GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

James Fisher11 said:Don't sweat it, just grab the NVIDIA GTX 295 and you'll be fine. You might just want to save some cash so you can upgrade the motherboard and processor down the road later on.

He probably won't need a new CPU anytime soon anyway, since this one actually outperforms the AMD Phenom II X4... though, seeing as it's an Extreme model, it feels like a crime not to overclock it.😁

With the money saved by picking up the NVIDIA GTX 295, he could probably snag a decent cooler—maybe a Cooler Master Hyper 212. It should be pretty affordable now that the Cooler Master CNPS11 has come out.😉

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I ended up picking up an XFX Radeon HD 6870.
My only issue now is people saying it needs two 6-pin connectors for power. Is that actually true?
I've got an EVGA 500 W unit which should be plenty, but I have no idea how I'm going to deal with those 2x6-pin requirements.

Molex to 6-pin connector

I'm looking at picking up a new PC, and since I live in a smaller town, it's just easier to go through the local shop. This guy gave me a quote for this setup:
monitor: Dell 22" $78
memory: two sticks of Corsair 4GB DDR3 @ 1333MHz-- $142
processor: AMD Phenom II X4 $327
motherboard: ASRock ASR-M3A UCC-AMD 480X-- $140
hard drive: 1TB WD-- $156
optical drive: Samsung DVD Writer $58
graphics card: XFX HD6750-- $295
keyboard, mouse, and a mid-tower case with an EVGA 500 W power supply
That's basically everything, plus Windows 7, so it'll be ready to plug in and go right out of the box
The total comes to about $1600 if I pay cash

Answer these questions first, then let the guys help you figure out the configuration
How much cash are you planning to drop?
- Where are you shopping (paying cash or using a card)?
- What’s the main use for this rig?
- What kind of parts are we looking at? Do you need a monitor, keyboard, mouse, and all that gear?
- Are you planning on overclocking anything?
- Does aesthetics or noise levels actually matter to you?

Just order from Micro Center and have it shipped straight to your door via FedEx $667
Avoid those shady "dealers" at all costs...

In short, it's a total rip-off.

Tell us what you actually need the PC for and we'll put together a much better build for less money.

I need a full setup, from the peripherals all the way up to the monitor, with a budget capped at $1667. I just need it for browsing, movies, listening to music, and the occasional gaming session—I’m definitely not a power user or anything demanding
The main perk of buying from my local shop is that if something breaks, I can just drop the box off and they handle the repairs... it's been easy that way so far. I'm wondering about this specific build they offered me, though. Is it actually that bad?

1 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Kingmax, 1333MHz
1 x HDD Seagate Barracuda 1Tb 7200rpm 32MB cache Serial ATA II
1 x Samsung DVD Writer, DVD±RW, 24x DVD±R ,8x DL , 40x CD-R
1 x Thermaltake V4 Black Edition, VM30001W2Z, Mid-Tower, 4.5 kg
1 x Dell Keyboard and Mouse Combo, USB
1 x Logitech Z2100, 2 satellites + subwoofer
1 x MSI 870A-G54 (FX), AMD 870 + SB850, S. AM3+, 6xSATA 3 RAID, DDR3
1 x MSI R6770, 1GB DDR5 128 bits, Dual-Link DVI+HDMI+D-Sub
1 x Dell 22, 21.5" LED LCD, 16:9, 1920x1080, 250 cd/m2, DC 5000000
1 x XFX Core Edition 80+ 450W PSU - EasyRail technology
1 x Intel Core i5-750, socket AM3, 8Mb cache, 95W, tray
1 x Cooler Master Hyper 212, socket 775/1155/1156/AM2/AM2/AM3

$1689

ADM-ZG...

The parts you listed are about $150-$67 more expensive than this:
You can get this setup for $1667 at Best Buy in www.bestbuy.com (honestly, you don't need 8GB of RAM... for whatever you're doing, 4GB is plenty)
1 x Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550, LGA 1366, BOX,C3
1 x Samsung DVD Writer, DVD±RW, 24x DVD±R ,8x DL , 40x CD-R
1 x Gigabyte GZ-X1, midi tower, no PSU, SILVER!!, USB, Fire wire
1 x Dell UltraSharp 22, black, full HD, LCD, DFC 70000:1, new !
1 x MSI 870-C45, AMD 770 + SB710, S. AM3, 6xSATA 3 RAID, DDR3 800/10
1 x DDR3 4GB (2x2GB) Kingmax, 1333MHz, FLFE
1 x CORSAIR 430W Power Supply, CX Series CMPSU-430CXV2EU, 12cm fan
1 x Microsoft Windows Home Premium 7, 64bit, English 1pk, DSP, DVD
1 x Keyboard + Logitech Mouse, Xbox, US layout
1 x Logitech Desktop Speakers, 2 satellites, black, 2W
1 x MSI R6770, 1GB DDR5 128 bits, Dual-Link DVI+HDMI+D-Sub
1 x HDD SAMSUNG 500GB 7200rpm 16MB cache Serial ATA II-300, F3

