GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

fadedorca66 · 2012-07-30T18:03:02+00:00

Look, I'd say go for the 6670—ideally with DDR5 memory. If you really want to step things up a bit, maybe look at a 6770 or a 7750. Honestly, anything more tha…

brightviper13 Member

49 messages
joined Sep 2012

#121 · Aug 31, 2012

brightskipper40 said:I was just looking at this one too, and it seems perfectly fine to me. The reviews aren't bad either, so I'll probably head over to Best Buy tomorrow and see how it performs in person.

http://www.bestbuy.com/product-example-link-1

Or maybe this one http://www.bestbuy.com/product-example-link-2
Though I suspect the first option might be the better choice. I suppose you should check some noise tests on YouTube just to be safe; ignore the commercials, but based on the specs, the first one should be significantly quieter.

brightskipper40 Member

15 messages
joined Dec 2012

#122 · Aug 31, 2012

brightviper13 said:Or maybe this http://www.bestbuy.com/refrigerator-example
I honestly think the first one is better. Just double-check how much noise they make on YouTube—ignore the ads, obviously—but based on what I see, the first one should be way quieter.

I checked everything out 🙂 super quiet too. While the stock cooler hits 80°C at full load, this one keeps it at 50! 👋Note: I might even try overclocking it by about 100 MHz if there's any headroom left... 😁

brightviper13 Member

49 messages
joined Sep 2012

#123 · Aug 31, 2012

brightskipper40 said:He watched everything and did his research. 🙂 It’s incredibly quiet; while the stock setup hits 80°C under full load, this one stays at 50! 👋 hat: maybe I'll even try overclocking it by about 100 MHz if it seems feasible. 😁

Well, they are beasts, and the price tag is certainly something else. If you aren't planning to overclock the GPU itself, you could use MSI Afterburner to bump the memory up by maybe 100-200 MHz and the core by 100 MHz. If the temps stay stable, you might be able to push it a bit further.

Zachary Hill35 Newcomer

1 message
joined Aug 2012

#124 · Aug 31, 2012

Hey, I'm looking for some kind of graphics card roughly in the ballpark of $833. My current setup is running an AsRock Z77 Extreme6 motherboard paired with an XFX 750 power supply.

Robert Rodriguez2 Regular

353 messages
joined Jul 2015

#125 · Aug 31, 2012

Zachary Hill35 said:Hey, I need a GPU roughly in the range of $833. Running an AsRock Z77 Extreme6 motherboard and an XFX 750 power supply.

http://www.newegg.com/product_info.php?c...ducts_id=11063

silvergardener6 Member

49 messages
joined Feb 2014

#126 · Aug 31, 2012

I was wondering if I might be able to run most of those bigger titles—you know, things like the newer Call of Duty games, Battlefield 3, Mass Effect 3, or even Diablo 3—on this specific setup? I suppose I'd be perfectly fine running them on at least the low settings if that's possible.

Processor: AMD Dual-Core A6-4400M 2.7 GHz
4 GB of RAM, Windows 8 Pro 64-bit

brightskipper40 Member

15 messages
joined Dec 2012

#127 · Aug 31, 2012

brightviper13 said:Yeah, they’re absolute beasts, and man, that price tag... if you didn't get a top-tier card, you could always try MSI Afterburner. Bump the memory by 100-200 MHz and the core by maybe 100 MHz. If it doesn't overheat, you might even be able to push it further...

Got the cooler installed.
I have to say, I'm pretty stoked. Under full load, even with the fans at 40%, it stays at a max of 78°C. And honestly, for a triple-fan setup, it's surprisingly quiet 😲. Definitely an absolute steal at Best Buy for this price range
.

Jesse Brown90 Member

39 messages
joined Mar 2012

#128 · Sep 4, 2012

So, here’s the deal...

I consider myself an old-school gaming veteran—a true FPS enthusiast with the lightning-fast mouse movements and the sharp eye needed to navigate the eternal struggle of VSync versus non-VSync...
The thing is, I feel like my knowledge of graphics cards hit a massive wall somewhere back in 2006.🤷🤷 🤷Back then, I was running an ATI 9250, and then jumped to a 9600 Atlantis just to get Oblivion to run; man, that card bled me for a hundred bucks, and let me tell you, I wasn't looking back at ATI for a long time. After that, I moved on to the GT 9800 Nvidia—absolute gold for whoever engineered that beast—and I can't forget the legendary 6600; may its soul rest in peace.
What I'm really trying to figure out is: what does the mid-range market look like these days? I'm talking about those solid, reliable cards for people who actually play games—not necessarily cranking everything to ultra, but just enough to dominate.
Even though that 9800 still feels like an absolute powerhouse, you never know when some new game with impossible requirements might finally knock it off its pedestal. I'm asking you guys to guide me through the current state of GPU warfare, but please, don't quote me anything north of $500. I'm currently traveling through the States on business, so I'll be gone in a few days. The Wi-Fi here is practically a national treasure—it's incredibly fast, so I'm busy downloading everything under the sun while I can.

