GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

vividmoose33 said:I'm back on my PC using an old graphics card right now. Everything's running fine. A couple of pages back, I asked for a recommendation and listed my full setup. Among other things, I have a 350W Advantech power supply. Now I'm looking at the box. It says it needs 400W or more. Since this is just an old rig—which probably doesn't pull much power—do you think I could get away with this PSU?

According to this review, there isn't even a dedicated power connector required, so it should work. It's not exactly a power hog...
Take it over to your friend and give it a shot, because they'll charge you for false returns...

Hey there!
I headed over to Links and managed to return the card without any drama. They even offered me a full refund. Apparently, they have the exact same model sitting in their San Francisco branch, and they asked if I wanted them to ship it out here. Honestly? Not worth the wait.
For roughly the same amount of cash, I picked up an XFX HD 6570 1 GB DDR3. One of the employees actually told me that according to the folks on the forums, the card I originally had was basically the gold standard for this price range, so I was prepared to just sit tight and wait for the San Francisco shipment. But then, plot twist! It turns out the returned card was tested and, surprise surprise, it’s perfectly fine. So, I just grabbed the XFX, popped it in, and everything seems to be running smooth so far.
Thanks to everyone for the advice and all the effort. Best regards,
VIVA!!!
P.S. You haven't seen the last of me.🙂

I'm honestly torn here too. Should I grab the GTX 560 Ti or go for the 570? Maybe someone could break down what the deal is with overclocking versus finding a Golden Sample and all that. My budget is sitting right at $1,800 for a card, and I’m really aiming for max settings on the best titles. I know the 570 is technically the heavy hitter, while the 560 Ti is just... okay, I guess. Is it actually worth dropping an extra $167 400 bucks? Is the performance jump worth that much more money?

I'm finally back at it. I hooked up the TV via HDMI and managed to get both video and audio working. My computer speakers are still plugged directly into the sound card just like they were before, but for some reason, the audio has completely vanished. It’s driving me crazy. On top of that, I’ve got another headache: I can't figure out how to tweak the settings in my AMD control panel to get a proper 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio when I'm watching movies. Right now, everything looks wonky. By the way, I'm running a 17" monitor through a DVI connection.🤷

Michelle Carter52 said:Hey guys, I'm seriously torn between grabbing a GTX 560 Ti or going for the 570—can someone break down the deal with OC vs. Golden Sample and all that? I've got about $1,800 set aside for a GPU since I'm aiming for max settings on the best games. I know the 570 is technically the powerhouse here, while the 560 Ti is okay, but still... what do you think? Is it actually worth dropping an extra $400$167 just for the upgrade? Is it really better at that price point?

Look, the GTX 560 Ti is roughly 15% slower than a stock GTX 570 when you're running 1920*1080 with 4xAA—but honestly, you can bridge that gap pretty easily with a little overclocking.

"OC" basically means the card comes factory-overclocked right out of the box, and "Golden Sample" usually refers to those top-tier units the manufacturer picks out because they have much higher overclocking potential than the standard batch.

With that budget, you aren't actually going to snag a GTX 570... if you're sticking to the 560 Ti, your best bets are the MSI Hawk TF3, Gigabyte, or the Gainward GS models for around $600.

Hi 👋
If anyone remembers, I was looking for a used graphics card recommendation a while back, specifically $167. Actually, after passing up a few good deals because I couldn't find the right timing, I decided against going used. I don't want to risk throwing $167 away if the card dies without a warranty.

