GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

crimsonstag84 said:So you basically went for a more expensive version of the exact same processor just because it had a higher clock speed $267? 😬
The GPU costs way more because it's actually significantly better than a GTX 960 or an R9 380—we're talking maybe 60-70% more power.

What's your actual budget here... was it around $2000? I guess it really depends on what makes sense for the money.

Probably around $6,000, though I might stretch it to $6,300 if I have to. Honestly, I’d much rather put that extra cash toward a beefier CPU. As for the graphics card, I think I've finally settled on the XFX Radeon R9 R80 with 4GB.

To case is basically just a glorified box at this point. Honestly, I don't think I could find a better card for this price, or even something on the same level, regardless of what I pick.

That cooler is going to let you down big time. Do yourself a favor and check out some YouTube videos 😬—including those parody reviews—as well as the actual hardware tests. If that thing were actually a good value, it would have flown off the shelves ages ago. For that kind of money, you're better off buying something with actual performance credentials.

Lawrence Reed3 said:I'm looking at around $6,000, maybe stretching to $6,300 if I have to. Honestly, I’d rather put that money toward a beefier processor. As for the GPU, I think I’ve finally settled on the XFX Radeon R9 280 with 4GB.

But that’s what I’ve been telling you from the jump... the FX 8300 is basically the exact same chip, just clocked 700MHz lower, which you could probably bump up yourself in the BIOS to save some cash $267. And honestly, those 700MHz aren't going to mean much compared to what you'd get with a way more powerful graphics card like an R9 390, since games mostly rely on the GPU anyway.

Timothy Kim60 said:That cooler is going to let you down hard. You should probably spend some time on YouTube looking at reviews (and maybe a few 😬 parodies) before committing. If that thing were actually a good deal, it would have been snapped up ages ago; at that price point, you're basically just buying bottom-tier junk that nobody respects.

The price tag is what caught my eye, though I'm still debating whether to pull the trigger since someone else already picked up that card. What else can I get in this same price range that isn't such a gamble?

Andrew Fox74 said:The motherboard has a PCIe slot, so it’ll work just fine! Just make sure you completely wipe out those old ATI drivers first, then install the Nvidia ones. You shouldn't run into any issues...

Best regards,

So, I just picked up a used graphics card—some Gainward model or something similar. $50
It has dual fans, which seems pretty solid to me. 🙂

Now, since I am a complete novice here, I need some guidance on how to actually get the drivers loaded for this thing. I'm assuming that once I physically seat the card in the slot, the system will automatically recognize the model and everything, but how exactly do I scrub the old drivers from the system and get the new ones installed properly?

Thanks for the help.

Timothy Kim60 said:It’s all the same—you can definitely use

Alright, thanks! I tried my hand at it, though—if "tried" is the right word—because I'm honestly not entirely sure if I should be happy with how things turned out.
I didn't go out and grab a fresh tube of something fancy; I just used the Coolink Chillaramic I had on hand. The card was absolutely caked in dust, so I went ahead and tore the whole thing down to give it a thorough cleaning.
At idle, the temps are sitting around 38-40°C. I decided to put it through its paces with an OCCT stress test—maxed everything out, naturally—and let it run for about 20 minutes. For the first 10 minutes, the temperature climbed steadily until it hit 83°C, where it seemed to finally plateau. Now, I don't know what to make of that... it’s probably a solid 86°F in my room, but even so, 83°C feels a little high, doesn't it? Is this acceptable, or should I get back in there and try again?
Regarding application—I placed a pea-sized amount right in the center (since the chip is square rather than rectangular, that felt like the most logical move to me). Do you think that's too much paste?
As for the cleanup, I used cotton swabs to wipe away the old stuff, and I managed to get most of it off quite cleanly. However, looking at the copper surface on the heatsink, there's still a bit of gray residue from the old compound stuck in the micro-textures of the metal. Should I have scrubbed that off with some isopropyl alcohol? Could that actually be causing an issue? Or maybe I just need to upgrade to a higher-end thermal compound.
The card in question is the Gigabyte R9 280 WF3.
The real kicker, though—and this is what's eating at me—is that I didn't record the temperatures before I started this whole ordeal, so I have no baseline to tell if I've actually improved things or made them worse.

