GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

That version packs 384 CUDA cores—whereas the standard one only brings 336 to the table.

Hey guys,

I'm thinking about picking up a new graphics card soon. My current setup is running an NVIDIA GeForce GT 210 with 512MB of VRAM—I'm actually not even sure if it's DDR2 or what, because I can't find that info anywhere online. It’s just starting to lag a bit when I'm playing games. Everything else, like my CPU and my RAM, seems to be holding up fine, it's really just the GPU that's struggling to keep pace. I want to swap it out for something better, but I don't want to go overboard with the spending. I'm not exactly some hardcore gamer sitting around waiting for the next big AAA release every month. I was thinking maybe something in the ballpark of... $167So, I was just sitting here wondering what you guys think about this one... I can't see the link you're referring to. Could you drop it again? I'm ready to take a look whenever you have a second. It’s actually quite a bit cheaper. $17 It's like when you're trying to decide between picking up something at Phoenix versus just grabbing it at the HG spot.

Thanks for any and all suggestions, really. I appreciate you guys taking the time to help out!

It’s actually weaker than your NVIDIA GeForce GT 210... honestly, this would be a solid upgrade:

http://www.newegg.com/p/product_info.php?products_id=10658

What kind of motherboard and CPU are you running, and how much RAM do you have?

Sell this thing off first, then look into upgrading to a GTS 450 or one of those 6770 versions with 512MB DDR5.

crimsonstag84 said:It’s weaker than your NVIDIA GeForce GT 210... this might be a better bet:

http://www.bestbuy.com/product_info.php?c...ducts_id=10658

What kind of motherboard and CPU are you running, and how much RAM do you have?

So, here is how it looks: the NVIDIA GeForce GT 210 512MB vs. the HD 6670 1GB. It is a bit frustrating that they don't let you choose between the DDR3 or DDR5 versions. This specific HD 6670 DDR3 only has a Memory Bandwidth of 28000 MB/sec, whereas the DDR5 version hits 64000. I suppose there isn't much of a meaningful difference between those two cards.
Mine is the HD 6670 DDR3. Windows Aero gives it a 6.8 rating, and its gaming performance is similar; it's actually a decent card, which surprised me somewhat.
http://www.hwcompare.com/10911/radeo...-6670-oem-1gb/

Justin Davis75 said:Hey guys,

I am looking to pick up a new graphics card. My current one, an NVIDIA GeForce GT 210 with 512 MB of VRAM (not sure if it's DDR2, it doesn't specify), is struggling a bit with games. My CPU and RAM are fine, but the GPU is the bottleneck. I want an upgrade, but I don't want to spend a fortune since I'm not exactly a hardcore gamer. If we are talking about a budget around $167, I was wondering what you all think of this one --> LINK <-- (it's actually $17 cheaper at Phoenix than at HG spot).

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Don't look at the first digit; focus on the second. For example, with the 4670, the 4 represents the series, and everything from the second digit onwards improves as you go up—like how a 6400 is mediocre, a 6500 is decent, a 6600 is very good, and a 6700 is great, and so on. So, your 4670 won't necessarily be worse than that new 6470 you found, see
http://www.hwcompare.com/10333/radeo...-6450-oem-1gb/
In all honesty, that new card you're looking at is likely worse than your current setup. Here is a comparison. I was even offered an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 for $187, but the issue is that it's a discontinued model; since the newer 6000 series is out, stock is getting difficult to find. You might end up settling for a cheap 5550, but that won't be much better than what you have now, see
http://www.hwcompare.com/318/radeon-...adeon-hd-5550/

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/best-g...w-32183-7.html

http://www.hwcompare.com/10884/radeo...-6670-oem-1gb/

I mean, obviously, if you can track down a much better option at Best Buy...

Better grab it quick before they run out 😛

crimsonstag84 said:It’s actually a bit weaker than that HD 4670 you’re running... honestly, this would be a solid choice:

http://www.newegg.com/p/product_info.php?products_id=10658

What kind of motherboard and CPU are we talking about here? And how much RAM have you got in there?

Processor - 2.80 gigahertz Intel Corporation
Board: Intel Corporation GA-MA770-UD3
Bus Clock: 200 megahertz
RAM: 2gb, though I really need to pick up another 2 gigs soon. It's only about 25 bucks, so I'm not sweating it too much.

Thanks for all the help, everyone. I think I'll head out and go check some of those graphics cards now. 🙂

crimsonstag84 said:Better move fast before they're all gone 😛

That's fine, though I suppose it would be better if a 5770 becomes available. I actually wanted one, but sourcing it is proving difficult. I tried to get my hands on it, but there was no telling how long the wait would be, so we eventually gave up on that option. You might want to check with Best Buy to see if you can work something out directly; they're pretty straightforward. I dealt with them once for $186, brought in a whole list of GPUs I wanted to check availability on. It seems like the 6770 is obtainable, but right now, the price is just absurd.

crimsonstag84 said:http://www.techcrunch.com/p/Grafi%...BD5-HV2/35035/

Better grab one fast before they're all gone 😛

They don't have any :P

Honestly, this is kind of on you... 🙂 I mean, you should have warned me the 7xxx series was dropping in like a month. Now I've decided to be patient and hold off on a new GPU, thinking I'd just pick up some budget card under $167 instead, but then I got my heart set on this specific one and now I can't find it anywhere...

