GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

What kind of card can I get for up to $200? Just looking to play some games.

User123 actually suggested this one to me...

Is there anything better out there?

Like, this one over here has 1 GB... though, I don't really know much about this stuff.

I think my power supply is somewhere around 400W. I'd love to get some expert advice from you guys! 🙂

Thanks!

What brand is the power supply?
Is it PCI or AGP?
Current/Future setup details.
Make sure you follow the rules when replying.
You won't really notice the difference between 512 MB and 1GB unless you're rocking a monitor bigger than 22 inches. But hey, if they're the same price, just grab the 1GB.
I'd personally go with the Radeon HD 4670.

Oh man, I honestly have no clue what brand the power supply is. My uncle actually put the whole thing together for me since I don't really know my way around hardware 🙂

Motherboard: G41MH-GE
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 2 x2.8 GHZ
RAM: 1 GB—though I'm pretty sure I'll need to buy more than that
GPU: I don't actually have a dedicated card right now, just the 128 MB integrated graphics🙂

My monitor is still this super old bulky box type 😁

I mostly just play FIFA (I'd love to run it on High settings!) and maybe the occasional shooter like Call of Duty or MW 2, plus some racing games here and there.

So, yeah, hopefully you have a better idea of what's going on now! If you could recommend the absolute best one $200 for me, that would be awesome.

Man, I have zero clue what brand the power supply is. My uncle built this whole rig for me since I don't really know my way around hardware.

Just take a look at the back of the case

The RAM is probably DDR2
1xDDR2 1024MB ( 1GB ) PC6400 Kingmax, 800MHz, CL5 $55
1xSapphire Radeon HD 4670, 512Mb GDDR3 Ultimate, 128bit, dual DVI, PCI Ex $183
$238With this setup, you should be able to play most newer games on Medium-High
And hey, hopefully you can scrape together enough cash for $38 because you'll definitely feel the difference.
Btw. OC the processor to 3.0.

AC 230V 4A 50HZ

That's just what I managed to find written on there.

So, I guess that one is better than the 512MB version?

The 512MB and 1GB versions pretty much offer the same performance; I guess having that extra 1GB only really matters if you're pushing a 1080p resolution or higher. Since the Radeon HD 4670 versions seem to be priced the same, you probably can't go wrong either way...

Aha! I have another quick question... What does this actually mean? Like, when it says Mem FQ : 2000MHz on the 512MB version versus Mem FQ : 873MHz on the 1GB version?

Does that actually make any difference at all?

cosmicfox31 said:Btw, I overclocked my CPU to 3.0.

Man, mine hits 3.2GHz easily. Actually, I'm running at 3.4GHz with just the stock cooler and temps stay at 60 degrees under load.😁😁

nah, my bad... just a typo..

cosmicangler98 said:Oh, okay. I have one more question though... What does this actually mean? Mem FQ : 2000MHz (that's on the 512 MB version) vs. Mem FQ : 873MHz (for the 1 GB one)

Does that even matter at all?

Does anyone happen to know?

Anyway, just so I actually know what I'm doing when I try to overclock!😁

Greetings. I find myself in need of some collective wisdom here.
I am looking to pick up a new graphics card. My current Radeon HD 2600 XT—well, it simply no longer
meets my gaming requirements, though I certainly wouldn't call them anything out of the ordinary.
As for the budget? I suppose I'd like to stay under roughly $333. Regarding resolution, I am still stuck using an old 17" CRT monitor—a relic, I know. I just need something that can push beyond 800x600 so the image actually looks somewhat coherent. 😉
Aside from the aforementioned card, my system specs based on the CPZ
are as follows:
AMD Athlon 64 x2 3800
an ASUS tek M2V motherboard
and 4 GB of DDR2

Thanks in advance. And if I may add one more small query?
When it comes to the eternal debate of ATI vs. Nvidia... which way should I lean?

