GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Well... the GTX 970 is probably still the best value if you can snag one for around $270-$933. The R9 290 is quite a step up from the R9 280 x, so in the US, I guess it definitely justifies the price gap for $800 (it used to be worth it at $270-$933 before the GTX 970 showed up).
That said, prices for the R9 280 x and the R9 280 should probably drop further now that AMD slashed their rates, but since we're in America 😬 ...who knows if we'll actually see that happen. For instance, most FX processors dropped by about $10-$20 a few weeks ago (which is roughly $80-$50 here), yet prices haven't budged an inch (at least not yet).

I must confess, I haven't bothered to check the updated price tags at our local retailers just yet, mainly because until very recently, the price gap was simply too massive to justify any interest. You see, since some of my close relatives live over in Germany, I can easily bypass those annoying thirty-dollar shipping fees, which makes picking up a card there significantly more palatable for my wallet. I had gone into this under the misguided impression that the R9 290 would actually outperform the GTX 970, but it appears I was quite mistaken in my calculations. I also spent some time weighing the option that Geofutko suggested—scouring eBay for a deal. Just a month ago, an R9 280 x represented the absolute peak of what my budget could possibly handle, but now, with these sudden price drops, I find my ambitions have grown far beyond my previous limits.

I've got an old Abit motherboard—KN8 model, Socket 939. I'm wondering what kind of decent graphics card I can pick up for this rig—ideally with 512 MB of VRAM (or maybe even 1 GB if possible)?

What CPU and PSU are we talking about here?

Even if you drop in the absolute best processor that fits that socket, you're still probably looking at a max of an HD 6670 GDDR5 or something similar.

crimsonstag84 said:What CPU and PSU are we talking about here?

Even if you're running the absolute top-tier processor for that socket—it won't matter—you're looking at a maximum of an HD 6670 GDDR5 or something similar.

Alright, here’s the deal:

Motherboard: Abit KN 8
RAM: 2.75 GB DDR1 (2x1GB, 1x512MB, 1x256 MB)
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3800+, 2.4 GHz
GPU: Nvidia GeForce 7600 GS (256 MB memory)
PSU: MS 400W power supply

So, I want to know: what's the most powerful graphics card this setup can actually handle? Would the previously mentioned HD 6670 GDDR5 be compatible?

Honestly, it’s probably not worth putting any money into that junk pile; everything is just too weak and outdated.

Your CPU would likely bottleneck pretty much any decent graphics card you try to throw in there.

crimsonstag84 said:Unfortunately, there is zero point in sinking any money into that junk—everything is far too weak and outdated.

Your processor would bottleneck any decent graphics card you try to throw at it—period.

Look—if you want to upgrade this absolute junker—something actually decent that won't choke out a better GPU down the road—you need to look at what's available. I see plenty of used CPUs on eBay that might actually do the job.

There isn't really anything significantly better for that socket. You might find some weak dual-core chips that could technically outperform a Celeron G1820 for $80. Of course, that would require grabbing 1x4GB DDR3, a motherboard, and probably an HDD, which puts you at about $333. Even then, you still wouldn't have a decent machine for gaming 😬

Forget about it, you aren't really going to get anywhere with an upgrade.

fadedorca66 said:Forget about it—you aren't going to achieve anything by upgrading.

What would happen if I bumped the RAM up to 4GB and slapped in a GPU with 1GB of DDR2, 3, or 5 memory (doesn't matter which)? Would the PC just give up because the motherboard is too weak, or would it still run—albeit marginally better?

It might provide a minor boost, but you're still looking at a bad deal because that single-core CPU is a massive bottleneck—honestly, it’s barely enough for basic web browsing these days. It just isn't worth the money; you're better off ditching that ancient platform altogether.