😂

I think I’ve mentioned this in a few other threads, but I'm not 😛

Maybe just stick with the HD 4670, or if you really want more power, look for something used up to $167. That's just my two cents.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/graphics-card-listing

crimsonstag84 said:😂

I think I’ve brought this up once or twice in other threads around here, but I don't think I actually mentioned it in this one. 😛

So, I guess your only real options are sticking with that old HD 4670 or just hunting around for something used up to an HD 7xxx. Maybe. $167 If you’re looking for more punch...

I was scrolling through some local listings earlier and stumbled upon this graphics card for sale. It’s an ASUS ROG Strix RTX 3080, and honestly, looking at the price, I can't quite tell if the seller knows what they have or if they're just hoping someone won't notice it's a steal. It looks like it's been well-maintained, which is always the big question with used high-end gear. You never know if it spent its life running intensive renders or just sitting there looking pretty while someone played Minecraft. Still, the ROG Strix cooling is top-tier, so even if it's seen some heavy action, it probably handled it better than most. I guess it depends on what you're looking for. If you've got a beefy enough power supply to handle it, it's a beast of a card. But then again, maybe I'm overthinking it. It's just a GPU. Still, at that asking price, it might be worth keeping an eye on before someone else snaps it up. Just my two cents, though.

crimsonstag84 said:If I’m remembering correctly, that new AMD HD 7xxx series is supposed to drop next month. Honestly, it might be worth holding off on any purchases for a bit if I were you. Might be better to just wait and see how things shake out. 🙂

EDIT: I just went back and checked, and turns out it was actually Q1 2012... hmm. 😁

🙂
So, I finally touched base today with the guy I'm buying that "used" hard drive from—you know, the one I need for my xfx 4870 1GB DDR5 setup. $167So, he mentioned something about having some GPUs for sale while we were talking, and then he actually offered me this... honestly, I think I hit the jackpot. 🙂

http://www.craigslist.org/cs/graphic-cards-ad-3711272

If it isn't too late, I’d probably pull the trigger on this.

I’m just worried that ship sailed a long time ago 🙂

placidgull21 said:I suppose I'm just worried that opportunity has already passed us by.🙂

I don't see much of a reason to complain about that Radeon HD 4670 of yours. It’s got a 128-bit bus and 320 stream processors; the benchmarks look decent enough. It should run most games fine—maybe not at max settings with anti-aliasing enabled, but halfway through the settings should work, and 512 MB of VRAM is plenty for what it is.
Maybe you could clarify what exactly is lagging or what issues you're running into? Also, what is your Windows experience rating? If you're hitting a 5.5 for Aero, that's more than sufficient, if not better.
If you aren't running enough RAM, that's likely where the bottleneck is. You really need at least 4 GB, especially if you're running a 64-bit version of Windows.

brightviper13 said:I honestly don't see what the big deal is with that Radeon HD 4670 of yours. It's got a 128-bit bus, 320 stream processors, and the benchmarks look solid enough. For the most part, it should run pretty much any game just fine—maybe not at max settings, but if you dial things back halfway, it should hold up. Plus, 512 MB of VRAM is plenty for what it does.
So, maybe explain what exactly is lagging for you? Like, what’s actually happening? And what’s your Windows experience rating looking like? If you’re sitting at a 5.5 for Aero, that’s more than enough, and anything higher would be even better.
If you're short on RAM, that's probably why things are stuttering. You really need at least 4 gigs, especially if you're running 64-bit Windows.

The issue is that I don't have a picture, I don't have a Windows rating, I don't have Aero, I don't have RAM, I don't have 64-bit Windows, and I don't even have an Radeon HD 4670 to begin with.🤣

placidgull21 said:The main issue is that I don't have any images, no Windows rating system, no Aero, no RAM, no 64-bit Windows, and I don't even have an Radeon HD 4670 🤣

I suppose I might have misread things. I haven't been paying close attention since I spend most of my time browsing on my phone, scrolling left and right just to see the whole page. It looked like you had listed Home Edition earlier. Now that I've actually looked, I realize I missed where you specified your actual configuration. I'll try to be more observant moving forward.

Hey, I’ve got a quick question for you guys. I actually already pulled the trigger on a new PC, though it hasn't shown up yet because they're waiting on a couple of parts—should be arriving by Monday or Tuesday. I went with an ATI Radeon HD6970 XFX, 2GB DDR5. Some folks were giving me advice saying I should've just grabbed two HD 6850s instead. I even called the shop to see if I could still swap it out if I changed my mind, which they said was fine. So, how does that actually work? Do all games support dual graphics cards, or do you have to mess around with specific settings in every game to get it running?

Henry Morales6 said:I have a quick question. I already ordered a new PC, though it hasn't arrived yet because they're waiting on some parts—should be here by Monday or Tuesday. I went with an ATI Radeon HD6970 XFX, 2GB DDR5. However, some people suggested I should have grabbed two HD 6850s instead. I called the shop and they said I could still swap them if I change my mind. So, how does that actually work? Do all games support dual graphics, or do you have to mess around with specific settings to get it running?

Stick with the 6970. A Crossfire motherboard at your shop is about $667.