GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Man, it’s tough, guys. About a year ago, I picked up something similar for a handful of $50 bucks. They used to go for 100, but those prices have tanked. Honestly, I doubt the people asking this much will actually move them at that price.

Just keep in mind this is an online retailer, so you've got to factor in shipping costs (around 40-$17 dollars).

Hi everyone, so right now this graphics card is relatively cheap due to a sale, which leaves me with two questions:

1. Do you think it's actually worth picking up? Is there something new on the horizon that might crash the price, or am I good to go?

2. I'm currently running an EVGA 500 W Bronze Power Supply. The rest of my build consists of an Intel Core i7 4771, a 128GB SSD paired with a 1TB hard drive, an ASUS B85M-D3H motherboard, and a Corsair Elite 371 case. Will my power supply be able to handle it?

By the way, would this one be a better choice? My only real concerns are whether it requires a beefier power supply or if it lacks a decent cooler.

I’d appreciate any help you can offer. If you have any advice or critiques—for instance, if you think my case is too small for these components—please feel free to speak up. I'd be very grateful.

Everything looks fine to me, though I’m feeling a little skeptical about the power supply situation—if this site is right and the draw maxes out at 250 W, then your PSU should handle it just fine. You'd still have roughly 80-90 W of headroom even under a full load (assuming the specs on this page are actually accurate—check the link below). But the real question is, which specific model of power supply are we talking about here? There's a v2 series out there too, you know. If you aren't 100% sure, maybe just pop the case open and check the exact model printed right on the unit itself.

http://gpuboss.com/graphics-card/GeForce-GTX-780

GTX 760 vs R9 270 x

The cheapest GTX 760 I've seen is roughly $567. On the other hand, you can grab an R9 270 x for about $500.

Do you guys think it's actually worth dropping those extra $67 bucks just to go with the GTX 760? I mean, what's the deal with the outlook on "Mantle" and how much better AMD cards might get with future optimization?

Personally, I’d probably lean toward the GTX 760—it’s just a tiny bit more powerful. In my opinion, it's worth shelling out $67 a little extra.

Hmm, but at $1700$600 you're looking at a reference GTX 760, whereas if you stay under $533 you can grab an R9 270 x OC with 2 or 3 fans. Personally, I'd probably lean toward the R9 270 x 🙂

You can't really bluff your way through this, though...

There are also some non-essential extras included at that price point.

- You can grab the Phantom or the Palit JetStream models for a bit less money.

I'm not sure if those NVIDIA price cuts have actually hit the market yet.

Once Mantle support for Battlefield 4 rolls out, we should finally have a clearer picture of what's worth buying.

crimsonstag84 said:Hmm, but if you're looking at $1700-$600, that's basically the baseline for a GTX 760—whereas for anything less than $533, you could grab an R9 270X OC with 2 or 3 fans. If it were me, I'd probably go with the R9 270X 🙂

You can't really go wrong there, though...

But honestly, regardless of which one they pick, it’s hard to mess that up, right? 😁

Larry Ortiz5 said:In my view, everything seems fine. However, I am feeling a bit skeptical regarding the power supply unit. If this card truly pulls a maximum of 250 W, as indicated on this page, then the PSU should handle it without much trouble—leaving you with roughly 80-90 W of headroom at peak load (assuming the specs on this site are accurate; see the link below). But the real question remains: what is the exact model of your power supply? There is a v2 series out there, after all. If you aren't certain, it might be best to simply pop the case open and check the specific model printed directly on the unit itself.

http://gpuboss.com/graphics-card/GeForce-GTX-780

No, I don't see any mention of a v2 version anywhere. I am fairly confident that this is the power supply in question.

EVGA 500 W Bronze Power Supply I guess it’s worth mentioning the 80 Plus rating. Maybe it matters more than people think. Bronze I guess a 120mm fan might be okay for the power supply, maybe.

