GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Beyond just picking up a new graphics card, you’re really looking at needing a fresh processor too, and once you go down that path, you're pretty much forced to upgrade to a better power supply because what you've got right now isn't even cutting it, and honestly, the whole thing could just give up the ghost all at once if you aren't careful. In my humble opinion, it just doesn't make sense to keep pouring money into this current setup. You'd be much better off starting a little fund to save up for an entirely new build from scratch; you could always hang onto the case, the hard drive, and the DVD drive from your old rig, but everything else should probably be sold while it still actually holds some value.

We’re all on the same page here—as soon as you try to install anything even remotely serious, the whole system loses its balance. You really have to invest in at least two other components just to keep things stable.

If you pick up a decent used graphics card like an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650... $100 If you want something that actually works—meaning it supports DX11 and won't kill your power bill—this is the way to go. It’s a minimal investment for a massive jump in performance. I mean, if the kid was struggling to get anything running on an NVIDIA GeForce GT 210, he's going to feel like a king with this upgrade. He can just ride that wave and enjoy the games while they last.

He can run an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 or even an HD7750, among other things. Those are really just the more expensive used options available right now—and honestly, they're pretty hard to find at the moment anyway.

I honestly can't say for sure if his power supply is going to hold up under the pressure, because let's be real—it's rated for maybe 300W at most, and I’d hate to see it give up the ghost and take the rest of his hardware down with it.

It feels like a lifetime ago, but I still vividly remember back when I was running an Intel Pentium 4 paired with an NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200... I had this basic 300W power supply from Microsoft, and the moment I decided to throw in a second DVD-RW drive just so I could have two burners going at once, everything went sideways. The PC just wouldn't boot up properly anymore; it started acting so erratic, randomly restarting itself during startup and even while I was just sitting there working in macOS, which basically forced my hand to go out and immediately shell out some serious cash for a reliable, name-brand replacement. 😵

Joshua Garcia3 said:I need some help here—does anyone have an idea what I could realistically get for this graphics card? EVGA GeForce GTX 450 DirectCU The card is brand new and still in its original packaging—never even been used—but just so you know, the warranty period has already expired.

I guess I should probably address the elephant in the room regarding this specific hardware setup. It’s a bit of a mess, honestly. Looking at the specs, I can’t help but feel like we’re looking at a collection of parts that were never meant to coexist in the same chassis. Maybe it’s just me, but trying to make an Intel Pentium 4 play nice with these older components feels like a massive uphill battle. You’ve got the NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 sitting there next to what should probably be a much more modern power supply—though, given the current configuration, a Corsair 550W is likely the only thing keeping this whole disaster from shorting out. It’s a strange build. Not necessarily bad, just... odd. I suppose if you enjoy troubleshooting driver conflicts on macOS all weekend, this is exactly the kind of project you’d want. Just my two cents. kaže:
Comparing the GTS 450 against the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650—both running on DDR5.

I think that new NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 was around a year or two ago. $183... so maybe. $117 As a starter.

Went for $365.00. 👍

Nicholas Long78 said:I'm honestly not sure if his power supply can handle it. It’s rated for maybe 300W max, and I’d be worried about it dying and taking the rest of the components down with it.

I remember back in the day when I was running an Intel Pentium 4 paired with an NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200... I had a generic 300W power supply, and the moment I threw in a second DVD-RW drive just to have two burners, the whole system started acting up. It would randomly reboot during startup or while I was working in macOS, forcing me to shell out cash immediately for a name-brand replacement.😵

Even 300W isn't enough.

Look, his CPU pulls 65W—and that GPU I mentioned draws its power from the PCI-E slot (around 60-65W). Under full load, we aren't looking at more than 150W total. Raw wattage isn't the issue here; the real problem is the lack of build quality.😬
At least the hardware isn't ancient...

Thanks for all the advice and input. 🙂 I’m not really looking to swap out any other parts right now, nor am I in the market for a whole new rig, so Timothy Kim60 you think grabbing an HD6670 DDR5 would be my best bet just to see how far I can push things?

Edit:
Forgot to mention... I'm running at 1920 x 1080 resolution, though obviously I never actually play anything at that setting because my hardware can't handle it. 😁

Look, if you're messing around with new parts, you're eventually going to have to drop the cash anyway... so you might as well save up and tackle it in this order:

1. power supply (roughly $100)
2. GPU (depends on how much you actually game)
3. CPU + mobo + RAM (cheapest route is probably around $367 or more)
4. extra RAM

Once those upgrades are done, you've basically got a decent rig (like a brand new PC 😁) and you can still play stuff without issues in the meantime. Plus, you can probably flip your old parts for a little extra cash

So, my suggestion would be to grab a used card like an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 for maybe 600-700-$267 and get a fresh power supply. Or just do the PSU first and save at least $267 toward the GPU later

It’s not like I’m some obsessive hardcore gamer or anything. I just jump in when something actually looks decent. Lately, I've been cycling through stuff like NFS Most Wanted, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed... honestly, I won't even bother bringing up the older titles. I just finished Assassin's Creed, and now? No clue what's next or even when I'll get around to it. I'll just wait until I stumble upon something that actually fits my vibe.😁

I guess your best bet is what I just mentioned: grab a used GPU and a fresh power supply.