Jonathan Mendoza17 said:Thanks, I've put something together, but I'm honestly not sure if I'm happy with how it turned out.
I didn't bother picking up any new thermal paste; I just went with this Coolink Chillaramic for now. The card was absolutely caked in dust, so I stripped the whole thing down and gave it a thorough, deep cleaning.
Idle temps are sitting around 38-40°C. I ran an OCCT stress test at max settings for about 20 minutes to see how it would hold up. For the first 10 minutes, the temperature climbed steadily until it hit 83°C, where it finally stabilized. I’m a bit torn—it's easily 90 degrees in my room right now, but even so, this feels a little high to me. Is this within the acceptable range, or should I run the test again to be sure?
I placed about a pea-sized amount right in the center—since the chip is square rather than rectangular, that felt like the best way to go. Is that overkill on the paste?
I used a cotton swab to clear out the old, dried-up thermal paste, and while I managed to get most of it off, there’s still some gray residue stuck in the microscopic grooves of the copper heatsink. Should I have scrubbed that away with some isopropyl alcohol? Is this actually going to be an issue, or should I just focus on applying a higher-quality paste?
The card is a Gigabyte R9 280 WF3.
The worst part is that I didn't run any temperature benchmarks beforehand, so I have absolutely no way of knowing if I actually improved things or just made them worse.

The temperature is running a bit high, but nothing that should actually damage anything. As for that gray residue left on the copper? Don't sweat it—as long as you aren't feeling any crusty buildup, it shouldn't cause issues, and the grain looks fine. One thing to consider: if your room is sitting at 86°F and your case doesn't have decent airflow, these temps aren't even surprising. What’s your absolute peak while gaming? You can track that easily using MSI Afterburner or PlayClaw.

velvetnomad44 said:Greetings,

So, I just picked up a used graphics card—some Gainward model. $50
It features two fans, which looks like a solid setup to me. 🙂

Look, since I’m a complete novice here, I need some guidance on how to actually load the drivers for this graphics card. I’m assuming that once I physically slot the card into the motherboard, the system will automatically recognize the specific model and handle everything, right? My main concern is the cleanup—how do I properly wipe out any old, lingering drivers before installing the new ones?

Thanks for understanding.

Download Driver Sweeper. Once you’ve done a standard uninstallation through the Control Panel, run the program and check the boxes for both ATI and Nvidia display drivers. Hit analyze, then select remove to wipe out every last trace of the old files. Or... ovo

You can just grab the official drivers directly from the Nvidia website—since Gainward is strictly an Nvidia partner anyway—and use the automatic detection tool to handle the rest. clickIf you want my take on picking the right OS and hardware series, or if you're just trying to figure out exactly which GPU you're working with, you can pull all that info directly from Speccy.

I've been browsing used listings for the R9 290 4GB, and the sheer number of different manufacturers is a bit overwhelming. I'm trying to figure out which brand actually holds up. My main goal is finding a card that keeps temperatures within a reasonable range so I don't have to worry about it for a few years. For context, I'm running an FX 8350 x8 at 4.0 GHz.

Timothy Kim60 said:The temperature is running higher, though it isn't at a level that will actually damage anything. As for that gray residue left on the copper, it shouldn't be an issue as long as there isn't any thick, crusty buildup you can physically feel with your finger; the texture looks fine to me. Honestly, if your room is sitting at 86°F and your case doesn't have decent airflow, those temps aren't even remotely surprising. You really need to check what your peak temperatures are while gaming—you can monitor that easily using MSI Afterburner or programs like PlayClaw 3, 4, or 5.

