GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Anthony Kim54 said:Which would be the better pick, an R9 290 or an R9 280x?

And could I overclock the R9 280x to match the performance of an R9 290 since it's technically the weaker card?

I’d grab the R9 290 in a heartbeat if it didn't have such a massive cooler attached to it. 😁

If you're running a standard monitor (anything up to 1920x1200 resolution), just go with the 280x. At that resolution, you won't notice much of a difference compared to the 290 (click), so you might as well keep the extra cash in your pocket. The only problem is that they seem to be out of stock at all our local retailers right now.

Timothy Kim60 said:If you’re just using a standard monitor—nothing higher than 1920x1200—I suppose you should just grab the 280x. There isn't much of a noticeable difference compared to the 290 (click), so you might as well save your money. Though, it seems like they aren't even in stock at our local stores right now

They aren't available yet. Based on what I've heard, they shouldn't arrive until around January 15th. Personally, I've
put off buying my gear because of this. I don't think the 290s are in stock either

Amazon

Amazon

If they have it in stock, I’d honestly go with the second option just to get that longer warranty—especially since the price gap isn't even that big $10... I'm looking at this strictly as a PC upgrade, and that first one looks solid enough based on what I know... but you know me, I don't want to take any chances with an online order and end up getting burned
.
I was running an ATI HD 3870 before... (it’s been running like a total snail lately, man, it’s easily five years old now, plus it can't even handle DX11)... but man, the jump in performance I'm getting by picking up this new card is night and day
.

swiftscout21 said:I used to run an ATI HD3870—it’s been a total workhorse for five solid years, but obviously, it couldn't handle DX11. Man, what a massive leap forward this new card is!

This much. Even though there aren't many games included in this test, it serves as a solid baseline. To me, that gap looks a bit excessive, but hey, you're still making progress regardless.

You’d be better off grabbing that from Amazon; if you check HGSpot, they just list the retail price at the bottom anyway.$266)
I certainly hope you’re running at least a decent dual-core processor paired with 4GB of RAM.

Actually, you’re better off grabbing it from Amazon—if you check HGShop, they just list the in-store price down there ($266)
I'm really hoping you've got at least a decent dual-core setup and 4GB of RAM with you.

I've got an Intel Core 2 Duo E4600 running with 4GB of RAM—honestly, this gear has been my trusty companion for about five years now... My main question is, would pairing this with a slightly better graphics card help things run smoother? I don't want to spend a fortune, though—just something more capable than what's listed here. So, if anyone has some solid recommendations, please let me know! I haven't pulled the trigger on the order yet, so I'm wide open to any advice you guys can throw my way today or tomorrow..

With newer games, your CPU is going to be the main bottleneck—not the graphics card. Sure, you could go ahead and grab a beefier GPU, which is technically the better long-term play, but honestly? That processor is just going to hold you back regardless. If you aren't planning on building a whole new rig anytime soon—I mean, within the next year or so—then upgrading the card is pretty much a waste of cash. You might be better off just hunting down some used 4870 or 4890; they're basically sitting in the same ballpark as a 7750 anyway.

Benjamin King2 said:With newer titles, your CPU is going to be the main bottleneck rather than the GPU. Sure, you could grab a beefier card—which is always a better move for the long haul—but honestly, the processor is what’s really going to hold you back. If you aren't planning on building a whole new rig anytime soon (like within the next year or so), then upgrading the graphics card just isn't worth the cash. You might be better off hunting down a used 4870 or 4890; they're pretty much in the same ballpark as the 7750 anyway.

Hmm, okay, you've got me thinking... is my Intel Core 2 Duo actually doing anything useful here? If I were to go out and hunt for a new processor that would play nice with a 7750, what would you guys recommend? My current setup feels alright, but since it doesn't support DX11, I'm totally locked out of the newest stuff. I can get Assassin's Creed IV to run, but man, Battlefield 4 and the new Call of Duty just won't budge.

