GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

I am in search of some guidance. My old rig finally kicked the bucket—specifically the GPU—so I find myself in the market for a replacement. Given that I have absolutely no desire to throw a small fortune at a single component, what would be your premier recommendation for a graphics card suitable for $100 🙂?

You should probably give us more details about the rig. What kind of CPU and motherboard are we talking about? Also, what’s the PSU and how old is this thing... or at least tell me if the GPU is AGP or PCIe...

darkowl72 said:You really ought to provide more specifics regarding the rig—what kind of processor are we talking about? What's the motherboard? What's the wattage on that power supply? How old is the whole setup even... or at least tell us if the card is AGP or PCIe...

The machine is roughly three and a half years old. I'm currently away from my desk, so I am typing this entirely from memory.

CPU: Core2duo 1.86 GHz. Power supply is a generic 400W unit. Motherboard is a Gigabyte, though I can't recall the exact model offhand. It uses a PCIe slot. The card that finally gave up the ghost was an Nvidia 8600 gt. Once I get back home, I will provide the exact specifications, but until then, what can you all suggest based on this little bit of info😁?

Honestly, for $100, there just isn't much fresh stuff hitting the shelves to play. If you're looking at what you can actually get for $100, your best bet is probably hunting down a used 4650...

Casey Long2 said:Regarding $100, there really isn't much new worth playing. Honestly, the best move you can make for $100 is just hunting down a used 4650...

http://www.bestbuy.com/index.php?item=...id=051.806.608

So, you're thinking along those lines, just opting for something pre-owned? Is it even possible to snag something a bit more substantial for $167 than what's listed here?

Aaron Patel81 said:http://www.bestbuy.com/index.php?item=...

You thinking something like this, just used? Could you grab something better for $167?

new 5670 512mb gddr5
CLICK

CLICK2 $179

total steal if you find one under $500$200..

or maybe a used gts 250 or hd4850 if you get lucky.

Bryan Evans77 said:a new 5670 with 512MB GDDR5
BINGO

BINGO AGAIN$179

It’s definitely the smartest move if you're looking to stay under $500--$200..

unless you can snag a used GTS 250 or an HD4850 lying around somewhere.

I see where you're coming from, but honestly? I wouldn't dream of pairing a GTS 250 or an HD4850 with some off-brand, no-name power supply...
I’d much rather go with the 5670—you might sacrifice a little bit of raw performance, but you're essentially buying peace of mind. It reduces the risk of a cheap PSU failing and taking the rest of your components down with it.

Casey Long2 said:Exactly. I wouldn't dream of hooking up a GTS 250 or a 4850 to some off-brand, bottom-of-the-barrel power supply...
I’d much rather go with a 5670. You sacrifice a tiny bit of raw performance just to mitigate the risk of a cheap PSU blowing up and taking half your system down with it...

The 5760 option doesn't look half bad to me. Does anyone else have suggestions for cards in the $167 range? I'm still hunting for more recommendations 🙂. What's your take on that 4650 from the link above?

Aaron Patel81 said:That 5760 deal doesn't look too bad. Anyone else got card suggestions under $167? Looking for more recs 🙂. What's your take on that 4650 in the link above?

It's old news—the generation before the 5670. Specifically, the 4670, though the 4650 is just a watered-down 4670, which makes it even worse..
And it isn't worth $167 a dime. Maybe $3.50 if you're desperate at a retail store, but that's the absolute max I'd pay for a 4650..

Check out the performance gap here: 5670 vs 4670 (which beats the 4650)
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:y...raph-1.png&t=1

And here's the 5670 (blue) vs the 4650 (last one)
http://static.techspot.com/articles-...STALKER_01.png

Honestly, for $13, there's really no debate. The 5670 eats the 4650 for breakfast—maybe even two 4650s for breakfast—and still has room for dessert. Plus, it sips power like a tiny LED bulb👍

Go check out my last post on this...
Here’s the link for you.

p.s. Just because it has 1GB of DDR2 doesn't make it a good card. If anything, it makes it worse... honestly, some laptop integrated graphics might actually be better than this piece of junk. :/

Bryan Evans77 said:it's ancient—from the series before the 5670... (specifically the 4670, though mind you, the 4650 is just a downclocked 4670, which makes it worse by default)..
and honestly, it isn't worth $167 a single cent. maybe $350 tops if you were buying a 4650 at a retail store like Best Buy..

here is the performance gap: 5670 vs 4670 (which beats the 4650)
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:y...raph-1.png&t=1

and here is another look at the 5670 (blue) vs the 4650 (last one)
http://static.techspot.com/articles-...STALKER_01.png

frankly, regarding $13 the differences, why even hesitate? the 5670 would eat a 4650 for breakfast (maybe two 4650s, actually) and still have plenty of energy left over, all while sipping power like a low-wattage LED bulb👍

hm, looks fairly convincing 🙂. so, what you're saying is it's strictly 5670 or nothing 😁? is there anything else out there worth considering $167 or is this the absolute peak?