Larry Ortiz5 Regular

710 messages
joined May 2020

#129 · Sep 4, 2012

Jesse Brown90 said:So, here’s the deal...

I’m an old-school gaming veteran—a true FPS enthusiast who grew up mastering fast mouse movements and sharp diagonal aim, whether dealing with VSync or not.
As for where I got stuck regarding GPUs—around 2006, 🤷🤷🤷—well, I was running an ATI 9250, then upgraded to a 9600 Atlantis just to play Oblivion. Man, that card wiped out a hundred bucks of my mom's money; I swear, I am never touching ATI again. After that, I moved to the GT 9800 Nvidia—truly a masterpiece for whoever designed it—and I have to mention the absolute legend that was the 6600; God bless its soul.
What I really want to know is: what kind of card sits in that sweet spot right now? You know, the mid-range market—real cards meant for actual gaming, not necessarily cranking everything to max, but enough to play like a pro.
Even though that 9800 still holds its own against almost anything, you never know when a modern game might come along with requirements that just leave it in the dust. So, I’m asking you guys to point me toward the current state of the GPU world—but let's keep it reasonable, maybe under $500? I'm actually out in the States on a business trip right now, and since the local Wi-Fi is surprisingly decent, I'll be downloading whatever I need over the next few days.

Could you please show a little more class and use proper English? As for $167, you aren't going to find anything better than that at a Walmart; maybe check Craigslist if you're lucky.

quietnomad4 Newcomer

5 messages
joined Sep 2012

#130 · Sep 4, 2012

Could use a little advice. Right now, I'm running an ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT (256MB) on my PCI-E slot, but I want to be able to play some slightly newer titles—maybe stuff from 2 or 3 years ago like GTA 4—on medium to high settings.

What would be the best used graphics card I could pick up for around $300 $133?

The rest of my setup is running Windows 7 with a Gigabyte GA-945GCM-S2L motherboard and 2GB of RAM. I'm not 100% sure which CPU I have, but I think it's just two single cores. I can double-check that tonight.

fadedorca66 RegularOP

372 messages
joined Nov 2022

#131 · Sep 4, 2012

An HD4850, provided you’ve got a decent power supply under the hood

Benjamin King2 Active Member

138 messages
joined Apr 2007

#132 · Sep 4, 2012

Jesse Brown90 said:I'm looking for what's actually hitting hard right now—you know, that mid-range sweet spot where you get actual gaming performance without paying for the overkill stuff. Not the absolute top tier, just the cards that can actually hold their own in a fight.

The mid-range is usually sitting around the $333 mark. What else are we working with in terms of the rest of the build?

quietnomad4 said:Not sure about the CPU—I think it might be two single-core chips shoved in there (I'll double-check tonight and let you know)

😁Yeah, no—you can't have two single-core processors on one board. Take a look and tell me exactly what kind of processor you're running.

Jesse Brown90 Member

39 messages
joined Mar 2012

#133 · Sep 4, 2012

The rest of my setup includes four gigs of RAM and a 3.0 GHz Pentium dual-core, paired with a 550W power supply,
plus an additional little inquiry for you all: do I actually need anything better? Because honestly, this 9800 of mine
absolutely crushes just about everything hitting the market right now.
I’m hunting for these answers because, frankly, I can’t make heads or tails of this jungle anymore; things have changed too much since my day.
Back then, there were really only two players on the field—ATI and NVIDIA—where one was clearly superior to the other, and you’d have to slave away for months just to afford one. You’d see reviews of those top-tier ATI and NVIDIA cards, but they
were nothing more than pictures in a magazine, accompanied by some nauseatingly eroticized prose written by those wannabe tech-geek freaks.

quietnomad4 Newcomer

5 messages
joined Sep 2012

#134 · Sep 4, 2012

Benjamin King2 said:😁 You can't have two single-core processors on one board. Take a look and let me know which CPU you're running.

The CPU is an Intel Celeron E1400 @ 2.00GHz
with a 400W power supply.

