GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Hey everyone, I was hoping to get some collective wisdom on a dilemma I've been wrestling with lately. When it comes down to it, which side of the fence is actually better—is it more sensible to go with an Nvidia card or stick with AMD? Personally, I’m looking to pick up a new graphics card with a budget of about $600, but honestly, I'm feeling a bit lost and can't quite decide which specific model would be the smartest investment for me right now.

I was actually leaning toward picking up something else entirely. Honestly, I figured with that kind of cash, I could snag something way more powerful. It’s not like I’m hating on my 9800 GT, but I’ve been running it for over five years now and it’s finally starting to kick the bucket.

Robin Hernandez9 said:Hey everyone, I'm trying to figure out if I should go with an Nvidia or an AMD graphics card—which one is actually worth the money right now? I’m looking to pick up something in the $600 range, but I'm just not sure which model to choose.

http://www.bestbuy.com/product_info.php?c...d369fb7996f0e2 For that price point, I'd personally grab this one because the cooling system is top-notch.

Alexander Moore67 said:http://www.newegg.com/product_info.php?c...d369fb7996f0e2 I guess you'd get some pretty decent cooling for that kind of money.

That seems like way too much to pay for an HD 7850...

http://www.newegg.com/product_info.php?c...ducts_id=11970

Personally, I’d probably lean toward the 7870

crimsonstag84 said:That's asking way too much from an HD 7850...

http://www.newegg.com/p/products/id=11970

Even $600 was looking for this, and honestly, this is the best 7850 you can get—besides, the 660 is only about 10 percent better anyway.

So, what’s the actual state of play with graphics cards these days? It feels like a complete jungle out there, honestly.
Can someone please make sense of this for me? I’m looking at these high-end cards being pushed everywhere, yet they're only sporting a measly 128-bit bus.
Meanwhile, I’m still sitting here with my old Nvidia 9800, which actually had a 256-bit bus. How does that even work?div>

Jesse Brown90 said:What’s the deal with graphics cards lately? It’s all just a massive mess. I need
someone to explain this to me. I see these high-end cards out there that only have a 128-bit bus,
yet I’m still sitting here with my old Nvidia 9800 that has a 256-bit bus. How does that even work?

If you used a slightly more coherent analogy than a "massive mess," it might be easier to explain the difference. It’s like looking at a car with a 1.6-liter engine and wondering why your 2.5-liter engine is being outperformed by some small-displacement turbo that leaves you in the dust at the starting line.😂

Jesse Brown90 said:I’m totally lost on how GPUs work these days. It's a complete mess.
Can someone make sense of this? I see these crazy powerful cards that only have a 128-bit bus,
while I'm still rocking my old Nvidia 9800 which was 256-bit. What gives?tersdiv>

Well, the GTX 280 actually has a 512-bit bus, so it's roughly as fast as an HD 7770 despite that being only 128-bit. 😲 😬

So, it seems like raw bit count doesn't carry nearly as much weight as it used to, does it?
I'm starting to wonder if we're seeing GDDR3 memory just making up the difference these days.

They're all just playing games—it’s really only because of some fancy micro-engineering that they can cram more transistors onto a single die. Honestly, the HD 77xx series is bottom-of-the-barrel stuff for anyone actually gaming; if you want real power, you look at cards like the 7970 that sport a 384-bit memory bus. And for heaven's sake, stick to DDR5 on your graphics cards—don't even bother looking at anything with DDR3.

..which one would you suggest before I finally pull the trigger, provided it's
actually an upgrade over the Nvidia 9800 for my rig?

You might be able to find something used... but finding a brand new one for this specific socket is going to be nearly impossible.

Jesse Brown90 said:..what would you suggest that's
better than the Nvidia 9800 for gaming?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/graphics-cards-listing
better for twice the price

Well, damn... $133 , I can't quite wrap my head around
what the actual catch is here. It’s definitely a hard sell when you consider what a kid can actually get for that kind of cash..
To be honest, this Nvidia 9800 handles just about everything I throw at it,
but I’m genuinely skeptical about whether it can even stomach this HD texture pack.
If it actually pulls it off, then I am officially done with all these fancy new graphics cards;
it would be just like back in the day with the 6600, which absolutely crushed the competition for ten straight years...
straight up...

Look, this was a top-tier card just five or six years ago, so it’s definitely still capable of handling some gaming. Honestly? I don't think you'll find much of an upgrade by buying something new at a similar price point. Your best bet is going used... it's just that people are terrified of buying secondhand. They feel like they're buying a pig in a poke. For me, though? I built my entire rig through Craigslist. And let me tell you, I haven't had a single issue. I've had parts shipped to me from all over the States without any drama at all.

Check out the classifieds over on Buggs' forum. You'll find tons of listings there too, and honestly, it feels a bit more reliable than Craigslist...

Jesse Brown90 said:..which one would you suggest that's actually
better than my GT 9800 512??

For $200, you're basically looking at some old 6670 that’s roughly on par with what you've already got.

If you want something that actually packs a punch—something way better for gaming—check this out: http://www.ebay.com/itm/graphics-card-listing-example

Alexander Moore67 said:http://www.ebay.com/itm/graphics-card-listing-example
it's better than two spears

Yeah, right. It usually goes for over $1,500, and he's selling it for $400... sure thing. 🙄

Benjamin King2 said:For $200, you might only find something like a 6670, which I guess would be about as powerful as what you're running now.

If you want something actually more capable, maybe look at this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/graphics-card-listing-example

Or perhaps this one.

fadedorca66 said:Yeah, right. It’s worth over $1,200, yet he’s listing it for $400... I'm sure there's a catch. 🙄

Does it really matter if it's true? We should still verify it.