GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

If you can make it over to $433, you could snag that 7850 and actually walk away with two free games—Far Cry 3 and Hitman included.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/product_info.php?c...ducts_id=12775

feralbadger55 said:Hey guys, I need some help. What kind of GPU can I pick up for under a grand?$367Thinking about picking up a GTX 650 Ti. Anyone know of something better for the same kind of cash?

It’s basically just like trying to run a modern marathon in old sneakers. You can try, but you're going to feel every bit of that outdated hardware.
A8-3870K @ 3.0GHz. Basic stuff.
A 500GB hard drive? That's basically a relic at this point. It's like trying to run a modern marathon in flip-flops.
600W power supply.
4GB DDR3. Total joke.

[Link to product page]

Larry Ortiz5 said:Hey, you could always head over to Best Buy $433 to grab that 7850—plus, they’re throwing in two games, Far Cry 3 and Hitman.

http://www.bestbuy.com/product_info.php?c...ducts_id=12775

He's selling the games for $33 each and you get the card for 1100—honestly, that's a solid deal. 🙂

I can probably push it to the limit up to $367

Well, just like Jack mentioned, and 😁 if that doesn't work out, then you should probably go with what Robert Rodriguez2 suggested.

Right up to $367
If only NVIDIA

If ATI—actually, if AMD

Hey everyone! How's it going?
So, my graphics card finally kicked the bucket, and now I find myself totally lost on what to pick next.
I really just need something decent for browsing the web, streaming movies, and letting my son play those casual free games online. Just for context, my PC is hooked up directly to the TV. I was previously running a GeForce 8800gts, and my motherboard is a GeForce 8800 with a dual-core setup running at 2.6GHz...
I’m not looking to break the bank here—is there anything reasonable in the $40 to $50 range or so?

This is about as basic as it gets. Since you mentioned a budget of up to $100, maybe we can find something that works if we look around a bit? If not, then check this one out:

http://www.amazon.com/product_info.php?c...ducts_id=11998

It’s got an HDMI port too, so you can just plug it straight into your TV with a cable. It'll handle those old flash games you find online without breaking a sweat.

Edit: If you're more of an Intel fan, this option has basically the same specs as the Nvidia build.

:http://www.amazon.com/product_info.php?c...ducts_id=10993

Personally, though, I'd probably stick with the first one—it uses a passive heatsink, so it's practically silent.

Thanks so much! I’m actually heading out to pick it up tomorrow...

jadepanther30 said:Thanks! I'm heading out to pick it up tomorrow...

Honestly, for $100 those two are definitely your best bet...

However, I'm not sure if you realize that in terms of raw power, those cards are actually weaker than that old 8800 GTS you had, which was a beast back in its day. For those casual online games, they are more than enough. But, if your son happens to run any heavier titles installed on macOS, he's going to feel the performance dip. If that’s not the case, though, go ahead and grab one of those small, modern cards.
Otherwise, if you want something in that same ballpark as what you used to have—or maybe even a bit stronger if your previous card was an Nvidia GeForce GT 730 with DDR5--

http://www.bestbuy.com/details/product-link

Let's be real: even this isn't much by today's standards, but it's the bare minimum for playing actual modern games (not just those browser-based ones).

Hey everyone! So, about a year ago I posted a pretty similar question, but I ended up holding off on buying anything because I was hoping things would get better/cheaper. Well, here we are again!

-PCI-E

MB: ASRock N68C-S UCC with integrated NVIDIA GeForce GT 730/nForce 630a Chipset
CPU: Intel Core i3 (equivalent class)
MEM: 2GB DDR2 RAM
PSU: ASUS ATLAS 36F 360W
MONITOR: Asus 17'' LCD at 1024x768

Basically, I'm looking for some advice on which graphics card (EDIT: please, nothing from ATI!) would be the best fit for this build. I'm really looking for that sweet spot where it's not too pricey but gives me the most bang for my buck.

To be a bit more broad: if I eventually decide to upgrade my processor (and maybe the RAM if necessary), what kind of CPU + GPU combo would actually work well with my current motherboard and power supply?
It’s super important to me that I can run games like Diablo or World of Warcraft smoothly at 1024x768 resolution.
I've got a budget of up to $333.

