GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Paul Wright7 said:2 x

Tyler Howard46, where did the link go?

Supplier stock level (local retailer): 1

ah FFS just order it already. Maybe try Protis. And honestly, their website updates are hit or miss at best.

If you can manage to upgrade $1000, then you'll be all set. Honestly, the absolute best value right now is the CF 6950.

The problem is, I have no idea where you're even going to find two identical 6850s around here.
I was actually looking to pick up two MSI Twin Frozr 3 GTX 560 units, but they are nowhere to be found. I’ve checked other manufacturers like ASUS, but the market is completely dry.😢

Patrick Garcia4 said:I just don't know where you're going to find two identical 6850s around here.
I was actually looking to pick up 2 x MSI TwinFrozr 3 GTX 560 cards, but they're nowhere to be found. I even tried checking other brands like ASUS, but nothing. 😢

Even the MSI 560s aren't showing up at any of the major retailers...
They do have the 570 and 580 TF2 in stock, but man, those prices are brutal... 😲

Patrick Garcia4 said:I just don't know where you're going to find two identical 6850s around here.
I was looking to pick up two MSI Twin Frozr 3 GTX 560s, but they're nowhere to be found. I checked other manufacturers like Asus too, but nothing.😢

Here, two Sapphire HD 6850s:

Or two GTX 560 Twin Frozr 2s:

Bryan Evans77 said:that MSI 560 Ti isn't even available through the distributors right now...
they have the 570 and 580 TF2 instead, but the price tag is absolutely outrageous... 😲

Look, I know what they told me—it's simply not in stock at the distributors.😢

What kind of GPU can I pick up for this build without blowing past the $100 mark?

The specs:
- Intel Pentium E6300, 2800 MHz (10.5 x 267)
- Asus P5KPL-AM ep motherboard (2 PCI, 1 PCI-E x1, 1 PCI-E x16, 2 DDR2 DIMM, Audio, Video, LAN)
- 4 GB RAM

http://www.amazon.com/product_info.php?products_id=7650 ..

I’m looking at the ATI Radeon HD 3650 vs Gainward GF Bliss 6800 GS situation for an old machine I've been tinkering with—specifically, I need an AGP card. If neither of those is the right way to go, please just help me pick out a decent one from Craigslist instead!

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=agp

or maybe

http://www.craigslist.org/search/sss?query=agp

Which one of these two options mentioned above do you think holds more weight?

Which two? Did you even bother to click the links?

I'm currently running an 8600GT and it’s holding up okay for now, but I’m planning to bump my resolution from 1280x1024 up to 1080p and start using higher-res textures, so I definitely need an upgrade. Looking for something in the $500-$200 range.

An HD 5670 with 2GB of RAM would look something like this:

PC Magazine $150 graphics card
PC Magazine $57-$67 2GB DDR2 RAM

I’m assuming you're running DDR2 up there... just let me know what else is in the rig—the PSU and how old it is—but for that kind of cash, it's a decent enough deal.

If you pay cash, you'll get 10% off.

The 400W power supply that came with my case isn't exactly top-tier.
E5200 @3.75 GHz
2GB 800MHz DDR2
G31M-ES2L
8600GT

If I pick up a new graphics card, how much of a speed boost am I actually looking at compared to what I have now?
I also read somewhere that models using GDDR5 memory are way faster...
Would it be worth it to grab one with 1 GB of GDDR?

When you say GDDR, are you referring to the first generation? Like GDDR1? Because that thing is way slower than what you’re running right now—and by "way slower," I mean significantly worse.
Just do what James Castillo8 suggested. You'll actually feel the difference. Sure, it's a low-end card, but since it has GDDR5, the jump is going to be pretty obvious.

There’s really no point in chasing more than 1 GB of GDDR5—it's not like you'll get any extra mileage out of it since the chip itself is relatively weak; having 2 GB or something similar wouldn't actually give you anything more to work with. Honestly, the Radeon HD 5770 is about as much as you can push with that power supply while staying within a reasonable budget...

Does anyone know roughly how much of an FPS boost I'd get switching from an 8600GT to a 5670? It doesn't have to be exact—maybe just a ballpark figure so I know what to expect.

I mean, you’d expect the performance to be nearly twice as good—especially when you're running GDDR5 memory.