GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Hey guys, I'm starting a new thread here because I actually want some gamer input this time. So, basically, my GPU finally kicked the bucket—RIP—so I've gotta pick up a new one, obviously 😁. Up until now, I've been running an Nvidia GS 7600 [512mb], and even though I wouldn't call myself a hardcore gamer, I've always loved playing the GTA series. But GTA IV is where I'm hitting a wall. The game launches and everything, but the graphics are just... broken. Like, you can see through the floor and there's ocean visible underneath everything, kind of a mess. When I checked the system requirements to see if my rig could even handle it, everything passed—except the GPU part. The VRAM is fine, I guess, but the card itself just isn't cutting it. So, I was hoping you guys could recommend some cards that won't choke on newer titles like GTA IV, and ideally, something that won't break the bank either. I don't really know much about this stuff, so I'm leaning on your expertise. Thanks in advance.🙂

You neglected to mention what else is in your rig—specifically, which processor you're actually running. But since you're rocking an Nvidia GS 7600, I’m assuming you've got some older dual-core chip under the hood. From what I've seen, the GTX 260 still holds its own quite well for gaming through just about anything, and if my memory serves me right, they aren't even that pricey anymore.

Could you list out your full system specs? Also, let me know what your absolute max budget is for a new graphics card—once we have those numbers, we can actually get somewhere with this...

So I've got an intel pentium 4 dual-core, 1 GB of RAM, and a 250 GB hard drive...
With that nvidia gtx 260, could it actually handle something like GTA IV? Not sure what it'd even cost—honestly, I have no clue—which is why I'm asking you guys...

Bryan Wright8 said:The CPU is an intel pentium 4 dual-core, 1GB of RAM, a 250GB HDD...
that nvidia gtx 260—do you think it can actually handle something like GTA IV? I'm not even sure how much it costs, which is why I figured I'd ask around here...

Man, that setup is pretty weak... and look, regarding GTA IV—so many people complain about how poorly optimized it is. You really need a beefy graphics card just to push the settings toward ultra. Honestly, though, I'm not entirely certain—maybe grab an nvidia gtx 460 and do a quick Google search to see what the price tag looks like? If that ends up being too expensive, maybe look for something slightly lower end. You could try the nvidia gtx 260 too, but again, since GTA is such a mess optimization-wise, even if the card handles it, who knows how the rest of the system will react? Especially since 1GB of RAM is just way too little by today's standards—most people are running at least 4GB or more nowadays...
Your processor is somewhat okay, I guess...

What kind of power supply are you running? Open up the case and take a look—I need to know the wattage, the manufacturer, and everything else.
Also, tell us about your monitor. What's the resolution?

Honestly, they aren't even that much of a stretch for the budget compared to a GPU—for instance, looking at that 460 you mentioned, it’s already pushing well over a grand...🙂

@Bryan Wright8 The PSU is some Codegen 400W thing (it says model 300xx on the side, though I guess that might mean nothing, and it's ATX 2.03(p4))
And the monitor is just an old-school 1280x1024 resolution setup.

EDIT: So I'm browsing Craigslist right now and seeing all kinds of NVIDIA GeForce cards—512MB, 1GB, whatever—selling for like $67...Why the hell are they so cheap?🤷

Bryan Wright8 said:Honestly, the shoulder parts aren't even the issue—it's the graphics card that really eats up the budget. Looking at that 460 you mentioned, it looks like it'll put you way over the limit...🙂

@ivane My power supply is a Codegen 400W (even though the label says model 300xx, I have no idea what that means, just that it's ATX 2.03)
And the monitor is an old one running at 1280x1024 resolution.

EDIT: I'm browsing eBay right now and seeing all sorts of AMD Radeon cards, from 512MB to 1GB, selling for basically nothing $67... Why on earth are they so cheap?🤷

That power supply is bottom-of-the-barrel junk; my advice is to just get a new PC. If you don't do it now, start saving up—you'll probably need about $2,500 by $1000 to handle a 1280x1024 resolution and run all the latest games properly.

Bryan Wright8 said:@ivane The power supply is a Codegen 400W (it says model 300xx on the side, though I'm not sure what that implies, and it's ATX 2.03 (P4)).
The monitor is a newer one with 1280x1024 resolution.

EDIT: I'm just looking on Craigslist and seeing all kinds of AMD Radeon cards with 512MB or 1GB being sold for $67... Why are they so cheap?🤷

That power supply is junk, you're way too low on RAM, and the processor is barely enough to run GTA 4...

GPU power isn't really about how much memory it has anymore; that was true almost ten years ago, but it doesn't mean anything today.

What motherboard are you using? I'm guessing it's a DDR2 RAM and an AM2 socket board?

If you're buying used to save some cash... maybe try to grab at least 1GB of RAM and this card:

http://www.craigslist.org/video-cards-listing-3819105

And this power supply:

http://www.craigslist.org/power-supply-listing-3567165

You might also be able to overclock the CPU a little bit...

So, looking at the math, upgrading this rig would set me back about $333. But honestly—do you guys think it’s actually worth grabbing used parts with zero Warranty or anything?

Then again, if I'm going all in on something new, I'd definitely go with a laptop. Obviously, you don't get the same bang for your buck compared to a desktop, so my real question is: if I want a decent laptop that hits the same performance levels as a desktop around $1.00, I should probably be prepared to shell out a bit more, right?

