GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Casey Long2 said:What motherboard and power supply are you running? What games are you playing and at what resolution?

The PSU is 400W, but I guess I don't know about the motherboard. Resolution is 1080p.

Where would I even find info on my motherboard?

Jeremy Richardson8 said:In the end, I pulled the trigger on this one... and honestly, it’s decent. What do you all think? xD
http://uk.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID...Sgb&templete=2

You really are a stubborn one, aren't you...

I suppose the question remains: is the shopkeeper going to play the game on it, or are you?

slysurfer14 said:The power supply is 400W, but I'm not sure about the motherboard specs, and I'm running at 1920x1080 resolution.

Where might I be able to find the specific details regarding my motherboard?

http://www.piriform.com/speccy

You should be able to pull the motherboard information from there, or perhaps via CPU-Z if you already have that installed on your system.

You mentioned a 400W power supply. Who is the manufacturer?
If it’s some off-brand unit you picked up at a local discount shop, I highly doubt it will handle even a moderately powerful graphics card without buckling.
To be perfectly honest, the processor and memory you're looking at aren't really up to par for anything approaching $333.

It would likely be more sensible to put together a used configuration—something featuring a processor up to $167 paired with an $167.

Alex Harris32 said:http://www.piriform.com/speccy

Use that to find your motherboard info, or just use CPU-Z if you already have it installed.

You mentioned a 400W power supply. Who actually made it?
If it's some random no-name brand, I doubt it'll handle any decent GPU.
And honestly, the CPU and RAM aren't really up to par for anything around $333.

Might be better to just build something used, maybe an Intel chip up to $167 and an $167 card.

Gigabyte M55S-S3 (Socket m2)
As for the power supply, I'm not really sure, I just grabbed the whole bundle at Best Buy... It's just some SuperPower case with a PSU included.

Alex Harris32 said:Man, you are just being stubborn...

I mean, is the guy at the shop gonna be the one playing the game or are you?!

Ugh, whatever... we'll just have to wait until Monday and see if I can actually pull off this trade.🤷

slysurfer14 said:Gigabyte M55S-S3 (Socket m2)
As for the power supply, I honestly can't say—I just grabbed it as part of a bundle at Best Buy... It’s just one of those SuperPower cases that comes with a PSU included.

Well, if that's the case, I wouldn't count on it for anything serious—at best, you're looking at a SunPro unit, which is basically junk.

Casey Long2 said:Then don't count on him. At best he's just some SunPro guy, which is basically nothing.

You "experts" are something else. Every time someone asks a question here, everyone just jumps down their throat about what they have, but nobody actually gives a straight answer...
My rig has been running fine for 3 or 4 years now. I just wanted a recommendation for a card better than an NVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT that won't break the bank. I need this thing to last another couple of years so my kid stops nagging me when his games start lagging...
Right now he's playing Company of Heroes Online, and he can't deal with the frame rate drops when he's trying to move units around...
So, look, the simple question is: what's a decent GPU better than an 8500 GT for cheap? That's it.

slysurfer14 said:You "experts" are something else—every time someone asks a question, everyone jumps down their throat about what they currently own, but nobody actually gives an answer...
My PC has been running fine for 3 or 4 years now, and I was just looking for a recommendation for a card better than an NVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT for a little bit of cash—just so my rig lasts another 2-3 years without my kid complaining that his games are lagging...
Right now he’s playing Company of Heroes Online, and he can't deal with the frame rate drops when he's trying to move units around...
So, keeping it simple: what's a card better than the 8500 GT for cheap???

Just grab an NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT from Micro Center? 🤷
$231It's a bit of money, sure, but it can still handle most newer games decently enough. 🙂
P.S.—there isn't a budget card out there that's going to last you 2-3 years. If you want longevity, you'd have to spend more, which means you'd probably need to swap out the power supply too,
not to mention the processor.

I mean, seriously...

darkowl72 said:I mean, seriously...

So, what now?

HD 4830+
Corsair+
DDR2 2GB

$380.If that’s overkill, just grab 1GB of RAM instead.

cosmicfox31 said:HD 4830+
Corsair+
DDR2 2GB

$380.If that's too much, maybe just grab 1GB of RAM.

Signature ☕

I’d probably just go with 1GB, since it doesn't seem worth overinvesting, and you'll at least get that dual-channel setup working.😉

slysurfer14 said:I find you "experts" pretty interesting—whenever someone asks a question, everyone jumps in to criticize what they currently have, yet actual answers are hard to come by...
My PC has been running smoothly for about 3 or 4 years now, and I was really just looking for a recommendation for a graphics card that’s a step up from my GeForce 8500 GT without breaking the bank. I want this machine to last another 2 or 3 years so my kid stops bugging me when his games start stuttering...
Right now, he's playing World of Warcraft, and he can't deal with the lag because the frame rate drops right when he's trying to move units around...
So, quite simply: what's a decent GPU better than an 8500 that won't cost a fortune?

