GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

I was thinking about picking up an MSI 7770 Power Edition, but I've had a few people tell me that this card isn't really cutting it for any of the newer titles lately. I'm currently running a 460W power supply from a generic brand, so I was wondering if that would actually be enough juice to handle a GTX 560 graphics card?

It’s a decent choice, plus you get that 3-year warranty, but the GTX 560 still holds a slight edge in performance.
The Radeon HD 7770 is incredibly power-efficient, but honestly, your PSU can handle either one.

You're looking at roughly the same level of performance here; if you actually want a meaningful upgrade, you'll need $667.

stormytiger57 said:I was looking at getting that MSI 7770 Power Edition, but some people were telling me it's pretty much useless for running modern games

Who's spreading all that nonsense?

Some people have been giving me their two cents about this graphics card, so I'm honestly feeling a little lost on what I should actually pick up. I came across this MSI model for $250, but then there's this POV GTX 560 sitting there for $333

Hey there... I was wondering if someone could walk me through the whole process of swapping out my graphics card, step by step... specifically how to properly scrub the old drivers before getting the new ones running. I'm currently running Windows 7, and my current card is a Sapphire Radeon HD 7770 with 1GB of DDR5 memory. Thanks a million in advance...

stormytiger57 said:Some people told me that about that card, so I'm stuck on what to pick. I found this MSI one for $250 and then there's this POV GTX 560 for $333.

If that's the price and it comes with a warranty, just get the MSI 7770. Don't overthink it.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/

Is this the one?

Jeremy Moore75 said:Hey everyone! Could someone give me a detailed, step-by-step guide on how to install a new graphics card? Specifically, how to uninstall the old drivers and set up the new ones. I'm running Windows 7, and the card is a Sapphire Radeon HD 7770 1GB DDR5. Thanks a ton in advance!

You've got a PCIe slot on the motherboard. Press the white clip, pop the old card out, slide the new one in, and you're done.
Go to Control Panel > Programs and Features; uninstall the old drivers, download the new ones from the web, install them like any other game, and you're set.

Look, there’s no need to get all philosophical about it. Just run Driver Sweeper to wipe out those old drivers, then go ahead and install the new ones for the 7770.
And if you haven't swapped the card out yet, just pull the plug on the PC, unscrew one single screw, pop the old one out, and slide the new one in. It’s really that simple... total genius at work here. 🙂

Go to Start > Control Panel > Programs and Features and just wipe out the old drivers. If you were running an Nvidia card, they're usually listed as Nvidia graphics drivers; if it was ATI, you'll see the AMD Catalyst Manager.

Then just unplug everything, especially the power cord. It varies depending on your case, but the card is probably held in by one screw. Unscrew that, pop off the power connector if the old card had one, and pull the card out. You'll probably have to press or slide a little plastic tab at the end of the slot to get the card to release.

Pop the new card in, plug in the power connector (it should be a 6-pin, which your PSU should have, but if not, you can grab an adapter to turn a couple of Molex plugs into a 6-pin), screw it back in, and I guess that's pretty much it.
Drivers are right here:
http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownloa...w_vista32.aspx

If you're on 64-bit Windows, try here
http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownloa...w_vista64.aspx

Thanks for the help so far, though I’ve been hearing a lot of chatter lately about how you supposedly need to boot into Safe Mode after wiping the drivers just to scrub out some leftover junk... is that actually necessary, or is it just one of those things people say to sound thorough?

Nah, you gotta wipe the old driver completely, reboot the rig, and then—only then—do you go ahead and install the new one.

Thanks, but now I’m hitting another snag... I’m trying to wipe out my old drivers, but then I see both the AMD Catalyst Manager and Nvidia PhysX sitting there staring back at me... I can't quite wrap my head around which one actually needs to go and which one stays...

I could really use some help deciding on my next move here.
I'm looking to pick up a new AGP graphics card.
My current rig is running an
ASUS P4P800 motherboard
with an Intel Pentium 4 at 2.8GHz.
I've got 2GB of DDR SDRAM total (2x 1GB).
I'm actually not entirely sure what the wattage on my power supply is right now.
What I'm currently using is


I've been scouring the web—checking everywhere from Newegg to Amazon and a few other local retailers—and I've noticed stock is incredibly thin for these things.
I'm looking to drop about $150 on this, and if anyone knows where I can find something with a decent warranty just in case it dies on me, let me know.
1.
2. checking out a listing on Best Buy

3. then there's VTX3D

Looking at this HD4650 1024MB model... is that actually a PCI card instead of AGP?
Thanks.

Uninstall the AMD Catalyst Manager, you probably had ATI drivers installed before anyway.

@slyraven57/">@@slyraven57 why are you even looking at a new card? You aren't going to find anything better; what you’ve got is honestly pretty decent for an AGP card...

Look, I’ll be the first to admit I’m no hardware expert when it comes to PC builds and components. I honestly thought grabbing a card with 512MB of VRAM would give me a noticeable boost
but if the performance jump is basically nonexistent, then why even bother wasting the money?

Honestly, there's barely any difference; yours is probably one of the better ones you'll find for AGP anyway...

I'd say just save up for a new rig instead.

pekto1200 said:Thanks, but now I'm stuck on something else. I'm about to wipe out my old drivers and I'm seeing both an AMD Catalyst Install Manager and Nvidia PhysX... I honestly have no clue which one I actually need to get rid of here.

Man, if you're cleaning things out, just scrap both of them... it's a breeze to deal with Nvidia PhysX later..

You'll probably still need Nvidia PhysX for certain games, so I guess just leave that alone.

Got a machine that’s basically a paperweight, and I need a new GPU for around $700...$267not looking for anything overkill.

Dual core 2.60 GHz
ASUS P5G41T-M LX3 2
2 GB DDR3 (one RAM slot still open)
400W PSU
Currently running an old ATI Radeon 1950 with 256 MB—it's ancient. Need an upgrade that won't force me to swap out the power supply.
I'm not asking for much...
Thanks.

Intel Corp. DG45ID

My GPU is an
.
I'm looking to pick up a new graphics card because I've started working more with the > suite. Honestly, gaming isn't much of a priority anymore since I spend most of my free time on the >, so that's not a huge factor. To be completely transparent, I don't know much about GPUs, so could anyone suggest a solid option for graphic design work? Price isn't a major concern, though I don't need top-of-the-line performance—anything under $333 would be perfectly fine.
I'm also thinking about upgrading my processor. Does anyone have recommendations there as well? It feels like my current setup is getting pretty outdated, so any advice would be greatly appreciated! 🙂

Which Adobe apps are we talking about here? Honestly, having a beefier graphics card only really matters if you're grinding away in Adobe Premiere or maybe Adobe After Effects—for anything else, it’s pretty much overkill. If that's your situation, you could probably grab something like this:

As for the CPU, you'll likely have to hunt through the used market—something like a quad-core, maybe a Q6700 or a Q8400, actually makes sense. Though, I guess the real question is whether the price tag is worth it, since those things can get surprisingly pricey sometimes.

@James Ortiz/">@@James Ortiz