Bryan Evans77 said:just check my previous post on the subject...
here's the link for you..

p.s. honestly, having 1GB of DDR2 doesn't make it a good graphics card at all—if anything, it makes it worse... it’s basically junk. I bet some integrated chips on a budget laptop could actually outperform this thing :/

alright buddy 😉

Aaron Patel81 said:Looks pretty convincing 🙂. So you're saying the 5670 is the only way to go 😁? Is there anything else actually worth buying $167 or is this the peak?

Exactly.. under $500 $200, nothing (unless you're hunting used gear, which we don't suggest) even comes close to the 5670..

If you check that last link.. everything below it is just bottom-tier stuff $200 (9600gt, 4670, 4650, gt220, 3850, gt240)..
Basically, the 5670 is the absolute best value you can get at that price point 👍

Any veteran on this forum will tell you the same thing...

Bryan Evans77 said:Exactly... if we're talking under $500, $200 honestly, nothing else even comes close to the 5670... unless you're looking at used cards, which—let me be clear—we wouldn't recommend.

If you look at that last link... everything listed below it is just lower tier stuff down to $200 (like the 9600gt, 4670, 4650, gt220, 3850, or gt240).
So, essentially, the 5670 is the absolute best value you can grab in that specific price bracket.👍

Any seasoned veteran on Reddit would tell you the exact same thing...

Thanks for the advice. I'll probably just pull the trigger on this one.👍

Best,

So, now that we have finally settled on the absolute best GPU for this price point, can someone please tell me if it actually makes sense with my current setup🙂?
Here is what I am running:

ASUS-P5K motherboard
Intel Core 2 Duo E6320 processor
2x1 GB DDR2 800 Kingmax RAM
EVGA 400W power supply

Aaron Patel81 said:Alright, since we've officially settled on the best GPU for this price point, can someone tell me if it actually works with my rig🙂?
Here’s what I'm running:

ASUS-P5K motherboard
Intel Core 2 Duo E6320 CPU
2x1 GB DDR2 800 Kingmax RAM
EVGA 400W power supply

Will it fit👍?

And hey, if you want to add anything to your last post, just hit that edit button on the right side.👍

Bryan Evans77 said:it fits 👍

And, if you feel the need to add anything else to your last post, just use the edit button on the right side 👍

thanks, buddy! 😁

Hey, I need some input...

PCI-E ATI Radeon HD 5750 1GB GDDR5/128 bit

What can I actually do with this thing?
I know the Nvidia GTX 460 is better, but there's a price gap too, I guess.

Nvidia takes the win, but for those $167 extra bucks, I honestly don't think the performance jump is actually that massive... http://static.techspot.com/articles-.../3Dmark_01.png The 5750 pulls about 220W, while the Nvidia GTX 460 280W jumps up during heavy titles like Crysis—where you might see a 20 FPS difference—but then you look at the 1GB Nvidia GTS 450, which ends up costing $100-$$67 more than the 5750, even though benchmarks show it's only slightly better... http://img.hexus.net/v2/graphics_car...GTS421/Cr3.png

James Castillo8 said:Nvidia is better, but for that $167 little extra, I don't think there's actually a massive difference in my opinion.. http://static.techspot.com/articles-.../3Dmark_01.png the 5750 draws 220W while the Nvidia GTX 460 280W pulls more during demanding games like Crysis, where the FPS gap is maybe 20 or so. Then you have the 1GB Nvidia GTS 450 which can be $100-$67 more than the 5750, yet tests show it's only slightly better than it http://img.hexus.net/v2/graphics_car...GTS421/Cr3.png

The GTS 450 is struggling against the HD 5750 here; you basically picked an example showing how the HD 5750 is faster by just 1 FPS 😁

EDIT: That’s an overclocked version of the GTS 450; we should always be comparing stock versions 😉