GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Got another quick question for you guys: I’ve actually decided to shell out a little more cash, so I was wondering if this would work well with my current setup if I also bump up my RAM?

NVIDIA GeForce GT 630 1 GB

http://www.newegg.com/product/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-630-1-GB/p/N82E16817147251

Mark Anderson90 said:Got another quick question: I decided to shell out a bit more cash, so I'm wondering if this one would work with my current setup if I also upgrade my RAM?

geforce gt630 1gb

http://www.diskont24.com/product.php?productid=116348

this one would be better http://www.diskont24.com/product.php...cat=390&page=2

but you could make the other one work too

Bryan Taylor6 said:this one might actually be a better deal http://www.diskont24.com/product.php...cat=390&page=2

but honestly, you could probably make that other one work too.

Even the DDR3 version of the HD 7730 pretty much leaves the GT 630 in the dust...

I picked up a new PC a few days ago, but I've already realized I need to upgrade my graphics card. Right now I'm running an AMD Radeon HD 7560 D, and I specifically need a 6570 because it's the only one that works with my Dual Graphics setup.
I've been scouring eBay and Amazon, but they're all listed at $167. I saw one on Craigslist for $320, but someone snatched it up before I could. Now I'm looking for a reliable site or a shop where I can find one for less than $167. My main priority is finding a reputable site that accepts PayPal. Thanks in advance 🙂

http://www.nabava.net/trazilica.php?tp=0&q=HD6570

I’d honestly suggest grabbing one with a more powerful HD6670 DDR5 instead.

I’m looking to pick up a new graphics card because my old one finally kicked the bucket after six long years—it was an ATI Radeon X1950 Pro.
Now I've got my sights set on an MSI Radeon 7770, but here's the real question: is this thing actually going to run at full capacity with my current setup? Or am I just wasting my time?

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual core @ 3.1 GHz
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-M61P-S3 128
RAM: 4x1 GB Kingmax
PSU: Chieftec 500W

It works, but I guess the CPU won't be able to fully tap into its potential.

Susan Anderson77 said:I picked up a PC a few days ago, but I already realized I need a GPU upgrade. Right now I'm stuck with an AMD Radeon HD 7560 D, and the card I actually need is a 6570 since that's what works with my Dual Graphics setup.
I checked eBay and Amazon, but they're all listed at $167, and I saw one on Craigslist for 320, but someone grabbed it first. Now I'm just hunting for a site or a shop where I can snag one for less than $167. As long as the site is legit and takes PayPal, I'm good. Thanks in advance 🙂.

Why the sudden upgrade? What kind of RAM are you running?

Dual Graphics isn't exactly a game-changer, honestly. If you're going to spend the money anyway, I guess it might be better to save up a bit longer and just grab a decent dedicated card.

I guess the HD7560D is only just a little bit slower than the HD 6570...

Amy Jackson83 said:I'm looking to pick up a new graphics card because my old one finally died after six years. It was an ATI Radeon X1950 Pro.
Now I'm eyeing the Radeon 7770 from MSI, but I need to know if it'll actually perform at its full potential with my current setup.

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual core 3.1 GHz
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-M61P-S3 128
RAM: 4x1GB Kingmax
PSU: Chieftec 500W

Just go for it. You can always grab a better processor for a few bucks later if you need to... and honestly, this one isn't even that bad.

Susan Anderson77 said:I picked up a PC a few days ago, but I realized I definitely need to upgrade my GPU. Right now I'm running an AMD Radeon HD 7560 D, and the card I actually need is a 6570 because it's compatible with my Dual Graphics setup.
I checked Newegg and Amazon, but they're charging $167, and I saw one on eBay for $320, but someone already grabbed it. Now I'm looking for a site or a store where I can pick one up for less than $167. All I care about is finding a reputable site that accepts PayPal. Thanks in advance 🙂

Dual Graphics isn't really worth it. You get almost zero performance boost for the amount of cash you throw at it. Just grab a solid standalone card like a Radeon 7770 with DDR5 if you have the budget, or maybe an HD7750 DDR5, or even just a basic HD6670 DDR5... anything lower than that is a waste of money...

Bryan Taylor6

Timothy Kim60 said:I'm searching for an HD6570 on eBay.

I'd rather just plug in a stronger HD6670 DDR5.

Can I upgrade to a stronger card without blowing the whole thing up? I know AMD's site says the 6670 is meant for the A10, but I'm running an A8.
Bryan Taylor6

fadedorca66 said:Why bother upgrading? What kind of rig are you running right now?

Dual Graphics isn't really worth the headache. If you're planning on buying something, you're better off saving up a bit longer and just picking up a decent standalone graphics card instead.

I need it for gaming. For everything I want to play, I need at least 1 GB of VRAM, and right now I'm stuck with 512 MB.
Anyway, here are my specs.
Bryan Taylor6

crimsonstag84 said:The HD7560D is only slightly weaker than the HD 6570...

What would that even mean? Every time I'm watching gameplay on YouTube, it seems like everyone is running those two together in a combo...

@Susan Anderson77/">@@Susan Anderson77 - I'm not entirely sure what kind of 500W power supply you're working with, but it would definitely handle an HD 6670, 7730, GTX 650, or even a 7750 DDR5 (and likely an HD7770 too). If you're looking at anything more powerful than that, you really need to check the specific model of the PSU—just grab the exact name from the sticker on the unit itself.

