GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

crimsonstag84 said:So, I was scrolling through some local classifieds earlier—you know how it goes—and I stumbled upon this listing for a Gigabyte NVIDIA GT 610 2. Honestly, looking at the price they're asking, I can't decide if it's just a total joke or if the seller is actually living under a rock somewhere. Like, maybe they think people are still building rigs in 2024 specifically to struggle through basic tasks? It’s such a bottom-of-the-barrel card, and seeing it listed like this just feels... I don't know, weirdly optimistic? I guess if you really, truly needed something to just display an image on a monitor so you could browse Reddit, it might technically work, but man, it's a stretch. Just a thought, though.

So, this guy is selling on PCexp, which I guess means everything should be pretty much legit and in good shape. 😉

So, you mean you actually have a nickname there? And like, is that part of some premium tier or something? I guess it’s possible, maybe, but I don't know.😲

I feel like everyone’s just staring at me while I'm standing here totally naked...😬

Does anyone know about those GPUs labeled as UEFI? Does that mean they’re compatible with both BIOS modes (Legacy and UEFI), or just UEFI?

So, are you ready for your daily dose of PCexp? 😁

So, what’s the deal with this Gigabyte NVIDIA GT 610 2 GB DDR3 card? Is it actually going to play nice with my motherboard, or am I just throwing money away... I see them sitting there brand new for about $117

crimsonstag84 said:Some guy from the PCexp forums is selling this, so I'm assuming it's been well-kept and isn't some total junk pile. 😉

I reached out to him, but there's no warranty involved. Now I'm stuck wondering how to actually verify if the card is even functional without running into issues—he's down in Miami and I'm all the way over in Indianapolis. 🤷

electricharbor30 said:So you have a nickname there too? And is it a premium account?😲

I honestly feel a bit exposed, like everyone is staring at me while I'm standing there without any clothes on...😬

What exactly even is "premium"? Because if it's good, I might just have to go for it.😒

silverridge3 said:I reached out to him, but it turns out there’s no warranty left on the card. I'm trying to figure out the best way to handle getting the thing inspected or verified for functionality, especially since he's down in Miami and I'm stuck all the way up in Indianapolis. 🤷

Give me a break...

driftingsurfer81 said:What's the deal with that Gigabyte NVIDIA GT 610 2 GB DDR3? I'm wondering if it'll actually play nice with my motherboard—I see some brand new ones sitting around for about... $117 ?

It’s probably even weaker than your old HD 4650...

silverridge3 said:I reached out to him, but apparently there's no warranty. I'm wondering how to handle the warranty issue or just get the card inspected—he's down in Miami and I'm stuck here in Indianapolis. 🤷

EDIT:

If I recall correctly, he was bragging about how smoothly it runs lately, so that's why I shared the link—even if there's no warranty on it. 😬

Seems like he’s alright on that front, I guess. 🤷

I guess this setup looks pretty decent. Maybe it’s just me, though.

Could I get some help here? I currently have this card, but I’m looking to upgrade to something a bit more powerful without having to take out a massive loan 😁Any recommendations? 🙂
BTW: I've already sorted out the rest of my components 😉

Whereabouts are you located? I might be able to pick up some used parts if you're selling the rest of the rig—like the CPU, RAM, or power supply.

crimsonstag84 said:Where are you located? Maybe you could pick up some used parts locally... like the rest of the rig (CPU, RAM, PSU)?

I'd rather not deal with anything used, honestly. I feel like I'd just have bad luck and have it break on me the next day.

fadedsailor17 said:I wouldn't touch used gear with a ten-foot pole—with my luck, something would probably fry the very next day.

In that case, what kind of CPU and power supply are you running right now? Also, what's the budget looking like for the GPU?

Between $1,600 and $1,800, what’s actually going to give me the best bang for my buck? A buddy of mine is currently eyeing this:

He’s planning on pairing it with an Intel Core i5 processor... is there anything else in that $1,800–$2,000 range that would perform significantly better? If he can grab a motherboard for around $700 to $900, he’ll be all set to go.

Joshua Ramos14 said:...

Honestly, it's a total waste of cash.

Larry Ortiz5 said:In that case, could you let me know what CPU and power supply you're currently running? Also, what kind of budget are we looking at for the graphics card?

https://www.amazon.com/evga-power-supply-750-watt/dp/B00L9S3C0E

http://www.techcrunch.com/intel/intel-core-i5-performance-benchmarks.html
Here you go, 🙂
well, maybe up to $133

fadedsailor17 said:https://www.amazon.com/power-supply-unit-example

http://www.theverge.com/intel-core-i5-review
here's what you need 🙂
before you hit $133

For that price, there isn't anything new worth looking at.

Joshua Ramos14 said:In the $1600–$1800 range, what’s actually worth the money? A buddy of mine is looking at this: I don't know why people still bother looking at these old specs. It’s like trying to fix a Ford Mustang with parts from a lawnmower. You can't just slap cheap RAM into a modern rig and expect it to actually run. Just buy something decent from Corsair and move on.

He’s looking to upgrade to an Intel Core i5. Is there anything better in that $1800–$2000 range? If he grabs a motherboard for around $700–$900, he's golden.

Why stick to the baseline?
For that kind of money, you might as well just grab an aftermarket card. You can probably find an R9 380 in that price range too.

Either go with the GTX 960 with 4GB of VRAM or don't bother. It's like choosing between a sedan or a hatchback—you need that extra memory if you don't want to stall out.

electricharbor30 said:Zachary Nguyen2, if you're looking at something new, get my current setup—the GT 740, but make sure it has GDDR5. The DDR3 version is way too slow. You'll find the Intel Core i5 is just slightly better, hitting exactly 16 GB/s, and it's maybe a hundred bucks more. I think it's pretty much $267 the cheapest option out there...

If I were buying right now, I'd grab this
.
It's got the lowest price and the shop has great reviews...

By the way, you could actually get a card that's twice as fast with 33 GB/s, like an R7 370, for about $400... double the power for $133 more. If you want to max out your settings, I'd go with that instead...

I'll probably just stick with the GT 740 and grab 8GB of RAM to go with it,

That RAM won't work on your motherboard since it caps out at 8GB (with 4GB per slot), plus it’s honestly overpriced.

Over at Verizon:

2x Corsair DDR3 4GB 1600MHz, SR
Sapphire R7 250x VaporX, 2GB GDDR5

~$400

crimsonstag84 said:That RAM won't work on your motherboard because it only supports up to 8GB total (4GB per slot), plus it's overpriced.

At Verizon:

2x Corsair DDR3 4GB 1600MHz, SR
Sapphire R7 250x VaporX, 2GB GDDR5

~$400

What's the actual difference between 1333 and 1600 MHz? My legendary board says 1333 MHz, so can I actually use this 1600 MHz RAM?