GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

mellowtiger83 said:How to build a budget rig
G5420 + GT1030
Athlon G3000 + GT1030 or RX550
Or Ryzen 3200g

A Ryzen setup would cost about 100 dollars more overall, but I'd rather have everything brand new than deal with used parts.$67-

PC Max $667 for Fortnite and school work.

Fortnite isn't heavy, especially on the GPU side, but it’s not nothing either.
Those dual-core chips aren't much cheaper than a Ryzen 1200, which at least gives you four cores.
Those cards will run Fortnite, but they're terrible value—that's just the reality of entry-level hardware.

I saw this shop selling refurbished mining cards for $167, with a 6-month warranty, and you could probably get them to throw in free assembly.
That card is easily 2.5 times more powerful than a GT1030 or an RX550, and way better than a 3200G.

I wouldn't drop below this tier. Better to save up for a few months for that extra 200$100 than settle for something twice as weak.

usa.gov

wiredotter14 said:Fortnite isn't demanding—especially not on the graphics side—but it’s certainly not nothing.
Those dual-core processors aren't actually much cheaper than a quad-core Ryzen 1200.
Those GPUs will run Fortnite, but they aren't great value; unfortunately, that's just the reality of entry-level cards.

I found a shop here selling used mining cards for $167, which come with a 6-month warranty and should fit right into their free PC assembly service.
That card is 2.5 times stronger than a GT1030 or an RX550, let alone the 3200G.

I wouldn't go lower than this. I'd rather wait a few months for those extra 200-$100 than settle for something twice as weak.

usa.gov

Thanks, but am I missing something? I don't see any video outputs on that rx470, or perhaps I'm just looking at it wrong.

Ugh, good catch. Those are just the cards without an output. :/
In theory, you could route the output through the motherboard, but it’s a headache.

Personally, I'd just grab a used GPU bundled with a PC. These entry-level RX550 or GT1030 cards are absolute garbage value if you're actually trying to game.

Or go with a 3200G and 2x8GB of RAM, then just slap a GPU in later when things improve.
Otherwise, 2x4GB is an unlucky move, especially if the motherboard only has two slots, but whatever—if the budget is tight, 2x4 is still better than 1x8.

wiredotter14 said:Ugh, good catch. Those are just cards without any outputs :/
In theory, you can reroute the display through the motherboard, but it isn't exactly straightforward.

Personally, I would just grab a used GPU alongside the build. These entry-level RX550 and GT1030 cards offer terrible value if you actually want to game.

Alternatively, go with the 3200G and 2x8GB of RAM, then drop in a dedicated card later when the budget allows.
Or stick with 2x4GB, which isn't ideal—especially if the motherboard only has two slots—but hey, if funds are tight, 2x4GB is still better than 1x8GB.

That’s the plan. We’ll go with the 3200G and 8GB of RAM (2x4GB), plus a decent power supply so a stronger GPU can be added down the road.

There is no point in picking up a G5400 or a 3000G and adding a GT1030 later, given this Ryzen has the same integrated graphics but provides significantly more CPU muscle.

Maybe I'll just grab a Ryzen 1200 and pick up a used GTX960 or an rx570 for around $500...$200

First, we need to verify if it's actually true that Washington D.C. has the Ryzen 1200 for $133 or if that's just a glitch on their website.

The Ryzen 1200 is definitely a better value than the 3200G or any other budget chip if you can swing a dedicated GPU. Honestly, I think Washington D.C. should have it in stock. The price is solid, but since it’s the first budget Ryzen, I'm not surprised it's moving this fast. Remember when the Ryzen 1600 was going for around $800-$300?

That PSU I linked is plenty. A Ryzen 1200 doesn't pull much juice, so you can easily pair it with a card peaking at maybe 200W—basically any decent card stronger than an RX550.