I have a quick question regarding gaming at 720p resolution, which is essentially half-HD.🙂

I am currently deciding between two used graphics cards: an NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 or an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560. Which one would be the better choice?

The rest of the build consists of

an Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB of DDR2 Ocz Platinum RAM
a 160GB SATA drive
a Corsair 550W power supply

Buying a completely new computer isn't an option right now🙂, so I am weighing these two options, or perhaps even looking at an older 4850 or 4870.

The system currently has an 8600GT with 512MB; the goal is to play newer titles on medium settings if possible. Thanks in advance for any help.

I am actually asking this on behalf of a friend.

neonpuma7 said:Quick question: if I'm playing at 720p—basically standard HD--🙂

I'm torn between two used cards, an NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 or a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560. Which one should I grab??

The rest of the rig is

Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB DDR2 OC Platinum
160GB SATA
Corsair 550W

Buying a whole new PC isn't an option🙂, so I'm deciding between those two or maybe a 4850 or 4870.

Right now there's an 8600GT 512MB in the machine. I want to run newer games on medium settings as much as possible, so thanks for any help.

Asking for a friend!!

What kind of budget are we looking at? Regarding those two cards, the 560 is definitely the stronger performer, but you might be able to find something even better for that price.

What’s the point of upgrading if that CPU is just going to bottleneck a 6770 anyway?

Exactly, your processor is basically a paperweight...

Look, I get that, but if you're already dropping cash on a GPU, you might as well grab something significantly better for the price. You can always just swap it into a different rig later—there are plenty of great deals out there right now.

Guys, sorry for the late reply, you all were quick. 🙂

An XFX 6770 1 GB GDDR5 was bought for $100. We tried running Battlefield 3 on medium settings at 720p and it runs great; my friend is happy with it. He has maybe $100 left over for a CPU upgrade, but I'm not sure what he can get for that amount that would be more powerful than a 5200+. His motherboard is an MSI K9N Neo, and I have no idea which processors that supports.

If it’s possible to pick up something stronger for that price, then fine, but if not, this should be good enough.

Thanks to everyone for the help, and Happy New Year to you all.

neonpuma7 said:Guys, sorry for the late reply, you all are fast 🙂

He picked up an XFX 6770 1GB GDDR5 for $100, tried Battlefield 3 on medium at 720p and it runs great; my buddy is happy. He’s got about $100 left over to upgrade his CPU, but I have no idea what he can get for that kind of money that's stronger than a 5200+. His motherboard is an MSI K9N Neo and I'm not sure which processors it actually supports.

If there's something beefier available for that price, cool, but if not, this one will be good enough.

Thanks everyone for the help and Happy New Year to you all!

For $100, you definitely couldn't find anything better; that's an awesome deal. Since the motherboard is AM2, the best it can handle are those dual-core Athlon chips, which are honestly pretty weak by today's standards. He already has the 5200+, and the absolute strongest thing he could swap in is a 6000+ (there might be slightly higher ones out there, but he probably won't find them locally anyway), though it's really not worth it since it's basically just the same chip with a slightly higher clock speed. He should just save that cash and start saving for something newer; there's no point in upgrading this platform anymore. Even the cheapest new Celeron from $83 would eat the strongest Athlon from that series for breakfast.🙂

BF3 actually runs pretty great on medium settings with that Pro; I honestly expected it to be way worse.

Nvidia Geforce GTX 960 Set to Launch with Two ‘Ti’ Models – Leaked Benchmarks Show Up to 1536 CUDA Cores

From what I gather, you can actually push those 5200+ units up to a clock speed of 6000+ MHz, which honestly makes upgrading to a native 6000+ model feel a bit redundant. Unless, of course, you decide to take the plunge and try overclocking your current setup to hit that 6000+ mark without accidentally frying your processor, which would be a disaster.

When it comes to the broader idea of upgrading, I’ve always felt that the smartest move is to invest heavily in high-quality components like a rock-solid power supply, a sturdy case, and reliable storage drives—stuff that can actually serve you well when you build your next rig. For instance, I personally used a Tagan 480 w in my old machine, and I carried it right over into the next build I put together myself; even my case has stuck with me since my very first generation PC, and believe it or not, I'm already on my third generation now.
That really seems to be the only way to genuinely save money when building a new computer, by repurposing parts from your previous one. By mixing in those older components, my recent build ended up costing me roughly $1233, whereas if I had gone completely fresh without reusing anything, that total would have easily ballooned to $1667 without any real reason.
And then, of course, you just list whatever leftover parts are sitting around on Craigslist.

I actually went through the process of selling two old power supplies and picking up a brand-new one because the ones I had were about five or six years old, and I just didn't want to risk them blowing up on me—plus, they were still using those ancient ATA connectors, which just isn't practical anymore.

Tapatalk 2 using mobile - Samsung Galaxy Fit S5670

I'm letting go of my R9 280 for a steal. If anyone's interested, just shoot me a PM.