GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Good grief, where did they get that idea? Everywhere I look, it claims this card has a 384-bit bus, but I just double-checked the actual review and it’s clearly a 256-bit bus.

If that's the case, I'm leaning toward the EVGA gtx560ti. http://www.guru3d.com/article/msi-ge...hawk-review/11
In basically every game besides Anno 1404, it actually outperforms the Nvidia GTX 570. Plus, you have to consider that it runs quieter and stays much cooler, and it's even cheaper. I'm definitely taking this one.

Kenneth Jackson3 said:Alright, so I have this motherboard...

The ASUS M2N32-SLI deluxe http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/AMD... just sits there on my desk. Is it still worth looking at? I can't help but wonder if it actually holds up under pressure today. It’s a classic, right? But does that matter when everything moves so fast? Just thinking about it makes me curious. What do you guys think?
Check out this link to the ASUS M2N32-SLI deluxe http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/AMD...eless_Edition/. Seriously, have you guys seen the specs on this thing? It’s pretty wild.

I've got an Intel Core 2 Duo running in my rig right now. Any thoughts?
My current card is an Nvidia 8800 GTS.

What’s actually the best move here? I'm trying to figure out what kind of upgrade would make the most sense for this motherboard. Honestly, the price of the graphics card doesn't matter to me, and I don't really care which shop I pick up from. What should I go with?

So, you think I should just go out and hunt down another 8800 GTS on eBay for like $50 and call it a day? Is that really what you're suggesting?🤷

Andrew Fox74 said:So, you think buying another 8800 GTS on eBay for like $50 would somehow make me happy? I guess that's one way to look at it.🤷

Then the processor is going to stutter like crazy, since it’s barely even breaking a sweat using just one core... I guess.

You're in luck—your board supports AM3 processors once you update to BIOS 5002. You might want to look into something like this:

One Intel Core i5 processor, AM3 socket, retail box, 2MB cache, 95W.
One XFX HD6770 850M with 1GB of GDDR5. It’s got DVI, VGA, and HDMI ports—HDMI 1.4a, specifically—plus PCI Express and DX11 support.

1.$176

What kind of power supply are you running? If it's really old or just some low-end budget unit, I guess it might be time to look into a replacement...

Maybe consider another card as an option... it would be used, power-hungry, and a bit older, but I guess it’s way more powerful than the HD 6770.

Found this listing on Craigslist for an Nvidia GeForce GTX 560. Looks like a decent deal if you're looking to pick one up locally.

Maybe he should try flashing the BIOS. There’s a beta version, 502, available for download that would actually allow him to run those newer Athlon X3 or X4 processors.

Ryan Hayes82 said:The GTX 560 ti has a 256-bit bus. Personally, I’d probably lean toward the 6950 since it’s slightly more powerful, and it overclocks pretty well too.

http://www.newegg.com/products/detail...gb384bit/41087

It actually has a 384-bit bus, so it isn't necessarily worse than the 6950. It really just depends on which game you're playing, though I guess the cooling on the GTX cards is better. I'd probably grab the GTX, but I'm not an expert on this stuff.

How does overclocking even work? Like, does it say anywhere how far you can push it before you risk breaking something, and how safe is it to actually bump up the frequency?

You read a few reviews online and just give it a shot—there’s actually plenty of headroom for an overclock without even touching the voltage. My Nvidia GTX 460 sits at a stock clock of 715 MHz, but I can push it all the way up to 900 MHz while keeping the stock voltage perfectly intact.

crimsonstag84 said:Then the processor is going to stutter like crazy, it can barely even utilize one core...

You're lucky, your board actually supports AM3 processors if you have BIOS 5002 installed... maybe you could grab something like this:

1 x Intel Core i5, socket AM3, BOX , 2Mb cache, 95W
1 x XFX HD6770 850M 1GB DDR5 DVI, VGA, HDMI, PCI Express, DX11. HDMI 1.4a

1.$176

What kind of power supply are you running? If it's super old and not exactly high-end, you might want to swap that out too...

And here's another GPU option... used, draws a ton of power, and it's a bit older, but honestly way stronger than the HD 6770

http://www.craigslist.org/forsale/graphics-cards...listing-3862397

thanks, seems like a solid idea, though, uh, it doesn't say anything about AM3 support here

- Support AMD Socket AM2+/AM2 CPU

is this AM2+ thing compatible with AM3? I have no clue, total noob here 😁

Smartic
Another GPU option... used, power-hungry, and a bit dated, but significantly more powerful than an HD 6770.
How much more powerful exactly?
It’s always smarter to go with something new that comes with a warranty and modern tech. If it's only about 50% better, why deal with the risk and the heat from a 210-watt power hog?
= don't buy it.