Bryan Wright8 said:So, based on that, upgrading my rig would cost roughly $333, but honestly, do you guys think it’s actually worth buying used parts without any kind of Warranty?

On the flip side, if I'm going new, I'd definitely go with a laptop. It's obvious the price-to-performance ratio isn't even close when comparing desktops to laptops. My question is about finding a solid laptop (with the power of a desktop that costs $1.00); wouldn't I need to set aside a bit more cash for that?

Then there's this one for $1433
www.bestbuy.com

Dell Inspiron, 15.6" LED Backlight (1366x768) TFT, Intel Core i5, DDR3 4GB, DVD Super Multi, NVIDIA GeForce 1GB, Wi-Fi, BT, 640GB HDD, Web Cam, HDMI, 6 cells, no OS, Royal Brown, Warranty: 24 months

Alexander Moore67 said:then what about this for $1433
www.bhphotovideo.com

Dell Inspiron, 15.6" LED Backlight (1366x768) TFT, Intel Core i5, DDR3 4GB, DVD Super Multi, NVIDIA GeForce 1GB, Wi-Fi, BT, 640GB HDD, Web Cam, HDMI, 6 cells, no OS, Royal Brown, Warranty: 24 months

I agree. I had the chance to test it, and it’s quite a beast for that price point. It runs the latest games without any real issues, though I suppose you might need to turn down the anti-aliasing in-game to keep things smooth—not that it's strictly necessary if you use minimum settings. Everyone seems obsessed with what kind of high-end graphics card you need to play anything these days, but if you're content playing on lower settings, it doesn't matter much. Personally, I have a high-end rig, so those settings don't bother me, but when you're actually playing, you barely notice the difference. Lower settings almost feel nostalgic, reminding me of the older era before anti-aliasing was even a thing—back when we played on much weaker machines, or even stuff like Commodore, PlayStation 1, or Sega. Those were the games we truly appreciated. Now it's all about HD this and anti-aliasing that; it feels a bit excessive. Sure, having more power is better, but you have to be able to keep up with the costs. As for this laptop, it should serve you well for a few years, unless you insist on playing on massive screens with top-tier hardware.
If you pick it up, you won't regret it. You'll get a very slim, compact device with enough hardware under the hood to genuinely surprise you with what it can handle.

Hey everyone. I'm looking at picking up a new graphics card...

I'm leaning toward the GTX 560 Ti Hawk, specifically the TwinFrozr III version with 1GB GDDR

But I'm kind of torn on whether it makes sense to jump up to a 570 or maybe a 6970.
I want to run everything on max settings, just the newest titles, and I don't need anything higher than 1080p resolution.
Do you think it's actually worth spending$133 extra? Money isn't exactly tight, but I guess if there's no real benefit, why bother?

Hey there!
My /8600 GT/ just kicked the bucket, and honestly, I’m not in the mood to drop a fortune on a whole new rig right now. My kids aren't exactly demanding high-end specs yet, so I’ll probably hold off on a total system overhaul for a bit.
Here’s what I’m working with: an Athlon 3.0 single-core
2 gigs of RAM
a 350 W PCI Express
PCI Express
The most demanding thing they run is currently Crysis
Looking to spend about $167
Links
I don't want to mess with a new power supply, and I need 1 GB of DDR3
If I end up doing a major upgrade down the road, I'd love for this part to be something I can actually reuse in a new build later on.
Thanks in advance!🙂

http://www.microcenter.com/product_info.php?c...32a244c4dfd8a1
Just head over to Micro Center $157 because that power supply is barely cutting it.
123 Main Street

Sales
tel : 555-010-176, 555-010-493
fax : 555-010-921
e-mail : danko@microcenter.com
e-mail : vedran@microcenter.com

Hey everyone, quick question for the group. A buddy of mine just fried his graphics card a few days ago, so he's back on the hunt for an upgrade.
His current rig is running an Intel Pentium 4 Extreme Edition with 2 gigs of RAM.
I was hoping you guys could suggest something that won't be completely bottlenecked by that CPU. He needs a card that can actually keep up.

EDIT: Most of what he does is gaming and browsing the web.

There isn't much you can do about the current setup—your best bet is just to pick up a decent graphics card in the $700 range $267 though honestly, you could probably find something even cheaper if you look around. You can't really go wrong there, but just a heads-up: keep an eye on your power supply. If the PSU is weak, it won't be able to handle anything significantly more powerful than what you have now... I’d personally recommend looking for something at least 400W or higher.

I was cleaning out my case today and noticed something weird while re-installing my GPU—one of the 6-pin connectors is missing. I only have five available... whereas my other card had them all.
The card is an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480, and the PSU is an EVGA 750W Gold.
Is there going to be an issue with the card? It’s been sitting like this since I bought the PC about a year ago—could it short out or cause some other kind of failure? I don't have any extra 6-pin cables left to plug in. I've looked, but there's nothing else to connect.
Thanks!

Larry Ortiz5 said:There’s not much you can do there besides just picking up a decent GPU for around $700—$267 actually, you could probably go cheaper if you're careful, but don't skimp on the power supply. If the PSU is junk, it won't handle anything beefier. I'd suggest at least 400W...

Stop talking nonsense if you don't know what you're talking about. Just shut it.

@OP
http://www.newegg.com/product_info.php?c...oducts_id=7946
This should do the trick. The card isn't a massive power hog, so you shouldn't have any issues.