EDIT

Grab something like this instead:



You'll get integrated graphics along with a much more powerful CPU all in one package. Games will run significantly smoother than they do on your current setup, and if you want more power later, you can always slap in a dedicated graphics card down the road.
As for a hard drive, if it's SATA you don't necessarily need to buy one, but if your current drive is as old as the rest of this rig—I'm guessing it's some tiny 80 or 160GB unit that's painfully slow—then it's a different story.

electricmarlin18 said:What would happen if I upgraded to 4GB of RAM and threw in a GPU with 1GB of DDR2, 3, or 5 (doesn't matter)? Would the PC just die from overloading a weak motherboard, or would it still run, maybe just slightly better?

Everything would work, but you'd barely notice a difference because that single-core CPU is such a bottleneck. I guess you could hunt down a dual-core, but honestly, it’s probably not worth the hassle since even the fastest old dual-cores are way slower than modern ones. You'd basically be throwing money at ancient junk when you could grab some actual decent parts for that kind of cash.

Alright, so here's the deal. My current card doesn't even support DirectX 11, and honestly, I'm dying to play some newer titles, so I'm looking to pick up something new. I'm trying to keep the budget around $500.
Here's what I'm running right now:
Intel Core 2 duo E8400 3.0 GHz Gigabyte EP35-DS3R 2
Gigabyte EP35-DS3R
2x Kingmax 2GB DDR2 400 MHz
Radeon HD 4850 512 MB Chieftec Smart 550 W
Chieftec Smart 550W

I was thinking about maybe grabbing a Radeon R9 280 or an R9 270. There's about a $100 difference between them—is the R9 280 actually worth the extra cash? Or is there some Nvidia card out there that performs better for roughly the same price? Also, will my current power supply actually handle a Radeon card? And man, be honest... is it even worth putting a beefier GPU in this rig, or should I just bite the bullet and swap out the CPU and motherboard too?
I'm a total newbie when it comes to this stuff, so I would really appreciate any help you guys can give me!

Both the R9 270 and the R9 280 offer great value at that price point, and frankly, Nvidia doesn't have anything competing in that specific bracket. However, I have to be honest: those cards would be complete overkill for your current setup. Your CPU simply won't be able to keep up with them, even in moderately demanding titles. On the bright side, your power supply is decent enough. If you intend to stick with that processor, I'd suggest looking at an R7 260 x or maybe a GTX 750—in my opinion, the latter is the sweet spot (around $267 +). Also, this is an absolute steal for the money
.

redmason12 said:It's basically this: my current card doesn't support DirectX 11, and since I want to play some newer titles, I'm looking to pick up a new one with a budget around $500.
My build is:
Intel Core 2 duo E8400 3.0 GHz Gigabyte EP35-DS3R 2
Gigabyte EP35-DS3R
2x Kingmax 2GB DDR2 400 MHz
Radeon hd 4850 512 mb Chieftec Smart 550 w
Chieftec Smart 550 w

I was considering maybe grabbing a Radeon R9 280 or an R9 270. There's about a $100 difference in price, so would the R9 280 be worth the extra money? Or perhaps an NVIDIA card is better for a similar price point? Will my current power supply handle a Radeon card? Also, does it even make sense to put a better GPU in this setup, or should I just swap out the CPU and motherboard instead?
Since I am a complete novice with this stuff, I would appreciate any help.

Your specs are decent enough. If I were in your shoes, I'd grab an R7 260 x and overclock the processor slightly; everything should work fine then. That R9 series is definitely overkill for your rig. As someone else mentioned, the CPU simply won't keep up, so you'd essentially be throwing money away.

If you aren't interested in buying new, look for a used gtx 460, or maybe a 560ti, 5870, 7850, 7770, or 7790. Grab a Q6600 or some other quad-core from the LGA 775 era and you'll see a massive improvement.

You should be able to run those DirectX 11 games on the 4850 using DX10 mode, at least.

Oh, I forgot to mention—hold onto that Gigabyte P35.🙂 It is a legendary motherboard.

