GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Hey everyone, looks like my graphics card finally kicked the bucket on me, and now I’m stuck staring at a blank screen needing a replacement. Since my budget is pretty tight right now, I can't exactly go out and drop a fortune on a shiny new card from a big-box retailer—I'm definitely looking for something used if possible. My old setup was running an NVIDIA GeForce GTX series with 1GB of DDR5. What kind of used card would you guys suggest that could match what I had, or maybe even give me a little bump in performance, without breaking the bank? I'm hoping to stay under $400--$167, though honestly, the lower I can keep it, the better. For context, here is what I'm working with:
-NVIDIA GeForce GTX series 1GB DDR5
-Intel Core i7 series, 8.0 total Cache, LGA 1366
-Asrock 870 EXTREME3 motherboard
-Corsair CX 600 power supply
-WD 1TB SATA3 EALX, 32 MB total Cache
-DDR3 4GB (2x2) Corsair 1333MHz

Thanks!

At $400—$167 it’s going to be pretty tough to find anything on the market right now that actually beats what you’ve already got. You can grab an HD 5770 for about $150, which is likely a step down from your current setup anyway..

http://www.ebay.com/itm/graphics-cards-listings

Then there's that GTX 660 listed for $183. Honestly, though, we're talking about pretty old hardware at this point—I don't really get why people still try to charge such high prices for them. Some folks are out here asking hundreds of dollars for a GTX 660! 🤣

http://www.craigslist.org/search/electronics?query=graphics+cards&sort=price_low

Sean Gomez8 said:Hey everyone, my graphics card finally kicked the bucket, so I’m back in the market. I need to pick up a replacement, and honestly, I'm looking at the used market since a brand-new card just isn't in my budget right now. My old setup was running a Radeon HD 5830 1GB with DDR5. Does anyone have any recommendations for a used card that matches that level of performance—or ideally beats it—for around $400?$167Not much better, honestly. For context, here is my current PC build:
XFX Radeon HD 5830 1GB DDR5
Intel Core i7-955, 8.0 Total Cache, LGA 1366
Asrock 870 EXTREME3 AMD 870
Corsair CX 600 power supply unit.
Western Digital 1TB SATA III, 32 MB Total Cache.
I’m running 4GB of DDR3 Corsair RAM, configured as a 2x2GB kit at 1333MHz.

Thanks!

You’d find roughly the same performance levels in newer cards like the ATI 7750 DDR5—which might even hold a slight edge—or the 6770 DDR5. My only concern is whether you can actually track them down at those price points.
Looking for an Nvidia card somewhere in the ballpark of a GTX 650 or a GTX 550Ti.

If you're looking at older options, an HD 4870 would land right in that same performance bracket. Just keep in mind that it’s even more dated than what you're running now, so you might want to think twice about whether it's actually worth it when you consider how much life is left in the card. Check out this breakdown on AnandTech—it’s got some pretty solid data on how these components are actually performing under pressure. It really puts things into perspective when you look at the numbers side-by-side.

Sean Gomez8 said:Hey everyone, looks like my graphics card finally kicked the bucket. I’m likely looking at a replacement, and honestly, I need to hunt for something used since a brand-new card just isn't in the budget right now. My old setup was running an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 with 1GB of GDDR5. What would you guys suggest if I'm looking for something used that matches that performance—or ideally, gives me a bit of a boost? I'm trying to keep the spend under $400.$167Not exactly great, to be honest. For context, here’s my current PC setup:
XFX NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 1GB DDR5
So, I’ve been looking at this setup: an Intel Core i7-920 running at 3.2 GHz with 8.0 MB total Cache on an LGA 1366 socket.
So, I've been looking into the Asrock 870 EXTREME3 based on the AMD 870 chipset. It’s an interesting little board. If you're planning a build around this, there are definitely some things to weigh before you pull the trigger.
I’ve been looking at the Corsair CX 600 lately. It’s one of those power supplies that just sits there doing its job without making a massive scene about it. If you aren't trying to run a NASA supercomputer in your bedroom, it's a pretty solid choice for a standard build. It's reliable enough for everyday gaming without breaking the bank, which is usually where most of us end up anyway.
Western Digital 1TB SATA III, featuring 32 MB total Cache.
I've got a pair of 4GB sticks of Corsair DDR3 running at 1333MHz.

Thanks!

You’d pick this up for... $183 I found this listing for a graphics card on a local marketplace site. It looks like a decent option if you're looking to pick up some hardware without breaking the bank. Check it out if you have a second.