Around 30%... on average, it’s a pretty solid deal, though it definitely has its quirks. I guess if you're strictly looking for raw power...

Benjamin King2 said:I guess if you read through a few online reviews before jumping in, you might realize there's actually quite a bit of headroom for overclocking without needing to touch the voltage. My GTX 460 runs at a stock clock of 715 MHz, but I can push it up to 900 MHz while keeping the voltage right where it came from.

Hitting 900 MHz on stock voltage? Man, you're lucky. Mine tops out at maybe 840 MHz without touching anything, though I suppose if I bumped up the voltage, I could probably get it much higher. 😁The 460 is honestly a beast when it comes to overclocking.

Hey there.
Does Nvidia ship graphics cards directly to residential addresses?
Also, which card is actually the better pick: the Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 ti or the Zotac Nvidia GeForce GTX 570?
And if I'm planning on running two of them, do they have to be identical to work in SLI mode?
Here’s my current setup (mostly asking because of compatibility issues🙂):
Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3-iSSD, 1155, iZ68, D3, HDMI, A
Intel Core I5 2500 k

Nvidia isn't sending out anything because they aren't even selling anything right now.

GTX 570.

You've got to stick to the same model—though, technically, you could probably pair two different GTX 560 cards together if you really wanted to.

Can someone tell me if this graphics card is actually a solid choice—say, for playing Black Ops or some of the newer titles?

My processor is an AMD Athlon(tm) X2 250 3.00 GHz
RAM: 2 GB

http://www.amazon.com/shop/item/45121

How much does the CPU core count actually matter these days when you're worried about hitting a bottleneck while picking out a new GPU?

So, I’m thinking about overclocking my E8400—trying to see how high I can push it without cranking up the voltage too much. I'm really hoping to hit somewhere around 3.8 to 4 GHz, though I know for sure I can get to 3.6 GHz since I've already tested it! Anyway, I'm looking at grabbing a Radeon 6580.

Do you think that processor is gonna be a total bottleneck for a card like that?

That’s a solid processor—honestly, you shouldn't run into any trouble at all. Running at 3.6 GHz is going to be perfectly fine for what you need.

Benjamin King2 said:That’s a solid processor—you really shouldn't run into any issues at all. That 3.6 GHz should be totally fine for what you need.

Thanks a ton!🙂

Angela Foster5 said:Can you tell me if this graphics card is a good choice for playing Black Ops or newer games?

My CPU is an AMD Athlon(tm) X2 250 3.00 GHz
RAM: 2 GB

http://www.amazon.com/graphics-cards/s?k=gpu

Not really... that's a bit weak.

Maybe try looking at something like this instead:

http://www.newegg.com/Graphics-Cards/c/200

Here’s the situation:
I’m running an ASUSTeK Computer INC. P5LD2-VM DH motherboard paired with a GeForce 9500gt 1GB DDR2 graphics card!!

NOW—LISTEN!! I WAS THINKING ABOUT PICKING UP AN Nvidia GEFORCE GT440 1GB DDR3 GRAPHICS CARD!!!

I REALLY NEED TO KNOW IF THIS NEW CARD WILL ACTUALLY WORK WITH MY MOTHERBOARD!!
PLEASE HELP!!! THANKS IN ADVANCE!!

It’ll work—but honestly, why bother? You're better off grabbing this instead. It's actually more powerful than the Nvidia GEFORCE GT440, plus it won't drain your wallet quite as much:

So,
here’s what my current setup looks like:

PSU: Fortron 400W
Motherboard: Asrock A785GMH/128M
CPU: AMD Athlon ii X2 240
RAM: 2 x 2GB DDR2 PC6400 Kingmax, 800MHz
HDD: 320GB WD Caviar Blue, SATA
OS: Windows 7 64-bit

Monitor: 22" Philips LED

The motherboard has integrated ATI Radeon HD 4200 graphics,
but since that's definitely the weakest link in this rig, I'm thinking about picking up
a dedicated graphics card.
Any advice from you guys on what would be
the best move? My budget is around $500.$267 Looking at shops in NYC.

Mostly, I just use this PC for browsing, but I’d like to run a game every now and then.

Thanks in advance!