Benjamin King2 Active Member

138 messages
joined Apr 2007

#135 · Sep 5, 2012

Jesse Brown90 said:the rest—four gigs of RAM and a Pentium 3.0 dual, plus a 550w PSU,
and then there's the whole "do I even need something better" question because my current 9800
absolutely crushes anything else out there right now
I'm asking because honestly, I can't navigate this tech jungle anymore—back in my day,
it was simple: you had two cards on the market, ATI or Nvidia, one clearly better than the other, and you'd grind for months just to afford them—plus, those high-end ATI and Nvidia cards in the reviews were basically
just things you stared at in magazines, surrounded by some pathetic, greasy-haired techno-freaks writing worshipful copy about them...

If you actually want an upgrade for that GPU of yours, look at something like a GTX 560 or a Radeon 7770, which will run you upwards of $333, so honestly, just milk that current card until it dies—you aren't getting much for cheap these days.

quietnomad4 said:the CPU is an Intel Celeron E1400 @ 2.00GHz
with a 400W PSU

You really ought to overclock that processor to at least 3 GHz—it should be pretty straightforward since those chips handle overclocking well enough—otherwise, you won't be able to actually utilize that card fadedorca66 mentioned, or maybe grab an Nvidia GT 9600/9800.

Jesse Brown90 Member

39 messages
joined Mar 2012

#136 · Sep 5, 2012

Benjamin King2 said:If you're looking for an upgrade for that GPU, something like a GTX 560 or a Radeon 7770 would actually be worth your money, which means spending upwards of $333. Honestly, I'd just milk that current card for all it's worth until it finally kicks the bucket, because you won't find anything decent for peanuts.

,look, here's the deal: since I don't exactly have the luxury of endless free time to sit around gaming and messing about, whenever I do find a spare moment, I stick to the classics. I don't have much patience for these modern, overhyped pieces of junk.
The other night, I finally sat down to play Blood 2—after finishing off the first one, naturally—and for the first time ever, my little graphics card decided to start acting up. My weapons are twitching constantly, almost as if Caleb has developed Parkinson's disease.
People on the forums are claiming it’s a high FPS issue and that I should cap it at 60, but the real culprit seems to be
an issue specifically with Nvidia cards; apparently, the ATI crowd doesn't run into this mess. So, what am I supposed to do? You have no idea how frustrating it is when a legendary character's hands are shaking uncontrollably during a fight. It completely kills the immersion,
and since you've definitely played Blood, I know you know exactly the kind of nightmare I'm talking about...

quietnomad4 Newcomer

5 messages
joined Sep 2012

#137 · Sep 5, 2012

Benjamin King2 said:You should probably overclock that CPU to at least 3 GHz. It shouldn't be too hard since those chips handle overclocking quite well. That way, you can actually make use of the card fadedorca66 mentioned, or maybe grab an Nvidia GT 9600 or 9800.

Thanks, I'll try to overclock it. Or, I might just drop another 200 bucks$83 for a better processor...
What do you think?
Any recommendations from this list?😢http://www.gigabyte.com/support-down....aspx?pid=2669)

fadedorca66 RegularOP

372 messages
joined Nov 2022

#138 · Sep 5, 2012

For $67, you aren't gonna find anything better. Plus, the motherboard is pretty ancient at this point, so I guess an upgrade isn't really worth the money.

Maybe just start saving up for a new build instead.

Benjamin King2 Active Member

138 messages
joined Apr 2007

#139 · Sep 5, 2012

Jesse Brown90 said:,look, here’s the deal—since I don't have any spare time for gaming or messing around, the little bit of free time I actually find is spent grinding through the classics, because I just can't stand these modern pieces of junk,
so the other night I finally sat down with Blood 2 (obviously after finishing off Half-Life), and now my GPU is starting to screw with me for the first time because my weapons are constantly twitching
like Caleb has a case of Parkinson's. People on the forums are claiming it's because the FPS is too high and I need to cap it at 60, (but honestly, the core issue
is with Nvidia cards—their stuff acts up while ATI users don't seem to have these headaches. What am I supposed to do now? It's pure frustration when the hands of a legend start shaking
and completely ruin the immersion, and you’ve definitely played Blood, so you know exactly what I'm talking about...

Just grab some used piece of junk for $67 and play those prehistoric games on that.

quietnomad4 said:thanks, I think I'll try overclocking it, or maybe I'll just drop another 200 bucks$83 for a different CPU...
any thoughts?
got any recommendations from this list if possible😢http://www.gigabyte.com/support-down....aspx?pid=2669)

The only thing actually worth your money right now is a solid cooler—something you can actually repurpose later on a newer Intel platform, and it'll give you the headroom you need for overclocking in the meantime.

Jesse Brown90 Member

39 messages
joined Mar 2012

#140 · Sep 5, 2012

..moderators, moderators, just a bunch of pathetic, miserable little bureaucrats,..

GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

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