GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Adam Moore3 said:The R9 390 should run fine on a Hypera 600W unit paired with an i5 4460. I suppose you could even stretch a Hyper 500W to handle it, though there’s really no point in cutting corners when the price difference is negligible. Most of what manufacturers claim on their spec sheets is just guesswork, anyway.

It might not be pure guesswork, but they tend to test those GPUs using absolute beastly specs—where the CPU alone pulls about 150-200W—just to squeeze out higher benchmark scores and eliminate any potential bottlenecks or thermal throttling.

Chris Robinson25 said:I heard the Asus Strix has an issue with one of its heatpipes, which makes it run "a bit" hot.

Aside from that—Asus seems to be the manufacturer that somehow manages to run into the most issues with the 280X card.

So what's the move here? Should I grab the Sapphire since it comes with a 2-year warranty, or go with the MSI to get that extra year? Honestly, I haven't even decided yet, haha.

There is absolutely no way that R9 390 is going to run reliably on a Hyper 500W power supply—that’s just a basic unit, nothing special at all. I mean, maybe it would work on a decent 500W, I know some guy who runs an R9 290 on a 500W OCZ unit, though I can't recall the exact model—but it was a pretty solid one.

swiftfalcon89

Either go with a Gigabyte R9 380 4GB

Or the Sapphire nitro r9 390—the MSI model is just way too overpriced right now

Just watch out for your case when picking the R9 390; it’s either too long or it just overheats in smaller builds—honestly, a mainstream 550W 80 Plus Bronze power supply should handle it without any issues.

Matthew Alvarez said:There is zero chance that your R9 390 is going to run reliably on a Hyper 500W unit. That’s just a standard power supply, nothing special about it. On a high-quality 500W unit, it might work, but I know a guy who runs an R9 290 on a 500W OCZ—can't remember the exact model, but it was a decent one.

swiftfalcon89

Either a Gigabyte R9 380 4GB

Or a Sapphire nitro r9 390. The MSI model is way too pricey right now

Just watch out for your case when you grab that R9 390; it's a massive card, and it tends to run hot in smaller chassis. A mainstream 550W 80 Plus Bronze power supply should handle it without any issues.

Honestly, I'm looking at these 2GB models up to $600 and I'll have to make it work with the Hyper 500W (budget is pretty tight right now)

Just stretch those $33 and grab that Gigabyte card with 4GB of VRAM—it'll make a massive difference, and honestly, you’ll probably regret it later if you don't.

Matthew Alvarez said:There's no way that R9 390 is going to run reliably on a Hyper 500W unit. That's just a standard power supply, nothing special about it. It might work on a decent 500W, I know for a fact...

But here's what I'm reading:

1. i5 4460 max TDP= 84W http://ark.intel.com/products/80817/...up-to-3_40-GHz
2. R9 390 Peak = 253 W Max = 323 W https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/...S_Plus/28.html
3. Fortron Hyper 500W +12V = 38 A = 456 W http://fsp-europe.com/hyper-500w600700w/

Everything else is negligible...

Look, the Fortron Hyper is a mainstream 80+ Bronze unit with a 5-year warranty...

So why wouldn't it work?

I’m strictly looking at 1080p gaming here. Regarding the cards on my list, a guy on a previous thread mentioned that those R9 3xx models from Gigabyte are pretty rough—they run hot, even hotter than XFX, which usually isn't known for its thermal management. So, I'm left wondering what the best pick from this bunch would be at
.
MSI R9 380 2GD5T (Armor 2x) — Chris Robinson25 mentioned that these MSI Armor 2x units aren't exactly top-tier.
Gigabyte R9 380 WF2 OC — silvermoose14 said he actually looked into getting this one himself, but after doing some digging, he found out it's nothing special either, mostly because Gigabyte tends to focus more on Nvidia chipsets anyway.
Sapphire R9 380 NITRO Dual-X OC Boost — From what I can gather, this one is excellent. My only real hesitation is that it comes with a year less of warranty.
Sapphire R9 380 Dual-X OC Boost 2GB GDDR5 256bit UEFI 1792 Stream Processors — -||-
XFX R9 380 4GB Black — Lately, I feel like I've been reading nothing but bad reviews for XFX cards. Heat, noise, reliability issues... and they offer a 2-year warranty, so I'm just not sure.
MSI GTX960 2GD5T OC, 2GB GDDR5, Armor 2x — The only reason I'd lean toward the R9 380 over the GTX960 is that 128-bit bus. I know that helps performance, but it still makes me hesitate.