$1711

So why is this build better?
You're getting a decent motherboard instead of some bottom-tier junk—it's not high-end, but it beats that cheap AsRock board. You get 4GB of RAM which you won't even fully max out right now anyway, unlike having unnecessary 8GB sitting there. Better monitor, a significantly stronger GPU, and a solid power supply (80% Bronze certified) that could actually handle twice this load compared to whatever random unit comes in the case. Nobody knows what kind of garbage those "dealers" pack in; they cut corners where they shouldn't...
And why order from here?
Right when you order, you can easily arrange for them to assemble and test the rig + shipping (which is free). They might even install Windows for you (though I think they charge for that, just call and check). Not that it's rocket science; you could just do it yourself in a few steps.
Plus an extra perk: shipping is free anywhere in the US if you spend over $667, and everything arrives within 2-3 days.

shadowhawk15 said:I'm looking to pick up a new PC, and since I live in a smaller town, my easiest bet is just going through a local shop. They offered me this setup:

Dude, don't do that to yourself! You can easily just order online from a place like Micro Center. They’ll deliver the whole rig right to your door, and you just pay when it arrives. Honestly, you don't even need some fancy credit card or anything.

You just pick out the parts you want, and they'll put the whole thing together for you for free—plus, shipping is usually free too. And what's the worst that happens? You wait maybe two days?

That's exactly how I got mine, and I couldn't be happier with the service.😉
(And look, I totally get it—I'm from a small town myself, so I know the feeling of having zero options locally.)

shadowhawk15 said:I'm picking up a new PC, and since I live in a small town, it’s just easier to go through the local shop. Here is the build they offered me:
monitor :Dell 22" 224E2SB/00- 1 $78
memory: Corsair 4GB XMX DDR3, 1333MHz, 2 units- $142
processor: Intel Core i7 -$327
motherboard: Asrock ASR-M3A UCC-Intel Chipset -$140
hard drive: WD 1TB -$156
burner: LG-$58
graphics: XFX HD6750 -$295
keyboard, mouse, case with 500W power supply
that's everything, plus Windows 7, so it's basically a plug-and-play system ready to go
total is about $1600 in cash

1 x Asrock M3A770DE, LGA 1366 - Intel 770 + Intel Chipset, ATX, FSB2600, Dual Core
1 x Processor Intel Core i7, socket LGA 1366, BOX, C3
1 x DDR3 4GB (2x2GB) Kingmax, 1333MHz, FLFE
1 x Power Supply CORSAIR 430W, CX Series CMPSU-430CXV2EU, 12cm fan
1 x DVD burner NEC AD 7283S Labelflash, DVD±RW 24x8x18x/20x8x/6x
1 x Gigabyte GZ-KX1, midi tower, no PSU, black, USB, Firewire, 1×80
1 x HDD SAMSUNG 500GB 7200rpm 16MB cache Serial ATA II-300, F3
1 x Keyboard + mouse Genius C110, PS2, US layout
1 x Speakers Genius SP-S110, 2x1W RMS, black
1 x AOC F22+ 21.5" TFT Active Matrix Full HD, HD Ready, HDCP Ready
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 64bit, American 1pk, DSP, DVD
1 x MSI R6770, 1GB DDR5 128 bits, Dual-Link DVI+HDMI+D-Sub
1 x ZALMAN CNPS 5X, socket 755/1155/1156/AM2/AM2/LGA 1366
$1703
ADM

Free assembly, testing, and delivery... 👍

Woodoo, I honestly think you can ditch the pre-installed Windows from the deal—this whole "dealer" thing smells like a total scam to me. 😁 Let’s be real, those aren't going to be genuine Windows licenses included in the price anyway, so you might as well demand some better peripherals instead.

Benjamin King2 said:Woodoo, I honestly think you can just strip the licensed software out of the bundle; that whole "dealer" thing feels like a total scam. 😁 There's no way genuine Windows versions are actually included in that price tag, so you might as well use that extra cash to upgrade the peripherals instead.