The card you're currently eyeing is pretty weak. If your goal is serious gaming, forget about Dual Graphics and just aim for the best single GPU you can afford. Those pre-built desktop bundles aren't much of a win because:
- They don't offer much actual value
- They almost always rely on cheap motherboards, low-end power supplies, budget GPUs, and often bottom-tier cases.

It’s always better to build your own rig by picking individual components based on your specific needs and your actual budget.

Timothy Kim60 said:@Susan Anderson77/">@@Susan Anderson77 - I'm not sure what kind of 500w power supply you're working with, but an HD 6670, 7730, GTX 1050, or a 7750 DDR5 would definitely handle it (maybe even an HD7770). For anything beefier than that, you really need to check the specific model of your PSU—just write down the exact name from the label on the unit itself.

The card you're looking at is pretty weak. If you want to get serious about gaming, forget about SLI and just aim for a better single card. Those pre-built desktop bundles aren't much of a bargain because:
- they aren't worth the price tag
- they always come with cheap motherboards, low-end PSUs, and often crappy cases

It's always better to just pick out individual components based on what you actually need.

Right now, this setup runs everything on high settings; the only things struggling are Saints Row IV, which needs 1GB of VRAM, and one other game I can't quite remember.
This is basically all I need, haha. I'm not looking for anything more powerful, it's just that one graphics card giving me trouble.

Look, you might as well aim for a 6670 1GB DDR5 for around $80 or so. Anything less than that just isn't worth the headache; you'll end up spending nearly the same amount on cards that are significantly weaker and lack the ability to run in SLI with an APU. Even then, it’s nothing special by today's standards—you’re going to run into games very soon that require at least those specs, if not something much beefier.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25czz71HwbU

Timothy Kim60 said:Look, you should at least try to grab a 6670 1GB DDR5 for around $45. Anything cheaper isn't even worth the hassle since they're barely cheaper but way weaker—plus, you can run them in SLI with an APU. Even then, it’s nothing special by today's standards; you'll eventually run into games that require at least something like that, if not better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25czz71HwbU

It's similar to $147, but with DDR3; the GDDR5 version goes for about $55-$65. I used to always look for the 6570 because I was convinced I couldn't put a 6670 in my rig without the whole thing exploding 🤦

DDR5 offers a noticeable speed boost, which explains the higher price tag. In my view, it's worth the investment.

For that amount, you could grab a slightly better 7730 with DDR5—though you'd lose the ability to run them in SLI.

Don't worry, nothing you put in there is going to explode.

You can actually go into the BIOS on your motherboard and decide how much RAM gets allocated to the GPU. So, you could just set it to 1GB and you'll have a gig of video memory, easy.

Have you even tried SR4 yet? Is it stuttering?

I've got a similar processor, and I can run it on medium at 1280x1024 with decent FPS—maybe around 40. The frames do dip to about 20 during cutscenes since they're clearly pushing the heavy details, but it's definitely playable. And that's just with 512mb of VRAM.

With an APA, memory speed is pretty huge. If you're running DDR3 at 1600MHz, make sure you set it to that in the BIOS. You might also squeeze out a little more performance if you overclock that integrated graphics.

SLI isn't exactly a silver bullet either; it works great in some games, but in others, the difference is pretty negligible.

Timothy Kim60 said:DDR5 is noticeably faster, which is why there's a premium. It's worth it if you can swing it.

http://www.newegg.com/p/details/vga-comparison

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/product_info.php?products_id=9997

For that price, you could grab a slightly better 7730 with DDR5—though you wouldn't be able to run it in SLI.

Thanks for the links; it's actually not even that expensive.

fadedorca66 said:Don't worry, nothing you put in there is going to explode.

In the BIOS, you can actually allocate how much system RAM goes to your video card. You can easily set it to 1GB and you'll have a gig of video memory ready to go.

Have you actually tried running SR4 yet? Is it stuttering?

I have a similar processor, and I can run it on medium at 1280x1024 with decent frame rates (around 40 FPS). The only issue is the cutscenes drop down to about 20 because they clearly push the settings to the max. But overall, it's totally playable—even with just 512MB of VRAM.

With an APU, memory speed is huge. If you're running DDR3 at 1600MHz, make sure you set it to that in the BIOS. You can also squeeze out some extra performance by overclocking that integrated graphics chip.

SLI isn't always a slam dunk either; it works great in some games but barely makes a difference in others.

I haven't tried SR4. I checked "Can You Run It," and it said everything was fine except for my graphics card.
And I honestly don't know what my actual FPS is. I launch Battlefield 3 and it stutters a bit, but then it claims I'm getting 8 FPS, which is impossible because the game wouldn't even load at that rate. Something weird is happening with the counter; it won't give me an accurate reading. Whether I play on high or low, it feels roughly the same. I watched some Battlefield 3 gameplay on YouTube using a PC identical to mine, and everyone else is getting 30+ FPS, so I'm definitely not hitting those numbers. I have no idea what the problem is.

Also, I don't have 1600MHz; I'm stuck at 1333MHz.

Those sites should give you a decent idea of how the game performs and if your rig can even handle it. I guess SR4 will run fine for you, but just try it and see.