Anyway, what do you guys think? Which of these is the smartest move? After listening to so much conflicting advice, I'm feeling pretty lost.

http://www.3dmark.com/search?_ga=1.1...?mode=advanced

just type in whatever CPU and GPU you're curious about

darkowl72 said:But here is what I see in the specs:

1. i5 4460 max TDP = 84W http://ark.intel.com/products/80817/...up-to-3_40-GHz
2. R9 390 Peak = 253 W Max = 323 W https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/...S_Plus/28.html
3. Hyper 500W +12V = 38 A = 456 W http://fsp-europe.com/hyper-500w600700w/

Everything else is negligible...

Look, an EVGA Hyper 500 is just a standard 80+ Bronze unit with a 5-year warranty...

So why wouldn't it work?

In that other PSU thread, I posted a link to a 500-550W power supply roundup where it looks like the Hyper 500 can only deliver about 400W stably (it was one of the rare ones that failed multiple tests). If you're going with the Hyper, you really need at least 600W—actually, even 700W, since they’re all priced so similarly. Now, whether that was just one crappy unit that got unlucky, I have no idea... Regardless, it isn't worth taking the risk.

Interestingly, it’s actually quieter than the EVGA Raider, which technically should be in a higher tier according to the categories.

darkowl72 said:But I see it differently:

1. i5 4460 max TDP = 84W http://ark.intel.com/products/80817/...up-to-3_40-GHz
2. R9 390 Peak = 253 W Max = 323 W https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/...S_Plus/28.html
3. Hyper 500W +12V = 38 A = 456 W http://fsp-europe.com/hyper-500w600700w/

Everything else is negligible...

And the EVGA Hyper is just a mainstream 80+ / 85+ Bronze unit with a 5-year warranty...

So why wouldn't it work?

Seriously, please think before you post something like that.

First off—your math isn't even accurate, let alone complete. If you calculate 250+84=334W, you’re still forgetting about the rest of the system—roughly 50W—which brings us to, say, 380W once we round up. That EVGA unit definitely can't reliably deliver all those watts it claims on the 12V rail, and the real question is how much load it can actually take before the whole system starts tripping out.

Secondly—no sane person recommends running any PSU above 80% capacity; it just heats up and gets loud. You need a quality power supply with at least 100-120W of headroom to operate correctly—plus, PSUs lose efficiency over the years anyway.

No sensible person would even consider that power supply, let alone pair it with a GPU that has such a massive TDP.

swiftfalcon89 said:I'm strictly sticking to 1080p gaming—as for these cards, a buddy of mine mentioned on his site that those ASUS R9 3xx models are pretty subpar because they run way too hot (even hotter than an AMD card, which is already known for high temps)... so I guess what would even be worth getting from this list at Best Buy?

Newegg MSI R9 380 2GD5T (Armor 2x) — apparently Ghost Disaster thinks these MSI Armor 2x cards aren't all that great.
ASUS R9 380 WF2 OC — silvermoose14 said he actually looked into getting this one himself, but after some digging, found out it’s not the best choice either since ASUS tends to focus more on Nvidia chips anyway.
Sapphire R9 380 nitro Dual-X OC Boost — seems excellent from what I can tell—though my only gripe is that it comes with a year less of warranty.
Sapphire R9 380 Dual-X OC Boost 2GB GDDR5 256bit UEFI 1792 stream Processors — -||-
XFX R9 380 4GB Black — honestly, for the past year, I've been reading nothing but bad things about XFX cards—overheating, loud fans, frequent failures—and they only offer a 2-year warranty, so I don't know...
MSI GTX960 2GD5T OC, 2GB GDGD5, Armor 2x — the only reason I’d pick an R9 380 over the GTX960 is that 128-bit bus; I know they hold their own in performance, but it still kind of puts me off...

Anyway, what do you guys think? Which of these is the best move? After listening to everyone's opinions, I'm basically back to square one and sure of nothing...

