GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Thanks! I'll reach out to that guy and set something up 🙂.
I'm planning on building a new rig soon anyway, so I might just leave this one for the kids to mess around with

crimsonstag84 said:Better to go used... local pickup, still under warranty:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/graphics-card-listing-example

Buying anything weaker just isn't worth the money, and this one is a perfect match for your CPU.

I actually have the version with that cooler on the AMD Radeon R7 260. It runs incredibly cool, plus it’s got a 3-year warranty... honestly, it's a great card. 🙂

http://www.3dmark.com/3dmv/5393122

just finished running this one...



View on imgur

Is it worth picking up a Sapphire R9 270 with a one-month warranty for $283? ...

It’s actually not bad.

For $300, you might find some slightly more powerful HD7950s here and there, but they won't come with a warranty and they're an older generation.

I saw a used Nvidia GTX 950 from Gainward on eBay for $383. It still has a 12-month warranty—
.
...but since this specific model only uses a single fan, I'm a bit worried about the noise levels and heat buildup.
What's your take?

James Johnson5 said:The links show a used one... plus there's a used Gainward Nvidia GTX 950 for $383. It still has 12 months of warranty left.

..this model only has a single fan, so I'm worried about it buzzing or overheating.
What do you think?

That 270 model sounds pretty decent. The GTX isn't bad either, though they could have priced it a little lower. As for the fan, it shouldn't be an issue. At least based on most of the reviews I've seen.

That’s perfectly fine since they just arrived. I can't say for sure about the noise levels—I haven't seen any specific reviews for the Gainward model—but Gigabyte's single fan Nvidia GTX 950 isn't exactly loud either.

James Johnson5 said:Is it even worth picking up a Sapphire R9 270 with just a month of warranty left for $283? ...

I mean, honestly, you might as well just shell out a few extra bucks to get a brand new card for 370, or if you really want to go all out, grab a brand new one for 950 which would be $33more
.

electricharbor30 said:expecting 370 new for a few hundred more, or 950 new for $33 more

That’s not even close, $33it's basically a massive $133 gap if you look at the 950 model...

And that's all from a shop that doesn't even have a physical storefront in the US, everything just ships in from overseas...

Robert Rodriguez2 said:and it isn't even $33 that, it’s practically $133 the difference if you're looking at a 950 series...

plus, this is all through some online store that doesn't even have a physical location here in the States, everything just ships in from overseas...

and man, look, I'm out here in a small town...if anything of mine breaks, the repair center is all the way in Chicago, and once I send something off, it won't be back for at least two weeks...so I might as well just ship it straight to an international warehouse. And all these big retailers that keep everything in stock, they have to bake in extra costs just to cover their massive warehouses and staff, like Best Buy, and then they still try to screw you over wherever they can just to save a buck...I used to buy everything from them, but nowadays, I wouldn't step foot in one unless my life actually depended on it. Thanks, but no thanks—just give me some bottom-tier online shop that runs on a tiny margin per item...it's easy for them to run ads when things don't work, and then they use those savings to offer fast shipping without any hassle...

I wouldn't really suggest going with the NVIDIA model, especially if it's just a single-fan setup. Those things tend to run pretty hot and can get surprisingly loud, particularly if you're planning on stuffing it into a cramped case with poor airflow.

So... I have a graphics card... NVIDIA GeForce GTX series... I was just thinking about those old cards... back when things felt a bit simpler... before everything became so overclocked and complicated... it's strange how much hardware changes over the years... still... 1024 MB... I mean, I guess that's how they list it, but you never really know exactly what's going on under the hood with those specs... just numbers on a page, really...
So... I was looking at this old hardware again... just an Intel i5 750... clocking in at 2.66 GHz... four cores... It’s been a while since I really sat down to think about how much things change... back then it felt like enough... you know? Just sitting there, thinking about the specs... four cores... it's funny how that feels different now... anyway... just some thoughts on it...
So, right now I'm running 2+2GB of RAM... but I think it's finally time to upgrade to 4+4GB... get that dual channel setup going... it should make a difference... eventually...

I'm looking for some advice on a GPU upgrade... really want to be able to crush the latest titles, like The Witcher 3 and Just Cause 3... any suggestions?

From what I gathered over on those political debate forums... it looks like you can actually run Grand Theft Auto V and Tomb Raider quite easily with older hardware... but The Witcher 3... yeah... that one’s a different story entirely...

So... I mean, does it actually make sense to pick up a GPU if you're running that specific processor? Just wondering...

So... regarding a new graphics card... I could probably set aside somewhere around... $500Thanks... take care...

With a GTX 950 in that tier... what kind of power supply are you running?

Jesse Hughes said:I'm running an NVIDIA GeForce GTX series 1024 MB (not sure on the exact specs)

Currently got 4GB total (2+2), planning to grab 8GB (4+4) for dual channel.

If your motherboard has 4 slots, you could just grab two more 2GB sticks and run 2GB x 4 instead.

Jesse Hughes said:Also, does it actually make sense to pick up a GPU to pair with this processor?

I can set aside up to $500 for a graphics card. Thanks!

It certainly does. Even without knowing the specific model you have in mind, this will be a massive leap forward compared to an old 5750 or 5770. Just let me know what kind of power supply you're running.

Guys, I need assistance. I’m standing in a Best Buy right now trying to decide between a GTX 750 Ti 2GB and a GTX 960 OC 2GB. I am not an expert—and frankly, I don't have the time to dig through endless forum threads. The clerk claims the performance gap isn't massive, but he's likely guessing. Please advise ASAP.

Honestly—get a GTX 950 without a second thought. It's a no-brainer.

Eric Taylor42 said:Guys, I need help fast! I'm standing in a Best Buy right now trying to choose between a GTX 750 Ti 2GB and a GTX 960 OC 2GB. I'm no expert and I seriously don't have time to scroll through endless threads. The 960 seems better, but the clerk is claiming they're about the same strength... Please help ASAP!

If we're talking about the GTX 960, it beats the GTX 750 Ti every single time.

Eric Taylor42 said:Guys, I need help! I'm standing in a Best Buy right now trying to decide between a GTX 750 Ti 2GB and a GTX 960 OC 2GB. I'm no expert and I seriously don't have time to dig through old threads. The 960 seems better, but the clerk is claiming they're basically the same strength... Please help ASAP

What kind of store told you those two were even close in performance?