GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

James Morris4 hit the nail on the head—it all boils down to whether the customs agent is having a good day or not...

Anyway, here’s the deal, just so you know:

- If the gear isn't coming from within the UN, you're technically looking at a 10% duty on the value, though they often let IT equipment slide without charging it.
- Sales tax is definitely happening 😁 and it’s not just on the item price; it's the price of the goods plus shipping costs combined.😁
- There’s no markup if you’re importing it personally. You only deal with margins or broker fees if the customs agent decides to give you a hard time about what you're importing and sends you straight to a shipping agent... 😁

Is a GeForce 8800 actually worth pairing with this build:
Core 2 Duo
512 MB SDRAM
Intel Desktop Motherboard

I can snag one for $67, but I'm wondering if there's anything better in that range... Maybe around two hundred $83 bucks...

Also, what kind of games could I actually run with this setup?
Up until now, I haven't been able to play much from 2004 onwards because I'm lacking both pixel and Vertex Shader support... I read somewhere online that this card has 3.0 pixel and Vertex capabilities?

Nathan Hernandez82 said:Is a GeForce 8800 any good for this build:
Core 2 Duo
512 MB SDRAM
Intel Desktop Motherboard

I can pick it up for $67 but if there's anything better for that price... maybe around two hundred $83 bucks...

And what kind of games could I actually run?
So far I've only managed stuff up to 2004 since I lack Pixel and Vertex Shader support... I read somewhere online that there's a 3.0 Pixel and Vertex version?

Alright, I just saw the card specs and it doesn't look right. Any recommendations around the $200 mark? Looking for something used (Craigslist, or maybe someone here...)$100

http://www.craigslist.com/cs/listing/inform...-11825269.html

Make me an offer $83 ☕

Alright, I’m running SDRAM which is basically DDR2. Does that mean I can just throw any RAM into this motherboard (assuming it matches the GPU, obviously)?

System RAM and video memory on your graphics card aren't even in the same universe...

darkowl72 said:James Morris4 made a fair point about how everything just kind of depends on whatever mood the customs agent happens to be in that day...

but, just so we're clear:

- You're looking at a 10% duty on the value of the goods if they aren't coming from within the UN, though I guess they don't always bother charging that for computer gear.
- Sales tax is definitely a thing 😁 and it applies to the item price plus shipping costs too 😁
- There isn't really a markup if you're importing it yourself, but you might run into margins or broker fees (whatever you want to call them) if the customs officer decides he doesn't feel like dealing with what you're importing and sends you off to a broker instead... 😁

I suppose what you said is true, but I was more specifically building on the idea that $1 in America ends up being $2 in the States, so there's definitely a margin involved somewhere.

When you import something yourself from America, the amount used for customs and taxes includes the product price, some sort of protectionist tariff in the US, and the shipping, so the final cost is usually quite a bit higher than the listed price.

I think I already mentioned that story about one forum member who ran into some trouble while trying to import a graphics card from the US, and he was basically the one responsible for his own headache.

would you go with an ATI Radeon HD 5850 or maybe a Zotac GTX 1060

If you've got the budget for the 5850, I'd say go for it. Just make sure your power supply can actually handle it.
The GTX 1060 is a solid card and it even beats the 5850 in certain benchmarks, but the 5850 still holds the edge overall.

James Morris4 said:If you’ve actually got the cash for a 5850, go for it. Just make sure your power supply can actually handle the load...
The GTX 1060 is a solid card, honestly beats the 5850 in certain benchmarks, but the 5850 still has that extra edge...

Should be plenty with 520w...

Which ones? If you have a 520W Seasonica unit and one of those ADM power supplies people have been talking about lately, it should be plenty. ^^

yeah, exactly 🙂

Well, if that's the case, you shouldn't have any issues at all—it's an excellent power supply. 🙂

Sapphire HD 4870, 1GB GDDR5, HDMI, VAPOR-X $433
ASUS Motherboard with Intel Chipset, Intel Chipset, ATX, FSB 2600, Dual Channel DDR3 $191
CORSAIR 450W Power Supply, VX450 Series, 12cm fan, ATX2 $183
Intel Core i7 Processor, LGA 1366, BOX, C3 $417
Samsung DVD Drive, DVD±RW, 22x DVD±R, 8x DL, 40x CD-R $50
Corsair 4GB RAM, 2x2GB 1600MHz DDR3 $252

This is my planned purchase list.
What are your thoughts on this setup, and do you think there is any room to lower the price?

What does that have to do with buying a graphics card?
Anyway, you probably don't need the VX450; I think the CX400 should be enough. And honestly, for the price of a VX450, you could probably just grab a 520W Seasonica instead.

I suppose that Corsair unit might actually be a decent buy right now.

There's just such a massive amount of those 400W Corsair models floating around on Craigslist lately, which I guess could be seen as either a good sign or a warning, depending on how you look at it.

Corsair is always a solid choice 😁 USA especially now since they're relatively affordable. It actually comes in cheaper than the EVGA VX450.

Honestly, you could probably shave some cash off the CPU and just throw in a GTX 460 instead.

stormywolf39 said:It might be smart to save a bit on the processor and just throw in a GTX 460 instead.

Understood. Could you suggest an alternative?
Just to clarify, this build is strictly for high-performance gaming.

Not sure what kind of math you're doing there. Right now, Best Buy has the GTX 460 with 1GB of VRAM on sale, and honestly, even this 768MB version blows the 4870 out of the water for the same price. In this scenario, you might as well just stick with the Pro components you've got. A Corsair 520W power supply is also a solid recommendation over that other brand. If you can track down the 1GB version, check here: then swap that Intel Core i7 for an Intel Core i5 and you'll end up at the exact same total cost.