Those R9 390 models from ASUS are trash and have issues—I'd never recommend them—but the 380 models shouldn't be a problem.

Actually, you could go with the XFX R9 380 4GB if you're worried about reliability. The absolute best version is the Sapphire nitro, but man, it's overpriced. Just aim for $633 and pick a 4GB model there; spending more than that just isn't worth it.

Matthew Alvarez said:Seriously, please think before you post something like that.

It's not that I didn't think, it's that I actually found written proof. Meanwhile, you're just talking out of your ass using the "well, I saw it working at a friend's place" logic... Helou? You call that a constructive dialogue?

I said the power draw from the rest of the build doesn't matter, but I wouldn't say it's 50W—I'd love to see you document that. And please, show me how this "500W Corsair, I don't know the exact model but it's good" 🤣 actually delivers all the necessary wattage without exceeding 80% capacity while still leaving 100-120W of headroom. And what then? Does EVGA just show up in our local stores second-hand once they've lost their punch?

I have nothing against you or your posts, but seriously, think before you type. We aren't here to play pretend; we're here to help people, which clearly isn't what you're doing. If you think you are helping, at least provide a reference for what you're claiming instead of just I saw it once...

Of course there's no point buying a Hyper 500 when there are slightly more expensive, more powerful Hyper or Raider units available, but dismissing it by saying there's no way it'll work—it's just a standard PSU, nothing special...—what's the problem? Does it have a 5-year warranty? Yes. Does it say it delivers 456 W on the +12V rail? It says the same thing as any other PSU. Whether EVGA is lying or not is the same story with every other manufacturer... Does it say it's 80+ certified and meets 85+ specs? It does. Does it say it has a 5-year warranty? It does. Will it work in that configuration? For God's sake, of course it will, and without any issues. If it doesn't work and fries your gear, feel free to contact the FSP group, who offers a $5,000,000 guarantee that their Hyper units won't cause any damage to connected equipment...

What else do you need?

And look, if you actually knew anything about the power supplies you're talking about, you'd know that Corsair doesn't even manufacture their own PSUs; they just handle the design while other firms handle the actual production. And get this—one of those manufacturers is EVGA (FSP), which is one of the oldest, most established, and high-quality companies in the industry that produces units for tons of other brands. Just because you've never heard of EVGA doesn't mean they don't exist...

@ Timothy Kim60:

Nice link regarding the PSU roundup. 👍

First off 🤦

Secondly—and just to be clear—I haven't participated in a single discussion on this forum without providing actual, concrete evidence, whether it’s my own photos or specific links that back me up. (Look at the NESHO45 and Fl@tron situation), and I intend to handle you the exact same way 😉

You claim you saw a buddy of yours running an R9 390 on a Hyper 500w? Fine—show me a photo so I can admit I'm wrong, or are you just throwing out random claims because you're short on actual arguments...?

Regarding OCZ—they don't even exist anymore, so EVGA isn't manufacturing anything for them—which just shows how little you actually know. It's common knowledge that companies like EVGA (Superflower Leadex), AMD (Seasonic), and Corsair (who used to use Seasonic, though I think it's Chicony now) don't even make their own power supplies; that's nothing new in this industry.

Now, let me lay out the facts in order 😉

1. I don't recall exactly which OCZ unit that guy was using for his R9 290, but I'm pretty sure it was a GOLD rated unit—meaning high quality—something that this Hyper couldn't even dream of competing with.

2. As for the rest of the system, we can easily calculate the approximate power draw for the remaining components. Let's break it down:

motherboard - 20w
one HDD - 8 to 10w
case fans - 8-10w
8GB RAM - about 7w
motherboard chipset - 15w

So, roughly 57w
SOURCE: http://www.buildcomputers.net/power-...omponents.html

3. Regarding the power supply, I already mentioned that they lose efficiency during use, just like any other electrical equipment (batteries, accumulators, etc.).

4. What's printed on that label is one thing, but the reality regarding that Hyper is something else entirely. If you actually looked at some reviews, you'd see that this EVGA unit isn't all that great. Higher-end power supplies have various protections, better voltage regulation, superior components, higher efficiency, and so on...

