GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

So, I told him straight up that I wanted either a Radeon HD 5770 or a Radeon HD 5870, but now he’s telling me he’s only willing to drop about $300 to $400 on a card... man, at this rate, I'm basically looking at rebuilding the whole rig from scratch. xD

Drew Mendoza3 said:I told him to just grab me a Radeon HD 5770 or a 5870, but now he's saying he'll only shell out $300-$400 for a GPU... damn, looks like I'm replacing everything else too... xD
I'll need a new motherboard since I have to get an AM3+ socket CPU and DDR3 RAM... man... xD

Comparing a 5770 to a 5870 is like comparing apples to oranges; there's a massive gap between them.

AM3+ isn't even hitting shelves yet; those processors won't be out for about three months.

If you want the sweet spot for your current setup—and assuming your power supply can actually handle it—go with the hd5770 you mentioned. I'm running one with an Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 right now, and trust me, it's perfect for that CPU. It’s efficient, handles newer games decently, and for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, it's absolute gold. You don't need anything more than that.

It really depends on what you play. If you're looking ahead to future titles, you're definitely going to need a newer processor eventually.

If Uncle is actually being that generous, 😁 just let him buy whatever you want; I wouldn't argue or overthink it. For $400, you could even snag that beastly Asus GTX 570... though you might need to install a dedicated power substation for that one. Just kidding.

Bottom line: the hd5770, GTX 460, or an hd6850 would be great for this build. Anything else will just be overkill.

If I were doing this, I’d grab a new cooler so I could push the overclock on the GPU as far as it'll go:

1 x XFX HD6850 775M 1GB DDR5, DisplayPort x2 v1.2, DVI x2, HDMI 1.4a
1 x XFX Core Edition 80+ 550W PSU - EasyRail technology
1 x Arctic-Cooling Freezer 13, Socket 775/1156/1366/754/939/AM2/AM3

$625

ADM-ZG

Then, once Bulldozer drops, you'd just swap in a new motherboard, a 4-core Dozer, and some DDR3 RAM.🙂

A 450W unit might be enough, I guess, but maybe aim higher if you plan on overclocking—or maybe even look into CFom if that's where you're headed.😉

Alright, look... I'm looking to pick up a GPU for $1000 max. I haven't really decided on one yet, but I feel like http://www.newegg.com/p/products/detail...v/29580.... might be my best bet, though if you guys have some better suggestions, let me know—and tell me what you think about this card specifically?
Also, quick question: what kind of power supply would actually be decent enough for this build?

Seagate Barracuda 500 GB SATA II HDD, 7200rpm, 16MB, HD502HJ CPU Desktop Phenom II X4 840 (3.2GHz, 2MB, 95W,AM3) box
DDR3 1333MHz 4GB Memory, 2x2GB, Kingston , CL9.0, 128Mx8, FLFE
EVGA GeForce GTX 460 Graphics Card, 1024MB/128bit, HDTV+HDCP, 2xDV
Asrock M3A770DE sAM3 Motherboard, - AMD 770 + AMD SB710, ATX, FSB2600, Dual Channel 4xDDR3

Total: $918

Seasonic 380W....your link is broken...check the sticky thread above for graphics card discussions.

Right now, I'm running a generic, unbranded 400W power supply in my PC. I just picked up an MS 400W unit and an ATI Radeon HD 5670 1GB DDR5, but I'm a little unsure. Should I swap out that no-name power supply for the MS one before I install the card?

Regarding that, I just pulled it down and found a hidden label under the metal plate 😁.
The model is a Corsair case
. Will it be able to hold an HD 5670?

Roger Phillips82 said:So, I just finished stripping it down, and it turns out there was a hidden mark tucked right under the metal casing. 😁
The brand is Corsair cases.
It won't be able to handle an HD 5670?

Neither of them are particularly reliable, but they'll get the job done.

Do you think you'll hang onto it for a while until everything finally dies, or what?

It’s impossible to say for certain whether one will just give up the ghost outright or not, but the reality is that both power supplies—the Dell unit and the MS one—are pretty low-tier in terms of quality. Personally, I wouldn't touch either of them; there’s always that nagging risk of something stupid going wrong, like overheating, burning out, or even just poor voltage regulation causing unstable power that ends up messing with your other components...

Hey everyone, I need some help picking out a new GPU. My old 8800 just died on me.

MY SETUP:

Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 (overclocked to 3.0GHz)
ASUS motherboard - P965
2GB OCZ platinum RAM
PSU: 550W unit

I'm torn between the NVIDIA GTX 460 or the Radeon 6850.
If this build is too weak for those cards, let me know which one would actually make sense here.

There’s really no point in aiming for anything beefier than a GTS 450—the rest of the build just won't be able to keep up with a more powerful card anyway.
If you aren't running a monitor with at least a 1080p resolution, you shouldn't bother with the 1 GB version; honestly, the 512MB model will be more than enough for your needs. 😉

I've got a 24-inch monitor, so I'll probably go with the 1GB model. Is it actually worth picking up the Radeon 5750 1GB instead?

