for grabs, I believe $333. (we haven't touched on the price yet)
I’m not entirely sure when it was originally purchased, though it was bought brand new...
Should I pull the trigger on that, or would it be wiser to spend some time scouring eBay for an NVIDIA GeForce GTX?

It’s either the GTX 970 4GB or the R9 270 2GB—there’s a massive gap there. 😁

The GTX 970 is actually quite a bit faster than the GTX 1050 ti. If you’ve got a decent power supply and aren't looking at the base reference model, it might be a pretty solid deal.

I noted it was 2GB. As for the price, I honestly couldn't say for sure... 😛

There’s no such thing as an R9 290 with only 2GB of VRAM, so you're likely looking at a 270 instead. If that's the case, it actually performs better than a 6870—roughly on par with an RX 560, though just a step below a GTX 1050 ti.

Auuu! He actually told me he was talking about an R9 290, but then he sends over a photo where the box clearly says 270, my bad...
It’s essentially the same dilemma, just with a 270 instead, assuming that really is the card we're looking at here...

So, even that wouldn't be a bad deal, but I wonder if there's something better out there for less cash?

I already mentioned that $270 price point above. You just have to go click then select more

The GTX 970 would actually be the powerhouse in this scenario, but like crimsonstag84 pointed out, you’re going to need a seriously beefy power supply—ideally something in the 600-650W range, though a high-end 550W unit could probably handle it. It’s also highly recommended to avoid the stock reference coolers click, and honestly, your CPU wouldn't even be able to keep up with it fully. Used GTX 970s are being priced right around what you'd pay for a GTX 1060 3, which is frankly ridiculous given they perform similarly (the GTX actually edges it out in several titles), pulls half the power, and often comes with a year or two of warranty left

I’ve been scrolling through this thread and noticed everyone keeps obsessing over how much power a GPU pulls. Can someone break down why that actually matters? Thanks!

That particular consideration becomes quite significant only in countries where electricity costs are prohibitively high; otherwise, it remains a relatively negligible factor, provided one has invested in a reliable power supply and maintains at least a standard level of overall system cooling.

Andrew Hill18 said:I've been scrolling through this thread and noticed everyone keeps bringing up how much power a GPU pulls. Can someone explain why that actually matters? Thanks!

It matters because when you're upgrading an old PC, you have to account for the power supply capacity—and whether that PSU is even old enough to handle the load.

One should remember that older power supplies degrade over time—perhaps losing about 30 watts per year. It’s hard to be precise, but heat and age inevitably destroy those expensive large capacitors inside. You buy a high-end graphics card only to find the PSU can't handle the load, resulting in failed boots or constant crashing. The 12V rail is critical for GPUs; the voltage shouldn't dip below 11.50V, and certainly never below 11.00V.

Furthermore, it is common knowledge that a more powerful graphics card draws more current, which leads to increased fan noise for cooling. Young people seem to demand perfect visual fidelity at any cost, but they ignore the price tag in terms of electricity, cash, and noise levels.
Some even make the mistake of buying a massive monitor only to sit too close to it, straining their eyes for no reason.

So, turns out it really is just an R9 270.
I'm just poking around here, though I'm certainly no expert...
Dell, Nvidia, MSI? I've read somewhere that they're all basically the same thing...
At this point, I'm just looking for something with a bit more punch for the lowest possible price.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/graphics-card-listing-example

I figured I’d check back in to grab one last bit of advice before I actually pull the trigger on a purchase...

Looking at what's new, I saw a GIGABYTE Nvidia GeForce GTX1050 with 2 GB GDDR5 and
the GIGABYTE Nvidia GeForce GTX1050 OC, also 2 GB GDDR5

But then again, looking back up at the thread, there was some advice about needing at least 3GB...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Z8L7W6S
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Z8L9X8R
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Z8L7P9K

I can't seem to edit this, so I suppose I'll just have to leave the links as they are...
Things have been getting a bit too heated lately, so I decided to pull the trigger "immediately"... In my neck of the woods, there isn't exactly a Best Buy nearby with any decent stock—just these options. I've heard on YouTube that this last one keeps the fans silent until it hits about 60C...
The issue is that some of my games are barely hitting 28-30 fps at 1920x1080, even though I really want to run everything on high settings... So, let's just get this over with today 😵