I’d suggest downloading Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU). After you perform a standard uninstallation through the Control Panel, run that utility, check the boxes for both ATI and Nvidia display drivers, hit analyze, and then select remove to wipe every single trace of the old software. Alternatively, try this.

Always grab your drivers directly from the official Nvidia website (keep in mind Gainward is just a vendor for Nvidia), and they even have an automatic detection tool—just click here. Or, if you prefer to manually select your OS and specific series, you can find out exactly which card model you're rocking by using a program like Speccy.

might offer a little 🙂 help...
I installed the GPU, hooked up the power supply, but I'm getting absolutely no signal... I shut the PC down, switched over to integrated graphics, and ran Speccy, but it can't even detect the card there either.
The card itself seems to be working, and the fans are spinning to keep things cool...
What should I do?

When you installed the GPU—did you plug the monitor directly into it, or did you leave it connected to the integrated graphics on the motherboard?

Eric Brown78 said:I’ve been browsing used R9 290 4GB cards, and I noticed there are so many different manufacturers. I’m wondering which one is actually the best? I just want to make sure the temperatures stay within a normal range so I don't have to worry about it for a few years... I'm running an 8350 x8 4.0 GHz processor.

Honestly, nothing on eBay is worth buying right now. Most of them are just the basic reference models, or they're priced almost as high as brand-new cards. If you look closely, most of these listings come from the same single seller—which usually means they were used for Bitcoin mining. Who knows how long those cards were pinned at 100% load? Since they're mostly reference models, they probably ran hot as hell. Just stay away from them.

I'm running a Cooler Master 700W power supply paired with an FX-8350 8-core clocked at 4.0 GHz. I'm wondering if a 290 model will be compatible, and which manufacturer you'd recommend. P.S. I can go up to $667 if I look for used gear on

Timothy Kim60 said:When you installed the GPU, did you plug the monitor directly into it, or are you still running off the integrated graphics on the motherboard?

Craigslist is a wasteland right now. There isn't a single decent deal to be found. Everything is either listed at full retail price or serves as nothing more than a benchmark machine. If you look closely, most of these listings come from the same individual. It’s pretty obvious they were used for Bitcoin mining—probably running at 100% load for god knows how long. They’re essentially glorified space heaters. Save yourself the headache and stay far away.

So, which one should I grab off the shelf?

crimsonstag84 said:@Eric Brown78

http://www.newegg.com/graphics-cards/product/

If I pick up this card, will I actually be able to run the heavy hitters on Ultra settings? I'm hoping this buys me a few years of peace.

It isn’t just about the heavy lifting from textures; you’ve also got to account for filters like MSAA and things like that—you know, all that extra blur. You'll be able to run most games at a decent level, but with those absolute top-tier, demanding titles? You might scrape by with some low settings, but that's about it.

Timothy Kim60 said:It’s not really about the textures; it’s more about the heavy hitters like MSAA and various filters that cause blurring. You'll be able to run most games at max settings, though you might have to dial things back on the absolute heaviest titles.

The specs for this GPU suggest I'll need a 750W power supply, but I'm sitting on a 700W unit :/

It isn't necessary. You're looking at about 200W during actual gaming, maybe hitting a theoretical 250W under extreme stress. Those higher numbers they list are just based on certain specs. Depending on which vendor you go with, you can find power supplies for an R9 290 ranging anywhere from 500W up to 750-850W.

Timothy Kim60 said:It isn't necessary. It pulls about 200W during gaming, maybe hitting 250W under extreme stress. Manufacturers tend to pad those numbers. For an R9 290, depending on the brand, you'll see recommendations ranging from 500W up to 750 or 850W.

Got it. Thanks for the heads-up. I'll go with the 280x then, since it's new. 🙂

By the way, which exact Cooler Master model are you running? Is it the B series, the VS, the GM, or the GX?