GTX960, RX460/560, RX470, GTX970, GTX1050, etc...
Just stay away from the old power hogs like the AMD R9 290.
Anyway, if you go with the Ryzen 1200, I'd grab a single 8GB stick of 3000/3200MHz RAM instead. That way you can just slap in another 8GB later. A single 3000MHz channel shouldn't bottleneck a Ryzen 1200 too badly. If you were using integrated graphics, though, you'd absolutely need dual channel.

mellowtiger83 said:I might just grab a Ryzen 1200 and pair it with a used GPU, maybe something like a GTX 960 or an rx570, for around $500-$200

The smartest move regarding your price-to-performance ratio

Keep in mind that the R3 1200 AF is essentially a second-generation Ryzen chip.

Timothy Kim60 said:The smartest move regarding value per dollar

One should consider the R3 1200 AF to be effectively a second-generation Ryzen chip.

Picked up everything from Centro.hr today, except for the CPU, which they informed me was out of stock at Washington D.C.🙂

Asus a320
8gb 1x8 ddr4 2666 patriot
Ssd 120gb
Intertech rgb tempered glass case
Silentium 350w 80+ cpu.

Since Washington D.C. didn't have the r3 1200, I found an r3 1300x at the local shop for the same price, so I am heading there to grab it.

I am wondering if the power supply can handle an msi rx570 4gb—which requires a single 8-pin connector—when paired with the r3 1300x and the rest of these parts, or if I should stick to something used like an rx560, r7 370, x750ti, or a 1050.

It'll work. The rx570 pulls about 140-150W at most, so the whole setup should draw around 200W on the 12V rail. From what I can see, that PSU delivers 27A on the 12V line, which comes out to roughly 324W total—so you're well within the safe zone. Honestly, for that price, it's a pretty solid deal for a power supply.

Just offloaded my 2070, so now I’m hunting for some used hardware in the $400 range--$267 just to handle web browsing, 1080p60 YouTube, and the occasional round of Colin McRae rally (2004) while I wait for new shows to drop. Got a VS650 power supply ready to go.

480 4GB / 570 4GB / 970 3.5GB / 1060 3GB

I've got zero clue which of these high-end models were absolutely trashed by crypto miners, so let me know what to steer clear of.

Adam Moore3 said:It should work. That GTX 1060 pulls maybe 140-150W at most, so the whole system will likely draw about 200W on the 12V rail. From what I can see, this power supply offers 27A on the 12V line, which totals roughly 324W. It’s well within the safe zone. Honestly, it's a pretty solid deal for that price.

👍

Samuel Richardson5 said:I sold my 2070 and now I'm looking for something used in the $400 range $267 for web browsing, 1080p60 YouTube, and playing an occasional WRC rally (2004) to tide me over until the next generation. My power supply is an EVGA 650W.

480 4GB / 570 4GB / 970 3.5GB / GTX 1060 3GB

I'm not sure which of the high-end models were mined on most heavily, so I'd like to avoid those.

Just grab a new GT 1030 2GB GDDR5 for $200. It comes with a 3-year warranty, supports 4K, and will even run Dirt Rally 2.0 (2019) on low settings.

Adam Moore3 said:Sure thing. That GTX 1060 pulls maybe 140-150W max, so the whole setup should draw about 200W on the 12V rail. Looking at the specs, that PSU puts out 27A on the 12V line, which is roughly 324W total. You’re well within the safety zone there. It's actually a pretty solid deal for that price.

Yeah, somewhere in that ballpark. An RX580 draws a bit more power. I'd aim for the GTX 1060 instead.
Who knows what kind of used cards you can find on eBay with a warranty for a decent price. If you don't care about a warranty, you could grab a GTX 970, a GTX 960, or even some older stuff for cheap—like an AMD Ryzen 7 2700X level performance if you're lucky, or things like a GTX 950 or an HD7850. Those are all sitting right around the GTX 1050 range.

Hey there,
Here's what I'm running:

CPU: Intel Core i5 4670k
Motherboard: Z87 OC
PSU: Corsair VX430 (needs an upgrade)

I was thinking about jumping up to an AMD Ryzen 7 3800X along with a new motherboard to help with video editing and Adobe Photoshop... but honestly, it feels like I won't see much of a jump—maybe 15-20% at most—so I'd probably rather just

pick up a new graphics card instead (specifically for DaVinci Resolve).

