GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Oops, I copied the wrong name...

This one:

Corsair DDR3 4GB 1333MHz Value RAM, SR

Robert Rodriguez2 said:At that price point, there isn't much else that stands out.

Are you implying that those cards with up to $133 2 GB aren't any better than what I've got?

fadedsailor17 said:are you saying those cheap $133 2GB models aren't any better than mine?

nah, you won't see a real jump until you look at an AMD card like an R7 250 (around $70) or a 250x ($80)
but with Nvidia, check out the GTX 750 (maybe $333 bucks).

fadedsailor17 realizes that these new budget GPUs are absolute trash when it comes to actual performance. You honestly can't run anything demanding on them—at least not if you want decent frame rates at 1080p. Their price-to-performance ratio is abysmal; just take this video as proof.

Both AMD and Nvidia have essentially pulled the plug on that entire tier of hardware. The weakest card in the 3xx lineup is the R7 360, which goes for about $267, while the entry point for the GTX 900 series is the GTX 950 at roughly $130-$$467 (assuming they don't release a refreshed chip for the GTX 750Ti for $333 once current stock dries up). In some cases, the integrated graphics found in modern processors actually outperform these cheap dedicated cards. Most of these low-end options from the old 2xx and GTX 700 series are nothing more than rebranded leftovers from the HD 7xxx, HD 6xxx, or even the GT 6xx and 5xx series.

Hey guys, a buddy of mine is looking at picking up an R9 380, and he’s currently torn between the MSI R9 380 2GD5T OC and the GIGABYTE R9 380 GDDR5 2GB/256bit 2GB DDR5. He stumbled upon some claim online suggesting that MSI uses a lower-quality chipset, so he's wondering if there's any truth to that. If anyone here knows the deal or actually owns one of these cards, I'd love to hear your 😁

I wouldn't touch that Gigabyte card unless it’s the Vapor 3 x. Gigabyte version (which it isn't on the 380s). I’ve done quite a bit of reading on this specific GPU since I was considering it myself, and from what I can gather, it seems like MSI and XFX handle temperatures better. Gigabyte tends to focus primarily on Nvidia's lineup; if you're going with AMD, sticking to Sapphire, MSI, or XFX is probably the safer bet.

Better yet, maybe they should look for the Nitro 380x (though that only comes in the 4GB version). It might be about $100$50 more expensive, but the temps are excellent—around 71-72 in Heaven benchmark—and the FPS is decent enough, maybe hitting 50-65 in GTA V on Ultra settings.

Also, they should probably grab the 4GB version just to be safe. Even at 1080p, some games easily push past 2GB once you crank everything to Ultra and toss in those extra visual effects.

Does anyone have an answer to my previous unanswered question: when a model specifies (UEFI), does that mean it works in both BIOS modes, or strictly UEFI mode?

silvermoose14 said:I wouldn't touch that Gigabyte card unless it was the Vapor 3 x. Gigabyte version—but they don't make one for the 380s. I spent a good amount of time digging into that specific GPU model since I was actually considering it myself. From what I could gather, MSI and XFX seem to handle temps much better. It feels like Gigabyte really puts their weight behind Nvidia's lineup; if you're going the AMD route, you're safer sticking with Sapphire, MSI, or XFX.

Or honestly, just hunt down a Nitro version of the 380. It might be about $100$50 more expensive
, but it's worth it.

So, MSI seems like the move here, especially since XFX and Sapphire offer a year less on the warranty.

Honestly, I wouldn't touch any of them. This MSI Armor isn't quite on the level of the MSI gaming cards, and I doubt the Sapphire 2 x is going to hold its own against a 3X Toxic or a Vapor 3 x. Gigabyte is the same story—I just don't trust those dual fans to perform as well as the triple fan setup on the 280X. If I were absolutely forced to pick one, though? I'd probably go with the MSI Armor.