5. Why do you think people pair 600w units with an R9 390? It's not for nothing. I wouldn't put anything with a TDP higher than an R9 380 on that Hyper; there is absolutely no chance it could run reliably under the load of an R9 390. Even if you did use an R9 390, it probably wouldn't last more than two weeks before being constantly on the verge of failure. But what fascinates me most is how you claim it would work without issues, and then turn around and tell me I'm not being helpful—all while you're potentially risking someone's entire PC and then trying to lecture me... honestly, I mean, really.

6. This stuff you're saying about refunds is so ridiculous I don't even know what to say. Have you ever actually heard of someone getting a refund because their PSU died from being overloaded beyond its intended purpose?
You're even claiming that EVGA would pay someone compensation for every single component fried by a failing power supply. I haven't heard of such a thing in my life. Give me a link to back up that nonsense, because I also wonder how long it would take to resolve such a case through all the legal red tape in the courts—I highly doubt you'd get anything out of it.😁

EDIT:
One last thing: since it seems like you don't quite grasp how components and system builds work, understand this—the power supply is the circulatory system of any build. It feeds every single component, so never, ever skimp on it!

Matthew Alvarez said:Those R9 390 models from ASUS are a bit of a headache and run into issues, so I’d steer clear of them entirely. The 380 models, on the other hand, are solid.

If you're feeling cautious, you could always go with an AMD XFX R9 380 4GB. The absolute gold standard is the Sapphire nitro, though it carries a premium price tag. Personally, I'd aim for $633 and pick up a 4GB version there—anything more than that isn't really worth the extra cash.

It's not actually that much more expensive, honestly. For instance, the MSI Armor 2 x is about 1,$237 bucks, the ASUS Gigabyte WF2 is around 1,$257 bucks, and the Sapphire nitro sits at 1,$250 bucks... so the ASUS one is actually pricier, but we're talking a difference of maybe $5 or so.

What kind of wattage would you recommend for a build featuring a GTX 780 ti (which pulls about 250W)? I guess a decent 550W power supply with 42A on the 12V rail might be enough?

silvermoose14 said:What wattage PSU would you recommend for a build with a GTX 780 ti (pulling about 250W)? Is a decent 550w unit with 42A on the 12V rail enough?

I ran a radeon 7850 in Crossfire on this cheap Corsair unit (7850 TDP is 130W):

http://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/up...C_1489_DxO.jpg

That was paired with an i3.
Can we get the rest of the specs???

Hey everyone! I'm looking to swap out my graphics card, and I wanted to see if any of these would actually work with my current setup...

Motherboard: ASUS GA-MA78LMT-US2H
CPU: amd athlon ii x3 450 3.2GHz 1.5MB total cache
PSU: Real Power 500 80 Plus Bronze
Current GPU: HD 5670 DDR3 1GB

Right now, I mostly stick to online games like World of Tanks or Lord of the Rings, and occasionally hop on PES 2016 with some friends... I was thinking about picking up an xfx R7 250 1GB DDR5, an xfx R7 360 2GB DDR5, or maybe even an Nvidia GTX 750 ti 2GB DDR5... or something else entirely if the budget allows$400.....
Thanks for the help!!

I’d probably suggest a light CPU overclock since there might be a slight bottleneck here. Maybe Matthew Alvarez can give you a better idea though, since he's running the same CPU paired with a GTX 750 ti.

swiftfalcon89 said:It's not even that much more expensive—for example, the MSI Armor 2 x is one,$237 for cash, the Gigabyte WF2 is one,$257 for cash, and the Sapphire nitro is one,$250 for cash... so the Gigabyte is actually pricier, but everything is within about five bucks of each other.

I think those are the 2GB models at around $1700-$600, but the cheapest 4GB models start at $633.

As for the power supply, I guess a hyper 500w is enough for this setup—though my recommendation would be to go with a hyper 600w just so you have some breathing room if you decide to upgrade to a higher-draw card later on.😉

Matthew Alvarez said:I think those are the 2GB models going for around $1700-$600, but the cheapest 4GB versions usually start at $633.

As for the power supply, a hyper 600 w should be plenty for this setup. Honestly, I’d suggest grabbing a hyper 600 w just to give yourself some breathing room if you decide to swap in a beefier card down the road. 😉

And I'm talking about the 2GB models. 🙂There's really no point in stepping up since I don't plan on playing anything above 1080p.