GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

So, I'm rocking an i5-4440@3.10 GHz paired with 16GB of RAM, running on an Asrock H81M-HDS motherboard.
Is a GTX1650 pretty much the ceiling for what I can grab for around $400?
Like, should I go with the paliti GTX1650 StormX, 4GB GDDR5 or maybe the KFA2 GeForce GTX 1650 ex plus, 4GB GDDR6?
Since that KFA2 one comes with DDR6, does that actually make it a better bet?

silverridge3 said:I'm running an i5-4440@3.10 GHZ with 16GB of RAM on an Asrock H81M-HDS motherboard.
Is a GTX1650 about the best I can aim for within a budget of roughly $400?
For instance, should I go with the paliti GTX1650 StormX with 4GB GDDR5 or the KFA2 GeForce GTX 1650 ex plus with 4GB GDDR6?
Since this KFA2 model uses DDR6, would that be a better bet?

Hold out just a bit longer for a 1650 Super; there's a massive difference— CLICK. Yeah, that's pretty much the ceiling for what your processor can handle.

Hey,

I'm looking for a GPU just to run GTA V on some low-to-medium settings at 720p.

Here's what I'm running right now:

-Intel i3-3220@3.30 GHz
-Asrock B75M-GL
-8GB RAM

I'd definitely prefer picking up something new.

silverrider10 said:Hi,

I'm looking for a GPU so I can play GTA V on some low-to-medium settings at 720p.

My current setup:

-Intel i3-3220@3.30 GHz
-Asrock B75M-GL
-8GB RAM

I'd prefer to buy a new card.

up to $200 with active cooling
https://www.adm.com/kfa2-gt1030-2gb-g...m_medium=click
The next option is a 1050ti, but the price is around $367 and I'd probably need to swap the CPU for an I5 3330 or i7 3770; you can find an i5 3330 on eBay for $47.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Just realized my monitor doesn't even have an HDMI input—it's just VGA.
Any alternative for the card? Or should I just grab a VGA to HDMI adapter?

As for upgrading the CPU, I'm holding off until the next GTA drops, then I'm jumping over to the PS5. 😁

New GPUs don't have analog outputs anymore, so you're going to need an active adapter. Honestly, I'd just hunt down a used card that actually has a DVI-I port; then all you'll need is a cheap passive adapter for about $5.00. Look for an Nvidia 900 series, AMD 300 series, or anything older than that.

I've been sitting here weighing the pros and cons of picking up another RX 580 to pair with my current AsRock Phantom gaming card, mostly because the market for new GPUs is just wild right now; if I wanted to actually double my speed in Resolve, I’d have to shell out at least three times the cash for a single modern card. My main concerns, however, are power and heat. Right now, I'm running a Chieftek GPS 550 AB-A which provides two 6-pin PCI-E connectors:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/LE55P1wfb9sMNkeQA

My existing RX 580 pulls about 120W at peak load in Resolve when I've got it undervolted, so running two would push that to 240W, and once you factor in the 100-125W from the CPU and chipset, I'm looking at something that exceeds the total 360W rated on my 12V rails. If you think this setup is pushing it too far, what kind of power supply would be a solid choice for this scenario while keeping things around the 400-$167 mark?

As for cooling—I'd have two RX 580 cards stacked right on top of each other. I currently have a 120mm fan in the front and an 80mm one in the back, though I could swap that rear one for a 92mm. I have a 120mm fan on the side, but it won't fit due to the CPU cooler, unless I mount it externally. Am I just inviting a total disaster here? 😬

That 120W figure you're looking at—if you're just reading what MSI Afterburner or similar software reports—isn't actually the total power draw of the GPU. 😁
That means you definitely need to look at a different power supply. Whether it's because the current one is getting old, simply lacks enough wattage, or just isn't built with high-end components, it won't cut it.

To $167 handle this properly, you need something that offers both solid build quality and plenty of headroom. Honestly, your best bet might be to go with this instead.

Timothy Kim60 said:So, that reading shows 120W, but don't you think the information provided by MSI Afterburner or similar tools doesn't actually represent the total power draw of the GPU? 😁
So, looking at this setup, the power supply definitely needs to be swapped out for something else entirely. Where the old unit sits, there’s just not enough wattage to handle the load, and honestly, the build quality isn't exactly anything you'd call reliable or serious. Wouldn't it be better to start with a solid foundation?

