GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Adam Moore3 said:The 270X from AMD is in that same ballpark, but honestly, I’d just grab the GTX 950. It usually hits harder on average.

Timothy Kim60 said:GTX 950

GTX 950 Agreed
👍

In your opinion, which graphics card actually gives you the best bang for your buck?

What are the rest of your specs (specifically the CPU, the case, and the exact power supply model)?
Got a rough budget in mind?

I'm trying to figure out which Nvidia card makes the most sense if I want the absolute best bang for my buck $767 for hitting that 1080p sweet spot while gaming.
My setup is running an i5 4460 and I've got a Corsair 500W CX power supply holding things down.

You don't have anything quite in that specific bracket, but this might do the trick:

Hey everyone, I could really use some help picking out a new graphics card because, honestly, I’m a bit out of my depth when it comes to all this tech stuff. 😁 Most of my time is spent just browsing the web, watching movies, or playing games at $433 resolution. Thanks in advance!

Intel i5-2320 CPU @ 3.00GHz (4 CPUs)
Asrock H61M-VS motherboard, LGA 1155 socket
8GB (2x4) DDR3 1600MHz Corsair Vengeance LP RAM
Vortex case
Corsair CX series 600 wat power supply
Asus VS247HR 23.6 inch Widescreen Full HD LED Monitor (1920x1080, 2ms, HDMI, VGA, DVI-D)

My current card is an AMD Radeon HD 6800 series 1gb.

If budget is the main concern, here are some more affordable alternatives you might want to check out:

http://www.amazon.com/s?k=gtx+950

Hey guys, I could use some advice here.
What would be a well-balanced GPU to pair with an i5 2500s?
Here’s the rest of my build:
Fortron 700 w Msi
MSI B75 motherboard
8GB 1333 DDR3

Mainly playing stuff like GTA V, FIFA 16, and the new Far Cry 2016...

Buy the most powerful one within your budget.

Timothy Kim60 said:just get the absolute best one within your budget

Do you think my CPU is going to bottleneck me?

Not quite. They might struggle a bit in certain high-end scenarios involving the absolute top-tier GPUs out there—though you probably aren't even looking at those. You didn't specify which Fortron model you're running, but generally speaking, they don't skimp on power delivery. Since you've got 700W, you can practically power any single-GPU setup. There is just one thing you really need to double-check: the physical dimensions of the card, specifically whether it actually fits inside your case.

To be specific—if you have an affinity for the GTX 970 or the R9 390, go ahead and grab one. In a game like GTA V, you might see a slight dip in FPS compared to what you'd get with a top-of-the-line processor, but it'll hold its own.

Timothy Kim60 said:Not quite. You might see some decent performance in certain scenarios if you were running the top-tier GPUs out there (which you probably aren't looking at anyway). You didn't mention which Fortron unit you're using, but generally speaking, they don't skimp on the power supplies. Since you have 700W, you can practically run any single-GPU setup. Just one thing to watch out for—check the physical dimensions of the card to make sure it actually fits in your case.

To be specific—if you've got a soft spot for the GTX 970 or the R9 390, go ahead and grab one. In a game like GTA V, you might lose a few frames compared to what the absolute best CPUs would push, but it'll be fine.

Thanks for the quick reply... though I'm a little surprised... I guess I was being a bit naive about how this all works.

I looked into the slightly beefier R9 380 4GB, which is hovering around $667.
But since my monitor isn't running at anything higher than 1900*600 resolution,
I think I'd rather just pick up something like a GTX 950 or an R7 370 2G and put the leftover cash toward a 240GB SSD for roughly the same total price.

It’s a Samsung 250 GB 850 Series evo Basic, 2.5". I guess that's all there is to it.
Gigabyte GTX950 WF2 Overclocked, 2GB GDDR5

$745 ADM

Is 1900x600 a standard resolution? I guess I might be overthinking it, but it seems a bit odd. 🤔

Are you thinking 1600x900? What kind of GPU are you running right now?

Timothy Kim60 said:Are you running at 1600x900? What kind of GPU are you rocking right now?

Yeah... my bad... I guess I'm being a bit slow on the uptake here...
I'm currently using a GT 640

Also, I took a look at that Samsung evo; it’s a little pricier, but apparently, it's worth spending that extra $15 or so.

Alright, in that case, jumping to a GTX 950 is going to feel like a massive upgrade for you.

Also, if that specific model feels too pricey, there are plenty of more budget-friendly SSD options out there, such as click

That Samsung is on sale at Best Buy, $258, I guess I’d definitely go with that one if I were you.

Timothy Kim60 said:Fine, then upgrading to a GTX 950 is a massive jump for you too.

There are cheaper SSDs out there if that one's hitting your wallet too hard. click

Wasn't there some hype about how the Kingston V300 was garbage?

It’s an absolute steal for the price. You get a massive amount of music for every dollar spent.