Honestly, looking at your current monitor and the rest of your setup, I really don't think anything beyond a Radeon HD 4670 is worth your money right now. If I were in your shoes, I'd just grab the cheapest version you can find with 512 MB of VRAM—you won't need more than that anyway—which should run you somewhere around $80 or $85. Take whatever cash you have left over and tuck it away in a savings account; you'll definitely want it later when you're ready to upgrade to a much better monitor. 😁

@ Casey Long2, and anyone else who thinks they know better. Look, my thought process is this—with this particular graphics card paired with my current setup, I should be able to play relatively recent titles. And yes, I’m talking about pushing settings toward High. Not everything, obviously—I'm not delusional—but still. There's one more thing... I'm running a 550W power supply. Is that actually sufficient? Based on some of the older posts I've been digging through in this thread, it seems like enough. Or am I completely off base here?
Thanks

I wouldn't bother with the Radeon HD 4670; honestly, you're better off grabbing an HD 4830.

http://www.amazon.com/product_info.php?c...oducts_id=6913

That way, he can actually relax while he's saving up for a new monitor.😉

I'm playing on a 19" monitor myself, and even with everything cranked up to High, I barely hit 25 fps in Shift on a Radeon HD 5750—and that card is noticeably faster than the HD 4830.😛

I think people might be overestimating the Radeon HD 4670 a bit. Not every game is as well-optimized as Call of Duty😁, so having that extra bit of power might actually be worth it.

Look, if you're planning on upgrading to a better monitor, then absolutely—go for it. But if you’re sticking with what you have right now, there isn't much point in dropping extra cash on a high-end graphics card when you aren't really pushing it hard anyway. By the time you finally decide to pick up a new screen, this hardware will probably be outdated regardless. 🙂
Regarding the power supply situation, the Radeon HD 4670 pulls all its juice directly from the motherboard—it doesn't even need a 6-pin connector or anything fancy like that. I'm not sure whose power supply you're running, but honestly, anyone would be fine with this one.

Seeking advice on a new graphics card
Hey everyone, I'm planning on picking up a new GPU because my old one (ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT) finally bit the dust. It started throwing green pixels all over the screen and just crashing me out of games constantly. Now, even after a clean reinstall of Windows, the display quality has gone downhill fast—the image looks split in two and there are dead lines running across the entire screen. I can't even launch a basic application; if I try, even a simple toolbar will freeze the whole system. I'm basically stuck using the PC in Safe Mode with Networking just to get anything done. So, yeah, I definitely need a replacement.

My current setup:

Motherboard: ASUS P5K
Power Supply: Zelman 650W
PCI-E Slot: Yes
Would this one work for me?
XFX AMD Radeon HD5450, PCIe, 512MB, DDR2, DVI, HDMI

http://www.nabava.net/xfx-ati-radeon...b__61495_p.php

I just need something in the $167 range that lets me handle my college coursework and maybe play something slightly modern—I'm not expecting any crazy performance here. With my old
(ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT), I could actually manage to play relatively everything, even if it was struggling a bit, but that's beside the point. If you guys have any better suggestions in mind, please let me know; I'd really appreciate it. I got a bit confused when I started looking into PCI 2.1 support; I remember seeing some specs next to my ASUS P5K motherboard info that mentioned something about 1.xx bo

Grab an Nvidia GeForce GT 210 from AMD for $177. It absolutely crushes the 5450.

Looking for an S-Video card, selling my Nvidia GeForce 9600 GT
So, I’ve got this old 1GB Nvidia GeForce 9600 GT lying around—it has HDMI, but since I don't have a TV that actually uses it, I'm looking to swap it for something with an S-Video out... wondering if anyone can suggest a card in the same ballpark or maybe even a step up, as long as it doesn't break the bank—maybe around $500... $200?

And yeah, obviously for gaming!

Got a PCI Express slot
Any shop should work—maybe a big retailer like Best Buy or Micro Center, whoever... 🙂

Go ahead and check out the first post.

Does anyone actually get what Stream processors, texture units, and ROPs really do? I'm asking because—and I've been staring at these spec sheets for way too long now—it’s pretty obvious that just looking at the GPU clock speed, the VRAM, and the bus width isn't enough to pick a decent card. Seriously, if anyone out there actually understands this jargon, please hit me up with an answer.