GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Which Nvidia GTX 460 would you suggest?
I mean, which manufacturer is actually worth it...
since all the prices vary so much and I haven't a clue what the actual difference is.

It doesn't really matter. There isn't any massive difference, except that some might come with Overclocking already built in.

Gary Ward3 said:Which Nvidia GTX 460 should I actually go for?
I mean, which brand...
Since prices vary everywhere and I have zero clue what the difference is.

Just grab the cheapest one. That's my expert advice right there.

Or pick the one where you read a decent review—assuming you actually read reviews, which would be a smart move—that mentions a solid cooler. (Though I'm pretty sure they all have them).

The Nvidia GTX 460 basically doesn't exist in the US anymore—distributors aren't carrying any more stock from the manufacturers.
So, I messed up today when I went to place my order.
Say goodbye to that card.

Anyone have a recommendation for a solid card that doesn't run too hot? $667More or less.

Should I go with the Nvidia GTS 250 1GB or the ATI Radeon HD 4850 1GB?

For gaming?

Hey there! Just wanted to drop in and say hello.

I’m actually looking to pick up a new PCI-E graphics card—any recommendations? $133 Since my X1950 Pro is getting pretty old—honestly, it’s seen better days—which model would you all recommend I jump to next?

I’ve been looking into those Chieftec 400W power supplies—you know, the ones that usually come bundled with certain builds—and I have to say, they leave me feeling a bit conflicted. On one hand, they get the job done for basic setups, but on the other... well, there's a certain level of uncertainty when you're pushing a system. It’s a bit like driving a reliable old sedan when you really wanted something with a bit more punch under the hood. They aren't exactly high-end performance units, but for a simple office build, they serve their purpose just fine. Still, if you're planning on adding anything even remotely demanding to your rig, you might want to think twice before relying solely on them.
I was just looking over the specs... specifically regarding that Intel Core 2 Duo E6300—it’s a decent little chip, though perhaps a bit dated by today's standards.
The motherboard... it’s a Conroe-based X1950 Pro.

James Morris4 said:For gaming?

Yeah.

Nvidia GTS 250, definitely.

Hey Matthew Garcia4, same question here—how's it hold up for gaming? 😬

Matthew Garcia4 said:Hey guys,

I'm looking to pick up a new PCI-E card up to $133 since my X1950 Pro is getting pretty old. Any specific models you'd suggest?

Power supply is a Chieftec 400W
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6300
Motherboard: Conroe-based eSATA2

The X1950 Pro is definitely dated, though I guess it isn't totally useless yet. Honestly, if you jump to something in the $133 range, you might not even notice a massive leap in performance since it'll be tough to really blow that old card away. Maybe look for something used, like an 8800GT/S or an AMD Radeon HD 3850/3870/4830/4730😉

Signed up for Silicon Valley. I guess nothing really changes until $133 new developments make it worth the buy.

Thanks for getting back to me, but let me explain why I’m asking—it's because I just installed Mafia II today and I'm running into some weird issues with the shadows. It seems like this specific 1950s setting is the only one acting up like this, which has me a little worried... specifically, I'm concerned that most newer titles coming out down the road might run into similar glitches on my current graphics setup. What's your take on this?

Matthew Garcia4 said:I appreciate your response, but I suppose you can see why I am asking... Since I installed Mafia II today, I have been dealing with shadow issues in the game, and since this specific 1950 model is showing them, I fear that most upcoming titles might also struggle with my current graphics configuration... What are your thoughts on this matter?

Have you attempted to install different drivers? It is certainly possible that the issue does not stem from the card itself.
Since that is a DX9 card and modern games typically require at least DX9 to run, you shouldn't encounter massive compatibility failures, though you should probably prepare to forgo high-end settings... You might manage medium settings at a moderate resolution, but for anything more demanding, you would likely need a newer DX10 or DX11 card, along with a complete system upgrade to support such hardware.

Casey Ramos78 said:What do you guys think about this one? Is it actually an upgrade over my current card, the GeForce 7600 GS?

Yeah

electricmoose48 said:Should I go with the Nvidia 250 gts 1 or the Sapphire ATI Radeon HD4350 512 mb?

I'd lean toward the Nvidia card... and honestly, if you can find a GTX 260 for roughly the same price, grab that instead!

Austin Rodriguez41 said:Well, have you tried messing around with different drivers? It might not actually be a hardware failure on the card itself.
Since this is a DX9 card—and most modern games at least require DX9 to run—you shouldn't be seeing massive compatibility issues, though—let's be honest—you can probably kiss high-end graphics settings goodbye. You might get by with some medium settings at a decent resolution, but if you want anything more than that, you're looking at needing a DX10 or DX11 card... which, of course, would mean upgrading your entire rig just to keep up with the new GPU.

Yeah, I did, but nothing helps—it seems like everyone using these older cards is running into the exact same issues with Mafia II.

http://forums.2kgames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=79448

The weird thing is, everything else in the game runs perfectly fine—actually, quite fast—but these constant shadow flickering glitches make it absolutely impossible to play.

So, my graphics card finally kicked the bucket, and I need to pick up a replacement. I'm a little out of the loop with current hardware, so I was wondering what would be a good match for this setup.

Motherboard Name ASRock 4 CoreDual-VSTA
CPU Type DualCore Intel Pentium E2180, 2000 MHz (10 x 200)
3gb RAM
Power Supply - Platinum ms - 400atx p4.
Old graphics card, GeForce 7600 GS.

Price isn't my main concern here—it wouldn't make much sense to drop $300 on a high-end card for this build anyway! I've seen some decent deals on eBay for an 8800 GTS or something similar. What do you think is the absolute best card I can squeeze out of this configuration?

I realize my power supply is pretty weak, but if it's absolutely necessary, I can always upgrade it.🙂

To be clear, I'm definitely not looking to drop hundreds of dollars on a modern card for this machine.div>

1 x Sapphire HD 5670, 512MB GDDR5 128bit, VGA+DL-DVI-I+HDMI, PCIX
1 x Seasonic 430W Power Supply, SS-430GB, S12, active PFC

$372

I wouldn't risk cutting corners on the power supply. Here’s a solid option with some extra headroom, so you can probably reuse it for your next build too. As for the GPU, you could go with this new one or maybe hunt down a used 8800GT-S, 9800GT, HD 4830, or HD 4850—those are all a bit punchier than the HD 5670, I guess. 😉

Alright, look, I need to know if this card is actually any good: ATI Radeon HD4350 512mb?

Henry Kelly40 said:Alright, listen, I need to know: is this card actually any good? An ATI Radeon HD4350 512mb?

Just basic stuff—browsing the web, typing up documents in Word, maybe playing some really old games (I mean ancient, like from 2004 or 2005)...
And whatever else. Is it decent enough? 🙂