GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

crimsonstag84 said:When you're looking at raw GPU power, the amount of VRAM on the card is actually the least important factor...☕

The card itself is fine—well, I suppose it depends entirely on what you're hoping to get out of it and what else is inside the rig (you know, the CPU, the PSU, the RAM, the motherboard, etc.)... honestly, that 1GB version isn't going to offer any real speed boost unless you're trying to push a resolution of 1920x1080 or higher...

Do you think I'll be able to run titles like Shogun, Battlefield Bad Company 2, F1 2010, or maybe even Crysis 2 (though I'm really not sure about that last one)?... My specs are 2GB of RAM and an Abit IL9 Pro motherboard... the processor—let me check this computer real quick—is an Intel Core 2 duo E6420 at 2.13 GHz, 4 MB LGA775, 1066 MHz BUS, Allendale, BOX... I can't seem to find the info on my power supply; I checked the system info and then I even opened up the case, but I just can't see it... the whole computer was purchased about 5 or 6 years ago.

It might run, but I’m thinking you’d be stuck on low settings... the processor is a bit weak. I guess you could try overclocking it a little, but you'd have to let me know what kind of power supply you're running. If it's just one of those cheap ones that comes built into the case, it's probably junk. You'd likely need to invest a bit more if you're actually looking for a decent gaming experience. 😉

Hey there. I'm looking to upgrade my graphics card, but I don't know much about slots and wouldn't want to give anyone wrong info, so if anyone knows... I'm currently running an Nvidia gforce4 mx440 and was thinking about picking up an Nvidia gt440. My specs are:
-Intel Pentium 4 CPU @ 2.4GHz
-1534 MB RAM
-300W MS power supply
-BIOS version is from 2003.
I can check any local shops here in Phoenix. I have $267 available, which is what I saw the card listed for on eBay.

The only card you're actually going to find in there is:

AGP HD3450/512MB, ATI Radeon, HD3450, AGP 4x/8x, 512 MB, DDR2, 64-bit, GPU Core Clock 600 MHz, Memory Clock 800 MHz, DVI-I, HDTV yes, 1x D-sub, 2048x1536 - $103

Look, if your motherboard has an AGP slot, you're basically stuck in the past—those cards aren't even being manufactured anymore, so don't expect to pick up anything modern. That HD3450 will feel like a total space shuttle compared to whatever you're running right now. Plus, honestly? Your processor is way too weak to even handle a GT440.

Bryan Collins96 said:Hey there! I'm looking to upgrade my graphics card. I don't know much about expansion slots and I really don't want to give anyone the wrong info, but I'm currently running an Nvidia gforce4 mx440. If anyone knows anything, please let me know... I was thinking about picking up an Nvidia gt440. Here are my current specs:
-intel Pentium 4 CPU 2.4GHz
-1534 MB RAM
-300W MS power supply
-BIOS version from 2003
I can shop at any local stores in Los Angeles and I have $267 available, which is what I found for the card mentioned above on Trona.

You absolutely have to swap out that MS 300W power supply. For example, maybe around $15

Bryan Collins96 said:Hey there! I’m looking to upgrade my graphics card. I don't know much about expansion slots and I really don't want to give anyone bad advice, but I'm currently running an Nvidia gforce4 mx440. If anyone knows anything... I was thinking about picking up an Nvidia gt440. Here is my current setup:
-intel Pentium 4 CPU 2.4GHz
-1534 MB RAM
-300W MS power supply
-BIOS version from 2003
I can check any local shops here in Chicago and I have $267 to spend—that's what I found the card for on eBay.

If I were you, I'd probably just hold onto that $267 and save up for a whole new build. You could practically get something like this for just a couple hundred bucks:

1 x Asrock M3A UCC - AMD 480 x CrossFire, AMD SB600, ATX, FSB 1000
1 x AMD Athlon ii X2 255 processor, AM3 socket, BOX, 2MB cache, 65W
1 x Kingston DDR3 2048MB (2GB), 1333MHz, CL9, FLFE85F-B8EE9
1 x Chicony HPD4802RWR2 power supply, ATX 2.2, 12cm fan, 430W
1 x Sapphire HD 5670, 512MB GDDR5 128bit, DL-DVI-I+HDMI+DP, PCIx 16x
1 x SAMSUNG 320GB HDD 7200rpm 16MB cache Serial ATA II-300, F1, HD32
1 x Gigabyte GZ-KX1, midi tower, no PSU, black, USB, Firewire, 1×120
1 x LG GH22NP DVD burner, 22x DVD±R, 8x DL, 40x CD-R, PATA, black

$735

This setup would probably be ten times more powerful than your old one.🙂

It's roughly eight times more powerful...

Honestly, you don't even need to worry about that... this rig isn't even pulling 150W—it’s barely breaking a sweat.

Benjamin King2 said:It doesn't even have to...that rig won't even pull 150W, let alone break a sweat.

How old do you think he is?

Alexander Moore67 said:It’s roughly 8 times more powerful...

🤣 😛

I have a few questions myself. My current setup is an Intel Core 2 duo running at 1.86 GHz, paired with 2.2 GB of RAM, a 500 GB HDD, and some bottom-tier Intel 64 mb graphics card. I don't play many games, nor do they particularly interest me, but what kind of upgrade could I swap into this machine? The motherboard is an Asus PSL-VM 1394.

Alexander Moore67 said:How old do you think he is?

Doesn't really matter—it's not like his power bill is going to skyrocket because of this. Both cards pull their juice straight from the AGP slot anyway.

And why exactly do you need a beefier GPU? Is something actually stuttering on you, or is this just a "want" rather than a "need"? Also—what kind of monitor are we talking about here?

I was thinking about installing Windows 7, and my current graphics card runs games like GTA San Andreas perfectly fine, though it struggles a bit here and there on certain parts... I guess I could just grab that GPU from the throne? Just to be sure, I suppose.

Look, you could... I mean, Best Buy definitely carries beefier cards, but I’m honestly not sure if your power supply could even handle the draw—plus they're a bit pricey—but even this 3450 is a massive step up from what you've been running until now.

Greetings.
I am sourcing a graphics card for a friend. I offered him $333.
He exclusively plays Call of Duty 4 and demands a 250 FPS lock.
The monitor is a 22-inch model with a native resolution of 1680x1050😳—I'm not entirely certain of the exact specs.
The power supply is either a Corsair VX 450 or a 550; I cannot be positive.
The system runs an Athlon X2 clocked at 2.1 GHz. Could a Radeon HD 6770 actually hit that 250 FPS target? It seems obvious to me that the CPU would act as a significant bottleneck, wouldn't it?

Yeah, you've got a bit of a bottleneck situation there. 😁 You might want to look into picking up a quad-core processor first.

Would the 6770 be capable of locking at 250?😁

With an Athlon running at 2.1GHz, there’s just no way... I'm assuming we're talking about a mod here, because if you want to pull off 250 on Vulgaris, you're going to need a seriously beefy rig...

The debate regarding the promo is ongoing 😁
so, could a 6770 hold its own if paired with a more powerful processor?