GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Susan Anderson77 said:Dankesn, thanks for the links. It’s actually not even that pricey.

I haven't tried the I-4 yet. I checked that "Can You Run It" site, and everything looks fine except for the GPU.
And I can't even tell what my FPS is. I fire up BF3 and it stutters a bit, but it claims I'm getting 8 FPS, which is impossible—there's no way it would even launch at that speed. Something is broken with the FPS counter; it just won't read correctly. Whether I set it to high or low, the gameplay feels basically the same. I watched some BF3 footage on YouTube from someone with the exact same rig, and they were pulling 30+ FPS easily. I'm definitely not hitting those numbers. No clue why.

Also, I don't have 1600 MHz; I'm running 1366.

The whole deal with an APU is the RAM. It's physical memory—think of it like fuel—and the higher the clock speed, the better. You want at least 1600MHz... higher frequency equals better performance.

I've decided it's time to pull the trigger on a new graphics card. I’m looking to go all out and grab something top-of-the-line, but since we're talking serious cash here, I don't want to blow it on a mistake. Here’s what my current rig looks like:
ASRock Z68 Pro3 socket 1155
Intel Core i7-2600K
16GB RAM paired with a Cooler Master GX650W Active PFC power supply
and my current Radeon HD 6970

Since I'm aiming for the absolute peak, I'm torn between these three options:
GeForce GTX Titan
GeForce GTX 690
Radeon HD 7990
What would you guys recommend? Also, do I need to swap out my power supply to handle this kind of power?

My graphics card just died on me (running an old 6850). I've got a few options on the table: a 4890 from Schyte Musashi—which stays ice cold—for $100, a 7850 from Gara for about $150, or a 6970 (though I'm not sure if it's still under warranty) for $300. What should I go with? 😁
I have the cash for any of them, but honestly, I feel a bit hesitant throwing money at this stuff. Wouldn't the 4890 be enough to handle pretty much any game I throw at it?
The rest of my build is a Phenom 2 x6 running at 3.5GHz, 16GB of RAM, an EVGA 600 W1, and I play at 720p.

7850 way to go.

Quote : Tron

briskmarlin20 said:I'm looking to pick up a new GPU. I want to go all out and grab something top-tier, but since we're talking serious money here, I don't want to screw this up. Here’s my current setup:
ASRock Z68 PRO3 with an MBO soc1155.
i7-2600K CPU.
16GB of RAM paired with an EVGA 600 W1.
And my current card is an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570.

I've decided to go all out, so now I'm weighing my options between...
NVIDIA GeForce GTX Titan.
NVIDIA GeForce GTX Titan
NVIDIA GeForce GTX Titan
What's your recommendation, and do I actually need to swap out my power supply?

If that card still runs, you're basically throwing money away. It can still handle most games on high settings—some even hit ultra.
Upgrading isn't worth the money.
Quote : Tron

Andrew Fox74 said:My GPU just died (NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX). I’ve got an offer on a 4890—it's a Sapphire Musashi model, so it runs ice cold—for... $100I could grab a 7850 with a warranty for about $150, or maybe find a 6970—not sure if that one’s even covered. $300What should I get? 😁
I've got the cash for any card, but I can't bring myself to waste it on this. Honestly, even an NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX would probably handle basically everything for me.
The rest of my build is a Phenom II X6 clocked at 3.5, 16GB of RAM, an EVGA 600 W1, and I'm running everything at 720p.

Definitely go with the 7850, especially since we're talking about a garage setup. 🙂 Make sure you grab both the warranty info and the receipt too. 🙂

Robert Rodriguez2 said:if your card is still working fine, you're just throwing money away... I mean, it can probably still handle most games on high settings, maybe even ultra if you push it enough.
upgrading doesn't seem worth it.

+1

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 is slightly more powerful than the HD 7870 (or at least that was my impression from a while back), so I guess I'd just wait for the next generation at least.

I kept saying I hoped at least one vote would go toward the 4890, just so I wouldn't have to overspend too much 😁.

Robert Rodriguez2 said:If that card is working fine, you're just throwing money down the drain. It can still handle most games on high settings, maybe even ultra if you push it right.
An upgrade isn't worth it.

My buddy actually picked up a rig similar to mine, just without a GPU. My plan is to hand him my current setup so I can grab a different one for myself. I managed to scrape some cash together over the summer, so I figured I'd put it toward something serious. Let's be honest—money like this disappears instantly on useless junk anyway, so I might as well buy something real.

@briskmarlin20/">@@briskmarlin20
If you're really looking to drop some serious cash, go ahead and get HD7970 / GTX770
But honestly, the stuff you listed isn't worth the investment. Prices are going to tank soon, and there's just no practical reason to chase that much raw power right now.
Personally, I’d steer clear of those "dual-GPU" monsters like the NVIDIA GeForce GTX Titan; they pull enough power to run a small factory.
In my view, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 performs roughly on par with the Titan, yet it won't break the bank nearly as much.

Andrew Fox74 said:I was actually hoping someone would vouch for the 4890 so I wouldn't have to spend quite so much.😁

Nobody is suggesting that because it's weaker than what you were running before. Plus, it's an older card and its power consumption is way too high.

