GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Jeffrey Fisher61 said:If you want to get into this as a future enthusiast,

start with the basics, like Wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_card

Learn what all the acronyms mean and the differences between DDR memory types and things like that. A GamersNexus article might help you out there.

http://www.gamersnexus.net/guides/71...deo-card-specs

After that, you’ll need to learn how to rank modern cards. Hardly anyone here has the resources to bench every single card on the market, so we mostly rely on other people's testing.

You have plenty of options; AnandTech, TechPowerUp, Tom's Hardware, and similar sites are the most popular.

I actually really like a specific thread on Tom's Hardware because it doesn't overwhelm you with info you can easily find yourself; it just lays out exactly what offers the best value on the market.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...view,3107.html

That thread gets updated monthly. They usually focus on newer cards that offer the best price-to-performance ratio within a certain dollar range, ranking them so you can see which ones are actually worth buying.

Since they focus on the latest hardware, if you're looking at used gear, you'll still need to hunt down reviews manually.

Don't make the mistake of getting too sucked into synthetic benchmarks. As an average gamer and enthusiast, you should care about real-world benchmarking—basically, the FPS in actual games.

So, don't stress over sites that give you millions of virtual benchmarks. Instead, pick the ones that test a wide range of games across various resolutions.

Alright, I will start studying.😁

Brandon Carter17 said:And what about pairing it with an AMD Phenom II X6 6300?

That Phenom can definitely handle an AMD Radeon HD 7970—though honestly, for that resolution, I wouldn't bother going higher than an AMD Radeon HD 7850. Anything more is just flushing cash down the toilet. Plus, jumping to an AMD Phenom II X6 6300 isn't really much of an upgrade; you might squeeze out a few extra FPS in some specific multi-core titles, but in most cases, the standard Phenom will actually perform better. What kind of Corsair power supply are you running?

I was actually pleasantly surprised by the price of the AMD Radeon R9 280X Best Buy—I was fully expecting to shell out $2,500 or even more
Everything else is pretty much what you'd expect. Buying an XFX Radeon HD 7870 just doesn't make sense anymore when compared to the 270x, and honestly, neither does the 7950 (even if I gathered it's slightly better) given the price gap

The GTX 750Ti could be a really interesting option; it should be a notch stronger than the GTX 660, especially if it ends up being priced like a budget upgrade $367 which is essentially its successor in the market

Benjamin King2 said:That Phenom can definitely handle a 7970, but if you're just sticking to that resolution, I wouldn't push past an AMD Radeon HD 7850... anything more than that feels like throwing money down the drain. Plus, the AMD Phenom II X6 6300 isn't really much of an upgrade. You might see a tiny bump in some multi-core titles, but most of the time the Phenom will actually perform better. What kind of Corsair power supply are you running?

It's a CMPSU-400XEU.

When a heavy-hitter game finally drops, isn't it better to have the XFX Radeon HD 7870 instead of the 7850? Thinking about the long run here, right?

The XFX Radeon HD 7870 is currently sitting at 30-$$17 more expensive

Brandon Carter17 said:the cmpsu-400cxeu is the power supply.

When a demanding new game drops, would it be better to have an XFX Radeon HD 7870 instead of an AMD Radeon HD 7850? Thinking about tomorrow, right?

You don't need to swap out your PSU. That's actually great because the Seasonic internals in that CX400 are solid, unlike those modern CX430 units and the like...

It isn't worth upgrading beyond the HD7850 for you, since you won't see consistent utilization from the card in newer titles anyway.click

Offtopic:

Watch Dogs system requirements

A Quad-core is the bare minimum, and a 64-bit OS is mandatory.
Of course they're just hyping up the i7 for the "recommended" specs.

This is exactly what I've been preaching: games are becoming increasingly CPU-heavy. Configurations that aren't bottlenecks today might very well become them in the future (just like we've seen happen before). Those who picked up the AMD FX-8320 for gaming might actually see a quick return on their investment; that CPU seems like a smart buy, especially given the price point.

So, if you're building a new PC and facing a choice between prioritizing the CPU or a beastly GPU, don't skimp on the processor. It's much easier to swap out a GPU later on, whereas changing the entire platform is a much bigger task.

