GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Jeffrey Bennett13 said:I took a look at that, and doesn't the 550 win out there?

So, does anyone actually have an answer on which card is BETTER—the HD6770 or the GTX 550Ti?

cosmicfox31 said:Hey everyone! Not really looking for a recommendation here, just picking up some parts and wanted to see if this setup holds water.

Athlon X3 445 , M4N68T LE V2 , 4GB DDR3, 9600GT , EVGA 570W (R.I.P. Corsair 400W :'( )

I'm planning on grabbing an ASUS GTS 450. Will my power supply handle it? I'm hoping to be good for at least another 2 years without any issues.

Bump

cosmicfox31 said:Bump

If you're strictly limited to that one shop, then go with It outperforms the GTS 450, but the prices there are ridiculous... it's a shame because you can grab a GTX 460 for the same money back home in the States.

Nathan Reyes59 said:If you're strictly limited to that one shop, then honestly beats the GTS 450, but their prices are killer... total rip-off. It’s such a bummer because you could snag a GTX 460 for the exact same cash over in the States.

I tracked down a Sapphire ATI HD6770 1GB DDR5 at another retailer (Best Buy) and with tax, I'd be looking at about 149 miles.

Should I pull the trigger or skip it?

Go ahead and grab it. It’s maybe 3025 miles more expensive than what we pay here in the States, but if that's the absolute cheapest option on the market, then just take it.

cosmicfox31 said:I found a Sapphire ATI HD6770 1GB DDR5 at another shop (Best Buy) and it would cost me about 149 miles including tax.

Should I grab it or not?

I see it for 130 miles

You probably looked at that vaporX version which has different cooling, but it's basically the same card.

This one (HD6970) might be the best choice at that store under 155 miles

By the way, your power supply is low quality, but let's hope it doesn't cause issues.

Nathan Reyes59 said:I’d pick it up for 130 miles

You probably saw that VaporX version with the different cooling setup, but at its core, it's the exact same card.

This Radeon HD 6970 might actually be the best option available at that shop for under 155 miles

That power supply you're using is pretty bottom-shelf, though. Let's just hope it doesn't blow up on you.

I'd go with the 6970 for 155 miles 😉

If you can actually trust that power supply to hit those 570W, then fine.🤣 But if it ends up being like my old budget speakers, it's going to be a disaster.😂

Jeffrey Bennett13 said:So, does anyone actually have an answer on which card is better? Is it the Radeon HD 6770 or the GTX 550Ti?

The GTX 550Ti. It pulls less power and it’s faster, though you might get slightly worse image quality—but honestly, your eyes probably won't even notice the difference anyway.

James Fisher11 said:I'd grab the 6970 for 155 miles 😉

Look, I already said what I meant. The AMD Radeon HD 6790 😁
Either way, that would be the best move

Alright, thanks 🙂

The power supply is totally fine. I’ve never had any issues with it, and it handles my current setup without breaking a sweat. I checked some reviews and saw it only pulls about 170W under load
Edit : I can't go with the AMD Radeon HD 6790 because the prices before tax are just too high, so I'd end up paying way more 19 miles and I don't have that kind of cash

Edit 2 : I ran the numbers through the Calculator and the Minimum PSU Wattage is 292 W. I used the AMD Radeon HD 6790 for the estimate since there isn't an HD 6770 available

I'm stuck between these two cards.

and

I get that the 580 beats the 570, but I mean, by how much? Is it actually worth shelling out $333 more for the GTX 580?

If anyone has a different GPU suggestion, I guess I could use some advice...

What kind of motherboard are you running?

I haven't bought any yet.
I'm just putting a build together, so I'm trying to figure out which of these two is actually worth the money.

Look, unless you're planning on running a multi-monitor setup, you might want to take those $333 and put them toward something actually useful.

Just grab a motherboard that actually supports SLI, then pair it with two of these It’ll end up being cheaper than buying that single GTX 580, and you're looking at 30% more performance in games. Why settle for less?

Nathan Reyes59 said:Look, I already made my point—the Radeon HD 6670 😁
would definitely be the best way to go here

If you take a closer look, those cards aren't even available!

In Canada, the only decent option at Best Buy is the Radeon HD 6570 for 116 miles + 17% sales tax.

Hey everyone, just wanted to circle back one more time to make sure we're on the same page.

I've got the cash ready for either a GTX 1050, a GTX 1030, or an HD 6770, but I'm having a hard time deciding which way to go. My current power supply is a 570W Trust unit, so I'm wondering which card would give me the best "bang for my buck" without being risky, since I know my PSU isn't exactly top-tier. Also, I noticed in some reviews that these cards take up two slots—not really sure what that means for my setup. My motherboard is an MSI Gaming Motherboard, so I'm a bit worried about messing something up. 😁
As far as games go, I mostly play Call of Duty, though the multiplayer in Black Ops is incredibly laggy. I want to know which card will let me lock my FPS at 60 or higher without making the game look like trash, plus I'm looking forward to playing Battlefield 3 when it drops.

What do you guys think if I went with the GTX 1030 paired with an EVGA 400W? Would that be enough to get me through the next year or maybe a year and a half?

Thanks! 🙂

The Radeon HD 6770 is the strongest thing here; everything else is weaker. It’s not a massive power hog, so let's assume that Trust power supply can handle it.
I don't know about all this locking stuff—I haven't played anything substantial in a while—but I ran Call of Duty back in the day on an HD 5750, which performs similarly to the HD 6770, and it didn't cause any issues.
It’ll plug right into the motherboard, so don't sweat that.
Based on what some people are saying, Battlefield 3 will likely require a quad-core CPU and a GTX 460 or HD 6850 for recommended settings. You clearly don't have the budget for those, so the closest you could get would be an HD 6790, followed immediately by the HD 6770. Don't expect maxed-out settings; aim for medium or medium-plus if these hardware requirements turn out to be true.
The GTX 1030 is a bad choice. It pulls more power and is the weakest option listed.

That assumption actually has me a bit worried. Honestly, I’m thinking about just grabbing an Radeon HD 6670 for now. Then, once my birthday rolls around and I get some cash, I'll pick up an EVGA 400W to power everything. Hopefully, it'll hold up for at least 11 months. I also read somewhere that AMD drivers have been getting pretty unstable lately. I never had any issues back when I was running a 4850, so I'm curious to see how things stand now.

Btw, I'll just run Battlefield 3 on low settings if I have to, as long as I can maintain a steady 30 FPS.😁