GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

First off, thanks to everyone for taking the time to explain what I actually need and why 👍

After wasting enough time on Google and doing some basic self-study, I finally started digging through Craigslist. Even though I could have found anything anywhere, I stuck to Washington, D.C.—mostly because buying locally is easier and I can at least try to run some amateur tests on these used cards before handing over the cash 🤷

So, my shortlist boiled down to four options:

AMD HD 6570 (or the version with more memory)

AMD HD 4670 (could also go for one with more memory)

NVIDIA GTX 440

And lastly, the most expensive option—though if it turns out to be significantly better than the others, I might stretch my budget a bit...
AMD HD 6670

All of these should run fine even on my pathetic power supply, so really, it just comes down to performance

I know I’m probably being a nuisance by now, but if anyone feels like weighing in—since you guys clearly know your stuff—I'd appreciate a verdict

The GTX 440 is actually a decent deal, but everything else is just a disaster. I wouldn't touch any of those other options if I were you. If this hasn't sold yet, maybe grab it:

http://www.craigslist.org/vi/graphics-cards/11759807

Anthony Jackson2 - honestly, it’s not worth your money (unless you're grabbing a GTX 440 for $67), because they just roll out new click models constantly—brand new, straight from the store, with a full 2-year warranty.
Just keep in mind that a GT 630 is basically the same as a GTX 440 or an AMD HD6570

You can compare their performance here (assuming they have them listed). If you don't see what you need, just ask and someone will probably give you an estimate from memory

Starting from NVIDIA's 4X series, or the HD5xxx series from AMD, you get DX11 support, which is a nice perk (though not a dealbreaker if you find a great bargain on older tech). Plus, power consumption in this low-to-mid range tier is steadily dropping

EDIT

By the way, when it comes to these types of cards, the amount of memory (512MB vs 1GB vs 2GB) absolutely doesn't matter

So, am I actually going to feel any difference between a 128-bit and a 64-bit bus?

I was hunting for the 128-bit version—figured more bandwidth would be an advantage—though I know memory capacity itself doesn't really matter here.

So, what kind of game are you actually planning to run on this thing?

Yeah, 128-bit is better since you get more bandwidth. Also, if you're picking between DDR3 and DDR5, I'd say just go with DDR5, even if the capacity is a bit lower.

Timothy Kim60 said:Should I go with a gtx 560Ti or just a 560?

https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...host+gtx+560Ti

You interested in my used EVGA GeForce GTX 650? It's about 10 months old and I never pushed it past 98 degrees.

EDIT:

Since I managed to save up a little extra cash, and since I think I can snag a card in the $170-$$667 range, I'd love some suggestions on what to look for.

There isn't much worth noting from $667, really. The R9 280 x is the only interesting bit, though I guess you could probably just overclock this 280 model to get there.

And how much of a jump am I actually looking at compared to just a standard EVGA GeForce GTX 650?

The R9 280 is about three times faster, I guess.

Thanks man. So it’s actually worth it. Awesome. 🙂

fadedorca66 said:What kind of games are you actually planning to run on this rig?

128-bit is better—higher bandwidth. Also, if you're choosing between DDR3 and DDR5, go with the DDR5, even if it means less memory overall.

Let's be real—it's not like I can run anything major on an ancient dual-core Pentium, and I'm hardly a hardcore gamer anyway. But if given the choice, I'd take the 128-bit option.

If I were certain my power supply could handle it, I'd grab that gts 250 The New Guy mentioned immediately—but right now, I'm not sure.

And yeah, I didn't mention having a spare PSU—it's probably junk just like this one, but since we're talking, the model is SZ-400WP4. Maybe I should just sell both and buy one decent unit? 😁

Since my second EVGA Radeon HD4850 w/Zalman 512 DDR3 just died from the exact same hardware failure within a few months, I need to hunt down a replacement card:

Power Supply - Chieftec 550W EPS ATX 2.0
CPU - Intel E8400 duo 3.00 GHz
RAM - DDR2 PC6400 (800 MHz) 2x2 GB
Monitor - Dell SyncMaster 730 BF 17-inch 4ms TFT LCD

Basically, if we ignore recent titles like the latest Call of Duty or whatever—which I haven't even bothered trying—everything else has run fine. Now, I'm wondering what kind of card I should grab just to limp through the next year or two before I finally upgrade to a whole new rig? My budget is sitting at 🤷—I'd be happiest staying under $167 unless there's some massive "bang for your buck" option that somehow magically makes my monitor and everything else perform better 😁

Hey, I might be able to sell you my GTX650 if you're looking for one.