Quote : Tron

Andrew Fox74 said:I was hoping at least one vote would go toward the NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX, just so I don't end up spending too much... 😁

I've been running an NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX for a long, long time now at HD resolution, and honestly, I'm perfectly happy with it... An HD4890 would just be a step up, and frankly, it feels like a missed opportunity if you don't get HD7970 / GTX770... $100

Bryan Taylor6 said:I've got an NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX and honestly, it’s been handling everything in HD for ages now. I'm happy with it... A 4890 can only be an upgrade from there, and really, wouldn't it be a waste not to get one if it's just $100

Oh, perfect. That's exactly what I was looking for. 😁

To be totally honest, I just can't bring myself to drop hundreds of dollars just to gain maybe 10 fps. My original plan was to wait out the 6850 and then grab a Radeon 8850 series once they finally drop in a few months. But since my current card just bit the dust, I have to pivot. This 4890 seems like a solid move for a temporary fix...🤷

Tell me how much you love it once you finally grab that NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX....

Hey everyone, has anyone here actually dealt with Leadtek hardware before? I've been browsing Newegg and seeing this Leadtek NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 listed on a few sites for $733, which makes it about $167 cheaper than any other NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 out there...

I did a bit of digging on Google, but honestly, the only solid info I can find is that it uses a reference design, doesn't have a full-length PCB, and apparently hits around 80°C under a standard full load, which isn't exactly ideal, I guess.

Right now, I'm running an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 Amp! and I really wasn't planning on upgrading anything for at least another year, but this deal just kind of caught my eye. So, if anyone could drop some solid advice or a tip, I'd really appreciate it!

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 is sitting at about 200 bucks cheaper than that—$100 and honestly, since they perform pretty much the same way, you’re basically just throwing money away if you buy the more expensive one.

Benjamin King2 said:The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 is about 200--$100 cheaper, and since they're basically the same level of card, I don't think it's worth picking up at all.

Well, looking at most benchmarks, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 actually edges out the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760. It's not a massive gap, but I guess it's worth mentioning.

All things considered, you make a fair point... though the 760 is definitely the newer, better bet. I actually stumbled upon a Gigabyte model for $683 with decent fans, so maybe I'll be able to get some overclocking out of it.

I just listed my old NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 Amp on eBay, so if I can manage to flip it, I'll grab the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 and report back here with how it performs.🙂.

Btw, I'm running an i5 760 @ 2.8GHz... that won't cause a major bottleneck, will it? Or am I just dreaming?

I wouldn't sweat the bottleneck situation too much—just keep an eye on your CPU usage while you're actually playing. If you see it sitting pinned at 100% constantly, then yeah, you might have a bottleneck on your hands, though honestly, it could just be that the game is poorly optimized—which happens more often than it should. Also, that processor is actually pretty decent for overclocking, so you can easily bump up the clock speeds without much effort; hitting 3.2 GHz would probably do the trick. As long as your CPU usage stays under that 100% mark, you're golden.

Benjamin King2 said:Bottlenecking shouldn't be an issue, really. Just keep an eye on your CPU usage while you're gaming. If it's sitting at 100% all the time, then yeah, maybe you have a bottleneck, though honestly, some games are just poorly optimized. And that processor can actually be overclocked pretty nicely, so you could probably bump up the clocks easily—you don't even need to go crazy, 3.2 GHz should be fine. If the CPU usage isn't hitting 100%, then everything is probably okay.

I mean, I probably should overclock, but after three years with this rig, I still don't really dare mess around in the BIOS too much. I tried a software overclock to 3.4GHz for a bit once, but that's not quite the same thing, I guess.

I've got a decent CPU cooler and a case with good airflow, so my motherboard should theoretically handle a stable overclock up to 3.8GHz (it's an ASUS P7P55D LE).

I'll probably spend some time Googling to see if I can find a step-by-step overclocking guide specifically for my board or something similar. I just... I don't really have any experience messing with BIOS settings yet.

Could an expert please provide some clarity regarding CrossFire?

My current setup includes this card: PCI-E NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650, 1GB DDR5, HDMI, DVI, 2xDP, HDTV

I find myself somewhat perplexed by the fact that I’ve spotted a slightly superior card within the exact same series;
The card in question is the PCI-E NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 flex GHz edition

Is it actually possible for me to pair this flex model with my existing card, or does everything have to be an identical match—meaning a flex paired with a flex, or an edition paired with an edition, to successfully run CrossFire?

I have no intention of making a foolish purchase by picking up that flex model if it won't function properly alongside my current edition card.

Brian Campbell36 said:Can some expert explain how CF works to me?

Right now I'm running this card: PCI-E NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650, 1GB DDR5, HDMI, DVI, 2xDP, HDTV

I'm a bit confused because I see there's a slightly better version in the same series;
PCI-E NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 flex GHz edition

Could I pair this flex card with my current one (or does everything have to be an exact match, like flex with flex or edition with edition for CF)?

I don't want to waste money buying the flex if it won't work alongside my existing edition card.

You can pair them just fine, just make sure your power supply can actually handle it.

Robert Rodriguez2 said:you can pair them without any issue, provided you ensure your power supply unit possesses the necessary capacity to handle the load

My power supply is an EVGA 600 W1 🤔