GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

crimsonstag84 said:That power supply seems a bit risky—it probably isn't even pushing 200W on the 12V rail.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/graphics-card-listing-13383933

Or maybe this one:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/graphics-card-listing-13310837

Is the first one just the card itself? Does that mean it’s missing the thick cable I need for the monitor? >.<

As for the second one, sadly, it's already sold.

@ElonMusk

Thanks for the suggestions!

Ryan Reyes54 said:Thanks for the tip, crimsonstag84. @fadedorca66/">@@fadedorca66, you agree with him, or is it worth giving the 4870 a shot?

I wouldn't if I were you, unless you want to fry something. Maybe just test this NVIDIA GeForce and see how much of a difference it actually makes.

It probably isn't a bad move to grab a power supply now (even a new one), since you can just reuse it when you eventually upgrade your whole rig.

Ryan Reyes54 said:This first one is "bare," does that mean it doesn't have that thick dick I plug into the monitor? >.<
!

What thick dick?

fadedorca66 said:What the hell are you talking about?

To be more clear—do I need to buy anything else to actually use this card? That whole "bare" description kind of threw me for a loop. 😁

Nah, you're probably gonna need a Molex to 6-pin PCI-E adapter eventually if your PSU doesn't already have one. And I'm guessing it doesn't.

Time for a tiny upgrade...
I'm currently running an Intel Core i3
GPU-AMD Radeon HD5450
Motherboard-ASUS M4N68T
RAM-1x4GB DDR3 1333
PSU-Stronger SPSN-060P

So, I want to freshen this thing up a bit. What do you guys suggest? My motherboard can handle a decent amount and the power supply is fine enough... so what kind of GPU should I grab? And what about the CPU? I was thinking of swapping the RAM to maybe 4x2GB DDR3. Alright, your turn...

Look, there's no way that's going to work on a 450 or a 5770. For heaven's sake, that power supply provides 16A on the 12V rail, and those cards can pull well over 150W. 😲 Maybe a 6570 would fly, though I personally wouldn't even think about upgrading anything until the power supply gets swapped out first. Let them put it toward the Hex for $100 and then toss the remaining 300 toward a 450 or a 5770, if they really insist on being $200!

Adam Moore3 said:Wait, there's no way it can handle a 450 or a 5770. I mean, that power supply only puts out 16A on the 12V rail, and those cards can easily pull over 150W. 😲 Maybe a 6570 would work, though personally, I wouldn't dream of upgrading anything until the PSU is swapped out. If money is tight, maybe just grab the Hex for $100 and put the other $300 toward a 450 or a 5770 if you really have to $200!

Both of them pull about 110W, but I guess I'd play it safe and grab the Hex plus one of those GPUs you mentioned.

Zachary Miller14 said:a little upgrade...
So, here is my current setup: an Intel Core i3
GPU: AMD Radeon HD 5450
Motherboard: ASUS M4N68T
RAM: 1x4GB DDR3 1333
PSU: Stronger SPSN-060P

I want to freshen this thing up a bit and I'm looking for recommendations. My motherboard seems to have some decent headroom and the power supply is solid enough... so what should I look at for a GPU, and what about the processor? I'm also thinking about swapping out the RAM for something like 4x2GB DDR3. Alright, let's hear it...

Grab an NVIDIA GeForce GT 730 and maybe pick up another 4GB of RAM
.

crimsonstag84 said:Both pull about 110W, but if I were you, I'd play it safe and grab the Hex plus one of those graphics cards you mentioned.

That 450W unit pulls 100W just sitting idle. CLICK Either way, you DEFINITELY need to upgrade the PSU and get a dedicated GPU; that current power supply is about as reliable as an old industrial unit from the 80s.🙂

Alright, that’s the total system draw. But yeah, 205W plus the CPU puts you right around 300W, which I guess this power supply is going to struggle with.

Hex+ and GTS 450/HD 5770 🙂

Zachary Miller14 said:a little upgrade...
So I've got an Intel Core i3
GPU-AMD Radeon HD 5450
mobo-ASUS M4N68T
RAM-1x4GB DDR3 1333
PSU-Stronger SPSN-060P

I'm looking to freshen this thing up a bit, any suggestions? Looks like my motherboard can handle some more, and the power supply seems fine enough... so what kind of GPU should I grab, and maybe a new CPU? I was thinking about switching to 4x2GB DDR3. Alright, your turn...

