GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Benjamin King2 said:Hwcompare is a complete waste of time. It doesn't provide any actual data that could even serve as a basic benchmark.

I checked it out too. Absolutely useless site. The only thing worth looking at is the max TDP rating for the cards...

I am back at it again 🙂

Specifically, namely a colleague of mine just picked up a Sapphire Radeon HD 7770, identical to the one I currently own. It’s only three months old, and he is looking to offload it for $267 ☕
.
My question is this: is it actually worth dropping that kind of cash on a graphics card, especially if the intention is to link it via ATI Crossfire so that two cards run simultaneously on a single motherboard?

Is it really wise to sink such a substantial amount of money into these kinds of experiments, particularly when the overheating issues associated with them are so widely documented? 😕

Brian Campbell36 said:Well, looks like I'm back in the game. 🙂

A buddy of mine just picked up a Sapphire HD 7770, pretty much the same one I have. It’s only three months old, and he's looking to offload it for $267 ☕
.
My question is: is that card actually worth the cash? He wants to run it in ATI CrossFire on a single motherboard.

Is it even worth dropping decent money on experiments like that? We all know the overheating issues can be a nightmare. 😕

Personally, I’m not a fan of SLI or CrossFire. In some games, you barely see any benefit—maybe an extra 10-15 fps, which is underwhelming. For me, it’s better to just drop a hundred bucks on a single, better card and call it a day. That's just my take.

urbanowl5 said:I picked up a new card for Christmas, an MSI GTX 660 TwinFrozr III. From what I've read, everyone seems to think the HD 7870 is the $667 better value. I did some digging on Anandtech and it looks like there isn't much of a gap; it seems like the 660 wins in certain games while the 7870 takes others.

I wouldn't mind selling this one to grab a 7870 since that’s what everyone recommends, but I'm wondering if it's actually worth the hassle if they perform basically the same. Any advice? Thanks.

gtx660 vs 7850
gtx660ti vs 7870
The 660 shouldn't even be compared to the 7870, and I can prove it if necessary.

Brian Campbell36 said:Well, looks like I'm back in the game too. 🙂

So, a buddy of mine just picked up a Sapphire HD 7770—pretty much the same one I'm running—that's only about three months old, and he's looking to offload it for $267 ☕
.
My big question is... is it actually worth dropping that kind of cash on a card like this? (He’s planning to hook it up via ATI Crossfire so they both run on a single motherboard)

Is it really smart to sink a decent chunk of change into these kinds of experiments? I mean, we all know the reputation for overheating issues, right? 😕

Just borrow it and see if it actually works.

Alexander Moore67 said:gtx660 vs 7850
gtx660ti vs 7870
The 660 isn't even in the same league as the 7870, and if you need proof, I've got plenty.

Oh yeah? Prove it then.

EDIT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaXVrCFvL94 Watch the video starting at the 5-minute mark...
EDIT 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvOY6ObSWXY

Hey guys, haven't really touched PC gaming in ages, but I've just started putting together a rig for music production. To kill some time, I want to hunt down the best used GPU I can find for under $400— $167 enough to actually run modern titles?
Here’s what I’m running:

PSU: Inter-Tech SL-500 500W
Motherboard: Asus P8H67-M Pro
CPU: Intel Core I5 2400 quad Core 3.1/3.4 GHz
RAM: 2x Kingmax 4GB DDR3 1333 MHz (8GB)

I'm planning on grabbing a small SSD soon, but the GPU is my first priority.
From what I've gathered, the best bet is an XFX AMD Radeon HD 7750 with 1GB DDR5, or am I totally off base here?
p.s. Any tips on a decent used power supply that won't choke this setup? Looking for something cheap but reliable.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/548?vs=660
This link shows the comparison using the old ATI driver.
http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Graphic.../Battlefield-3
And this one uses the new ATI driver.
The 7870 actually handles overclocking better than NVIDIA does, and like I mentioned before,
the 7850 and the GTX 660 end up landing somewhere in the middle once they're fully overclocked.

Alexander Moore67 said:http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/548?vs=660
This comparison uses the old ATI driver.
http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Graphic.../Battlefield-3
And this one features the new ATI driver.
The 7870 handles overclocking better than Nvidia, and like I said,
the 7850 and GTX 660 end up in the same ballpark once they're maxed out.

I'm still sticking by those videos.🙂

The cheapest 7870 you can find locally is $567, which comes with a 36-month warranty, though the MSI TF4 version is probably the best bet for cooling at around $2,000.
The cheapest 660 is $550, while the top-tier one sits at $2,000. If they’re priced similarly, the 7870 outperforms it in games by about 5-10% and handles overclocking better—honestly, I don't know what else to tell you.

Quote : Brian Campbell36

Alexander Moore67 said:The cheapest 7850 around here is... $567 A 36-month warranty, plus that MSI TwinFrozr III cooling is top-tier... all for about $2,000.
The cheapest GTX 660 out there? $550 The 2000 is easily the superior choice. If they're sitting in the same price bracket, the 7870 outperforms it in games by about 5-10% and handles overclocking much better. Honestly, I don't even know what else to say.

The GTX 660 Ti is being compared to the 7950. And that link you sent? It shows the exact same cards again—the gtx 660 and the 7870.

