GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

thanks guys

between the Gigabyte Windforce and the XFX single fan, the price difference is basically nothing (around $20-$343

Just grab it while there's still some wind blowing...

Hey there
I’m looking to swap out my Radeon HD 7770 1GB for something with a bit more kick.
I basically just play World of Warcraft, but lately, the screen keeps freezing up on me for like ten seconds at a time. After the freeze, everything goes back to being totally fine for a while.
It usually chokes right when things get heavy with all the special effects, so I’m guessing my current card is basically on its deathbed..
I need something cheap that’ll stop this stuttering since I’m planning on building a whole new rig next year.
My budget for this year is already pretty much tapped out...
I'll probably grab whatever I find on Amazon.

430w PS
i5 3450
MB Gigabyte GA-768AP-D3
8GB RAM

Thanks in advance

@silentfalcon622/">@@silentfalcon622

You didn't actually give me a budget...

analogtiger19 said:@silentfalcon622/">@@silentfalcon622

you didn't even give me a budget...

My bad 🙂

Keep it under $150 max.

silentfalcon622 said:My bad, 🙂

Keep it under $150.

I'm assuming you're looking at Amazon.com

This should be plenty for what you're trying to do.

https://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-Radeo...keywords=rx460

But if you want the best bang for your buck within that budget, go with this:

https://www.amazon.com/Zotac-Geforce-...rds=gtx+1050ti

That is, if you're willing to stretch just a couple of bucks past that $150 mark.

P.S.

I reckon you could squeeze another 10% or so of performance out of that EVGA version if you unlock it, since they don't run all the cores straight from the factory.

https://www.amazon.com/EVGA-Graphics-Cards/keywords=rx460

Maybe you don't actually need a whole new rig 😛 Your CPU can probably keep up with an RTX 3080, and if you've got NVMe for your SSD, you should be fine.

At least grab a GTX 1650

crimsonstag84 said:Look, you might not even need a whole new rig. Your CPU can handle an RTX 3080 just fine, plus you’ve got NVMe for your SSD, so you're basically set.

At least grab a GTX 1650

Thanks, guys.
I think I'll just go with the GTX 1050.
And maybe pick up an SSD too.

Sent from my CUBOT DINOSAUR via Reddit

Look, the GTX 1650 and the GTX 1050 aren't the same GPU. Generally speaking, those are your cheapest options that still come with a 3-year warranty, which likely makes them the best value for your money

Timothy Kim60 said:Look, a GTX 1650 and a GTX 1050 aren't even the same beast. Usually, these cheap ones come with a 3-year warranty, which probably makes them the best bang for your buck

I ended up grabbing this one:

ASUS GeForce GTX 1050 black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M6ZANMP/..._.IZIyb0PEPVAJ

If my game keeps freezing like crazy, I'm sending it straight back.
If not, then I'll know for sure it wasn't the GPU's fault.😁

Honestly, for nearly the same price, you could have picked this up back home with a full three-year warranty. Usually, the standard is just two years here in the States—like what you'd get at Best Buy—and after that, you're basically on your own if something breaks. But hey, it’s still a solid choice.

Timothy Kim60 said:Honestly, you could have gotten something similar back home in the States with a 3-year warranty for nearly the same price. Usually, it's just a 2-year standard over here, and then you're on your own if things break. But whatever, it's fine.

I was checking out an RX 480 8GB yesterday. It was about $250 on Amazon, but locally it's around $133 more expensive, though you get that 3-year warranty coverage.

You can currently find the MSI gaming 8GB version at a few local shops like Best Buy for $717. It’s an incredible deal considering our market prices—honestly, it's the top-tier model here.

Timothy Kim60 said:You can actually snag an 8GB MSI gaming card at a couple of local shops (like Best Buy or Micro Center) for about $717. Honestly, given how much stuff costs in the States right now, it's a killer deal... probably the best version out there
.

But the second I suggest MSI, everyone starts coming for my throat. 😛 This forum is such a weird place, man. 😬

Anyway, a buddy of mine has an MSI gaming RX 470, and let me tell you, that thing runs ice cold... I’ve got an MSI Armor, which has a decent cooler too, but it just doesn't hold a candle to the Gaming series.

Post a link to the situation. 😉 I honestly think this was taken completely out of context. Whether a deal is actually worth it or not is dictated by the price—hopefully, that’s a concept everyone can wrap their heads around.

Timothy Kim60 said:Give me some context here. 😉 I’m pretty sure this was taken out of context. Whether something is a good deal or not comes down to the price tag—that should be obvious to anyone with half a brain...

This is the only example I could dig up after digging through Google for about 15 minutes.

Everyone’s already branded me a PC Enthusiast, so I guess I'm used to the heat. 😁

It wasn't even an attack on MSI 😛

It was more about a card that's 15-20% pricier just because it has a slightly better cooler than the R9 390 models, despite having basically the same performance.

Let me throw out a counterpoint here:

I’d much rather drop a little extra cash on a card that actually lasts a few years longer than the cheap stuff. Honestly, the only one that could even come close to giving it a run for its money would be maybe a Sapphirek.

Here’s another thing—my brother’s XFX R7950 2 bit the dust just two weeks after the warranty expired. And get this, the damn thing had already been baked twice...

So, I find it pretty hilarious that people are out here grabbing XFX when they wouldn't hesitate to pay a bit more for a card that actually survives twice as long.

Basically, $1000 wasted his money on something that totally crapped out on him. What a waste... I’m telling you, 3000 (!!!).

Just because your brother’s XFX card died, does that mean nobody should ever buy XFX?

Are you guaranteeing it'll last twice as long? On what basis? If I go online and find some guy whose brother had that exact GPU and it crapped out on him, does that suddenly make the card garbage?