GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Look, I can play pretty much anything with my GPU without any issues, so it's clearly my CPU that's bottlenecking the whole setup

Operating System
Windows Ultimate 64-bit

Main Processor
Intel Pentium E6600 3.06GHz (total junk)
RAM
4GB dual-channel 398MHz DDR3
Motherboard: ASRock G41M-VS3
And you guys already know what my graphics card is

coastalseal17 said:my GPU runs everything fine, the bottleneck is just me.

Operating System
Windows Ultimate 64-bit

CPU
Intel Pentium E6600 3.06
RAM
4GB Dual Channel 398MHz DDR3
Motherboard ASRock G41M-VS3
and you already know the GPU

That’s a dual core, not a quad core...
Go check some quads for LGA 775 on eBay if you can't afford a full system upgrade.

Robert Rodriguez2 said:so we aren't talking about a quad core then, just a dual core...
Look, if you're trying to be smart, just hunt down some quad cores for LGA 775 if you don't have the cash to overhaul the whole rig

I'm hoping to hang onto my GPU
at least until next summer
right now I've got this AMD Athlon X8 $467
but I really need a new motherboard too
I know for a fact it's just a dual core
but I thought I'd mentioned that the best chip my current board could actually handle was an Intel Core 2 Quad
and I'm definitely looking at bumping up to at least 8GB of RAM

coastalseal17 said:I want to keep my GPU
at least until next summer
right now I've got an AMD Athlon X8 $467
but I probably need a new motherboard too
I know mine's just a dual core
but I wrote earlier that the best CPU this board can handle is an Intel Core 2 Quad
and I'm looking at 8GB RAM minimum

You can grab an x8 core 8320 for $367. It's the exact same thing as that 8350 you have, yours just has a higher clock speed. It's like buying a truck just because the paint is a different shade; the $100 difference isn't worth the extra cash.

1 x ASUS M5A97 R2
1 x AMD FX-Series X8 8320 3.5GHz, 16MB, 125W, AM3+
1 x Spire Kepler Rev.2 Cooler, compatible with LGA 775/FM1, 96.5×51×125 mm, 92mm
1 x 8GB DDR3 Crucial, 1600MHz CL11

$763 AMD

crimsonstag84 said:1 x ASUS M5A97 R2, AM3, AM3+, AMD 970, SB950, 5200 MHz BUS, DDR3
1 x AMD FX-Series X8 8320 3.5GHz, 16MB, 125W, AM3+, FD8320FRHK
1 x Spire Kepler Rev.2 cooler, 1156/775/FM1, 96.5×51×125 mm, 92mm
1 x DDR3 8GB (1x8GB) Crucial, 1600MHz CL11

$763 ADM

What kind of shop is this anyway?
And can I run a GTS 450 on this motherboard?

coastalseal17 said:What kind of shop is this?

He told you

$763 ADM

ADM.com—basically, it’s a Great Acquisition site, and they even have a physical storefront in Chicago.
That graphics card goes with every new motherboard.

Timothy Kim60 said:sent you a message

Check out that site, it's basically Best Buy—they aren't just some random online shop, they actually have a physical storefront in downtown Chicago
That GPU goes with pretty much any new motherboard you pick up

thanks

Hey everyone. My graphics card fan recently gave up the ghost, so I spent some time hitting up local shops like Best Buy to see if anyone actually stocks individual replacement fans. Every single place told me they don't carry them separately—they only stock full cooling units, which are going for anywhere from $200 to $100. At that point, it feels more logical to just invest in a new card rather than sinking that much cash into a replacement part for a system that’s already about four years old. Up until now, I've been running an AMD Radeon HD 5600. I am looking to spend somewhere in the $500 to $200 range and would truly appreciate it if someone could offer some advice on a decent 🙂
.
In case it helps with the specs, here is what I'm working with:

AMD Athlon II X2 240
4GB dual-channel DDR3 @ 669MHz
ASUS M5A97 R2

crimsonsurfer3 said:Hey everyone. My GPU fan finally died on me recently, so I hit up some local shops to see if they had replacement fans. Turns out nobody stocks just the fans anymore—they only carry full coolers, and those are running about $200$100. Since my rig is already about four years old, I guess it makes more sense to just grab a new card rather than dropping that much on a single cooler. I was rocking an AMD Radeon HD 5600 until now. I’m looking to spend maybe $500$200, so I’d really appreciate some advice on a decent 🙂
.
In case it helps, here's what I'm running:

AMD Athlon II X2 240
4GB dual-channel DDR3 @669MHz
ASUS M4A75T-5 (AMD AM3)

Are you planning on gaming or just general use, and are you leaning toward used or new gear?

I'm looking for something new, ideally something with a bit of longevity 😁
mostly just games, really.

http://www.amazon.com/details/product/B00150020g.aspx

Is the board an ASUS M5A97 R2? Because you could probably throw a decent AMD AM3 processor in there.

EDIT: Actually, I guess it might be better to just grab a cooler for $33 (LC-CC-95) and try to overclock it to maybe ~3.5GHz.

Better grab this while they still have the Athlon X4 available:

X4 600E + LC CC 95 + R7 250 1GB DDR5 BOOST = $333.

He could probably offload his current CPU for about $50, and before doing that, he just needs to flash the BIOS so an upgrade to that suggested Athlon is actually possible (you can find the specific BIOS version here).

Then he'll have a pretty sweet, low-power quad-core setup—something he can easily overclock to 3GHz on that board without any real stress—plus it leaves some breathing room later if he wants to slap in a beefier GPU or needs more juice for CPU-heavy games.

Right now, I’m just going to pick up a graphics card since it’s an urgent necessity, and I really don't have any extra cash to throw around this month. That said, I think I’ll take your advice and grab the rest of the components next month to properly overhaul the PC. Thanks, everyone. 🙂

Just make sure they don't try to screw you over by giving you a card with DDR3 instead of DDR5.

The DDR3 version might technically have more memory, but I guess that’s just a marketing gimmick since the DDR5 one is actually faster.

They also offer 2 GB DDR3 options which are a few dozen dollars cheaper, though they tend to be significantly slower,

Hey everyone, hope you're all doing well.

So, I'm looking for some advice. I want to upgrade my GPU—ideally something better than an $233—to match my current setup:

-CPU:Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600, 3GHz, Socket LGA775, 8Mb, box
-Motherboard:ASUS Z77, LGA1155, DDR3, SB770, Ethernet
-HDD:Seagate 500GB Barracuda 7200.12, SATA
-RAM:DDR3 4GB, 1600MHz, Patriot
Using this case: http://www.spire-corp.com/computer-c...20w-pfc22-hd3/

What kind of card would actually make sense here? I need something decent, definitely better than an $233 🤷.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions or help.🙂

This looks like a perfect fit for your rig. It pulls a bit more power—since your current power supply isn't exactly top-tier—but it should be just right for your processor, I guess.

crimsonstag84 said:http://www.futuretech.com/catalog/computer-parts/750-1sdv-d5cw/

This one’s a perfect fit for your rig. It pulls a bit of power—since your PSU isn't exactly top-tier—but it's just right for your CPU.

Well, I think that’s the winner. A few beers later and I might actually pull the trigger.😁
Thanks for the quick and QUALITY response. If anyone else has a suggestion, feel free to drop it, but I think this setup is going to be a solid combo.🙂

Keith Brown said:Yeah, I think that’s the spot. Maybe grab a few beers first and we're good to go.😁
thanks for the quick and TOP-TIER response. If anyone else has ideas, throw them out there, but this looks like a winning setup to me.🙂

That’s basically it.🙂 Aside from a 260x, that's the only card in this price range worth looking at.