Hey everyone! So, I picked up a budget build last winter based on some advice here on the forum, and honestly, it’s been serving me pretty well so far. Now that I’ve managed to scrape together some extra cash, I’m thinking about upgrading
.
For context, here is my current setup:

ASUS M5A78, LGA 1156, DDR3, DVI, GLAN, mATX
DDR3 1600MHz 4GB (1X4GB)
AMD A8-Series X4 3870K(Radeon HD 6550D)
480W Chicony CHI-HPD4802RWR2, ATX 2.2,
12cm fan, (peak Power 480 w), Black color

This configuration has actually held its own quite nicely—I've been able to run most games I wanted at Full HD resolution, just keeping things on low to medium settings—titles like Skyrim, Fallout New Vegas, Far Cry 3, Borderlands, and so on.

But lately, the newer titles have started to stutter a bit—and frankly, I’d love to be able to play without constantly having to turn off shadows, reflections, and all those other nice little details 🤣 down to the absolute minimum.

So, which GPU would you recommend pairing with this CPU?

Also, does it make any sense to grab something from the 6000 series so I can try running it in Crossfire with my integrated graphics?

And one more thing—do I really need to pick up another 4GB stick of RAM to keep things smooth?

What's the deal with Crossfire? 🤣

Jeffrey Fisher61 said:Hey everyone! I put together a budget build based on some advice from this forum last winter, and it’s been a solid workhorse for me. Now that I've saved up a little extra cash, I'm looking to upgrade my
.
Here is what the current rig looks like:

ASUS M5A78, LGA 1156, DDR3, DVI, GLAN, mATX
DDR3 1600MHz 4GB (1X4GB)
AMD A8-Series X4 3870K(Radeon HD 6550D)
480W Chicony CHI-HPD4802RWR2, ATX 2.2,
12cm fan, (peak Power 480 w), Black color

So far, this setup has handled most of the games I wanted to play at Full HD resolution on low to medium settings—titles like Skyrim, Fallout New Vegas, Far Cry 3, Borderlands, and so on.

However, these newer titles are starting to stutter quite a bit. I’d love to be able to play without having to constantly turn off shadows, reflections, and all those other nice visual features🤣 at min.

Which GPU should I pair with this CPU?

Also, does it make sense to grab something from the 6000 series so I can run it in crossfire with my integrated graphics?

And should I pick up another 4GB stick of RAM?

For crossfire, try a 6670 ddr5

Honestly, if I were in your shoes, I'd go for something more powerful that doesn't require crossfire with your APU.
http://www.newegg.com/p/details/far-cry-3-requirements

http://www.newegg.com/p/details/radeon-hd-7770

http://www.newegg.com/p/details/gpu-with-hdmi-dp

With some overclocking, you might even be able to squeeze out a better card (like a 650Ti, 7790, 650Ti boost, or maybe an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750).

You don't strictly *need* 4GB more of RAM, but it definitely won't hurt if you're running a 64-bit OS.

Oh, I totally forgot to mention—I’m actually using a D-sub monitor. Does that change anything significantly, or should I just plan on picking up some adapters? I noticed this NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 doesn't seem to have a D-sub output built-in.

Jeffrey Fisher61 said:I forgot to mention that I'm using a D-Sub monitor. Does that matter? Can I just use an adapter since I noticed this GTX 650 doesn't have a D-Sub output?

It won't be an issue because you can simply pick up an adapter.

Thanks for being so patient with me—I've decided to pull the trigger and order the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650! 😉

Jeffrey Fisher61 said:Thanks for being patient, I'm ordering the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 😉

No problem at all...

In my opinion, there is really no point in buying anything weaker than a 7770—assuming, of course, you have a processor beefy enough to handle it. Modern games are getting increasingly demanding.

If you have the budget, feel free to jump up to something even stronger (like an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost or an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750). You can rest easy knowing you won't run into any bottlenecks during single-player sessions. The only thing to watch out for is if you play heavy multiplayer titles like > or >—you might need to overclock. Since you already have an overclockable CPU, that's fine, though your motherboard isn't really built for extreme overclocks, so don't push it too hard.

Just toss in another 4GB of RAM later and switch to a 64-bit OS, and you should be set for quite a while, provided you aren't an hardcore enthusiast gamer.

So, I've been chewing on the idea of picking up a used graphics card just so I can actually play some decent games for once. Honestly, I am completely fed up with this HTPC junk I'm running right now..

I've been looking at models like the Radeon HD 4870 (though if I can help it, I’d steer clear of that one since it runs hot and pulls way too much power), the HD 5770, the 5750, the HD 6770, maybe even a GTX 550 (either the standard or the Ti version), and so on. My main hang-up, though, is whether my CPU is going to be a massive bottleneck here. I'm rocking a Dual Core E5700 at 3.0 GHz—not overclocked, and it certainly won't be. What do you all think? Any advice at all would be appreciated.. 😉

Cheers!

