GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Hey, look, I’m a total newbie here, so bear with me.

My rig is running an Asus P5PL-AM motherboard, an Intel Core 2 Duo E6500 @ 2.93GHz, 2 GB of DDR2, and I honestly have no clue what the power supply is.

I'm looking to grab some kind of GPU for maybe around $50$233 just enough to get something like Medal of Honor: Airborne running at a decent resolution without it being a complete disaster.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.😁

New: HD 5670
Used: EVGA GeForce GTS 250, GTS 450, HD 4870, HD 4850, HD 4830.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/graphics-card-listing-example

That should go pretty fast 😁

I'd definitely go with a new one

Is this the one?

This item is out of stock. You should probably check out some newer models that replaced it instead.

you got

yeah, thanks 👍

Hey there. I'm in the market for a new graphics card. Up until now, I’ve been running an ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT AGP (😁) with 256MB of GDDR3, which did the job just fine. But since I finally decided to step into the modern era and picked up a PCI-E board—an ECS P4M890T-M (V2.0)—I need an upgrade. I'm looking for something incredibly cheap, but it can't be a downgrade from my old card. Also, I need TV-Out functionality. My integrated graphics don't have it, so that’s the dealbreaker for me. I assume most cards carry that feature by now?
I'm not much of a gamer. Most of my time is spent messing around with Avid, some basic office stuff, and general multimedia work.
My current power supply is labeled LPE2-23 420 w. I'm assuming it's just some bottom-of-the-barrel junk, so if you think it's unreliable, feel free to suggest a decent replacement. I also have a Codegen 300xx 400w lying around; is that any better?

Thanks.

Finding a card that outperforms what you currently have—especially one equipped with an S-Video connector—is actually a pretty tall order. The issue is that almost everything still sporting an S-Video port relies on DDR2 memory, which, quite frankly, is complete junk by today's standards. I’ve managed to track down a handful of cards using GDDR3, but they’re either impossible to find in stock or they’re priced at three times what they're actually worth. So, buying something brand new isn't really a viable path here. You’re essentially facing a trade-off: you either sacrifice your TV-out capability or you give up on getting any decent performance. Your best bet might be hunting for something used, though even that is proving difficult to find right now...

Casey Long2 said:Finding a card better than the one with an S-Video port is a tall order. Most hardware featuring S-Video relies on DDR2 memory, which is complete garbage on modern graphics cards. I’ve tracked down a handful of GDDR3 options, but they’re either impossible to find or priced at three times their actual value. Buying new isn't an option here. You either sacrifice TV-out functionality or you give up on decent performance altogether. Your best bet might be hunting through the used market, though even that's proving difficult right now...

Damn. Well, used gear is fine by me. What specific models should I be hunting for?
And what's the play for connecting an old analog TV these days? Does that kind of standard even exist anymore in this universe? 😁

thanks

Casey Long2 said:Finding a card better than the ones with S-Video is a nightmare—mostly because almost everything with an S-Video port uses DDR2 memory, which is absolute garbage by today's standards. I've tracked down a few GDDR3 options, but they're either impossible to find or overpriced by about 3x what they're worth... so buying new isn't happening. You either sacrifice TV-out or you give up on decent performance. Maybe look for something used, though even those are drying up...

Doesn't the board have a PCI Express slot? From what I can tell, it does, so you could probably snag a used 8800GT on Craigslist or maybe a 3870—those usually have S-Video. You should be able to find something for maybe $40 or $50...

Example:http://www.craigslist.org/forsale/graphics-card-listing-12345

http://www.craigslist.org/forsale/graphics-card-listing-67890

Hey everyone, I’m trying to figure out which GPU actually packs more punch—I’ve been scouring the web but honestly, I’m coming up empty