There's an old saying that the wise man yields, and since I've hit 51, I suppose I'm done trying to win every argument. NVIDIA certainly knows how to sell their hype, but with its price point and the 12.11 Catalyst update, the 7870 is absolutely crushing the GTX 660.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/A...rmance/23.html

shadowhawk91 said:Hey everyone, I haven't played games on a PC in ages, so I recently started putting together a rig for music production. To kill some time, I want to grab the best used graphics card I can find for under 400 bucks— $167 something that can actually handle modern titles?
Here’s my setup:

PSU: Inter-Tech SL-500 500W
Motherboard: Asus P8H67-M Pro
CPU: Intel Core I5 2400 (quad Core 3.1/3.4 GHz)
RAM: 2x Kingmax 4GB DDR3 1333 MHz (8GB)

I'm planning on picking up a small SSD soon, but the GPU is the priority right now.
If I've got this right, the best bet is an XFX AMD Radeon HD 7750 with 1GB DDR5, or am I totally off base?
P.S. Any advice on a budget-friendly used power supply that won't choke this build?

GPU: Ati 7770 oc edition 🙂 adds $367 , top-tier card, great cooling, and incredibly low power draw. As for the PSU, honestly, looking at what's out there, you won't find much quality unless you hunt hard. Most stuff looks like junk, so if you can, just grab a decent unit from a local big-box retailer. http://www.amazon.com/s?k=xfx+450 That should be more than enough for you.
EDIT: Here's a link for the GPU too http://www.amazon.com/s?k=7770+oc

urbanowl5 said:The GPU: Ati 7770 oc edition 🙂 is $367 , a top-tier card with great cooling and really low power draw. As for the power supply, I usually just go by gut feeling, and honestly, you won't find much high quality out there; most stuff is just basic junk from a local corner store. If you can, I'd recommend picking up a power supply from a reputable retailer. http://www.amazon.com/s?k=xfx+450 That should be more than enough for you.
EDIT: Here is a link for the graphics card too http://www.amazon.com/s?k=7770+oc

If you're looking for a card in the $400 range, $167 then sticking to that segment is my advice.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/graphics-card-listing

Thanks for the help, guys. I actually bookmarked this XFX HD 7750 before you all even jumped in, so I’m pretty much set on grabbing it. Seriously, thanks a ton for the assist!

Alexander Moore67 said:There's an old saying that the wise man yields. Since I'm 51 now, I guess I’m done trying to win every argument. NVIDIA has killer marketing, but at its current price point, the 7870 absolutely crushes the GTX 660, especially with Catalyst 12.11.
Check out this review over at TechPowerUp. It breaks down how that card actually holds up under pressure.

And who was even talking about overclocking the GPU?

Not everyone buys a GPU just to overclock it. Some people just want a card that actually works—something that provides a smooth gaming experience and stays stable, both in terms of the hardware and the drivers.

Nvidia fans are just talking nonsense if you ask me. I’ve cycled through five or six Nvidia cards over the years and never dealt with a single driver headache. With AMD, sure, the performance might be better, but those drivers absolutely sucked the life out of me. 😳

I've been running a 6850 for a year now, and honestly, I haven't run into a single issue with the drivers while gaming. No stuttering, no screen tearing, nothing like that. I just stick to the same drivers I've used since the day I bought the card.
So, what kind of specific problems are we talking about with those ATI drivers?🤷

Benjamin King2 said:Borrow it, then put it through its paces.

I understand where he's coming from, but isn't he essentially just asking for... $267 Is this actually a worthwhile investment, or just throwing money down the drain? I find myself questioning the sheer logic of upgrading to that specific graphics card. Can anyone honestly tell me if I’m going to see a meaningful jump in FPS, or am I simply chasing a ghost?

Update: I am putting my graphics card up for sale. $283 Is it even possible to secure this much, and would it be worth throwing in additional funds to acquire the XFX AMD Radeon HD 7850 Black edition, featuring 2GB of DDR5 and equipped with DualDVI, HDMI, and 2x miniDP ports?

Is it truly worth making this purchase, or am I simply throwing money away when superior options exist within this price bracket? I find myself weighing the value proposition quite heavily; does the performance justify the cost, or should I be looking elsewhere for something with better bang for my buck?

Andrew Fox74 said:I've been running an HD 6850 for a year now and haven't run into a single driver issue. No stuttering, no screen tearing, nothing. I just stick to the same drivers that were current when I first bought the card.
What exactly is the deal with those AMD drivers? What problems are we even talking about?🤷

I was dealing with image tearing, freezing, Blue Screens, and all kinds of other garbage—and that was even with a brand new graphics card, just so we're clear.

Brian Campbell36 said:I get it, but he's asking for... $267 Whether it’s a good deal or not, I don't know if dumping cash into that card is actually smart. Am I even going to see a real jump in FPS?

Selling my GPU. $283 Can I get this much, plus some extra cash for an XFX AMD RADEON hd 7850 Black edition with 2GB DDR5, DualDVI, HDMI, and 2x miniDP?

I might just pull the trigger on this. Is it actually worth the cash, or am I better off looking for something else in this price range?

$283 Forget about getting that money. There's no way you're pulling that off. That card is priced like it's brand new, and nobody's paying retail prices for used gear. Good luck if you actually think you'll find a buyer. $200

Robert Rodriguez2 said:$283 You aren't going to get it; there isn't a prayer in hell. A new card costs that much, and you certainly aren't selling yours used for that kind of money. Good luck if you actually manage to pull that off. $200

So, this guy is trying to sell a three-month-old unit for $267 (exactly like my HD 7770)? 🤷

My priority is simply getting this thing sold. Does anyone have any leads on anything priced under $1500-$600 (the best buy) links?