GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Alright my helpers, I actually listened to you guys... took a little advice from here and there... I called Best Buy and ordered these two coolers: Since my AMD Radeon HD 3870 isn't even listed in the compatible cards for the Cooler Master V-series, I checked with a "buddy" who's running the exact same setup... the guy said he'll order them anyway, and if they don't fit, he'll just swap them out for this: since they have those in stock.... Installation should cost me about $23..... They'll have everything sorted by Wednesday... I'll hit you guys up after I test them out....

$23? Pure madness... that’s easily an hour of work plus dealing with their thermal paste... you actually came out ahead, which is honestly impressive if you ask me... 👍

From what I can tell, there's some thermal paste included in the box... http://pcekspert.com/articles/444-1.html but I was actually looking at this cooler here... because the other one doesn't come with any http://pcekspert.com/articles/print-579.html

Sometimes yes, sometimes no (based on my own experience), which is why I said it that way...

Yo guys, my PC finally arrived at the house! They ended up hooking me up with this: and this too: !!! Seriously, this rig feels like a total rebirth... I am beyond stoked with it. THANKS! 🙏🙏🙏

Thomas Hernandez21 said:Great, everyone’s just thrilled 😁 Can you mail those sliders to my house? 😁

tell him to use UPS or FedEx... definitely wouldn't trust the USPS... he wouldn't like how those sliders arrive xD

I am curious to hear your thoughts on which option would be more suitable for my current setup
motherboard: ASUS P35
power supply: Chieftec 450W
processor: Intel Pentium Dual-Core E4500
memory: 4 GB DDR2

http://www.ebay.com/itm/graphics-card-listing-1265859
http://www.ebay.com/itm/graphics-card-listing-1307487
http://www.ebay.com/itm/graphics-card-listing-1334939
or should I simply install a brand new HD 4670 instead?

I’d probably lean toward the 9800 GTX. It’s maybe an extra hundred bucks over a new HD 4670, but it's way more powerful... 😉
If gaming is really the main priority, that would be my pick 🙂

PCI-E card
Intel Core 2 quad Q8300
ASUS P35
2X2 GB RAM Kingston
Nvidia GeForce GTS 250 GDDR3 1024 MBytes
res.: 1920x1080 24"
Stores: Best Buy, Linksys Max
max. $667
thanks in advance

Edit: Power supply: (found online) 400 W
should I add another 2-4 GB of RAM? (will it make any difference?)

Jeremy Hayes5, sorry, but we aren't mind readers here... we only know what you actually type out... so just say what you mean

I was considering perhaps a card from the 200 series, or if it's even feasible, something from the 400 series

Alright, I'm assuming you're looking for a new GPU? What kind of power supply are you running—brand, wattage, and how old is it?

PCI-E XFX ATI Radeon HD 4830, 512MB DDR3, Dual HDMI, HDTV

or maybe

PCI-E XFX GeForce GT240, 1GB DDR3, VGA, DVI, HDMI, HDTV

or even

PCI-E Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 4670, 1GB DDR3, DVI, VGA, HDTV

Go for the 4830, or just look into a GTX 250 instead.

What is wrong with you guys? This guy is rocking a GTX 250, yet you're all out here suggesting weaker cards instead. Unless William Lee45 is the one actually asking the question—in which case, there’s just no way to know for sure.

Look, at a $300 budget, there is absolutely no chance of picking up an NVIDIA card. Honestly, anything worth considering—if you want to make a real upgrade from that 250—is going to cost you significantly more than $300 (think along the lines of an RTX 3060 or something similar).

So, what’s actually the deal with the difference between this

and this one here?

I'm finally ditching my old 7600 GT—which basically dies every time I try to run anything decent

William Lee45, could you please take a moment to address the questions I laid out in my initial post?

So, I’m finally pulling the trigger on a new GPU—currently stuck with an old GeForce 7600 gt, which is basically a paperweight at this point. Heading out tomorrow to pick one up. If my power supply ends up being too weak to handle the upgrade, I'll just slap in another DDR3 stick to compensate, I guess. My CPU is definitely lagging behind, but if I actually mention what model I'm running, I already know half of you keyboard warriors are going to jump down my throat telling me I need a whole new rig. Look, I'm just getting the card tomorrow first, so if anyone can give me some actual, helpful advice without the condescension, let's hear it. I'm looking to spend maybe $267
max.

Look, we're going to have to approach this battle a bit differently—we can't really lend a hand if you don't let us know exactly what hardware you're working with. 🤦