It seems like you might have hit "send" a little too early! Did you have a specific post or some text you wanted me to rework for you? Just paste it whenever you're ready, and I'll get to work transforming it into that smooth, conversational American style we discussed. $167 You really need something that strikes a balance between solid build quality and raw power. Wouldn't it be better to aim for something a bit more substantial? Perhaps the best move would be to go for... Is there anything else you need me to work on?

I've been checking my power consumption through the AMD adrenalin software lately, though I can't help but wonder if everyone else is just seeing the exact same numbers?

I almost forgot—I was actually looking at this one: I was browsing through some hardware listings online recently and couldn't help but wonder about the current state of the used market. It really makes you stop and think, doesn't it? When you see all these different components floating around on sites like eBay, you have to ask yourself if the value proposition actually holds up for the average builder today. Is it truly worth hunting down older gear, or are we better off just saving up for something modern? It’s an interesting puzzle to solve when you're trying to balance a budget against performance.

It’s a bit strange when you look at the prices on international retail sites, isn't it? It seems like every single RX 580 out there is actually more expensive than what we're seeing here in the States.

I've also seen some listings popping up on eBay for what's supposedly brand new stock, though one has to wonder about the actual origin of those items? $417So, I was wondering, are there any hidden pitfalls or specific things to watch out for when looking at that XFX card?

The cooler is decent—pretty middle-of-the-road if I recall correctly (some are better, some are worse).

Now, regarding temperatures, it's hard to say for sure since you'll have two units sitting right next to each other, plus we don't know what kind of case you're running. If you can, definitely install that side cooler.

As for power consumption—that reading only shows you the GPU itself. You've still got to account for the memory subsystem (DDR5), the VRM draw, and the fans.

Timothy Kim60 said:That's only 120W. And if you're actually thinking that what MSI Afterburner or whatever displays is the total power draw of the GPU, you're wrong. It isn't. 😁
So, the power supply definitely needs an upgrade. Where the old one sits, there’s just not enough juice—plus, the quality isn't exactly anything to write home about.

Do $167 You need something high-quality, but you also need serious power. Might be best to go with... This is it.

Hitting 120W is actually doable if you undervolt. Take an RX 580, for example—if you go with a moderate underclock and undervolt while mining, you can get that down to around 100W.

Exactly, but that’s just the GPU—specifically the GPU-chip—not the entire card itself. That's what you're seeing if those are stats from a monitoring program.

Those cards pull about 200W at Stock during gaming, though they can jump to 220-250W under stress tests, depending on the specific model. I highly doubt you can cut power consumption in half just by undervolting; you're likely only looking at the GPU portion of the draw.

I used a power meter to check exactly how many watts the whole rig was pulling from the wall while running a combined stress test on both the CPU and GPU, and it clocked in somewhere between 380 and 400 W. When I ran Unigine Heaven, it pulled about 300 W, though the CPU wasn't being pushed to its absolute limit there.

The most aggressive undervolt I managed to pull off without causing the drivers to crash was dropping from 1.150 V down to 1.075 V.

Timothy Kim60 said:Yeah, but that's just the GPU—specifically the GPU-chip—not the entire graphics card. That's how the data comes through if you're looking at monitoring software.

These GPUs pull about 200W during actual gaming, though they jump up to the 220-250W range during stress tests, depending on which model you're running. I highly doubt you can cut power consumption in half just by undervolting—you guys are only looking at the GPU portion.

The GPU alone can pull 75W, then you’ve got another 25W going to the memory and everything else. I'm talking about mining here, which is pretty intense, though you can always go the underclocking route. Personally, my card runs dead silent and stable at 0.925V and 1150Mhz. You can hit 1200Mhz if you bump it to 0.95V—which is close to the base clock of around 1250Mhz—but obviously, that depends on the specific card you're holding.
I have no idea how this works in those programs wanderingbison9 needs. Does performance take a massive hit when you drop the clock speed, or is it more memory-focused like mining?
Look, that GPU-chip power draw figure isn't exactly pinpoint accurate on its own. But generally speaking, you can just look at the actual measurements. If you've got a rig with six cards and a Pentium pulling 700W straight from the wall, it’s not exactly rocket science to figure out what each individual card is sucking up.

wanderingbison9 said:I measured exactly how many watts the whole rig pulls from the wall—running both the CPU and GPU under full stress simultaneously—and it hit between 380 and 400 W. When I ran Unigine Heaven, it pulled 300 W, but that's because the CPU isn't being pushed to its absolute limit there.

