GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

James Fisher11 said:Are you out of your mind... $167 spending money on that old card instead of a new 512 DDR3
Better off just stretching out for $17 and grabbing this
http://www.newegg.com/p/product_info.php?c...oducts_id=7946
It's a hundred times better...

EDIT: Take a look at what else they have in stock for less
http://www.newegg.com/p/product_info.php?c...oducts_id=8926
http://www.newegg.com/p/product_info.php?c...oducts_id=9935

Stop talking nonsense... those two down there are bottom-tier cards—you won't be able to play anything with them. Honestly, it's better to stay quiet if you don't have anything smart to say... an HD 4850 crushes a 5670 in every way, especially if you overclock it. Plus, the 5670 only has DX 11, which still isn't enough for modern games on decent settings.

How exactly do you think a card released two years after the HD 4850—and one that costs $100 now—could be significantly better? By any logic, a used 4850 today actually costs more than those two low-end options you mentioned... Either go for a used 4850 or pick up something from the GTS/X 2xx series.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/graphics-card-listing-2746681 Here $147... it even has a warranty.

And obviously, if you're a serious buyer ready to pull the trigger immediately, give them a call and offer $117! If they pass, tell them you'll come pick it up right now... if they offer nothing, just toss $133 their way and they'll probably let you have it. You'll still have $33 left over, so just throw in another $50 to grab a new power supply and call it a day.

Here is my current setup:
- PCI-E
- E8400, 4GB RAM, Antec 550W
- 1680x1050
- up to $250
My old card burned out, so I am looking for a suitable replacement. Ideally, I’d like to spend less than usual, provided the new card isn't a downgrade from what I had before.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions...

frozenbadger21 said:Here’s my current setup:
- PCI-E
- E8400, 4GB RAM, Antec 550W
- 1680x1050
- up to $250
Since my old one fried—looking for a decent replacement, ideally cheap, provided it isn't a downgrade from what I had.

Thanks in advance for the suggestions...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/graphics-card-listing here's some used gear for $33 more, but it's definitely worth it,

Maybe an Nvidia GeForce GTS 450, HD 5770, or a 6770 (new).

Grab this if you can still make it in time: http://www.nabava.net/trazilica.php?...xtreme&x=0&y=0

stormywolf39 said:Stick this in if you still have time: Searching for something specific? Just follow the link.

The big game just tanked... what a disaster.
I've got the latest issue from PC Magazine right here. 😬

As for Protist? Beats me. 😁

Hey everyone, I’m currently torn on a decision and could really use some advice. I'm putting together a new build soon, but I've hit a bit of a snag choosing the right GPU...
I'm weighing the AMD Radeon HD 6950 2GB—which offers an easy path to upgrading to a stock HD 6970 later—against the Nvidia GeForce GTX 570. Which one is going to give me better value in the long run? I did see a deal in PC Magazine for an MSI version of the Nvidia GeForce GTX 570 at a pretty great price, though. What would be the smarter move for a 1920x1080 setup? Regarding thermals, I'm planning on picking up an NZXT case since it looks fantastic for GPU cooling, so I shouldn't have any issues with operating temperatures. Also, does anyone know how shipping works for orders placed through PC Magazine within the US? Thanks!🙂

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/M...htning/23.html

Check out this comparison—it’s really just a few frames difference. Nvidia wins some titles, AMD takes others... you can't exactly walk away a winner with either one. Just scour the web a bit, dig through YouTube, and make up your own mind...

The Nvidia GeForce GTS 450 finally arrived, even though I was really torn between choosing AMD or Nvidia.

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions...

I am currently eyeing the Radeon HD 6790, specifically the version featuring 1GB GDDR5, 840MHz/1050MHz, PCI-E 2.1 x16, HDMI, 2xDVI, DisplayPort, dual slot fan Cooler, and the Retail packaging.

My current hardware setup includes:
ASRock 890 GX EXTREME3 motherboard, 90-MXGE70-A0UAYZ 890GX EXTREME3, AM3, AMD 890 GX, AMD SB850, DDR3, 4 slots, 1066, 1333, 800 MHz, AMD Radeon HD 4290, PCI 3, PCIe x16 3, PCIe x1 1, SATA 6, RAID 0,0+1,1,5, 8-channel audio
Kingston HyperX blue 4GB 1600MHz DDR3 Non-ECC CL9 DIMM (Kit of 2) XMP
AMD Phenom II x4 955 (3.2GHz, 8MB, 125W, AM2 + AM3) box
Frontier Shinobi ATX Tower 400W, LCD display

Does anyone have any recommendations for a great value purchase? I don't intend to use the graphics card heavily for gaming, though I occasionally find myself unable to resist trying out a new release when it comes out. (I plan to budget approximately $333 for the GPU).

