GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

My apologies; based on the tone of your post, I mistakenly thought you had mentioned a Step above 😵

goldenpuma86 said:I recently picked up an Nvidia GTX 650 with three outputs

And I was hoping to hook up both my monitor and my TV—just so I could watch some movies from my PC. Everything went smoothly with the monitor using a VGA cable, so that part is fine. But the TV has been giving me trouble; the card uses mini-HDMI while the TV just has a standard HDMI port, so I ordered an adapter off eBay. Now that it’s finally arrived, I can't get them to work together at all. The TV seems to realize something is plugged in, but there's no signal, and then the graphics card doesn't even seem to recognize that anything is connected...

I even tried a different HDMI cable, but still nothing...

Does anyone have any ideas?

If you're running Windows 7/8, have you checked the screen resolution settings to see if the TV is actually being detected there?

You need to explain things a bit better (or maybe 😬 I just didn't catch it) regarding how you actually hooked everything up.

What outputs does your graphics card even have?
Which port is the monitor plugged into?
And which port is the TV using?
Where is the converter located?
What input are you using on the TV?

What GPU are we talking about here?
What kind of TV is it?
What other inputs does that TV have?

So, what have we actually decided on? Which two or three graphics cards should I end up recommending to him?

Here I am again with a quick question for you experts 😁
When I pick up a new graphics card, do I need to use the existing power cables already coming from my PSU, or should I use the specific cable that comes in the box with the card to connect it to the power supply?
I hope that makes sense 👍

If your power supply already has a direct 6-pin connector for the GPU, just use that. What you've got in the box is basically just an adapter for when your PSU doesn't have the right plug.

I’m looking to drop in a more powerful graphics card, but I’m stuck on whether it’s actually worth the investment. I need to know what kind of price tag I'm looking at for this specific build and, more importantly, what the maximum VRAM capacity would be for a card that won't choke this system.

System Specs:

CPU: Intel Pentium 4 540, Socket 755 LGA, 3.2GHz
RAM: 1GB DDR2
Motherboard: 775Twins-HDTV 1.00 -> http://www.asrock.com/mb/ATI/775Twins-HDTV/
Current GPU: ATI Radeon X200
PSU: LPJ2 300W

Jamie Lopez19 said:I want to upgrade to a better graphics card, but I'm not sure if it's worth the money or how much it would cost for this build. Also, what's the maximum amount of VRAM a card could have that would actually work on this computer?

Computer specs:

CPU: Intel Pentium 4 540, Socket 755 LGA, 3.2GHz
RAM: 1GB DDR2
Motherboard: 775Twins-HDTV 1.00 -> http://www.asrock.com/mb/ATI/775Twins-HDTV/

Nope, no modern graphics card is going to work on that anymore. It's a decade-old architecture—don't even bother.

Hahaha, that’s exactly what I was thinking too. Thanks! 😉

Hey everyone! I'm looking to pick up a new graphics card soon, but I'm stuck between a few different options. Could you guys help me out? Which one should I grab, and why? Also, is it better to go with a Radeon or stick with Nvidia these days?

Budget isn't really an issue for me—I don't mind spending a few extra bucks. Plus, my other parts are all pretty much brand new, so everything should run smoothly. I've got a 600W power supply, an 8-core processor, and a Gigabyte motherboard.
I've always used Nvidia cards and they were awesome, but now I'm second-guessing myself since I haven't kept up with all the latest tech. Any advice would be amazing! Thanks, David Wilson35🙂

NVIDIA GTX 1050

Not all 600W units are created equal. There's a massive difference between a legit, branded power supply and some cheap piece of junk that claims to be 600W but dies the second you actually pull any real power...

If you don't know off the top of your head, just open the case and read the label.

Robert Rodriguez2 said:Not all 600W power supplies are created equal! There's a massive difference between a legit, high-quality brand name unit and some cheap piece of junk that claims to be 600W but dies the second you actually put a load on it...

If you don't know off the top of your head, just pop the case open and read the label!

I just picked up a new Fortron Hyper 600W because I heard it was pretty solid. Honestly, money is a bit tight right now, so I'm stuck choosing between these three cards. Hopefully, I can save up enough next year to grab something beefier.🙂
Which one of these do you think is the best pick?

Honestly, you're getting way more bang for your buck with the AMD Radeon R9 270 compared to the NVIDIA GTX 660. Let's face it—in this specific price bracket, NVIDIA just can't compete. Plus, for basically the same amount of cash, you could snag an AMD Radeon R9 280
instead.

I need some advice on picking between two cards—both are used and definitely out of warranty.

An XFX 6850 with 1GB GDDR5 and a 256-bit bus $167, or a
Gainward NVIDIA GTX 750 Ti with 2GB GDDR5 and a 128-bit bus $267.

The kids are finally getting into gaming 🙂

The 750 Ti is a solid choice, provided you can actually find one with a warranty still intact. It's more efficient—lower power draw, better performance. That said, for what you're paying, you might be better off hunting down a beefier HD7870 or an AMD Radeon R9 270 instead.

Also, what kind of CPU and power supply are we talking about here? I'll need the specific model names.

Timothy Kim60 said:It’s basically a 750Ti—except that thing would actually need to still be under warranty. It's more efficient (uses less juice, performs better), but honestly? For that kind of cash, you could probably hunt down a beefier HD7870 or an AMD Radeon R9 270 instead.

Also, what kind of CPU and PSU are we talking about here? Give me the actual model names.

Look, the power supply and the processor aren't going to be the bottleneck for the GPU performance here—a Seagate BarraCuda setup was handling way heavier loads than this🙂 and it's screaming through a 4x3.0 bus🙂
I was just wondering if that pricier option was actually worth the money.

Look, since newer models are retailing for around $1,100--$400 it’s a decent deal, BUT it absolutely needs to come with a warranty. You really shouldn't settle for anything less than a 2-year guarantee. These cards have only been out on the US market for a little over a year, so there's also the question of how long he's actually been sitting on it.

You might want to take a look at this instead. If it's about two years old, it should still carry at least a 1-year warranty, and it packs way more punch than a 750Ti.

Also, do you happen to know which processor is in there? Is it a Q9650?

Hey. My EVGA GTX 460 OC finally kicked the bucket after almost five years, so I'm in the market for a replacement.
Would $400 maybe be the max budget?

I'm torn between an NVIDIA GTX 750 (maybe even the Ti version) or an AMD Radeon R7 260X. Or does anyone have a better suggestion? I wouldn't mind scouring eBay if I can find something with a warranty for around $110.🙂

The main thing is that I need a quiet card; my old EVGA was pretty noisy. I like that the NVIDIA GTX 750 doesn't require extra power connectors, so it probably draws less juice—maybe that means it'll run cooler and quieter too? Or should I just stick to looking at models with dual fans?
I think I'll skip EVGA this time and look at ASUS or Gigabyte instead.

What specific power supply are you running? Please don't just give me a vague "400W" or "500W" estimate—I need the exact model number...
Also, what CPU are you using?

Honestly, if an NVIDIA GTX 460 can handle the load, then that used AMD Radeon R9 270 mentioned in the post above yours should work just fine too.