GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

So, here's the deal:

PCI-E GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 460 OC Ultra series, 1GB GDDR5, HDMI, DualDVI, HDTV $533

PCI-E GAINWARD GeForce GTX 560 GS, 1GB DDR5, HDMI, DVI, D-SUB $500 (with a discount that brings it down to $450)

I honestly don't see the logic here. Why on earth would a gtx 460 be priced higher than a gtx 560? Even if you factor in that factory overclocking, it just doesn't add up to me.🤷

The GTX 560 feels more like an OCan than that GTX 460 😬

And that’s just Links for you—they always seem to have these weird prices 😁

This one is hands down the best option out of the bunch, even if it happens to be the cheapest. 😬

http://www.bestbuy.com/product_info.php?c...oducts_id=9350

So you're checking the prices over at Best Buy too? 🤣

The 460 and 560 are basically identical cards; the 560 just has higher clock speeds. Honestly, there are some 460 models out there with clocks that match or even beat the 560, but this comparison is a joke. This gigabyte 460 is objectively worse than the 560—it’s only "better" because it runs cooler and quieter thanks to a superior cooler... assuming you can actually find them at decent prices, which should be around $367 for the 460 and $433 for the 560 in a standard retail shop.

Look, let's put the shop aside for a second, but even if you did drop the price on that gtx 460 oc, asking $67 is still just kind of ridiculous when you look at what a gtx 560 goes for. I'm honestly just going to sit tight and wait for the Christmas season to see how the prices for the gtx 460 and the gtx 560 actually settle down. 😁

There isn't any Christmas discount coming 😬

It’s not happening anytime soon. This 460 is clearly leftover stock from an older procurement cycle when prices were actually decent, and they just refuse to budge on the markup.

The only 460s you can find around here that actually deserve to be priced near the 560s are the properly overclocked models—the MSI Hawk Talon Attack, the gigabyte soc, and the Zotac AMP. Those things run at the same clock speeds, if not higher, than the 560s, plus they come with better coolers similar to those high-end GTX 460 models.

crimsonstag84 said:Yeah, it’s basically running on the same architecture as the 9800GT... just a noticeable bump in performance 🙂

Hey man, I picked up a GTS 250. It sits at about 52 degrees during idle/normal use, but once I fire up something heavy like Dirt 3 and crank everything to max settings, it hits 68 degrees. Is that too hot? What's the safe limit before I should start worrying? Thanks!

Gary Johnson64 said:Hey guys, I picked up a GTS 250. It sits at about 52 degrees during idle, but once I fire up something heavy like Dirt 3 on max settings, it hits 68 degrees. Is that too much? What's the safe limit? Thanks!

Honestly, those temps seem lower than they should be. 😬

Anything under 85-90°C isn't really a concern... they can technically handle up to 100, though I guess that isn't exactly healthy for them. 😉

crimsonstag84 said:It’s running cooler than it ought to 😬

Temperatures up to 85-90°C aren't particularly concerning... these components can handle upwards of 100°C, though it isn't exactly ideal for longevity. 😉

Hehehe, it could definitely be colder :P I just pulled out my 7.1 sound card because it was taking up too much room and blocking the airflow for the GPU cooler; now the temperature is sitting at 42 degrees during standard operation with the fans spinning at only 35 percent. 😁 😁 😁

When I was putting together my last PC, I felt pretty confident about most components, but I lacked clarity regarding graphics cards. Consequently, I made a mistake and picked up an Nvidia GT 210 1GB DDR3.
The card isn't quite as terrible as some people on various forums claim, provided you run at a resolution of 1024*728
with anti-aliasing disabled. At medium settings, titles like Resident Evil 5, Call of Duty, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2, and Call of Duty: Black Ops run adequately. However, once I attempted to play Crysis 2, even on the lowest possible settings, the limitations became obvious; the image quality was poor and heavily distorted.
I have decided to upgrade to a better card, but I am struggling to choose because my budget is quite limited.
I found an option for roughly $133, an Nvidia GT 430 1GB DDR3. From what I've read, it isn't specifically designed for heavy gaming, but by my estimation, it should perform several times better than my current GT 210. I looked at other brands, though I am hesitant to stray from Nvidia.
Does anyone have a recommendation that stays under a maximum of $550? It doesn't strictly have to be an Nvidia chipset, though I find Nvidia reliable; I've always used their chips, and I suppose the drivers are more straightforward.
Aside from VRAM capacity, what other specifications should I prioritize when evaluating these cards?

Something like this would be a total steal:

Honestly, Nvidia doesn't have anything worth mentioning at that price point—nothing. You really need to be looking at the RAM speed (DDR3/DDR5), the bus width (128/192/256-bit), and the actual GPU clock speeds first.

Wouldn't the Radeon 5670 with 512MB DDR5 be the better call anyway? 🙂You can already find them for $150

Sure, you could always go with the Radeon 5670.

Can anyone give me a hand here? I'm hunting for a decent graphics card (PCI-E) that won't break the bank, ideally around $433. Could you guys list out some of the best options from both AMD and Nvidia? And honestly, should I be leaning towards AMD or stick with Nvidia? Thanks...

Jerry Flores74 said:Can anyone help me out? I'm looking for a decent PCI-E graphics card for $433. Could you list some of the best options from AMD and Nvidia? Should I go with AMD or Nvidia instead? Thanks.

Just buy ATI 6870

Picked up this GPU from Best Buy.

If they happen to have anything better in stock for my budget—let's say, around $150—I'm all ears. Open to suggestions.

Here’s the link

Appreciate any advice you guys can throw my way.
edit: really looking for some help getting this right.
Hey everyone.

Not at the Links store, no—you’d definitely be able to track down a Radeon 5670 for that kind of cash at some other shop around town.

James Fisher11 said:http://www.hwcompare.com/8888/geforc...n-hd-6950-2gb/

Power Consumption (Max TDP)

GeForce GTX 560 Ti 170 Watts
Radeon HD 6950 2GB 200 Watts

TDP isn't actual consumption—there's a difference.

Exactly what I thought. Ivan, you completely threw me off the scent. 🙂
By the way, TDP represents the absolute peak power draw while the card is under full load, not just during your everyday tasks.