What kind of price we talking about?

Around $333

The graph looks solid enough. If you can scrape together a bit more cash, though, I’d grab one of these:

XFX ATI Radeon HD 6850 775M 1GB DDR5, DisplayPort x2 v1.2, DVI x2, HDMI 1.4a featuring Eyefinity $383
GAINWARD GTX460 768MB GDDR5 192bit, PCI-X 2.0 x16, Core : 648MHz $373
MSI GTX 550 1GB GDDR5 192bit, N550GTX-Ti Cyclone II 1GD5/OC $377

Newegg.com

Alexander Williams77 said:That card is perfectly fine, but if you can stretch your budget just a little bit, you should look into one of these options:

XFX ATI Radeon HD 6850 775M 1GB DDR5, dual link DisplayPort x2 v1.2, DVI x2, HDMI 1.4a featuring the Eyefinity option $383
GAINWARD GTX460 768MB GDDR5 192bit, PCI-X 2.0 x16, Core : 648MHz $373
MSI GTX 550 1GB GDDR5 192bit, N550GTX-Ti Cyclone II 1GD5/OC $377

AMD.com

Do you think those would be an improvement over the Shapira 6790?

I actually managed to find a great deal at AMD on this $6.75ATI Radeon HD 6850, which features 1GB GDDR5 256bit, dual link DVI + HDMI + DP, PCI Express 2.0 16x, CrossFire, a 775 MHz core, a 4000MHz memory frequency, and DirectX 11 support, all for just $175.

Why pay $1,180 when you can snag one at Best Buy for $375 🙂
? http://www.google.com/search?q=electronics+deals+with+these+criteria

And if I'm seeing this right, you've got that Frontier Airlines case with the built-in power supply... I honestly doubt it can handle a modern GPU since it's pretty much junk...

Maybe try picking up a slightly lower-end card instead:

As for the PSU:

😉

I also intend to upgrade the power supply along with the graphics card

Hey everyone,
After a lot of frustration, I think my Sapphire 4870 512MB might have finally kicked the bucket. Before I give up on it, though, I was hoping you guys could help me confirm if I'm reading the situation correctly:
1. The AMD driver keeps crashing (it usually shows a black screen preceded by white dots)
2. Aside from the usual fan noise, I frequently hear this high-pitched squealing sound coming from the card, almost like water reaching a boil.
3. Temperatures seem fine right now—about 40 C with the fan at 50%.
4. About four months ago, I ran into some overheating issues because I had a space heater running right next to my PC. Even though the ambient temp near the case stayed around 30 C all winter, I had to crank the fan up to 80% just to keep the card from hitting 90 C under load. (I actually fixed the temps to 45 C recently after replacing the thermal paste, which had completely dried out by the time spring rolled around).
5. I suspect that heat spike back then caused permanent damage, even though I've managed to get the temperatures back down since then.
6. These driver errors first started popping up while I was playing Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Dragon Age 2 with the overheated card. After I replaced the paste, the issue persisted across all other games after a little while.
7. I’ve tried swapping through various drivers and even went back to the stock ones, but nothing works—it still crashes, sometimes even during bootup.
8. I went as far as performing a clean reinstall of Windows (formatting the partition where the OS lives) to rule out any software bugs. It worked perfectly for exactly one day before the exact same thing happened again.
9. Every time I try to run FurMark, the driver immediately dies (this is after the fresh Windows install).
10. Even with a fresh OS, the driver crashes and the screen goes black whenever I launch any game.
11. It’s incredibly inconsistent; it might work fine for an entire day in one specific game, but as soon as I switch to another title, it crashes again.
12. My current setup is Windows 7, E8400, ASUS P5Q-PRO, a Samsung Spinpoint drive, a Corsair TX650W PSU, and 2x1024 Crucial Ballistix RAM. (Everything runs totally fine when I'm just browsing Windows, watching movies on YouTube, or using Word, Acrobat, and WinRAR).

three questions:
1. Is my GPU officially dead?🙂?
2. Would a 6850 be a decent replacement, or is the 6870 significantly better? (I noticed the price difference isn't too massive).
3. Any recommendations for shops? I'm located near St. Louis, so should I check out local retailers like Best Buy or Micro Center, or is it better to order online from places like Newegg or Amazon? Which specific model should I look for, and I'd prefer something with a 3-year warranty if possible, since my last one only had 2 years.🙂

Thanks! (Sorry for the long rant).

It probably just gave up the ghost due to overheating...

Honestly, your best bet would be to just grab an HD 6950 1GB

You can find one over at Micro Center for about $510.

By the way, if I were you, I'd sell off that 2x1GB RAM kit and pick up some 2x2 GB sticks instead...