Thanks so much for the help, looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

Grafa:
http://futura-it.com/product/Intel-Core-i5-10400F

Maybe grab a new CPU, since yours is probably a bit too weak to keep up with this GPU.
http://ebay.com/itm/intel-core-processors-listings

The power supply is okay for now, I guess, mostly because the Nvidia GeForce GT 730 and your processor don't pull much power. But honestly, you should probably look into upgrading everything eventually—the DDR3 RAM, and maybe a decent 400W unit from something like Corsair or EVGA.

I totally forgot to mention that I'd rather not go with ATI cards, since they don't really play nice with Path of Exile.

So, which ones would be a good match for the processor I'm running?

Honestly—anything less than that just isn't worth the money.

Alright, here’s the situation—I just finished putting together this newly purchased build:
1. CPU Intel Core i3, Skylake architecture, socket 1155
2. Motherboard ASHROCK 375M - GL R2.0, PCIExpress
3. Power Supply HANTOL 720 W
4. RAM 4 GB Kingston DDR3
5. Graphics Card NVIDIA G-FORCE GT9800, 512 MB, 256 bit
Everything should be running smoothly, except for the fact that my graphics card is ancient... which is causing this headache where, every single time I boot up the PC, the GPU fan spins like absolute crazy for ages until the "WELCOME" screen finally shows up on the monitor
I have two questions—what could possibly be causing this behavior, and more importantly, does this have anything to do with compatibility issues regarding the rest of my components?!
I’m looking for some recommendations on a decent graphics card that won't fight with the rest of this setup—my budget is pretty tight, maybe around $233, so it doesn't need to be brand new, but it MUST support DX11 and actually be able to run modern games!!

It’s perfectly normal for the GPU fans to spin up when you first boot the PC. Are you saying it's taking an unusually long time to start up? Did you change any settings or hardware recently that might have triggered this? To me, a faulty power supply sounds like junk, but I guess it's hard to say for sure without testing it.

As for a graphics card, check out this — the price point and performance should be a great match for your current build. Just one thing: if you decide to grab it, make sure you definitely get the DDR5 version.

Where does an overclocked MSI GTX 1060 actually sit in today's GPU rankings?
Some people are saying it's more like an Nvidia GeForce GT 730?

Something like that

Yeah, look, the power supply is brand new—but I’ve been reading stuff online suggesting it's basically junk... I definitely rushed into it when I bought it because the price was just too low to pass up—and honestly, that graphics card you suggested would be absolutely perfect for my setup... if I could just figure out where to actually track one down (maybe a local shop or just browsing through eBay??)... oh, and by the way, any idea what kind of cash I could squeeze out for a GT 9800??

If you swapped out your power supply and now you're having trouble booting up, there's a good chance the PSU is the culprit rather than the graphics card. Whenever you see some ultra-cheap brand (I've never even heard of them) claiming an absurd amount of wattage, you know you're in trouble. A decent unit from a brand like Corsair or EVGA rated at 400W would likely outperform that junk Mentol unit claiming "720W" any day of the week.

As for what to do next, I'm stumped—maybe wait for someone with more expertise to chime in. Your best bet would be to borrow a higher-quality power supply to rule that out. If the PSU is indeed the issue, try returning it or trading it in for a better model if you just bought it. That 9800GT of yours pulls about 100W; it’s possible your current power supply is just too low-grade to handle the load. I have no idea what you could get for the card on the used market, though, maybe $100

That Nvidia GeForce GT 730 draws much less power, so it should work fine, but you really ought to ditch that sketchy power supply regardless. If it were me, I’d pick up a card at a local retail store. You can usually order from Best Buy even if it shows as out of stock, or just find it elsewhere.
http://www.amazon.com/details/vga-card

http://www.newegg.com/product/vga-card

MSI offers a year's extra warranty compared to the other brands.

Looking at more powerful options, the Nvidia GeForce GT 730 fits your build quite well. Anything stronger than that wouldn't be worth the investment since you wouldn't be able to fully utilize its potential in modern games.