So, what exactly is a bottleneck? (Or maybe it isn't, I don't know how these Intel chips behave...) It doesn't really matter... it just means you might squeeze out a few more FPS if you have a beefier processor, whereas this one will just perform okay. If you've got the cash, just grab the best option available to you. Because once you finally save up enough to upgrade that CPU, won't you need to look for a better GPU anyway?

Jeffrey Fisher61 said:Thanks for bearing with me, I'm going ahead with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 😉

If you haven't placed the order yet, you might want to consider this instead
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750

Jeffrey Peterson said:I'm considering picking up a used graphics card so I can actually play some demanding games. I've had enough of this HTPC junk..

So, I've been looking at models like: the 4870 (if it's even an option, though I'd avoid it since it runs hot and draws too much power), the 5770, 5750, 6770, or maybe a GTX 550 (standard or Ti), etc. My main concern is whether the processor will become a bottleneck. I'm running a Dual Core E5700 3.0 GHz (it isn't overclocked, and won't be). What are your thoughts? Any advice is welcome.. 😉

Best regards!

What kind of games are we talking about? Multiplayer or single-player?

Personally, I think you could easily pull the trigger on any of those cards...

Right now, I've just been grinding MW2 multiplayer and LoL, though I'm itching to jump into something like BF3, Max Payne 3, or maybe even GTA V—assuming my rig can actually handle it if I get it on PC.

The thing is, I’m still stuck using this ancient 19" monitor capped at 1280x1024 resolution, so honestly, I don't even *need* a high-end GPU right this second. But, I’ll probably end up grabbing a decent Full HD monitor pretty soon anyway... they're dirt cheap these days, so why not?🙂

Jeffrey Peterson said:Right now I'm playing MW2 multiplayer and LoL, but I’d love to jump into things like BF3, Max Payne 3, or even GTA V (if it ever hits PC), and so on.

My only issue is that I'm still rocking a 19" monitor capped at 1280x1024, so I don't even really need a high-end card yet. That said, I'll probably pick up a Full HD monitor pretty soon since they're incredibly cheap these days.. 🙂

It really depends on which specific model we're talking about, because a 6770 is clearly superior to a 5750, for example...

Look, if you plan on playing several of those newer, more demanding titles, you're going to run into a bottleneck, though I can't say exactly how much. Running at a lower resolution won't help you get better use out of the GPU either, but that just depends on how much that bothers you.

But when it comes to single-player games—it'll be an improvement. I don't know what you're running currently, but you will definitely feel the performance boost.

Right now, I'm stuck with an NVIDIA GeForce 210. It’s just some HTPC card the guys at the repair shop threw in there while they were fixing my old 7300GS after it decided to spontaneously combust. They only picked this specific one because my motherboard was such a complete disaster—it supported absolutely nothing and everything all at once—so this was basically the only thing that would actually fit.

Let's be honest here, you can't play anything remotely decent with this junk. Moving up to a Radeon HD 3870 would be a massive leap forward, but since I'm going to be spending the money anyway, I might as well aim for something a little more respectable than this bottom-of-the-barrel stuff.

As things stand, though, I won't be picking up a new card until September. 😢 But hey, if my situation changes, I might pull the trigger sooner. 🙂

EDIT:@Timothy Kim60/">@@Timothy Kim60 No, no... you totally misunderstood me. This isn't an HTPC setup. The case is just a standard midi tower. I was simply pointing out that the card itself is a low-profile HTPC model.

Jeffrey Peterson said:Right now, I'm stuck using an NVIDIA GeForce 210 with 512MB of DDR2. It’s just a basic HTPC card the repair shop threw in while my old 7300GS was fried. They only gave me this specific one because my motherboard was such a mess—it supported absolutely nothing—so this was the only thing that actually worked.

Let's be honest, you can't play anything decent with this setup. Moving up to a 3870 would be a massive leap forward, but since I'm buying something new anyway, I might as well get something slightly better.

As things stand, I won't be picking up a new card until September. 😢 However, if my situation changes, I might grab one sooner. 🙂

If you're running an HTPC, you have to stick to low-profile cards, which really limits your options.
In terms of newer, more serious graphics cards, your choices are basically limited to:

http://www.newegg.com/p/details/low-profile-gpu

http://www.newegg.com/p/details/low-profile-gpu

They end up being quite a bit pricier just because they have to fit that low-profile form factor.

Help, please!

My NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 died on me, so I need to pick up a replacement. I've been out of the loop regarding current pricing, so I'm feeling a bit lost. I could probably spend about $500, give or take 20%. Oh, I should mention my CPU is an Intel Core i5 750 paired with 4 GB of DDR3 RAM.

Thanks!