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GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Started by Eric Nguyen · · 👁 42 views · 1.5K replies

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Participants Eric NguyenAlex Barnes93fadedorca66Jack Lewis36Joseph Young57Alexander Moore67Kyle Jones83Sarah Turner98Joshua Garcia3crimsonstag84Rebecca ParkerRobin Hernandez9Amy Vaughn12Jesse Brown90brightviper13Benjamin King2Larry Ortiz5Terry Scott65shadowjackal16Ryan Gonzalez4Robert Rodriguez2Jeffrey Petersonswiftowl5Megan Brown6 …
Benjamin King2 Benjamin King2 Active Member
138 messages
joined Apr 2007
#381 ·
ironhawk3 said:You’re gonna need a card with at least 3GB of VRAM—so we're looking at either a 7970 (the GHz edition) or some kind of 670/680 with 4GB that you'll have to order from Newegg, since they aren't really stocked locally here.

Look, honestly, the amount of VRAM barely moves the needle when it comes to actual gaming performance—unless you're running a triple-monitor setup, in which case you might actually need more than 2 GB. But even then, your GPU is going to be the massive bottleneck long before the memory ever becomes an issue. Just do me a favor and actually look at these reviews:

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/gra...x-670-4gb.html

http://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/art...4GB-Memory-154
ironhawk3 ironhawk3 Newcomer
1 message
joined Apr 2011
#382 ·
Benjamin King2 said:The amount of VRAM you have doesn't really make much of a difference when it comes to actual gaming performance, and honestly, having more than 2 GB is mostly useful if you're running a triple-monitor setup. But even then, your GPU is going to be the bottleneck long before the memory becomes an issue. You might want to check out some of these reviews to see how it plays out:

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/gra...x-670-4gb.html

http://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/art...4GB-Memory-154


I hear what you're saying, but I personally spend a lot of time using mods with massive texture packs—sometimes I even enjoy making them myself as a hobby—and from what most people I know tell me, those specific scenarios definitely push VRAM usage past that 2 GB mark... And besides, isn't it worth looking a little further down the road, since high-resolution textures are pretty much becoming the industry standard for all future games anyway...
ironhawk3 ironhawk3 Newcomer
1 message
joined Apr 2011
#383 ·
Robert Rodriguez2 said:Exactly.

And why on earth would you think NVIDIA's features are just some useless extras?
They're anything but... they really make a difference... especially when you look at things like adaptive Vsync and PhysX... they're actually incredibly useful tools once you get used to them 🙂


I’m just sitting here wondering what I’d even do with adaptive Vsync if I picked up something like a 7970, since that card definitely has enough muscle to maintain a steady frame rate on its own... I'd much rather skip that "middle ground" solution, which is fine if you need it, but feels a bit redundant when standard Vsync works just fine and an i5 can handle all the physics processing without breaking a sweat...
Daniel Turner2 Daniel Turner2 Newcomer
4 messages
joined Jan 2013
#384 ·
My old graphics card finally kicked the bucket, so I’ve decided it's time to pick up a replacement. I'm looking at something with at least 128MB of memory and Pixel Shader 2.0 support.
I happened to stumble upon this particular card online, but I can't quite tell what its pixel shader version is. If anyone happens to know, could you please drop a comment letting me know the shader specs?

Brand: Gigabyte
Memory: 128MB DDR4 RAM

AGP Graphics Card, 128 MB

Image:
fadedorca66 fadedorca66 Regular
372 messages
joined Nov 2022
#385 ·
You gotta tell us the exact GPU model you're running.
Daniel Turner2 Daniel Turner2 Newcomer
4 messages
joined Jan 2013
#386 ·
fadedorca66 said:You really need to give us the specific GPU model here.

The label on the card is pretty vague, so I'm stuck. If anyone knows how to actually identify the exact model without guessing, please help me out before I lose my mind.
Gerald Flores63 Gerald Flores63 Active Member
56 messages
joined Jun 2012
#387 ·
Look, man, this vintage piece isn't even for sale. I'm giving it away for free. 🤦
Daniel Turner2 Daniel Turner2 Newcomer
4 messages
joined Jan 2013
#388 ·
Well, if you're such a big shot, why don't you just give it away? Not everyone is sitting on a massive pile of cash and a high-end rig like yours.
If you haven't got anything intelligent to contribute to the conversation, it might be better to just stay quiet. From what I can tell, everyone here is entitled to ask their questions.
So, I’ll be expecting some helpful answers.
Gerald Flores63 Gerald Flores63 Active Member
56 messages
joined Jun 2012
#389 ·
Daniel Turner2 said:If you’re such a big shot, why don't you just give it to him? Not everyone has a massive bank account and a high-end rig like yours..
If you don't have anything intelligent to contribute, just shut up. Everyone here has a right to ask questions..
I expect actual answers, not this attitude.

