GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

rowdytrucker5 said:Maybe you could suggest something else—nothing too crazy expensive, maybe around $75-$80—that would run a bit smoother with my current setup?

Could you let me know which power supply model you're using? Also, does the card need to come from a big retailer like Best Buy, or would something from a local Craigslist ad work?

I mean, sure, you can grab it from Craigslist, I don't see why not. It’s basically the exact same power supply as the one in this listing anyway, no biggie.

www.craigslist.org/listing/power-supply-lc-8400btx-400w-ad

I honestly don't think you'll find a better card for $167 than this one. Since it isn't exactly a power hog, your current power supply should be able to handle it just fine. http://www.newegg.com/p/product_info.php?c...ducts_id=11910

EDIT: If you happen to have an extra $67 lying around, I’d actually recommend checking out this one on Craigslist instead... http://www.craigslist.org/search/electronics?query=5770. It's about $233 for either of them. Or, hey, maybe try asking the seller if they'll drop the price a bit and just ship it via FedEx
.

I’ve got another one for ya... basically, if I stumble across something like a 1GB DDR3 stick but it’s only running at 64-bit instead of 128-bit... would that actually be worth the upgrade compared to what I’m rocking right now, which is just some old DDR2 with a 128-bit bus?

rowdytrucker5 said:I've got one more question... if I come across something like a 1GB DDR3 card, but it's only 64-bit instead of 128-bit... would that actually be worth picking up over my current DDR2 card which has 128-bit?

Always try to aim for a card with DDR5—that’s why I mentioned earlier $67 adding a bit more for a 5770 might be the better move. Honestly, though, I'm surprised anyone would pay that much for an old card anyway; I had mine for $133 and sold it within ten minutes, because let's face it, it's an older model and you can't really expect a windfall. If I were in your shoes, I'd at least try to haggle for $33. Or, you could just save up a little more and grab a so you don't have to worry about it later...

A new Radeon HD 7750 goes for about $100, and honestly, it pulls almost three times less power while being slightly faster than an old HD 5770 😛

So, just out of curiosity, what kind of cash could I actually pull in for this one of mine?
Just trying to get a ballpark figure so I can hopefully cover at least a chunk of what I’m dumping into a new rig.

crimsonstag84 said:Look, the Radeon HD 7750 is about $100—and honestly, it pulls almost a third less power than older cards while being slightly more powerful than an old HD 5770 too. 😛

Oh, and if that one works too, 👍

http://www.ebay.com/itm/graphics-card-listing-example

Honestly, this thing is easily five times better than what you’re running right now, and it actually sits somewhere in the same league as that 5770... You might even have enough left over to grab a decent power supply, maybe an EVGA or something similar. I'm not sure exactly where you're located, but I was checking listings around Chicago when I saw this.

rowdytrucker5 said:So, how much could I realistically get for mine? Just looking for some info so I can cover part of what I'll be spending on a new one...

Honestly, I haven't a clue—I see an XFX ATI 5550 listed on eBay for about $100..

If I pull the trigger and order something through eBay, there's a pretty decent chance I'm gonna get slapped with extra customs fees on top of everything else, right?

What’s even the point of hunting for used gear on eBay? Prices there are basically the same as what you'll find on Craigslist, and at least with local listings, you can actually go pick it up in your own city.

Save up your cash—honestly, for $167 it's probably not worth the headache if you want to actually enjoy yourself. I mean, if you're just playing at a super low resolution, then maybe a 6670
would cut it.

That’s exactly what I was thinking... man, thanks for putting in the work and taking the time to break it all down for me 🙂

Hey everyone, could someone please recommend a solid graphics card that I can find for under $83? My current one just died on me, so I need to pick up a replacement, but that's really my limit right now. If anyone has any suggestions or knows of a good deal, maybe you could even drop a link where it's easy to buy...

I would be very grateful for any help... 🙂

Thanks... 🙂

Henry Kim3 said:Hey everyone—could you guys recommend a solid graphics card I could find for under $83? My current one just kicked the bucket, so I'm hunting for a replacement. I'm on a pretty tight budget right now, so if you have any suggestions or know where I can grab one easily, feel free to drop a link...

I'd really appreciate the help... 🙂

Thanks... 🙂

First, let us know what your current specs are. We need to know if you're running an AGP or a PCIe card.

Larry Ortiz5 said:First, you should list your full specs. We need to know if you're running an AGP or a PCIe card.

Dammit... Could you please explain what they mean by AGP or PCIe? 😁

Look, I'm no IT expert, so I guess I'm a bit out of my depth compared to someone who actually knows this stuff... 😁

Anyway, I've got a Core i7, 2.4 GHz, 64-bit, 2GB DDR2, 500GB HDD, and right now I'm stuck using integrated graphics which is just absolute garbage... I honestly wonder how anyone gets anything done with a machine like this... 😁

Henry Kim3 said:Dammit... could you please explain what PGP or PCIe actually refers to? 😁

Look, I'm no IT expert, so I'm definitely feeling a bit out of my depth compared to someone who actually knows their stuff... 😁

Anyway, I've got this old rig with a Core i7, 2.4 GHz, 64-bit, 2GB DDR2, and a 500GB HDD. Right now, I'm stuck using integrated graphics, which is absolute garbage... I honestly wonder how anyone manages to get anything done on a machine like this. 😁

Just grab this utility and check the motherboard section; I'm pretty sure it's PCIe...
http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html

swiftfalcon89 said:just download this utility and check under the motherboard section, though I suspect it's actually PCIe...
http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html

Unfortunately, I won't be able to get that done until Tuesday or maybe Wednesday at the earliest. My monitor is currently at the repair shop, so I'm just waiting on them to fix it...

And I suppose I'll need to pick up a new graphics card in the meantime...

Is it really impossible to give me an estimate without having every single specific detail regarding which GPU might work?

Hey everyone.
I'm trying to decide which of these two graphics cards is actually better for gaming. And please, spare me the "just buy this one instead" or "you should get that other model" advice. I've narrowed it down to these specific two options, so I just want to know which of them is the better pick.
Thanks in advance. 🤷