What should I do? Grab a new CPU along with an XFX Radeon HD 7870 or an AMD Radeon HD 7850... or maybe go a different route entirely?
When looking at performance, I've got some fresh ideas for a new CPU and a GPU in that ballpark 😬

It’s honestly not worth upgrading your Phenom right now; just grab an AMD Radeon HD 7850 and call it a day. It's a solid GPU that handles 1080p with ease, let alone lower resolutions.

Timothy Kim60 said:It’s honestly not worth upgrading from your Phenom. Just grab an AMD Radeon HD 7850 and you're good to go. It's a solid GPU, even for 1080p, let alone lower resolutions

I'm actually a bit worried about those ATI drivers. I still remember back when I had a 3850, NFS Underground 2 would run totally smooth at 1680x1050 on max settings. But then some newer game would barely crawl... And the weirdest part was when I rolled back to an older driver, the performance actually got better...🙂

You shouldn't run into any issues; the drivers are solid enough.
If you're leaning towards NVIDIA, I'd suggest looking at a GTX 650 Ti Boost, or maybe a GTX 660 if you really want to step it up.

Timothy Kim60 said:you shouldn't run into any issues, the drivers are solid
If you're leaning toward NVIDIA, maybe check out the GTX 650 Ti Boost, or even a GTX 660 if you really want to go for it

I'm not totally sold on the fact that the NVIDIA card is only 192-bit, though...
I ended up pulling the trigger on the XFX Radeon HD 7850 2GB, so we'll see how it handles everything next week🙂

Thanks for all the help!

Brandon Carter17 said:I'm really not a fan of the fact that the Envy only has a 192-bit bus.
I've decided to pull the trigger on the XFX Radeon HD 7850 2GB instead. We'll see how it handles my games next week. 🙂

Thanks for all the input!

Personally, I'd lean toward Sapphire—their heatsinks are just superior.

So, what kind of graphics card would you guys suggest for me?
I'm currently running an AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition,
and I usually play at
1920 x 1080.

Is this worth picking up?
I'm looking at GPUs right now and noticed this one $583 is listed for an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760, while other shops have the GTX 660 priced similarly. It looks like Gainward is the cheapest option here—is their quality decent enough for standard use without messing with overclocking?

I was wondering which would be the better buy—the AMD Radeon R9 290X or the AMD Radeon HD 7990?

Charles Brown said:Is it actually worth picking up this
I'm thinking about grabbing a new GPU, and I noticed this one is listed $583 for an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760, while in other shops, a GTX 660 costs just as much. It looks like Gainward is the cheapest option here, but are they any good for everyday use if I don't mess around with overclocking?

I was checking out this shop—it looks like they have a ton of stuff at really low prices according to Nabavi.net, but I haven't actually used them before... has anyone else ordered from them yet?

Scott Hayes96 said:I'm trying to decide if I should pick up an AMD Radeon R9 290X or an AMD Radeon HD 7990

Better for what? It really just comes down to preference—some people want a single GPU, others swear by dual setups, some care about their power bill while others couldn't care less. If you're playing games that actually support CrossFire, the 7990 will definitely pull ahead, plus it's a much smoother experience if you're running a multi-monitor setup with two or three screens.

Andrew Fox74 said:I was checking out this online store and noticed they have a huge selection at really low wholesale prices according to some comparison sites, but I haven't actually used them before... has anyone here ordered from them yet?

From what I've gathered, they're pretty reliable. It's just a newer shop.

Uzi shop experiences

Benjamin King2 said:Better for what, though? I guess it just depends—some people prefer a single GPU while others go dual, and some care about power draw while others don't. Games that actually support CrossFire will likely run better on an AMD Radeon HD 7990, especially if you're running a two or three-monitor setup.

It's better for gaming, really—I don't much care whether it's single or dual, I just want to squeeze every bit of performance out of it. Power consumption isn't really my concern, and I'll probably just stick to one monitor anyway.

Just wait until it actually hits the shelves, but IMO you're talking about total overkill if you're only running a single monitor.

Timothy Kim60 said:just hold on until it actually drops, but IMO you're totally overdoing it for just one monitor...

What does IMO mean?
How can it be overkill? What if some massive AAA title drops tomorrow that needs insane power just to run at 1050p? It doesn't matter if it feels like too much right now... I'm not planning on buying a new GPU for at least two years, after all...