GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

urbanheron4

urbanheron4 said:Right-click the desktop > Display settings, then just bump up the "Change the size of text, apps and other items" to 125%.

Tried it out—turns out it was a little too big for me...
urbanheron4

Look, here's the deal—that card is pushing upwards of 200 or even 300 FPS in most games at 1080p. So, the real question is: does your monitor even have that many hertz? If your refresh rate is lower than the frame rate the card is pumping out, you aren't actually seeing those extra frames on the screen anyway—you’re just making the GPU work itself to death for nothing. Honestly, it’s pretty smart to just cap your max FPS in-game to match whatever your monitor's refresh rate is. You can handle that through Vsync, Gsync, Freesync, or just by using the Nvidia or AMD software. If you set an RTX 4070 Ti to 1080p and cap it like that, your GPU usage is going to drop way below its limit—maybe even under 50% in some titles. It kind of feels like throwing money down the drain when you aren't even utilizing what you paid for. Of course, there's also the chance your CPU is bottlenecking you if it's too weak to keep up with that beast of a GPU. It's pretty rare to find a game where you actually *need* a card that powerful at 1080p to get decent performance—maybe something like cyberpunk with ray tracing cranked up—but even then, you've got DLSS and FSR to bail you out.

That doesn't really add up... I mean, if that were true, how are people with 60Hz monitors still out there running games at 100 or even more FPS? 🤷

Appreciate the tip—I’m running a 1080p monitor with a 165Hz refresh rate, so I think I'll just cap my FPS right now and see what happens...
Thanks!

Ronald Bishop58 said:That doesn't really hold up... Otherwise, how are people with 60Hz monitors playing at 100+ fps? 🤷

Look at it as the number of images generated per second. If your monitor's refresh rate is 60 Hz, it can show 60 images a second. If it's 165 Hz, it can show 165 images a second.
FPS (frames per second) is just the number of frames your graphics card sends to the monitor. Various software tools used to track this (like MSI Afterburner or Fraps) will report whatever number the GPU is pumping out, but you won't actually see all those frames on screen unless your refresh rate is high enough to match. You'll see the number in the software, sure, but the monitor isn't physically displaying that many frames because its refresh rate is too low. In reality, people just think they're playing at that FPS, but they aren't actually seeing it.

Also, while you're at it, go down to your Display settings, click on Advanced display settings, and check if your refresh rate is actually set to 165 Hz or if it's stuck at 60 Hz. Windows doesn't always switch it automatically; you have to do it manually. If you bought a 165 Hz monitor, you might as well actually use it.

urbanheron4 said:...

By the way, under those Display settings at the bottom, click on Advanced display settings and check if you actually switched the refresh rate over to 165 Hz, or if it's still stuck at 60 Hz. Windows doesn't just do it for you—you have to manually toggle it. If you've got a 165 Hz monitor, you really want to make sure you're actually using it.

Look, do you really think I'm that much of a clueless amateur? I finished a three-year IT degree, so—I wouldn't call myself a specialist in any one niche, per se—but let's just say I'm basically a general practitioner when it comes to PCs...

Of course I set it to 165Hz—this 2K monitor of mine actually caps out at 75Hz. And yeah, I adjusted it, though the only game I really play on it is Euro Truck, which doesn't even break 75fps anyway... (it’s pretty much locked at 75 fps).

But, you know... hardware moves so fast these days it's almost ridiculous—it evolves at such a breakneck pace that even the software can barely keep up. So, when it comes to pure hardware stuff, I'd rather defer to the folks who live and breathe this stuff and are more specialized than I am.

Anyway, thanks a ton for the help and for putting in the effort!! 🙂

No offense intended, but I can’t possibly know what everyone else does or doesn't know. You’d be surprised how many people miss this entirely. There's this vague expectation that everything just works perfectly right out of the box, but Windows defaults to 60 Hz, and since the setting isn't exactly front and center, most people just overlook it.

urbanheron4 said:No offense intended, I just can't assume what everyone knows—or doesn't. You'd be surprised how many people miss this. You kind of expect everything to just work out of the box, but Windows defaults to 60 Hz, and since the setting isn't exactly front and center, a lot of folks just overlook it.

Don't worry about it, man—you're easily one of the good ones on this forum. There's no way I could take offense at you! 🙂

Ronald Bishop58 said:Tried it, felt a bit too much for me..

That doesn't really hold up—if that were true, how do people running 60Hz monitors play at 100+ fps without issues? 🤷

Anyway, thanks for the tip. I’ve got a 165Hz Full HD monitor, so I’m actually going to cap my fps just to see what happens...
Thanks!

The only real perk to letting your FPS run higher than your monitor's refresh rate is potentially getting a better response time. Depending on the gap, the gain varies—it's way more noticeable in your 60Hz/100fps scenario than it is at 165Hz/200fps. But the real question is whether you want that vs. locking it to 60 or 165Hz for a consistent image. If you're rocking 165Hz and you aren't some hardcore eSports pro, it doesn't make much sense.

Other than that, since you have a 165Hz monitor, you can:

1. Turn on V-sync (caps it at 165fps if the game can handle it; zero tearing)

2. Set an in-game FPS limit to 165—it'll fluctuate up to that max, but you'll still get tearing.

3. If you have a G-Sync or FreeSync VRR monitor and GPU, just turn that on and cap the in-game FPS at 165 to match the monitor's max. No tearing, and honestly, it's the best way to go.