...man...get this... my uncle just bought me an NVIDIA GTX 580... lol... I have no clue what I'm even going to do with it...
Here is what I was thinking about picking up to go with it...

ASROCK B85 Extreme3, Intel B85/SB850, DDR3, audio, S-ATA, RAID, G-LAN, SLI, PCI-E, USB 3.0, ATX, AM3 socket

Phenom II X6 1055T Processor (2.8GHz, 9MB, 125W) box

700W Xilence Gaming Edition Power Supply, ATX 2.2, active PFC, 1×PCIe, 4×SATA, 20+4-pin, 135mm fan

Western Digital Blue Desktop HDD (3.5", 2TB, 64MB, Serial ATA III-600), ST2000DL003

64GB ADATA SSD, S599, 2.5" SATA (for macOS)

Thermaltake Element G Case

Corsair 8GB, 2x4GB, DDR3, 1600MHz 8GB 2x240 Dimm, Unbuffered, 9-9-9-24, CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9

...xD... I'm probably gonna have the best rig ever... haha

My uncle is covering half the cost and my parents are chipping in for the rest...😁

Go grab a different drive—either the Western Digital Blue or maybe even the Black version. Honestly, if you're looking at CPUs, the Intel Core i7-2600K or 965 models are much better suited for gaming.

Drew Mendoza3 said:.......man............my uncle just bought me an NVIDIA GTX 580................lol.......what am I even supposed to do with that...............
here is what I was thinking of buying with it....

ASROCK B85 Extreme3, Intel B85/SB850, DDR3, audio, S-ATA, RAID, G-LAN, SLI, PCI-E, USB 3.0, ATX, LGA 1156

Processor LGA 1156 Intel Core i7-2600K (2.8GHz, 9MB, 125W) box

Power Supply 700W Xilence Gaming Edition, ATX 2.2, active PFC, 1×PCIe, 4×SATA, 20+4-pin, 135mm fan

HDD Desktop Western Digital Blue (3.5", 2TB, 64MB, Serial ATA III-600), ST2000DL003

SSD disk ADATA 64GB, S599, 2.5" SATA (for macOS)

Case Thermaltake Element G

Corsair 8GB, 2x4GB, DDR3, 1600MHz 8GB 2x240 Dimm, Unbuffered, 9-9-9-24, CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9

...........................xD...............I'm gonna have the best PC....hahah

half the money comes from my uncle and the other half from my parents.....😁

Motherboard 👍
CPU 👎
PSU 🤷
SSD 🤷
RAM 👍
Case 👍

Basically, if you go the Intel route, you don't need 6 cores for gaming...you don't really need an SSD either...better to get a Seasonic or a high-end Corsair power supply.

I would pair that GPU with a new Sandy Bridge i5-2500K processor and its matching overclocking motherboard....skip the SSD and put that cash toward an Intel combo with a beefy CPU cooler for heavy overclocking.

Exactly how much cash all that stuff costs? Off the top of my head, you could probably grab the Intel configuration I mentioned for that same amount.

If we all had an uncle like that 😁

...if we all had an uncle like that... lol... I actually have one right in my family...🙏 🙂

Something like this, Nathan Reyes59? 🙂

1 x Asrock P67 PRO3-B3 - Intel P67, ATX, 4xDDR3 2133MHz, Gigabit LAN
1 x Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz,1MB/6MB,95W,LGA 1155
1 x DDR3 8GB (2x4GB) Corsair, 1600Hz, 9-9-9-24,CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9,1.5V
1 x Western Digital Blue 1TB HDD, WD10EALX , 7200 rpm, SATA 3, 32MB Cache
1 x EVGA Core edition 80 650W PSU - EasyRail technology
1 x Thermaltake Armor A60 Midi tower
1 x CORSAIR Air Series A50, CPU cooler, LGA 1156 / AM2

$1797

crimsonstag84 said:Something like this, Nathan Reyes59? 🙂

Exactly 👍

You guys aren't ready for this beast

1 X Thermaltake Level 10 Case

1 X Intel X58 DX58SO2 Motherboard (LGA 1156, QPI, 1600FSB, 6xDDR3 1600+, SB 10ch, 2xGbE LAN, 3xPCIe 2.0)

1 X Intel Core i7 990X Extreme Edition Processor

3 X NVIDIA GTX 590 Graphics Card

6 X 8GB (1X8GB) PC310600 ECC REGISTERED 240 PIN DDR3 DIMM (DR)

1 X 1200W Corsair CMPSU-1200AXEU Modular Power Supply

4 X 2TB Western Digital Blue SATA 3 Hard Drive, WD2002FAEX

1 X CORSAIR Hydro H70 Liquid CPU Cooler, compatible with LGA 1156/AM2/AM3

1 X Lite-On 12x Blu-ray Writer, SATA, bulk, black

1 X Dell External USB DVD RW

..........just some small stuff.........$15747.............. ..😂 🙂