GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

James Fisher11 said:So, I'm looking for a new graphics card that will actually hold its own for a while, since I'll likely be dropping it into a brand-new rig I'm planning to build this summer.
Ideally, something with 1GB GDDR5
http://imageupload.org/?di=8129848651213
And my power supply is sitting somewhere around 400W.
(P.S. apologies for the massive image size, but the last one wouldn't let me zoom in, so I went with this oversized version :P)

In the future, just drop a link to the image rather than embedding the whole file directly onto the forum thread.😉 Like this: http://imageupload.org/?di=8129848651213

You say you want a new card, but you neglected to mention what kind of budget we're working with here.🤷

Jose Ruiz2 said:you’re being an absolute idiot

And you'll likely end up with a warning or a permanent ban for the insults, so we'll see who the real idiot is then.😉

He was simply implying that Reza is clueless because the standard practice is to set your monitor to its maximum supported resolution, rather than whatever strange configuration you've decided to run.

What’s even the point of buying a top-tier card if your power supply can't actually handle the load?
If you drop this thing in now, you're basically gambling with your entire rig—you could fry the whole system, GPU included. It doesn't make sense to go all out on a beastly graphics card right now, but if you settle for something weaker just to save power, you'll probably regret it when you're building that dream setup this summer anyway. So... 😁
Let me know what PSU you're running. What brand is it?

Alex Harris32 said:Keep talking like that and you’ll probably end up with a warning or a ban for being toxic. Then we'll see who the real idiot is.😉

He said Reza is an idiot because the standard thing to do is set your monitor to its MAX resolution, not whatever mess you're doing.

sorry🙂

Jose Ruiz2 said:sorry🙂

Don't bother apologizing to me, haha 😂

boldcanyon14 said:It won't matter how good your graphics card is if your power supply can't actually handle the load.
If you drop this card in now, you're essentially gambling with your entire rig, including the current GPU. It feels like a losing proposition to buy a top-tier card today when it might blow your system, yet buying a weaker, lower-draw model seems equally futile since it’ll likely be the weakest link in whatever high-end build you plan to put together this summer... so, there's the dilemma. 😁
Just let me know what kind of power supply you're running—what brand is it?

👍

Platinum MS 400 ATX P4 I was actually thinking about picking up something brand new (http://www.bestbuy.com/product_info.php?products_id=8575)

James Fisher11 said:Platinum MS 400 ATX P4 <-- that power supply? :O
I was actually looking at getting a brand new unit from somewhere like )

Whatever you do, don't try to hook anything more powerful than what you currently have up to that MS 400W unit.

And honestly, you won't find much luck with the Corsair CX600 either, given that their recent CX series has developed a rather unfortunate reputation among enthusiasts. 😉

This one here: represents a far superior and more reliable choice if you want to avoid headaches down the road. 👍

As for the graphics cards, you can find either of these two options over at $500 Best Buy:

MSI HD6850 Cyclone:

MSI GTX460 1GB HAWK:

Hey everyone. My old HD 4850 512 MB just kicked the bucket, and since I'm stuck using my buddy's ancient 8600 right now, I need to grab a replacement ASAP. 😁

I've got my eye on a GTS 450, so I wanted to see what you guys think about it.

My current setup: Intel Core i7, 4 GB DDR3, EVGA 500 W.
It's strictly for gaming.

I'll probably pick it up from either one of these two shops: www.bestbuy.com or www.microcenter.com.

🙂

From what I can gather, you won't find anything superior to the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 at that specific price point.
If you have already decided on that card, you might as well opt for this particular version: EVGA NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 super Clocked FPB - 147 miles

I’d suggest picking it up from Genelec.com, as the pricing over at Best Buy is frankly insulting. 😳

cosmicfox31 said:Hey everyone. My old HD 4850 512 MB just kicked the bucket, and since I'm currently stuck using a friend's 8600, I need to grab something new ASAP.😁

I've got my eye on the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450, so I'd love to hear what you all think about it.

Specs: AMD Athlon x4, 4 GB DDR3, Fortron 500 W.
It's strictly for gaming.

I'll probably pick it up from one of these two shops: www.plus.ba or www.genelec.com

🙂

What kind of budget are we looking at?

About 230-155 miles

cosmicfox31 said:Somewhere around the 230-155 miles

Honestly, you won't find anything superior to the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 for that specific price point.

If I were in your shoes, I'd grab one of these two options—though if you have any sense, you'll aim for the MSI model:
MSI GTS450 OC 1GB DDR5 2DVI HDMI N450GTS-M2D1GD5/OC
Evga NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 super Clocked FPB

Both are available over at Genelec.com 😉

So, how's the AMD Radeon HD 5670 holding up? Is it actually decent for gaming on a 17'' monitor if I'm running things at Medium-High settings?

cosmicfox31 said:Alright, what about the AMD Radeon HD 5670? Is it actually decent for gaming on a 17" monitor using Medium-High settings?

Well, you really have to take the fact that you're working with a 17" monitor into account first.

For a screen that size, the AMD Radeon HD 5670 would likely suffice, though I should point out that it falls significantly short when compared to the performance of the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 super Clocked FPB.

cosmicfox31 said:So, how about the AMD Radeon HD 5670? Is it any good for gaming on a 17'' monitor at Medium-High settings?

The VGA PowerColor AMD Radeon HD 5670 1GB DDR3, 128bit DX11!!! 115 miles
PCPartPicker
You won't need anything better than that for a 17" screen.

Alexander Moore67 said:VGA POWERCOLOR AMD Radeon HD 5670 1GB DDR3, 128bit DX11!!! 115 miles
eBay.com
you don't even need that for a 17" screen"

Honestly, he doesn't even need 1GB of VRAM for a measly 17-inch monitor; 512MB would be more than sufficient 👍

But it seems I've just realized there isn't even a 512MB option available in the current listings 🤦

Is this actually any good?

http://www.newegg.com/p/product_info.php?products_id=7582

Not really... it's ancient, passive cooling, and only has 1GB of DDR2

Does anyone happen to have an ATI Radeon HD 3870 or maybe a 4670 on the AGP bus for sale, or something similar?

The absolute beast of the AGP era was the ATI Radeon HD 3870, but good luck finding one without paying an arm and a leg