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GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Started by Kimberly Gomez34 · · 👁 388 views · 5.7K replies

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Participants Kimberly Gomez34Michael King7Gerald Campbell65crimsonstag84Robert Rodriguez2Scott Mendoza88Ryan Wilson7Jesse Lopez83David Sanders4Taylor BrownAdam Moore3Benjamin King2Larry Ortiz5Amy Vaughn12Adam Williams2swiftscout21fadedorca66driftingwalker19William Hughes16swiftstag66mistymason18Jonathan Reed50hiddenpilot4Jamie Patel2 …
Robert Rodriguez2 Robert Rodriguez2 Regular
353 messages
joined Jul 2015
#2641 ·
Thomas Flores74 said:How much does a backplate actually matter on a GPU?

Mostly for looks. It’s mainly about structural integrity—sometimes the PCB starts sagging under the weight of the heatsink. You get a tiny bit of extra heat dissipation too, but honestly, that's negligible.
electricharbor30 electricharbor30 Active Member
50 messages
joined Apr 2012
#2642 ·
following up on Robert Rodriguez2's last post: Someone actually swiped the backplate right off my GPU!!!
Robert Rodriguez2 Robert Rodriguez2 Regular
353 messages
joined Jul 2015
#2643 ·
electricharbor30 said:referring to Robert Rodriguez2's post: Someone stole my GPU backplate!!!

That card never even had one.🙂
Charles Patel68 Charles Patel68 Newcomer
5 messages
joined Apr 2013
#2644 ·
I'm currently running an i5-4460 with 8GB of RAM, and I'm trying to decide my next move. Should I go with the R9 380—and if so, should I grab the 2GB or 4GB version—or just bite the bullet and get the R9 390, which costs about $30 more?

My main focus is 1080p gaming. To be honest, I'd much rather pick up the R9 380 since the 390 is quite a bit pricier, but I can't help wondering if that extra 2GB of VRAM actually makes a difference. Looking at various benchmarks, the performance gap seems to be only about 1 or 2 FPS, but everyone keeps telling me that the 4GB model is the way to go because modern games are becoming so much more demanding.
Kimberly Gomez34 Kimberly Gomez34 RegularOP
686 messages
joined Jul 2009
#2645 ·
The R9 390 is a significantly more powerful card and certainly isn't overkill for 1080p—though, obviously, that all depends on what you're looking to get out of your setup.
The 4GB version of the 380 is the smarter play here, but right now they’re sitting at a higher price point than the 2GB models at $100, so it's really a toss-up. That makes the 380 x a decent option too, since it's roughly $50 more expensive than the 4GB 380s.

What kind of power supply and case are you running?
Charles Patel68 Charles Patel68 Newcomer
5 messages
joined Apr 2013
#2646 ·
Timothy Kim60 said:The R9 390 is a noticeably more powerful card and definitely isn't overkill for 1080p, though that really just depends on what you need out of it.
Going with the 4GB version of the 380 is the smarter move, but right now they're priced a bit higher at $100 than the 2GB versions, so it’s a toss-up. That makes the 380 x a decent buy too, since it's roughly $50 more expensive than the 4GB 380 model.

What kind of power supply and case are you running?

I've got a Fortron 600W and a Zalman Z1, paired with a B85M-D2V motherboard.

I read somewhere that 500W would be enough for an R9 380, but since I wasn't entirely sure about my Fortron unit, I decided to play it safe and grab something a bit beefier.
crimsonstag84 crimsonstag84 Regular
518 messages
joined Jun 2010
#2647 ·
http://www.nabava.net/search.php?tp=0&q=R9+380X

Maybe grab the Gigabyte R9 380 x from Supernet or somewhere Downtown.
Thomas Flores74 Thomas Flores74 Newcomer
2 messages
joined Aug 2016
#2648 ·
Finally pulling the trigger on a new card 👏 but I'm stuck between two options here