Look, if I were back home in Florida visiting my parents, I’d send it to you right now. I've got some old NVIDIA AGP cards sitting in the cellar. DM me your address and once I get back to the coast, I'll mail them out at my own expense. Send me your Venmo too, because they aren't worth more than 50 bucks anyway. $17 There. Now I'm not just being smart, I'm actually stepping up.
Gerald Flores63 Gerald Flores63 Active Member
56 messages
joined Jun 2012
#390 ·
Daniel Turner2;43288890 said:My GPU died, so I'm looking at picking up a new one with 128MB and pixel shader 2.0 support.
I stumbled upon this card, but I can't tell what its pixel shader version is. If anyone knows, please let me know.

Brand: Gigabyte
RAM - Memory: 128MB

AGP Graphics Card 128 MB

http://www.gigabyte.com/products/pro...px?pid=1189#sp
crimsonstag84 crimsonstag84 Regular
518 messages
joined Jun 2010
#391 ·
Gerald Flores63 said:http://www.gigabyte.com/products/pro...px?pid=1189#sp

Basically, it's garbage. 😬
Gerald Flores63 Gerald Flores63 Active Member
56 messages
joined Jun 2012
#392 ·
crimsonstag84 said:Basically, this crap 😬

Man, those were the days.
Alexander Moore67 Alexander Moore67 Active Member
137 messages
joined Jun 2013
#393 ·
Support for DirectX 9.0 pixel / Vertex shader 2.0 +
Gerald Flores63 Gerald Flores63 Active Member
56 messages
joined Jun 2012
#394 ·
My first GPU 🤣

Love at first sight but I'm playing Serious Sam 1
Daniel Turner2 Daniel Turner2 Newcomer
4 messages
joined Jan 2013
#395 ·
Gerald Flores63 said:Look, if I were back home on the coast visiting my folks, I’d send them over to you right away. I’ve got a few of those old NVIDIA AGP cards tucked away in the cellar. Just shoot me a private message with your address, and once I make it out to the coast, I'll drop them in the mail for you at my own expense. Send me your Venmo info too so I can wire you $17 since they aren't worth more than 50 bucks anymore. There, now I'm not just acting smart, I'm actually being useful...

Thanks, but there's really no need. 🙂

@Alexander Moore67/">@@Alexander Moore67, are you absolutely sure about this?
Lawrence Phillips Lawrence Phillips Member
12 messages
joined Oct 2020
#396 ·
Hey there,

My 8800 GTS 512 MB just decided to kick the bucket on me—RIP.
I'm looking for something that can at least handle the new WoW without dying.

Think I could find something decent for around $45?

I'm running an E8400 processor.

thanks!
copperpanther12 copperpanther12 Newcomer
2 messages
joined Jan 2013
#397 ·
Lawrence Phillips said:Hey,

My 8800 GTS 512 MB card just kicked the bucket.
I need something that can actually handle running the new World of Warcraft...

Can I find anything decent for maybe $40 or $50?

Running an E8400 processor.

thanks

It might not be dead for good.
Check out this video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_taI-CkPD3M

Mine was completely bricked too, but after trying a little DIY fix, it came back to life...
Kimberly Gomez34 Kimberly Gomez34 Regular
686 messages
joined Jul 2009
#398 ·
My God, NVIDIA really is killing those cards (especially the 7 and 8 series). They’ve been out for years now, but they were already krepati even when they were newer
Benjamin King2 Benjamin King2 Active Member
138 messages
joined Apr 2007
#399 ·
Lawrence Phillips said:Hey,

My old 8800 GTS 512 MB just kicked the bucket—RIP.--
I need something that can actually handle the new WoW expansion without dying.

Can I find anything decent for around $50?

http://www.craigslist.org/forsale-video-card-5801866
crimsonstag84 crimsonstag84 Regular
518 messages
joined Jun 2010
#400 ·
Benjamin King2 said:http://www.ebay.com/itm/graphics-card-listing-example

+1

I guess the only new card actually worth picking up is an HD 6670 GDDR3 for about $150

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