GTX 580 vs. HD 5970

I just finished digging through this performance breakdown, and honestly, it’s exactly what I expected—which is to say, a bit of a headache. We’re looking at how various cards stack up, specifically testing the GTX 580 vs the rest of the field, and some of these numbers are pretty eye-rolling if you actually care about value. The comparison between the GTX 580 vs ATI Radeon hd 5770 Nvidia GT210 Nvidia GT430 Nvidia GTX460 Nvidia GTS450 ATI Radeon HD 5450 shows a massive gap, but that’s kind of the point, isn't it? If you're running an Intel i7 870, you're clearly trying to push something decent, so seeing these budget cards struggle even to break a sweat in GTA IV. is just depressing. It feels like every time a new benchmark drops, we're just chasing diminishing returns. You see the testers pushing the GTX460, and while it holds its own, it’s clear where the ceiling is. It’s the same old story: you pay a premium for top-tier performance, or you settle for something that barely keeps the frame rate steady. Nothing revolutionary here, just more data to help us realize how much money we're throwing at silicon.
I just stumbled across this piece on Visual Dreamers about the upcoming Radeon HD 5970. It’s pretty wild to think we're actually approaching this level of hardware. Honestly, looking at how fast things are moving, I can't help but feel a bit cynical about whether our current setups will even matter by the time these cards actually hit the shelves in full force. It feels like every time we get comfortable with what we have, the goalposts move again.
I’m stuck between a few options and could really use some input from the group. I've been looking at my current setup and trying to figure out if it's worth upgrading or if I should just pivot to something else entirely. The main dilemma is whether to stick with what I have or jump toward something like the GTX 460. I've also been eyeing the ATI Radeon hd 5770 Nvidia GT210 Nvidia GT430 Nvidia GTX460 Nvidia GTS450 ATI Radeon HD 5450, but I'm not sure if that's a smart move given how much things change. I'm running an Intel i7 870 right now, which is decent, but I feel like I'm hitting a wall in certain titles—specifically when I try to run GTA IV. It's frustrating because you want to enjoy the game without everything stuttering like crazy. What do you guys think? Is there a specific card that offers the best bang for my buck right now, or am I just throwing money into a black hole? Any advice would be appreciated.

Mark Brooks72 said:Hey everyone, just wondering which card packs more punch—tried searching online but nothing really pops up...

GTX 580 vs HD 5970

Just check these benchmarks...

http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/6889/81756006.gif
http://media.bestofmicro.com/S/P/268...tor%202560.png
http://img.hexus.net/v2/graphics_car.../Graphs/D3.png
http://static.techspot.com/articles-...nch/FC2_03.png
http://static.techspot.com/articles-...nch/AVP_03.png

Maybe this is a bit off-topic, but I wanted to get your take on these cards
ATI Radeon hd 5770 Nvidia GT210 Nvidia GT430 Nvidia GTX460 Nvidia GTS450 ATI Radeon HD 5450
NVidia GT210
NVidia GT430
NVidia GTX460
NVidia GTS450
ATI Radeon HD 5450

Specifically—can that first one, the HD5770, actually handle GTA IV.? Also, what's the verdict on the rest? I don't really care about noise levels or minor details—just looking for pure raw power to run games.

How can you even compare stuff like this??
You’ve got cards ranging from $100 up to $200 here🤦

1. GTX460
2. HD5770
3. GT 430
4. GT210
5. 5450...

If you actually want to know if the HD5770 runs GTA IV., why not just Google it?

I mean, forums are for asking questions, sure, but for heaven's sake, do at least a little bit of homework before coming here when you're lost🙂

Look, I’m definitely not an expert when it comes to these cards—that's why I'm picking your brains here. I'm currently putting together a new rig and I've got a few different builds on the table right now. I'm trying to figure out which GPU is actually the powerhouse among this lineup. Most of the other specs are pretty much identical across the board; my main sticking point is just deciding on the graphics card... and honestly, from what I can tell, the GTX460 is the clear winner here.

Honestly, the best 👍

Aha, okay then... so, can I actually run some of those more demanding titles with this setup? Say, if I've got 4 or 6 GB of RAM and an Intel i7 870...

Don't even bother wasting your energy on stupid questions like that...

Michael Richardson69 said:Ah, okay then... can I actually run some of the heavier games on this? Say, if I have 4 or 6 GB of RAM and an Intel Core i7 870 processor...

Not really. Everything might just blow up once you try to launch anything demanding; an Intel Core i7 870 and a GTX 460 are probably too slow to handle it all.☕

😂