A more powerful graphics card is naturally going to pull more power. And since I KNOW the kind of cheap power supplies Best Buy stocks in their budget bins, I wouldn't trust them with anything—whether it's a budget card or a high-end beast.

cosmicfox31 gave the best suggestion here, and I'm happy to second that.

Quick question for you guys:

Is the GTX 295 actually better than the GTX 470 or the 460 1Gb? I guess... maybe?

slysurfer14 said:You experts always seem to find a way to criticize what I have before you actually bother giving an answer...
My PC has been running reliably for about three or four years now, and my question was quite simple: recommend a graphics card better than a GeForce 8500 GT for a reasonable amount of money so this machine lasts another two or three years without my kid complaining about lag while he plays his games...
Right now, he’s playing World of Warcraft, and he can't afford any frame drops because the graphics stutter when he's trying to position his units...
So, to put it plainly: what is a budget-friendly card that beats the 8500 GT?

Fair enough; we might critique a user's suggestion occasionally, but it's usually because we intend to provide a significantly superior solution.
If you had consulted anyone when you originally bought the computer, you likely would have had a much smoother experience. 😉

The issue is glaringly obvious from one specific detail: pairing a FullHD monitor with an 8500GT.
Who on earth would actually do that? 🙄
I assume the monitor was an upgrade purchased long after the PC was built, but honestly, you should have stuck to a lower resolution given your current hardware specs.

But fine, let's say we just blindly suggest an XFX HD4870 1GB, which is currently a $350 (best buy) at Protis, without even asking what kind of power supply you are running.
You go out, buy it, and plug it into your existing power supply.
The potential outcomes are predictable:
1. The computer won't even boot.
2. It might boot, only for something to fry because the power supply is low quality.
3. It might actually run well enough to play for a bit, until it constantly crashes due to insufficient wattage.
4. You eventually return to this forum to ask why any of the above happened...

That is precisely why having a high-quality power supply is non-negotiable; more powerful cards demand it.

I am inclined to agree with cosmicfox31's suggestion. 👍

Mark Brooks72 said:I have a quick question for the group:

Is the GTX 295 actually more powerful than the GTX 470 or the 460 1GB?

The GTX 295 holds its own against the GTX 460

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/168?vs=180

As for the GTX 470, the GTX 295 still maintains a slight edge according to the data here.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/168?vs=160

Alex Harris32 said:Look, sure, we might get a little heated when the OP suggests something, but that's just so we can give them a way better solution.
If you'd actually asked before buying the rig, you would've been much better off. 😉

You can see the problem clearly with this simple example: a FullHD monitor paired with an 8500GT.
Who in their right mind would do that?! 🙄
Okay, I guess I believe the monitor was bought long after the PC, but you really should have stuck to a lower resolution for your setup.

And fine, let's say we suggest an XFX HD4870 1GB to you, a $350 (best buy) at Protis, without even asking what kind of power supply you're running.
You buy it, plug it in, and hope for the best.
Possible outcomes:
1. The PC won't even turn on.
2. Maybe it turns on, but then something fries because the PSU is junk.
3. Maybe it boots and you can play a bit, but it keeps crashing constantly because the power supply can't handle the load.
4. You come back to the forum asking why any of that happened... (one of the above).

That's why having a quality power supply is huge—better GPUs demand it.

I'm going with Deadwalkerov's suggestion. 👍

The monitor is only a month old, so don't tell me I should've bought something with 1280/1024 resolution (hardly find anything like that anymore anyway), and the PC is 3-4 years old. It’s not even for gaming, just something used occasionally when the other PC is busy (two kids in the house)...
Besides, I'm an electrician, so you don't need to lecture me about power supplies—I pretty much know my stuff.

Mark Brooks72 said:So I should just grab an ADM GF 9800 gt from Best Buy? 🤷
$231It’s cheap, but I guess it can still run most newer games okay enough. 🙂
P.S. — Honestly, you won't find any GPU for peanuts that actually lasts 2-3 years. You'd probably need to drop more cash, which means you'd likely have to swap out the power supply too,
and the CPU as well.

Thanks!!!!

Alex Harris32 said:GTX295 beats the GTX460

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/168?vs=180

The GTX295 is better than the GTX 470. They're close, but the 295 still comes out on top.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/168?vs=160

What's the damage on a GTX295?
Probably won't be under $1000 bucks, right?

slysurfer14 said:AMD Athlon 64 x2 dual core 4000 2.11 GHz
1 GB RAM
GeForce 8500 GT graphics card
Looking for a better GPU recommendation, budget around $500...$333

Just grab an ATI 4670 with 1 GB of VRAM, they go for about $500, $200 and maybe pick up another 1 or 2 GB of system RAM while you're at it. Honestly, the 4670 is the best move for that setup... plus it won't pull nearly as much power from the wall as that 9800 would.