..Initially, I had my eye on the EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 super, but looking at the prices, it seems like a 2060 Super might be a better call in that range..

Which 2060 Super would you recommend? Or maybe something else entirely?

There’s no such thing as an Intel Core i7 3800. If you actually meant the i7-3820, that won't even fit in your motherboard (you've got a 2011 socket). Even if it did, that's Sandy Bridge architecture, which has weaker single-core performance than what you're running now. You might see a slight bump in multi-core tasks thanks to HT, but let's be honest—it wouldn't even be considered an upgrade over your current setup...

An RTX 2060 Super would definitely bottleneck your CPU. I'm not sure exactly how much of a hit that takes specifically within Resolve, but you're going to run into a bottleneck for sure. Realistically, you need to start looking at upgrading your entire platform.

He was talking about the AMD Ryzen 7 3800X

Robin Bennett18 said:Hi there,
My current setup is:

CPU: Intel Core i5 4670k
Motherboard: Z87 OC
PSU: Corsair VX430 (this definitely needs an upgrade)

I was thinking about upgrading to an AMD Ryzen 7 3800X along with a new motherboard to help with video editing and things like Adobe Photoshop, but I'm starting to wonder if I'll actually see a massive difference? If it's only going to be a 15-20% boost, wouldn't it make more sense to just

invest in a better graphics card instead (specifically for DaVinci Resolve)?

Initially, I had my eye on an EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 super, but now I'm feeling like a 2060 Super might be a much smarter pick for that price range...

Does anyone have a recommendation for a solid 2060 Super, or perhaps something else entirely?

If you aren't running Resolve Studio and are sticking with the free version, you might find that a faster CPU with more threads will really help when it comes to decoding and encoding H.264 or H.265 video, especially those tricky RAW camera formats—particularly if you're working with multiple video tracks at once. Plus, if you find yourself using the iPad for Fusion work, keep in mind that almost all native Fusion effects rely heavily on the CPU. Only you can truly judge if your current processor is cutting it for your specific workflow, but realistically, in terms of multi-threading performance, that i5 is likely nearly half as fast as an AMD Ryzen 5 1600X. As for the GPU, I wouldn't suggest anything less than a 2060 Super with 8GB of VRAM. And honestly, I'd avoid anything sitting between that and a 2080 Ti, since the latter costs three times as much while being less than 50% faster.

It might be worth digging into this study here:

https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/ar...iResolveStudio

wanderingbison9 said:If you aren't running Resolve Studio—meaning you're stuck with the free version—a faster CPU with more threads will definitely help when decoding and encoding H.264 or H.265 video, as well as certain RAW camera formats; this is especially true if you're working with multiple video tracks simultaneously. Also, if you plan on using the Fusion tab, nearly all native Fusion effects rely heavily on the CPU. Only you can really say if your current processor handles your workload, but realistically, that i5 is nearly twice as slow as an AMD Ryzen 5 1600X in multi-threaded tasks. As for graphics, I wouldn't touch anything less than a 2060 Super 8GB. And honestly, don't bother looking at anything between that and a 2080 Ti—the latter is three times the price and isn't even 50% faster.

Take a look at this for some data:

https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/ar...iResolveStudio

Thanks for the reply. I am using the Studio version, so I assume the GPU will take more of the load—though it’ll likely become a bottleneck eventually anyway. Most of my work is in Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, which aren't quite as graphically demanding.
The plan is to pick up a 4K monitor as well... so I'll be doing some occasional 4K editing, which is why I'm eyeing this specific card.

I actually did some reading on that site, which is how I landed on this card in the first place. I just wasn't sure about the specific model, but since everyone mentioned it doesn't matter much for DaVinci Resolve, I'm moving forward. A Palit model is currently a decent deal at around $370-$380.