The absolute max undervolt I managed to pull off without the driver crashing was from 1.150 down to 1.075 V.

ja 9 t using Tapatalk

What clock speeds? Stock?
If you want to cut down on power consumption, undervolting helps a ton compared to just underclocking.

Also, have you tried switching the settings from "Graphics" to "Compute"? It makes a massive difference for mining. Not sure if that applies to whatever you're working on, though.

I mean, if this thing is pulling 380-400W at full load, there's really no point in overthinking it—you just gotta swap out the power supply...

@wiredotter14/">@@wiredotter14:

Just to clarify, the power consumption was measured while running an undervolted GPU—as I mentioned before—but without any underclocking (staying at 1380 MHz), all while the CPU (R1600X) was overclocked to 4GHz.
Dropping the GPU clock by 100-200 MHz doesn't actually make much of a difference, though you might lose a few FPS here and there; the more critical factor is keeping the VRAM at 2250 MHz. As for Compute, it doesn't seem to offer any real advantage, likely because the overhead from the GPU-CPU/RAM transfer for every single frame basically cancels out any gains from faster compute speeds.
Honestly, I’d probably just grab an RX 570 instead, since it's about 5% slower and if the price is the same, why bother? :coffee:

fadedorca66 said:Look, if this thing is pulling 380-400W at full load, there's really no debate—just swap out the power supply already...

so

wanderingbison9 said:@wiredotter14/">@@wiredotter14:

Power draw was measured on an undervolted card, as I mentioned, but without underclocking (it stayed at 1380 MHz), while the CPU (R1600X) was overclocked to 4GHz.
An underclock of 100-200 MHz on the GPU doesn't change much, though you might lose a few FPS; the real key is the VRAM at 2250 MHz. Compute doesn't help anything, probably because the GPU-CPU/RAM transfer overhead per frame just cancels out any gains from faster Compute.
Honestly, an RX 570 would work too since it's about 5% slower, and if they're the same price, why bother? :coffee:

ja 9 t using Tapatalk

Regardless of what the PSU can handle, undervolting isn't a bad idea if you're trying to drop temps and power consumption.
That Compute option? Pretty sure AMD just baked their mining driver straight into the standard driver a few years back when the mining craze hit and they were shipping two different driver versions.

VRAM tuning is usually more of a headache than GPU tuning. If you're truly obsessed with squeezing out every last drop of performance, you could mess with VRAM tuning by flashing the BIOS, but be extremely careful if your card doesn't have a dual BIOS.
Just play around with the voltage and the GPU clock; dropping the clock slightly lets you significantly lower the voltage.

wanderingbison9 said:I used a power meter to check exactly how many watts the whole rig pulls from the wall during a stress test (pushing both the CPU and GPU at the same time), and it hit about 380 to 400 W. Running Unigine Heaven pulled 300 W, but the CPU wasn't being pushed to its absolute limit there.

The maximum undervolt I managed to achieve before the driver crashed was dropping from 1.150V down to 1.075V.

ja 9 t using Tapatalk

That’s exactly it. About 95% of your total draw comes from the CPU and GPU combined. If your graphics card were only pulling 110W, you wouldn't see a total consumption this high, because your CPU definitely isn't drawing 250W alone.

Under full load, your GPU will pull roughly 220-250W (if it's at Stock), the CPU might take around 100W, and the rest covers everything else.

Bottom line: there is absolutely no debate here—you are going to need a more powerful, higher-quality power supply if you plan on running two GPUs.

Oops, I can't quite remember if I had actually applied the undervolt when I was taking those measurements earlier, and since my meter is sitting right there on the plasma screen, I really don't feel like getting up to move it again. I suppose I could try walking through it step by step—maybe grab the graph first, then attempt an undervolt combined with an underclock down to what is typically considered standard for polaris (though I should probably measure exactly how much of an FPS hit I take first, even if it shouldn't be more than one). If the system keeps shutting down regardless, then I guess it's time to look into a new power supply.

I’d definitely grab a new power supply regardless of whether you undervolt or not.