Hey everyone, what’s the word? My POV 570 GTX finally kicked the bucket and is headed for the scrap heap. I need a replacement.
- It has to be Nvidia.
- Current setup: 16 GB OCZ RAM / Windows 8 / Antec Quattro 850W / Intel Core i5 2500k
- Mostly playing FPS and 3D titles (Battlefield 3, DayZ, Dishonored) at 1080p. For anything else, I just hop on my console.

Looking to hit up Best Buy with a budget of around $500. Thanks!

p.s. if there's something significantly better for a guy like $67 that fits the budget, let me know.

You’ve got a GTX 660, which sits about $417 above your current GTX 570. If you can swing roughly $1700, you could look at a GTX 660 Ti or even a GTX 760, both of which offer a nice 20% bump in speed. Personally, I’d lean toward the GTX 760. That said, you aren't losing much ground if you stick with the GTX 660; you'll just end up saving about $167
in the process.

They have the GTX 660 in stock at Micro Center for $503, but if you can swing a little extra, I’d definitely recommend grabbing the MSI GTX 760 760 instead for $653. Since it's an MSI card, you get that solid 3-year warranty—which is always a nice safety net—plus it actually pulls about 50W less power than the "old" card. If your budget allows for the upgrade, why wouldn't you? It also comes with a really top-tier cooler 👍
.
http://www.microcenter.com/product_info.php?c...ducts_id=13349

A GTX 760 for about $567, though I suspect it's just the reference cooler version

http://diskont24.com/product.php?pro...cat=391&page=5

You can snag a GTX 660 for less than $433

crimsonstag84 said:I’m running my CPU at about 3 to 3.2GHz—looking at your setup, you've actually got a pretty decent motherboard there, that P35-DS3

Man, if I actually tried overclocking, I’d probably end up breaking something... though hey, thanks for the suggestion! If I ever run into someone nearby who knows their way around a rig, maybe we can talk shop... honestly, a decent heatsink isn't even that expensive, so I might just go for it eventually.

crimsonstag84 said:What's a fair price for a GTX 760?$567I suspect we're looking at the stock cooler here.

http://diskont24.com/product.php?pro...cat=391&page=5

You can pick up a GTX 660 for under that amount. $433

Exactly. Any MSI GTX 760 that doesn't explicitly list "Gaming" or "Twin Frozr" in the title is just using those coolers as a reference point.

Larry Ortiz5 said:They’ve got a GTX 660 at Micro Center for $503, but if you can swing it, go for the MSI GTX 760 760 priced at $653. Since it's an MSI card, you get a solid 3-year warranty, and it actually pulls about 50W less power than the older model. If you can afford the jump, I'd say go for it... plus, the cooler on that thing is top-tier. 👍

http://www.microcenter.com/product_info.php?products_id=13349

Alright, the 760 looks pretty decent. Now I just need to pull some strings with my business contacts to see if I can snag a discount. I'll let you guys know what they say once I hear back. 😬

If you're looking for the best deals on Nvidia gear, you can't go wrong with MSI or GIGA—they're pretty much the gold standard up to $500.

But honestly, if you're aiming for a GTX 760, just grab one from Hawkic.

Alright, here’s what I’ve got on the table.

Asus GTX660-DC2OCPH-2GD5 - $406
Palit GTX660 2GB OC - $363
Asus GTX760-DC2OC-2GD5 -$533

Well, if you can manage it—definitely go with the last one.

Honestly, just go for that Asus. It isn’t any less reliable than those overclocked models, and you're only losing a few measly frames per second. Plus, it's significantly cheaper. That Palit card isn't a bad choice either, though—you could even look at getting two of them if you wanted to.

Timothy Kim60 said:well, if you can—definitely go with the last one

So, is that price actually decent for the performance you're getting? It feels a little off compared to what I expected. 😁

Matthew Anderson said:So, is that price actually fair for the performance you get? It feels a bit off compared to what I expected. 😁

Honestly, that price is way too high for an NVIDIA GTX 760—unless there's some kind of discount applied?

EDIT - wait, could this be a typo for an NVIDIA GTX 660?