Anthony Jackson2 said:Let's be real, it's not like I can run anything heavy on this ancient dual-core Pentium, and I'm not exactly a hardcore gamer. But if I have the choice, I'd definitely prefer a 128-bit card.

If I were certain my power supply could actually handle it, I'd grab that gts 250 The New Guy mentioned right away, but I just don't know.

And yeah, I didn't mention having a spare PSU, but since we're talking about it, mine is probably junk just like this one—it's an SZ-400WP4. Maybe I should just sell both and buy one decent unit? 😁

The SZ-400WP4 puts out 15A on the 12V rail, so at best, you're looking at a 250W power supply.😬

It’ll be tough to keep a gts 250 running; those things pull about 120W.

Take this one, though—it's a really solid deal, and I bet people will jump on it immediately:

http://www.craigslist.com/video-cards-listing-12301841

Jeremy Brooks87 said:Since my other EVGA Radeon HD4850 w/Zalman 512 DDR3 died from the exact same issue just a few months later, I need to find a replacement card:

Power Supply - Chieftec 550W EPS ATX 2.0
Processor - Intel E8400 duo 3.00
Memory - DDR2 PC6400 (800 MHz) 2x2 GB
Monitor - Dell SyncMaster 730 BF 17-inch 4ms TFT LCD

Basically, if we ignore recent titles like the latest COD or whatever—which I haven't even tried—everything else worked fine. Now I'm wondering which card I should pick up to tide me over for a year or two until I build a new rig? My budget is roughly 🤷—I'd be happiest staying under $167, unless there's something "worth it" that's a bit pricier and somehow magically upgrades my monitor and everything else too.😁

That GTX650 for $150 would probably be a perfect fit if you can find a coworker selling one.

It's actually a solid card. 🙂 Personally, I’ve never felt the need to drop crazy money on high-end GPUs. I tend to be pretty careful with my graphics cards, and mine have never even topped 37°C. Anyway, you can grab the new one for about $110 at Best Buy. It's a pretty decent piece of hardware.

Anthony Jackson2 said:And for the record, I didn't say I have a spare power supply—it's probably junk just like this one—but since we're talking, the model is a Dell OptiPlex. Maybe I should just sell both and put the money toward a decent unit? 😁

So, what's actually inside your rig right now? You just need to pop off the side panel to check. Who knows, you might actually be sitting on something decent; if there's an old Seasonic or EVGA unit in there, you're golden.

I forgot to mention that my motherboard is an ASUS P5B. How do you think an HD 6870 would handle itself on that setup?

I guess I should probably overclock the processor to something like 3.8GHz just so the GPU isn't being held back.

Timothy Kim60 said:What kind of PSU are you running right now? Just pop the side panel off—easy enough. Who knows, if there’s an old Seasonic or EVGA unit in there, you might actually be in good shape.

Here's the photo—judge for yourself. I don't see a clear brand name, so it's likely just some generic junk.

Now that I'm looking closer, the max output says 375W, while the specs for this Dell OptiPlex say 400W.

Found out the previous owner had an X800 GTO in here, if that matters to anyone.

Honestly, I'm leaning toward grabbing a more efficient Core 2 Duo and that GTS 250 instead of chasing newer, pricier cards that might actually perform worse. Better CPU and a better GPU for basically the same price...🤷

Anthony Jackson2 said:Here is the picture so you can judge for yourself. There isn't any branding listed, which usually means it's just some off-brand unit.

Now that I'm looking closer, I noticed the max output is only 375W, whereas the Dell OptiPlex P4 model specifies 400W.

I also found out the previous owner had an x800 GTO inside, if that helps anyone.

Honestly, I'm leaning more toward grabbing a low-power Core 2 Duo and that GTS 250 instead of hunting for newer, pricier cards that might actually perform worse. Getting a better CPU and a better GPU for basically the same price is a win.🤷

Whatever it is, it won't cut it even with a low-wattage CPU and the GTS 250. You really have to check those tiny power consumption specs—what matters most is how much current it puts out on the +12V rail. That old x800 GTO pulled less than 50W. If you're shopping around New York City, this is a killer deal, provided this
is still available.