Now, I need a recommendation for a NEW graphics card (PCI-E, obviously) from a retail store, with a budget between $800 and $333. That $333 figure is my absolute limit; I won't hit it unless it's absolutely necessary. For instance, if I can get a card that's only 5% slower for $67 less, I’ll take that instead. My main requirement is just that it isn't weaker than my old 4850 512MB, which I actually miss.
My current setup is an E8400, 2x2GB Kingmax, an EP45 DS3, and a Chieftec 550W power supply. I play at 1680x1050 resolution.
As for where to buy, it doesn't matter much since I'll be ordering online anyway.
Thanks 😉

If you're looking for anything decent from AMD, this is pretty much your only shot:

Nvidia doesn't really have anything better in this price bracket—unless, of course, you can somehow stretch your budget $27 just a little bit more. If you can swing it, grab this one because it’s an absolute steal:

Benjamin King2 said:The only thing like this you'll find from AT&T:

I guess Nvidia doesn't have anything better in this price bracket, unless you can somehow stretch your budget $27 a bit more to grab this one, which would definitely be worth it:

That HD 6790 has a really solid cooler; I might just grab it right now for $300 cheap 🙂

But if you can afford to go higher, you should probably go with the GTX 😉

Buying these $27 is a total no-brainer. The Nvidia GTX 460 is a massive step up from those bottom-tier budget cards. Plus, you might actually come out ahead since the cooler is solid and the overclocking potential is great.

I'm thinking about picking up this PC... since I also need to grab a GPU right away... anyone have any ideas for a decent card under $200? 😍

Look, those pre-built rigs aren't exactly anything to write home about—honestly, that processor you're eyeing costs nearly half the price of the entire build. It's a pretty mediocre setup, if you ask me.

I know it’s not exactly great... I was actually thinking about building my own rig at first... but once I saw hardware prices jump past $333, I just gave up. It's honestly not worth the money anymore. :S

restlesshawk18 said:thinking about grabbing this build.. since I need to pick up a GPU right away.. anyone got suggestions for a decent card under $200? 😍

1 x MSI 870-C45, AMD 770 + SB710, S. AM3, 6xSATA 3 RAID, DDR3 800/10
1 x Intel Core i3, socket AM3, BOX , 1.5MB cache
1 x DDR3 4GB (2x2GB) Kingmax, 1333MHz, FLFE
1 x HDD SAMSUNG 500GB 7200rpm 16MB cache Serial ATA II-300, F3
1 x CORSAIR 430W Power Supply, CX Series CMPSU-430CXV2EU, 12cm vent
1 x Dell Optical Drive, DVD±RW, 22x DVD±R ,8x DL , 40x CD-R
1 x ASUS Motherboard, midi tower, no PSU, black/red, USB, Fire wire
1 x MSI GTX460 OC 1GB GDDR5 256bit, N460GTX-M2D1GD5/OC

$1250
way better than that other setup 😁 especially if you actually want to play games 😍

thanks 😍 btw I'm planning on playing some better games soon.

restlesshawk18 said:thanks 😍 btw I'm planning on playing some better games soon.

With the build I put together for you, you'll be good to go.😍
btw the shop is Best Buy
and they handle delivery and setup for free 😁 if you spend over $667 so all you gotta do is download Windows and drivers.😁

Which card is actually better here?
EVGA PCI-E Nvidia GeForce gtx 560 ti Golden Sample GDDR5 1GB/384bit
or maybe
the MSI gtx560ti Hawk with Windforce, 1GB GDDR?

Or should I just go with the Nvidia GTX 570? I'm looking to run games on max settings.

That EVGA PCI-E card actually has a decent cooler on it, and the clock speeds aren't half bad either (900/4200). Plus, you've got that 384-bit bus... mmm. Honestly, that one is definitely the powerhouse compared to those other three.

The Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 has a 256-bit memory bus. Personally, I’d probably lean toward the Nvidia GTX 570 instead, since it’s just a tiny bit more powerful and seems to overclock quite nicely too.

Take a look down at the specs...

Alright, so I've got this motherboard

ASUS M2N32-SLI deluxe http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/AMD...eless_Edition/
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/AMD...eless_Edition/

I'm running an Intel Core 2 Duo processor
my current card is an Nvidia 8800 GTS

I was wondering what the absolute best upgrade would be for this board... honestly, price doesn't really matter to me, and I don't care which store I get it from.