If it's the Bronze version, I guess that makes it a better option than the V2. 🙂

With a power supply that crappy, you might as well hope it keeps the peace along the entire Danube.

Hey everyone, what are your thoughts on the R9 290?
http://www.newegg.com/p/graphics-cards/evga-r9-290
Just to be precise here.
I was watching some videos earlier and realized it actually outperforms the 290x if you overclock both—plus, it’s brand new, just hit the market.

EDIT: Honestly, you might wake up the entire neighborhood with how loud this thing is.

Also, how does the performance of the R9 290 stack up against the GTX 780?

Thinking about picking it up?

It’s a bit more powerful than the GTX 780, and maybe $333 even cheaper right now (though I'm not sure if they actually dropped the prices). The downside is probably that stock cooler and how loud it gets.

I'm looking to invest in a high-end graphics card, and besides the Titan, these two seem to be the heavy hitters on the market right now.
Unfortunately, the Titan is priced at $2833, so I've decided to pass on that option altogether.😬
I watched a demo of an R9 290 recently, and I swear, it was so loud it would have woken up my neighbors in our poorly insulated apartment building.
Plus, I wouldn't even be able to overclock it; even without any tweaking, temperatures hit 100 degrees, which is definitely not what I'm looking for.

Susan Anderson77 said:Besides, there wouldn't be any point in trying to overclock it anyway. Even without pushing it, the temps are hitting 100 degrees, which is definitely not something I want to deal with.

Do you really think that would even be necessary? 🤷

It’s just as loud and runs just as hot as the 290X.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQhqOKKAq7o
😬

Your options are to either wait for the non-reference models, grab an aftermarket cooler, or go with a liquid cooling setup.
I mean, if you actually have the budget for a GPU in that tier, you should definitely have enough left over for decent cooling. 🤷
Besides, what kind of CPU are you running, and what does your power supply look like?

If you ask me, those ultra-expensive GPUs aren't even worth it. You can pick up something like a 280X or a GTX 770 for around $2,100 and up—which are more than capable.

The 280x absolutely crushes it 😍

With Christmas approaching, I have managed to save up a little bit of money, so I think it would be a great time to invest in a new graphics card along with a few other upgrades.

Here is my current setup.

Intel Core i5 750 @2.67 ghz

ASRock P55M Pro motherboard
PCI-express

4 GB of DDR3 RAM

GeForce GTX 260 graphics card (896 MB VRAM) which lacks DX11 support

My plan is to add another 4 GB of RAM and pick up a new 1 or 2 TB hard drive—depending on what the market looks like, as prices were quite steep until recently. Additionally, I intend to replace my current graphics card. While it still performs adequately for basic tasks, it is becoming increasingly inadequate for more demanding modern titles. It was right at that generational turning point, wasn't it? It happens to be the last generation that doesn't support DX11. When I originally purchased this, there was an option for a Radeon card with 1 GB of memory and DX11 support, but I opted for this one instead.

I would prefer not to spend more than $500 on a new card; in fact, the lower the cost, the better. I am somewhat uncertain about what I might be able to get for my current card. It has never been overclocked and is in 100% working condition. I have noticed they are selling for around $40-$$167 on sites like eBay, but I am unsure if my current motherboard will support newer cards or if I will be forced to upgrade the entire system...

Hard drive prices have been dipping lately—you can actually snag one for $133 if you look around for 1TB. That processor is still solid, too; honestly, it could probably handle a new R9 270 x without breaking a sweat. As for what it’s worth, I’d say somewhere in the $1500-$$533 range feels right, though if you're shopping specifically for Zicbo, you'll likely see those prices drop even further. That R9 270 x is basically just a boosted version of the 7870, and since the 7870 can run pretty much any game smoothly, you'd be in good shape with that card. Regarding your current graphics card, maybe just list it at whatever price you'd be happy to walk away with—if it doesn't move, just shave off $17 every week.