Timothy Kim60 said:Both the R9 270 and R9 280 are available at that price point, and NVIDIA doesn't really have anything competing in that specific bracket. Unfortunately, though, both would be total overkill for your current setup; your CPU just won't be able to keep up with them in any demanding titles. Your power supply seems decent enough, though. If you're planning to stick with that processor, I’d suggest looking at an R7 260 x or maybe a gtx 750 at most (around $267 +). And this is a fantastic deal for the money
.

Honestly, he should probably consider picking up a G3258 like I did

mellowtiger83 said:Your configuration is actually quite solid. If I were in your shoes, I’d grab an R7 260 x, overclock the CPU a little bit, and everything should run fine. That R9 series is definitely too much for your rig—as someone else mentioned, your CPU can't keep pace, so you'd essentially be throwing money away.

If you aren't set on buying new, you might want to look for a used gtx 560ti, 5870, 7850, 7770, or 7790. Pair one of those with a Q6600 or some other quad-core from the LGA 775 era, and you'll see a massive improvement.

You should be able to run most DX11 games in DX10 mode using that 4850, at least.

Oh, I forgot to mention—hold onto that Gigabyte P35🙂; it's a legendary motherboard.

He isn't going to gain much from overclocking; even where it matters most, he might only see a marginal increase in FPS... if he's lucky.

He even has this option if he just wants to mess around:

LGA771 to LGA775 for dummies
Putting LGA771 Xeons on an LGA775 platform

From what I can see, people are actually pretty happy with these types of setups.

Regarding those 775 quad-core builds—you’d see a significant jump in frame rates in games where those two extra cores really shine.For example,—just look at the difference in FPS; even on a standard gtx 460, the performance gap is massive.

Timothy Kim60 said:There's even this option if he feels like messing around:

LGA771 to LGA775 for dummies
Running LGA771 Xeons on LGA775

From what I can tell, people seem pretty satisfied with those specific setups.

Regarding the 775 quad-cores—you'd see a nice bump in frame rates in games where those two extra cores actually matter.For instance,--thegap in FPS wouldn't be massive, but when paired with a standard gtx 460, it makes a noticeable difference.

Personally, I wouldn't bother messing around with those Xeons...

And since this is multiplayer, that explains why the discrepancy is so significant.

Thanks everyone for all the advice and the hand you gave me! If this is how things stand, I guess I'll just grab the R7 260 x. Honestly, I only really need the rig for gaming every once in a while, so I don't see the point in dropping a ton on a brand-new CPU and GPU right now... plus, I'm really not into buying used stuff. And man, I know absolutely nothing about overclocking, so I definitely don't want to mess around with that kind of stuff either.

@mellowtiger83/">@@mellowtiger83 glad to hear the motherboard is at least decent 😁

Thanks again for everything, seriously!

Hey everyone! I need some solid advice here. Any ideas?
This is the motherboard I've got— Gigabyte P55A-UD3. Anyone else playing around with this board lately? Just looking at it again. It’s an interesting piece of hardware. Makes you wonder how much mileage is left in these older chipsets. Still holds up, I guess. What do you think?

As for the rest of the setup, I've got 2X2GB Gskill Ripjaws memory and a 1TB Samsung drive. For power, there's an Arctic Cooling R550 PSU—it's a 550W unit. The CPU is an Intel Core i5-750 running at 3281 MHz. That about covers it.

I'm looking for a graphics card that hits that sweet spot between price and performance. It’s not like I have crazy high-end demands or anything, but since I'm spending the money anyway, I really want something decent. I just want to be able to pick up a game and actually play it.
Up until now, I've been running an XFX Radeon 4870.

Looking for some recommendations? I'm open to both brand new cards and used ones. What do you think?
Thanks in advance.

Money - cash flow. $400 Maybe a little higher? Or honestly, maybe even lower would be better.

Just an update—the monitor I'm using is a Fujitsu 23 P23T-6. It’s running at 1920x1080 resolution.