Ronald Bishop58 said:Is this actually 2K??

https://www.bestbuy.com/mo...m_medium=click

Go make a baby sandwich instead...

You’re being pretty rude here, so maybe try acting that way toward someone you actually know, especially if you're being unprovoked. "2K" can refer to a hundred different things, so don't we really need to ask for clarification on what you meant? Nobody actually calls monitors that resolution "2K" in a standard way. In my line of work, 1920 and 2K are treated as the exact same thing, yet you're acting like they're interchangeable, so isn't it perfectly reasonable to ask for a bit more detail?

wanderingbison9 said:You’re being rude—maybe save that attitude for someone you actually know, especially if you're being unprovoked. "2K" could mean a hundred different things; do we really have to play guessing games about what you meant? Nobody actually calls monitors that resolution "2K." In my line of work, 1920 and 2K are treated as the exact same thing, yet you're acting like they're interchangeable. It's perfectly reasonable to ask for clarification.

I'm being rude?!?
And what was with that sarcastic emoji at the end of your post?!? Doesn't exactly scream "I'm just looking for clarification!"
We're done here.

Ronald Bishop58 said:Me, rude?!?
And what about that sarcastic little emoticon you tossed at the end of your last post? It certainly didn't feel like you were actually looking for an explanation!
I'm done with this conversation.

I don't think I'll be getting any sleep tonight.

wanderingbison9 said:I am definitely pulling an all-nighter tonight.

Maybe ask your mom to hold your hand and sing you a lullaby then..

You guys went off the deep end so fast I didn't even have time to grab my popcorn...

So, if you had to pick one, which way would you go?

Nvidia GeForce RTX series

Nvidia GeForce RTX series

Nvidia GeForce RTX series

Jeffrey Cook82 said:Which one would you guys actually pick?

Nvidia GeForce RTX series

Nvidia GeForce RTX series

Nvidia GeForce RTX series

Honestly, I'd just grab an RX 6500XT for a tiny bit more cash—it's a better call:

https://www.bestbuy.com/asus-rx6500xt-dua...m_medium=click

https://www.bestbuy.com/asrock-rx6500xt-p...m_medium=click

Honestly, this guy laid everything out perfectly—he knows exactly what he wants and he’s clear about his budget. But instead of actually answering him, you guys just keep pushing more expensive crap on him... It's pretty pathetic... 😵🙂

Jeffrey Cook82 said:So, if you had to pick one of these, which way would you go?

Nvidia GeForce RTX series

Nvidia GeForce RTX series

Nvidia GeForce RTX series

Dude, just grab the Nvidia! It beats the others in basically every category.👍

Ronald Bishop58 said:Look, the guy laid out exactly what he needs—he’s got a set budget—but instead of actually answering him, you all just try to upsell him on overpriced junk... It's pathetic... 😵🙂

A - they're all garbage.

B - the 6500XT is slightly less garbage and costs basically nothing more.

C - go grab a drink.

Ronald Bishop58 said:Look, man, just go with Nvidia. It’s better across the board, I guess. Every single way you look at it.👍

Give me some suggestions, maybe even a link if you've got one. 👍

So, I swapped out one fan today and threw two more into the case (bringing me up to five total), and man, my Gigabyte RX 6700 XT is finally breathing again. Temps actually dropped from 74 down to 66 while playing Red Dead Redemption 2. I spent a little time messing with the fan curves in the BIOS too, and honestly? It’s smooth sailing now.

Jeffrey Cook82 said:Give me some suggestions—maybe even a link or two if you've got them. 👍

Found this listing on Craigslist for a graphics card—looks like someone’s trying to offload an Nvidia GeForce RTX series. Honestly, it's hard to tell if the price is actually fair without digging through more details, but you know how these local marketplace deals go. It’s always a bit of a gamble whether you're getting a steal or just buying someone else's headache. Might be worth keeping an eye on if I need an upgrade soon, though.

Found this listing on Craigslist for an Nvidia GeForce RTX series card—looks like a decent enough deal if you're hunting for something mid-range. Just thought I'd throw it out there for anyone currently scouring the boards for an upgrade.

Found this listing on Craigslist for an Nvidia GeForce RTX series card—looks like a decent enough deal if you're looking to upgrade. It’s just sitting there waiting for someone to grab it.

Since you can always haggle, you could probably shave off another $20 or $30—maybe even push it to a $50 discount if you play your cards right.

Good luck! 👍

P.S. I'm putting mine up for sale too. Found this listing on Craigslist for an Nvidia GeForce RTX series—looks like a decent enough deal if you're hunting for a budget upgrade. Might be worth keeping an eye on if you're trying to squeeze more frames out of Red Dead Redemption 2 without breaking the bank. Just my two cents.

I know it’s totally out of your budget—but hey, you never really know... 😉

Why bother with a GTX 1650 when you can grab an RX 580 8GB for roughly $333900 bucks, or even a 4GB version for even less? There are much stronger cards out there than the GTX 1650. Honestly, it was a terrible value back when it launched for $150, and seeing it sold used for similar prices now is just a total disaster.

The only reason to pick up a GTX 1650 is if you're stuck with some random OEM desktop that doesn't have any PCIe power connectors.