What are you even doing on this PC?

Here’s what I’m running right now:

Intel Core i3
2x4GB RAM 2133
SSD 120GB
Some mATX ASUS motherboard
mATX case with a 200W power supply
-no dedicated GPU yet

My rig is super quiet, and honestly, I want to keep it that way.
The Intel graphics built into my processor actually hold their own
and don't pull much power.

I mostly just play World of Tanks on the lowest settings
at 1400x900, and I usually stay above 40 FPS.

Now I really want to crank World of Tanks up to maxed out settings
without letting my FPS dip below 40.

I'm planning to grab a new case with a
solid power supply and pick up a new graphics card too.

The big question is: Intel or GeForce?
I can spend up to $500 on the card.
What should I go with?

It's just a home PC mainly used for browsing,
so I'm also wondering if the power draw will be lower
when I'm not gaming.

Right now, this setup pulls less than 100W an hour.

Go with either the NVIDIA GeForce GT 430 or the Fortron Hyper 500W

If you’re a total power consumption freak, grab a GTX 750 Ti—maybe an MSI Gaming model (around $110-$400)
Otherwise, don't go overboard given you're running an Intel Core i3 or an Intel equivalent; there’s really no point in going higher than $110-$400 or maybe $433

And yeah, when you aren't actually gaming, your power draw stays pretty low during idle

fadedorca66 said:So, what are you even doing on this PC?

The goal for this upgrade? Just enough juice to run World of Tanks smoothly.
Realized I totally forgot to mention why I'm doing this... my bad.

@Zachary Miller14/">@@Zachary Miller14

1 x LC POWER LC-CC-97, socket 775/1155/1156/AMD
1 x MSI R7 260 OC, 1GB GDDR5, VGA, DVI, HDMI
1 x Adata DDR3 4GB 1333MHz Memory

Total: $369 Futura-IT

With this new cooler, you might be able to squeeze a little more overclocking out of your processor. I guess since World of Tanks really thrives on high clock speeds and single-core efficiency, it’s pretty straightforward on an AM3 platform... you just jump into the BIOS, bump the FSB from 200MHz up to 230MHz, leave the CPU Voltage at stock (that grayed-out value, should be around 1.3V), and save your settings.

Bryan Jones20 said:Here’s my current setup:

AMD A10-6700
2x4GB RAM 2133
Samsung evo Basic 120
Some mATX ASUS motherboard
mATX case with a 200W power supply
-I don't have a dedicated graphics card

The PC is incredibly quiet—and I really want to keep it that way.
The integrated AMD graphics on the processor actually do a decent job
and they don't pull much power.

I only play World of Tanks, and even then, just on minimum
settings at 1400x900, where it stays above 40 FPS.

Now, I'm looking to play World of Tanks on max settings—everything cranked up—while keeping my FPS
from dropping below 40.

I'm planning to grab a new case with a
solid power supply, and I'm looking to pick up a new graphics card too.

The big question is: which route should I take? AMD or GeForce?
I'd like to spend no more than $500 on the card.
What would you guys recommend?

It's mostly a home PC used for browsing,
so I was also wondering—if I'm not gaming, will the power consumption
be lower?

Right now, the system pulls less than 100W per hour.

What exactly do you mean by an mATX case? Is it a vertical tower or a horizontal one? If it's the latter, you might need to look for a slim power supply rather than a standard ATX size.

Since he mentioned picking up a new case and power supply, he probably doesn't have a standard tower right now. That 200W unit is likely an SFX power supply.

Right now, this is what I'm rocking:

But honestly, it's two years old and lately my
power supply has been making this weird chirping sound, and my PC keeps freezing up on me.

I'm looking to grab the smallest case possible that can still fit a standard
power supply.

Do you think a GTX 750 will handle World of Tanks on max settings?

I've got $333 set aside for the case and power supply combo, plus about 1500 for a new GPU.

Keep in mind that FPS is heavily dependent on your CPU. Since Intel tends to perform better in this specific game, you might find your frame rates aren't quite hitting the same levels as someone running an i3.

Ah, my bad guys—I was totally out of it today and completely missed that he mentioned wanting a new case too...