GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Larry Ortiz5 said:Once the RTX 8 series officially drops, picking up a used RTX 3080 will finally make sense. Prices for those old cards are going to crater, maybe even more than that.

I don't buy it. Even back when the GTX 1080 was out, prices didn't just tank; it’s simply a matter of the new lineup becoming the better value proposition.

So, I'm looking at a GTX 1080 for my $567 garage setup and PC. But honestly, yeah—the Nvidia RTX 8 series would probably have been much easier on the power bill.

Loving my Sapphire RX 580 so far... everything I've thrown at it runs on max settings without breaking a sweat. Just wondering, is 73-76 degrees a normal operating temperature?😁

Is this actually normal?

Larry Ortiz5 said:So, I'll grab a GTX 1080 for the $567 garage setup and my PC. But yeah, Nvidia's RTX 8 series would definitely pull less power.

Used cards? Sure. But I don't see the new RTX 3080 dropping that much in price—we're talking hundreds of dollars here. It’s more likely that some RTX 8 series card will end up being the better value move.

With Intel, you might eventually find some high-end GPUs sitting around $300—for instance, the R9 290 Gigabyte Windforce is already hitting $2,600–$2,700, and the previous gen Radeon HD 7970 was about $3,000 right before an identical 280X showed up for $2,300–$2,400. So, using that logic...

Hello everyone...

I’ve been running an old desktop setup for about 8 years now, powered by an ATI Radeon 3850 HD. For my day-to-day tasks, it still gets the job done just fine.
The issue is that this card lacks an HDMI port, and I really need one to hook my computer up to my TV...
I'm not looking for some high-end powerhouse or a cutting-edge beast, especially since the rest of my build is quite dated. I just need something with decent specs—comparable to what I have now or perhaps a slight step up—that includes an HDMI output.

To be honest, I’ve been completely out of the loop regarding hardware for the last few years. I stopped keeping up with component releases quite a while ago, so I'm feeling a bit lost navigating the current market...

What else is in the build? If you aren't sure, maybe just run CPU-Z. How much were you looking to spend?
The first decent budget upgrade would probably be an R7 250 GDDR5 for $197. But first, we should probably check if you even have a PCI-ex slot 😁

So, a DVI to HDMI adapter?

fadedorca66 said:Wait, you mean just a simple DVI to HDMI adapter?

Honestly, you can just pick up one of those adapters and call it a day, though I should probably mention that it’ll likely be the cheapest little fix out there for a reason.

Tapatalk 2 using mobile - Fitbit Charge

Can anyone recommend a GPU up to $250? I’m planning on picking something up at Micro Center. Here’s my current setup. I was thinking about grabbing this http://www.microcenter.com/productlist/item/11229-00-20g/.

Memory Device KINGSTON ValueRAM DDR3 SDRAM Non-ECC (4GB,1600MHz(PC3-12800),Single Rank,Unbuffered) CL11
MS GRIFFIN case + PSU MSI FSP300-60HCN, bulk
Intel Core i5-2500K, 2.6GHz, 8MB, AM3
MSI AM3+ Motherboard

Thanks!

You could probably grab that

Justin Rogers59 said:Any GPU recommendations under $250? I'd pick it up at Future. Here's my current build. Thinking about grabbing this one

Memory Device KINGSTON ValueRAM DDR3 SDRAM Non-ECC (4GB,1600MHz(PC3-12800),Single Rank,Unbuffered) CL11
MS GRIFFIN case + PSU MSI FSP300-60HCN, bulk
Intel Core i5-2500K, 2.6GHz, 8MB, AM3
MSI AM3+ Motherboard

Thanks!

Shell out another $10 or so
for $273 you've got this

Way better card than that one you picked

Justin Rogers59 said:Can anyone recommend a GPU up to $250? I'm planning to pick it up at Micro Center. Here is my current build. I was thinking about grabbing this

Memory Device KINGSTON ValueRAM DDR3 SDRAM Non-ECC (4GB,1600MHz(PC3-12800),Single Rank,Unbuffered) CL11
MS GRIFFIN case + PSU MSI FSP300-60HCN, bulk
Intel Core i5-2500K, 2.6GHz, 8MB, AM3
MSI AM3+ Motherboard

Thanks!

I'm with Robert Rodriguez2 on this—those 250X cards are going to be $33 cheaper at other retailers. If you're sticking with Micro Center specifically because of the processor, try to stretch your budget to the 260X for $273. That's an incredible value and definitely worth the extra cash
.
EDIT: Or even better, check out this—it performs right in the same ballpark as the 260X but pulls almost half the power. It’s a great move considering your power supply limitations, though the 260X would still hold up just fine.

Robert Rodriguez2 said:scrape together another $70
for $273 and check this out

it's way better than that junk you have now

or look, the card still has a warranty😉

but compared to a 260x, you might hit a bottleneck

So, here’s the deal. I’m picking up an R7 250X because my budget is pretty tight right now. While looking at my power supply, I noticed it only has two Molex connectors and lacks a dedicated 6-pin port. However, the card comes with a DVI to VGA adapter and a 6-pin to 4-pin power cable. Does that mean I can just use that 6-pin to 4-pin adapter to pull power from the Molex instead?

If you want to convert a Molex connector into a 6-pin, there are plenty of adapters you can pick up online if you need one.

But honestly, I’m telling you, just grab this instead. It’s priced almost the same as a 250X, yet it performs better and draws significantly less power—you won't even need an extra power connector because it pulls everything it needs directly from the PCIe slot.

I'd go with the NVIDIA GTX 750 linked here.

Hey everyone, what's up?
Look, my GPU isn't actually the bottleneck here,

It’s not even that I think this thing is bad for gaming—it just feels like I'm hitting a wall. I really want to upgrade to a better processor, which obviously means I need to hunt down a more capable motherboard too.
See, the board I'm running right now can handle an Intel Core 2 Quad,
but honestly, everyone I talk to says those things are basically paperweights at this point.

So, does anyone have any solid recommendations?
Just for context, I'm currently rocking a GTS 450 1GB GDDR5.

coastalseal17 said:Hey everyone.
It’s not my graphics card.

It’s not about whether this thing can handle games or not. I want a better CPU, which means I need a better motherboard to go with it.
Can the one I have handle an Intel Core 2 Quad?
Everyone keeps saying it's total junk.

Got any recommendations?
And I've got a GTS 450 1GB GDDR5 for the GPU.

Download Speccy and just paste your specs here.

Core 2 Quads still hold their own. Your GPU is what’s actually dragging you down in games. It's just not a gaming card, plain and simple.

I need the specifics: motherboard, RAM, and exactly which CPU you're running. Also, pop the case open and tell me what power supply you've got in there.

Timothy Kim60 said:Used gear? Sure. But I don't see brand new NVIDIA GTX 780 cards dropping by hundreds of bucks anytime soon. It’ll probably be some NVIDIA GTX 800 series card that actually ends up being the smart buy.

Probably an NVIDIA GTX 860.
I'm with you on the pricing, though. The 780 might get cheaper, but it won't be a massive steal.
There's always going to be those wannabe trend-following gamers who just rush out to grab the 800 series the second it hits shelves, so sales will definitely stay steady.