GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

If you ask me, I wouldn't pick up a card like this if your actual goal is gaming. Honestly, if you just need a dedicated GPU to get an image on your monitor—nothing more—you should probably just grab the cheapest PCIe card you can find.

Honestly, any graphics card under the $500 mark $200 is basically just buying a generic, no-name
brand.
If you're just using it for display purposes—meaning you aren't actually gaming—you might as well grab the cheapest option out there, like this one.

I suppose it should still be capable of running some lighter titles, shouldn't it?

Where might I go to check on its current availability?
https://www.amazon.com/item-details

Like, what? Flash games? You could actually run stuff like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas if you drop the settings down to LOW—it really depends on your monitor's resolution, though. Basically, you’d be looking at running games from maybe ten years ago...

Then he’s looking at used gear, and honestly, up to $133 there isn't anything worth a serious look.

For instance,

http://www.craigslist.org/listing/graphics-cards-example-14824099

Honestly, that GTX 460 is actually a bit more powerful than some of the newer cards out there for $133, so if you ask me—I’m putting my vote on that one.

The issue here is that he isn't interested in anything used. He actually bought the computer by walking straight into a big-box retailer—something like a Best Buy or a Walmart—and just pointing at a display model and asking for it right then and there.
It’s not exactly an ancient machine, though; I believe the processor is some kind of Pentium 2020m and it’s running with 4 GB of RAM. His old graphics card, which I think was a 5450 or something along those lines, finally gave up the ghost, and that’s what he was using to play things like Half-Life 2. So, at this point, he's really looking for $133 to get something slightly more capable than what he had before.

From Miami, and it actually pulls less power than a GTX 460

Could you let me know exactly which power supply is being used?

The integrated graphics on that Pentium are actually a bit beefier than an HD 5450, I guess. 😬

Exactly. The issue is that every single one of these new graphics cards up to $133 is an absolute disaster—they aren't even remotely as powerful as that
As for $133, it’s a complete joke compared to the performance of the old HD7770.

crimsonstag84 said:The integrated graphics on that Intel chip might actually be slightly more capable than the HD 5450 😬

😁

Timothy Kim60 said:Yeah. I suppose the issue is that all these newer cards up to $133 are just an absolute disaster, and they don't really offer much more than that
Anything up to $133 seems to be many times weaker than the old HD7770

I think I'll head over to his place tomorrow morning, so I should be able to get a clear look at which power supply he's using.

We could also go this route: a complete split. You get the GPU, plus the power supply if yours is acting up, all for up to $133
.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/graphics-card-listing
http://www.craigslist.org/listing/computer-case

To be honest, the graphics card alone is more powerful than almost anything new on the market up to $133 😬
.

Power Supply Unit

http://www.newegg.com/Power-Supply-Units/XFX-XFX-Power-Supply-Unit/p/N1E2

He really does want to pick up a new graphics card from the store. I guess he just can't help himself.

Jamie Price said:He’s dead set on buying a new card from Best Buy. Whatever.

Fine, let him grab that NVIDIA 210 they recommended above. It's total garbage, but whatever...

It's barely an upgrade over the integrated graphics he's already running.

Well, if that's the case, maybe they just shouldn't buy a new graphics card at all. They could just stick with the integrated graphics on their Pentium processor; I've mentioned before that it's actually more powerful than an HD 5450 and isn't much weaker than any dedicated card under $400.$150

Replying to crimsonstag84, buying a new GPU is pretty much pointless if it ends up being weaker than an integrated chip. I guess he could just install the integrated drivers and maybe play some older games that way.

I need some advice,
my current setup is:
Phenom II X4 965 @ 3.40GHz
8GB of RAM,
Fortron 550W PSU,
and this unfortunate old HD4870 that can't run anything because it lacks DX11 support.
I was torn between the Sapphire R7 265 Dual-X 2GB and the R9 270 Dual-X 2GB since they’re priced similarly, but now I'm reading on Bugsplat that both cards are incredibly loud. They're actually suggesting the Sapphire R7 260X 2GB OC as the better value buy.
What should my move be?
Thanks

Gregory Hayes87 said:help me out,
I've got:
phenom II X4 965 3.40GHz
8gb RAM,
Fortress 550w,
and this miserable old HD4870 (can't play anything since it lacks DX11 support),
I was torn between the Sapphire R7 265 Dual-X 2GB and the R9 270 Dual-X 2GB (they're priced similarly), but now I'm reading some bug reports saying both cards are loud as hell, and people are recommending the Sapphire R7 260X 2GB OC as the better value.
What should I do?
thanks

They aren't actually that loud. If you're worried, just grab an ASUS or Gigabyte model.

Yeah, there's no way it’ll be louder than your old 4870, and honestly, trading away that much performance just for MAYBE a bit of extra noise doesn't make any sense.