MSI GTX950 gaming 2
LINK

GIGABYTE GTX950 EXTREME 2G
LINK

Is it worth dropping an extra $5 to grab the GIGABYTE? The price gap used to be bigger, but they both dropped recently.
Also, how much slower is the MSI R7 370 gaming 2 g compared to those two?
crimsonstag84 crimsonstag84 Regular
518 messages
joined Jun 2010
#2649 ·
You can grab an MSI Radeon R9 380 at Superstore for about $33 more, which is a significantly better performer. I guess you could go with a cheaper Nvidia GTX 950 for $450, but personally, I’d probably lean toward the R9 380.
Thomas Flores74 Thomas Flores74 Newcomer
2 messages
joined Aug 2016
#2650 ·
crimsonstag84 said:You can grab an MSI Radeon R9 380 at Supernet for about $33 more, which is way more powerful. You could go for cheaper versions of the Nvidia GTX 950 for $450, or just pick up the R9 380.

I checked out the R9 380, but I think it might be overkill for my processor (AMD Athlon II X4 640), plus my budget is strictly $500. With shipping, I'd be looking at $550. I'm definitely upgrading to an AMD FX later, but right now I need a decent GPU because my integrated graphics are garbage. My monitor is a 17" LG L177WSB running at 1440x900. I've heard Nvidia cards don't hit the CPU as hard as AMD ones do.
How good are those cheaper GTX 950s with cooling, since they only have a single fan? I really liked the MSI gaming card because the fans stay off until it hits a certain temp, so it stays quiet, and the reviews for it are solid across the board.
The Gigabyte extreme is slightly stronger, comes with a backplate, and it's shorter! In terms of build quality and cooling, they're basically the same. From some tests I saw, it actually gets pretty close to a GTX 960.
crimsonstag84 crimsonstag84 Regular
518 messages
joined Jun 2010
#2651 ·
http://www.bestbuy.com/catalog/computer-components/msi-gf-gtx950oc-2gd/
Jeffrey Hall11 Jeffrey Hall11 Newcomer
8 messages
joined Dec 2015
#2652 ·
It's $146 including shipping.
swiftfalcon89 swiftfalcon89 Active Member
85 messages
joined Aug 2013
#2653 ·
Jeffrey Hall11 said:That's $1,460 including shipping.

image
Jeffrey Hall11 Jeffrey Hall11 Newcomer
8 messages
joined Dec 2015
#2654 ·
person.... I picked one up at that exact price point through a Goldman Sachs trade about a month ago.

You might want to check this out:
Thomas Flores74 Thomas Flores74 Newcomer
2 messages
joined Aug 2016
#2655 ·
Just picked up an MSI GF GTX950 gaming, 2GB GDDR5, HDMI, DP, DX12 from Newegg, $495 shipped straight to my door.
I went with the dual-fan model because the cooling looks smart and it stays dead silent when I'm just idling.
jaderider18 jaderider18 Newcomer
2 messages
joined Oct 2013
#2656 ·
i5 3330 3.0 Ghz
8 GB DDR3 RAM
Z77SD3H motherboard
Dual-X Radeon 7790 OC
500 W PSU

The goal here is to get > and the new NFS running—is the GPU enough to carry the weight, or am I going to have to shell out for a new CPU too?
Robert Rodriguez2 Robert Rodriguez2 Regular
353 messages
joined Jul 2015
#2657 ·
jaderider18 said:i5 3330 3.0 Ghz
8 GB DDR3 RAM
Z77SD3H motherboard
Dual-X Radeon 7790 OC
500 W PSU

I want to run The Division and the new NFS. Is just upgrading the GPU enough, or do I need a new CPU too?

Just the GPU. What's your budget?
Adam Moore3 Adam Moore3 Regular
322 messages
joined Jun 2014
#2658 ·
And what exact power supply are we talking about?
jaderider18 jaderider18 Newcomer
2 messages
joined Oct 2013
#2659 ·
My bad for leaving out the budget part. $500, the EVGA SuperNOVA power supply
Adam Moore3 Adam Moore3 Regular
322 messages
joined Jun 2014
#2660 ·
This is an absolute steal. It’s a little over $1,500, but for that price, you really can't beat the value.

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