I'm also debating whether to just build a new PC entirely—and if jumping to a Ryzen would even make a massive difference. I'm considering an AMD Ryzen 7 2700X; the price is great right now, and it isn't a huge leap away from the 3800X. It seems like a better bet than the R5 3600X because of those 8 cores.

I have a laptop too (Intel Core i7 6700HQ, GPU: 860M), but I want to keep that mobile. Would an i5 4670K paired with a new GPU actually outperform the i7 6700HQ and the 860M?

Timothy Kim60 said:There’s no such thing as an i7 3800—if you actually meant the i7-3820, that won't fit your motherboard (2011 socket). It uses Sandy Bridge architecture, which has weaker single-core performance than what you have now; you might see a slight bump in multi-core thanks to HT, but honestly, it wouldn't even count as an upgrade for your current setup...

An RTX 2060 Super would definitely bottleneck your CPU. I'm not sure exactly how much that impacts your work in Resolve, but the bottleneck is going to be there for sure. Realistically, you should be looking at upgrading your entire platform

I hadn't really considered the bottleneck angle—thanks 🙂

Robin Bennett18 said:Thanks for getting back to me; since I’m working with the Studio version, I assume the GPU will be doing most of the heavy lifting, though I suspect I might still run into some bottlenecking issues regardless. My main workflow revolves around Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, which aren't exactly the most graphics-intensive programs out there.
I'm also planning on picking up a 4K monitor, so I want to be able to handle some 4K editing here and there, which is why I'm looking closely at this specific card.

..I actually did some reading on that website, which is how I landed on this particular card in the first place... I just wasn't sure which specific model to go with, but it seems it was already clarified above that it doesn't make much of a difference for DaVinci Resolve. Right now, Palit has a pretty decent price point, sitting somewhere around $370-$380...

I am still weighing whether it makes sense to build an entirely new PC, and honestly, would I even notice a massive jump in speed if I switched over to a Ryzen system? (I'm thinking about grabbing an AMD Ryzen 7 2700X because the price is fantastic right now, and it doesn't feel like a huge leap away from the 3800X... plus, having those 8 cores makes it a better bet than an R5 3600X).

I also have a laptop running an Intel Core i7 with an 860M, but I'd prefer to keep that for mobile use; do you think an i5 4670K paired with a modern card might actually outperform my current i7 setup?

It really doesn't matter which specific model you pick, as an Overclocked GPU barely offers any tangible benefit in Resolve; while overclocking the memory might squeeze out a few extra frames, I'm not entirely sure how much headroom the 2060 Super actually has for memory overclocking.

If you move to an AMD platform, the real advantage would be working with an NVMe SSD alongside uncompressed files or proxies, since you'd get four dedicated PCIe lanes straight to the processor—which could be a lifesaver if your current read/write speeds are slowing you down.

It would be incredibly helpful if you could specify what kind of input and output you're dealing with, specifically regarding file types, resolutions, and frame rates.

At the end of the day, just go ahead and grab that graphics card, and then you can see for yourself if the performance boost is actually enough to satisfy your needs.

wanderingbison9 As requested:
It really doesn't matter which specific Overclocked GPU you go with—you aren't seeing much of a difference in Resolve. Sure, overclocking the memory might squeeze out a couple extra frames here and there, but I have no idea if the 2060 Super is even worth messing with for a memory overclock.

If you switch over to an AMD platform, you’ll see a real difference when working with NVMe SSDs and uncompressed files—or even just proxies. You'd get four dedicated PCIe lanes straight to the CPU, which would be a huge help if your current video read/write speeds are giving you trouble.

It would be a huge help if you could clarify which specs you're working with—specifically regarding the input and output file types, resolution, and FPS.

Either way—just grab that GPU and see if the performance jump actually meets your expectations.

Thanks—I actually found out there's a final beta BIOS (F10A) for the Z87OC that adds NVMe support to this board... that’s really what pushed me toward this specific setup. If NVMe wasn't an option, I wouldn't even be bothering with this combo—I'd just grab a StarTech.com PCIe x4 to M.2 adapter instead.