Even without including an original Windows 7 license, the total comes out to about $1600. It's either overpriced or just a complete rip-off.

Thanks for all the answers and advice, everyone
Just one quick question though... if something actually breaks, what's the move? Am I supposed to ship my entire rig over to Micro Center? And how would they even go about testing it if I don't end up getting Windows 7 from them...

Just send it to admin and you'll have everything back in your hands within two or three days 😉

1 x Asrock 870 Extreme3 R2.0 - AMD 870, Intel Chipset, ATX, FSB2600
1 x Intel Core i3 Processor, socket AM3, BOX, 1.5MB cache
1 x DDR3 4GB (2x2GB) Kingmax, 1333MHz, FLFE
1 x MSI R6770, 1GB DDR5 128 bits, Dual-Link DVI+HDMI+D-Sub
1 x Seagate BarraCuda 1Tb 7200rpm 32MB cache Serial ATA II
1 x Pioneer Optical Drive, DVD±RW, 24x DVD±R, 8x DL, 40x CD-R
1 x CORSAIR 430W Power Supply, CX Series CMPSU-430CXV2EU, 12cm fan
1 x Thermaltake V4 Black Edition, VM30001W2Z, Mid-Tower Case, 4.5 kg
1 x Dell Keyboard and Mouse Combo, USB
1 x Logitech Z series speakers, 2 satellites + subwoofer
1 x Dell Monitor, 23", 16:9, 1920x1080, LED, IPS, Matte Finish

$1693

Everyone skimps on the monitor, but you'll spend most of your time watching movies and shows. I went with a solid IPS panel at a great price point. It comes at the expense of a 3-core processor, but I think it's enough. Plus, the motherboard allows for future upgrades.
Also from ADM Retail.

They’ll test the rig for you by checking if everything is connected properly after assembly. Once that's done, it's ready for an OS installation—whether you pay them to do it or handle it yourself.

Hey everyone.
I'm looking to pick up a new GPU in the next few days because my current one just isn't cutting it anymore. Any suggestions on what gives the best bang for my buck?
My budget is capped at $500

Here’s what I’m running right now..

CPU: Intel Core i5
Motherboard: Some cheap Gigabyte board..
4GB DDR3
PSU: Antec 380W
GPU: HD4850 1GB

There's a dedicated thread for GPU upgrades.
On another note, do you have a better CPU cooler than the stock one included in the box?
Honestly, if you're upgrading the graphics card, you should probably unlock those extra cores and overclock the processor a bit, not to mention picking up a new power supply.
That's going to require more investment beyond just the card itself; factor in a new PSU and a decent cooler too.

Regarding the GPU, if you actually want to feel a performance boost, you need at least a GTX 460 or an HD 6850/6870. I wouldn't go any lower than that.

http://www.newegg.com/p/graphics-card-details...i-dvi-dp/38810
+
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/product_info.php?c...oducts_id=9127

That puts you right around $500, plus you'll need a cooler for about $67.

Are you planning to sell your current card and factor that cash into the $500, or would that be extra money?
Sell the power supply as well, obviously... you might make a little something back there.

Sorry, missed the part about this being a dedicated thread. My bad.

OT: I’ve got a better cooler, a Thermaltake Big Typhoon 120vx.
I can't even touch the core multipliers on this pathetic motherboard. I bought this CPU specifically to unlock the cores and overclock, but I totally botched it by picking such a cheap board.
A new motherboard is my next move.
Also, I'm borrowing a PSU from a buddy, so I don't need one yet. Besides, if my current one handles the 4850, it should be fine for a 6850 too.

The plan is to sell my GPU and current power supply to fund the new motherboard.

Originally, I was looking at grabbing an HD6850, but strictly from Gigabyte because of that dual-slot design.

Something like this:

What kind of power supply does your buddy have?

Since you already have the cooler but can't overclock, you might as well try unlocking the cores; that should work.

Check out this one instead http://217.14.221.177/StartEU.ashx?p...r6870-2d1gd5oc
It comes with a 3-year MSI warranty and has been lightly overclocked. It says it's out of stock, so check around some local shops and order it. In my opinion, it's the best value card for about $433.

EDIT: Actually, until last week, it was going for $417 at that same retailer. Looks like the dollar jumped; I noticed other components like motherboards and hard drives have gotten more expensive too.
You don't strictly need dual fans on an HD6850/6870.