I’d say you should probably go dig through some Bitcoin mining forums if you want to get a real feel for which GPU brands are actually worth your time... those guys run their rigs 24/7 at full tilt, so they’re usually pretty quick to trash MSI and stuff like that... though, honestly, I’m pretty convinced it all just comes down to the specific batch you end up with. Like, I guess one production run might come out of the factory totally solid, while the next one is just straight-up garbage, so it really depends on which batch you happen to grab. I think if you look closely enough on some of those mining boards, they even go as far as listing which specific batches turned out to be the best ones.

crimsonstag84 said:What power supply model are you using? 😁 Otherwise, just snap a photo of the spec sticker and post it here.

You should be able to overclock the CPU pretty easily (maybe to 3.5GHz). You can probably even manage that on the stock cooler. Pair it with something like a Radeon HD 7770 or Radeon R7 250, which is about as much as that processor can handle.

http://www.newegg.com/asus-nvidia-gt210-1gb/p/N82E48829

The card in that video is slightly weaker than the one I linked. Your CPU will be a bit stronger if you overclock it.

http://prntscr.com/9lylzs

Here you go.

Man, this isn't exactly ideal 😬

With about 270W available for the CPU and GPU combined, I guess it should be fine for the Radeon R7 250.

crimsonstag84 said:Man, that’s not exactly ideal. 😬

With about 270W available for the CPU and GPU, you should be fine with the Radeon R7 250.

It'll be plenty. 🤣

Greetings. This is my first post, so please excuse any errors in formatting. I am looking for confirmation on whether this graphics card http://www.newegg.com/asus-nvidia-gt210-1gb/p/N82E48829 is compatible with an ASRock alivenf6GVSTa motherboard. Any insight would be appreciated. 🙂

Zachary Nguyen2

I wouldn't mess around with that piece of junk if I were you 😬--honestly, it's just asking for trouble

Zachary Patel said:Hey. First time posting here, so bear with me if I messed something up. Just wondering if anyone could tell me if this card http://www.newegg.com/asus-nvidia-gt210-1gb/p/N82E48829 would actually work on an ASRock alivenf6GVSTa motherboard? Any help would be huge. 🙂

Yeah, it should work.

Zachary Patel said:Hey guys. This is my first time posting here, so sorry if I messed anything up, but I was wondering if anyone could tell me if this GPU Newegg would actually work on an ASUS motherboard? It'd be a huge help if someone knew 🙂

Just keep in mind that the board already has integrated graphics that should handle basic stuff just fine.

I’m looking to pick up a beefier graphics card to pair with this current setup.

Operating System
macOS
CPU
AMD Ryzen 7 @ 3.40GHz 57 °C
Haswell 22nm Technology
RAM
8,00GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 798MHz (11-11-11-28)
Motherboard
Nvidia high Definition audio Motherboard Manufacturer Dell Inc. model 073 MMW (Socket 0) 28 °C
Graphics
U28D590 (3840x2160@60Hz)
1023MB NVIDIA Quadro K600 (NVIDIA) 77 °C
Storage
223GB Samsung SSD (SSD) 24 °C
1863GB Western Digital (SATA) 25 °C
Optical Drives
HL-DT-ST DVD+-RW GHB0N
Audio
NVIDIA High Definition Audio

Motherboard
Manufacturer Nvidia high Definition audio Motherboard Manufacturer Dell Inc.
Model model 073 MMW (Socket 0)
Version A03
Chipset Vendor Intel
Chipset Model Haswell
Chipset Revision 06
Southbridge Vendor Intel
Southbridge Model Intel Southbridge model C226
Southbridge Revision C1
System Temperature 28 °C
BIOS
Brand Nvidia high Definition audio Motherboard Manufacturer Dell Inc.
Version version A16
Date 20.5.2015.

My budget sits somewhere around the $2,000 mark$1000, though I could certainly go lower if the value is right.
Thanks for any insights you can offer.

Newegg

For 4K, this is pretty much the bare minimum 😉

I'm guessing you've got a decent power supply under the hood, too, given the rest of your setup.

What kind of power supply and case are you running?

Your GPU is probably at least a $1000 absolute bare minimum—especially since you're trying to push that 4K monitor, which, let's be honest, is basically budget tier anyway—you really should have just gone with a 27" 2K IPS instead.

I’m thinking it might be time to swap out my monitor.
Specifically looking for something to replace the LG 34 97 UC.
I’ll be the first to admit, the current setup is absolute garbage.