GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Adam Allen said:Best regards,

I'm currently running an Asus HD7770 graphics card and I'm honestly pretty disappointed with it. I play a lot of demanding titles like Crysis and Bioshock at 1920x1080 resolution, and the lag is just unbearable. I'm ready to sell my old card and upgrade, but I'm getting a bit overwhelmed by the options, so I have a few questions:

1.) Is the R9 270 x TOXIC better than the Asus GTX 760?
The R9 270 x TOXIC is $567 whereas the Asus GTX 760 is $667

2.) Does it make sense to spend $167 more to pick up either an ASUS GTX770 or an R9 280 x TOXIC?
The R9 280 x TOXIC is $867 while the Asus GTX 770 is around $250?

I know there are cheaper models out there, but I really want one of the specific cards mentioned above, so please let me know which is the better choice...

Thanks

1. A standard 760 is stronger than the 270x; though, the Toxic might be a slightly overclocked version of the 270x. You should Google some reviews to see the exact specs.

2. Regarding raw power, the 280x toxic outperforms the gtx770 (though it is louder). To quote the specs, the Toxic isn't just your run-of-the-mill 280x:

It's the top-tier, most feature-rich card available, delivering a 30% higher base clock and a 15% higher Boost clock compared to the standard AMD reference design.

review

-At standard resolutions (1920x1200), it's right on the heels of the gtx 780 and r9 290.

Adam Allen said:Best regards

I've got an Asus HD7770, and honestly, it's not cutting it. I play heavy hitters like Crysis and Bioshock at 1080p, and the lag is brutal. I'm ready to ditch this old thing for something better, but I'm getting mixed signals, so I have a few questions

1.) Is the R9 270 x TOXIC actually better than the Asus GTX 760?
R9 270 x TOXIC is $567 while the Asus GTX 760 is $667

2.) Is it worth dropping $167 more to grab an ASUS GTX770 or an R9 280 x TOXIC?
R9 280 x TOXIC is $867 and the Asus GTX 770 is around $250?

I know there are cheaper options out there, but I'm set on one of these specific ones, so just tell me which one wins...

Thanks

First off, what else is in your rig?
Can your CPU even handle any of these cards?

What kind of power supply are you running?

Hey there!

I need a GPU recommendation for this motherboard: http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P5GD1VM/

My rig's running 3 GB of RAM and a dual-core 3.0 GHz CPU—so I'm looking for something budget-friendly that can actually handle FIFA or PES 2013 without dying.

Thanks in advance. 🙂

Any HD 7750 or even something a bit more entry-level would work, provided the power draw stays roughly the same.

Alright, I wanted to reach out and get some collective wisdom from you all regarding my next move: which graphics card should I actually pull the trigger on?
My current setup features an Intel Core i5-3570K
running on an ASROCK Z77 Extreme 4 motherboard,
and I'm torn between picking up a Gigabyte R9 270X, a Sapphire Vapor R9 270X, or perhaps the Sapphire Toxic R9 270X version.

----Thanks much----

The poison one is definitely the strongest, though it’s also the most expensive—we're talking pretty close to the price of an NVIDIA GTX 760 at this point

Gigabyte It’s easily the most budget-friendly option—plus, it's already overclocked out of the box and still has plenty of headroom to push further. You're getting solid thermal performance from an efficient cooler, and it even comes with a 3-year warranty. It's a killer deal, especially since the MSI Gaming series doesn't quite hit that top-tier level this time around.

graniteharbor85 said:Gigabyte - it's easily the most budget-friendly option here, and honestly, it has solid overclocking potential too. Plus, you're getting a really decent cooler that actually does its job, all backed by a three-year warranty. It definitely beats out that MSI Gaming series model, which, let's be real, isn't even their top-tier stuff anyway.

Fair enough... thanks. Though, I did read somewhere online that their coolers tend to die off pretty quickly, almost like they design them to fail just to screw you over. Is there any truth to that? 🙂

Ryan Hayes82 said:That Poison card might be the top performer, but let’s be real—it’ll cost you a fortune, and we’re getting dangerously close to what an NVIDIA GTX 760 would run you.

Thanks, 🙂

maybe this one
http://www.newegg.com/p/details/7591D8D3F
It feels like they bumped up the prices recently. I remember seeing Sapphire Dual-X models for around $220, but now everything is sitting at $260-$275. In my opinion, that’s way too steep for a 270x—it's basically just a slightly overclocked HD7870 that you can pick up for about $210.

If I had to stretch my budget for those overpriced Toxic cards or whatever else, I’d honestly rather just go with the NVIDIA GTX 760

Timothy Kim60 said:maybe this one

It feels like they just hiked the prices up on us. I remember when those Sapphire Dual-X cards were sitting around $220, but now seeing them pushed up to the $260-$280 range? That’s just overkill for a 270x. At the end of the day, you're essentially paying a premium for what is basically just a slightly overclocked HD 7870 that used to go for about $210.

If I actually had to stretch my budget to reach those overpriced Toxic models and whatever else is out there, I’d honestly rather just pick up an NVIDIA GTX 760 and call it a day.

thanks 🙂

Patrick Miller8 said:okay.. thanks. I think I read somewhere that their coolers die really fast and end up causing all sorts of trouble.. is that actually true? 🙂

You definitely heard that wrong.

graniteharbor85 said:I think you might have misheard what was actually said.

Fine, 🙂if that's how you want to play it.

What would be the most logical choice for a graphics card at approximately $333 dollars?

http://www.amazon.com/product_info.php?c...ducts_id=14026

http://www.amazon.com/product_info.php?c...ducts_id=13311

The GTX 650Ti Boost seems to be a bit better...

Should I go with the HD 7790 or the R7 270X for roughly $300? The next step up would be the Radeon HD 7850, which is about 1150 bucks if
.

Which one is the better buy, the Radeon R9 290 or the Radeon HD 7850?

And honestly, since the Radeon HD 7850 is weaker—would it even be possible to overclock it enough to match the performance of a Radeon R9 290?

I’d probably just grab the Radeon R9 290 right away—at least you don't have to deal with a massive blower cooler built into it.😁

The Radeon R9 290X and Radeon R9 290 with custom coolers should be dropping soon. If you aren't in a huge rush, I guess it might be worth waiting. 😉

http://wccftech.com/nonreference-amd...rrive-earlier/

I mean, I get it, but I’m assuming prices are just going to spike once they actually arrive... so I’m thinking about just grabbing a GPU now and then picking up a decent cooler for it later down the road when I actually have the cash to spare.