GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

This GPU actually outperforms the GTX 660—it’s stronger in standard usage, and you’re getting that Tahiti chip found in the HD 7950 too. The only catch is this specific model doesn't have the cooler shown in the photo; it uses a single fan setup instead. It should function just fine, though you might see slightly higher temperatures. Most people end up swapping in aftermarket coolers anyway if they want to push the overclocking potential.

http://www.craigslist.org/vi/graphics-cards/15762540

Just saw this posted about 20 minutes ago. 🙂

It’s listed on PCEX too...
And he just bought it three months ago for $333 on this same forum.

No way am I playing like some total amateur... 😁

Some guy on Craigslist sold his HD 5850 for $100 🙏

🤣

Then you might as well say you're offering $350 😁

Yeah.. 😁
We'll see...
Sent an offer to a guy for the 7870, so fingers crossed..
Might just hit up that person with the GTX 660 too..

Maybe I'll even try to trade my CPU for the GTX 560 plus some cash on my end..
😁

Timothy Kim60 said:This GPU actually beats out the GTX 660—it’s just plain faster, plus you get that Tahiti chip found in the HD 7950. The only catch? It doesn't have the cooler shown in the photo; it's just a single fan model. I assume it runs fine regardless, but temps might run a bit higher. Most people just slap an aftermarket cooler on them if they want to overclock.

the new guy..
seller's response..

As for the cooling, the heatsink is solid. It's the one with the dual fan from XFX. That's why I priced it lower than the usual estimate. Usually, folks just add a second fan and call it a day. They use standard case fans and everything stays quiet and cool. Mine is in a case with plenty of airflow, so I haven't had any issues.

Hey there,
So, I’ve got this rig that’s about three years old now, and I’m seriously considering a GPU upgrade—though honestly, I only want to do it if it’s absolutely necessary. My current card just can't even hit the minimum requirements for any of the recent titles... it's pathetic. I'm running a 1680x1050 monitor right now, and while I don't have immediate plans to jump to Full HD, it would be nice if a new card could actually handle modern games at this resolution without the framerate tanking...

Here's what I'm rocking:
CPU: i7 2600K
Mobo: ASUS P8P67 RAM
RAM: Corsair 16GB 1333Mhz
GPU: MSI GeForce 560
PSU: Corsair VX 550W
Storage: Samsung SSD 120 and two WD Caviar Black drives.

Case is some kind of Cooler Master Tower. My current card is about 9 inches long, so I think I can squeeze in something up to 10 inches max before things get tight... I’d really rather not touch the power supply if I can help it, but I'm thinking that 550W should be plenty for whatever I pick.

I'm looking to drop about up to $0.67 on this. I don't care if it's NVIDIA or AMD, just give me the absolute best bang for my buck. I'm strictly looking for something brand new, though... I don't trust used hardware one bit.

Bryan Evans77

Yeah, looks like there's a Tahiti dual fan version link. If $233 grab it. A dual fan setup is perfectly fine. Honestly, that GTX 660 is weaker, and its cooler isn't exactly top-tier either (that single fan Gainward one)

cosmicmoose2

When you're spending this kind of cash, three specific cards really matter here:

R9 280
R9 285 (which is basically just the same GPU rebranded as the R9 380 in a few days)
GTX 960

Performance-wise, they're all sitting in a similar ballpark; here’s a model that comes with a 3-year warranty

http://www.newegg.com/p/product_info.php?products_id=16402

Most other options exceed 260mm, but this one is 267mm 🙂 (though it usually fits in cases like yours)

As for the power supply and everything else, you shouldn't have any issues at all.

cosmicmoose2 said:Hey there,
I've got a PC that's about three years old now, and I'm considering a GPU upgrade (only if it's absolutely necessary). My current card can barely hit the minimum requirements for recent titles. My monitor resolution is 1680x1050, and while I don't plan on jumping to Full HD anytime soon, I'd love a card that can handle modern games at my current resolution with a decent frame rate.

Current specs:
CPU: i7 2600K
Mobo: ASUS P8P67 RAM
RAM: Corsair 16GB 1333Mhz
GPU: MSI GeForce 560Ti
PSU: Corsair VX 550W
HDD: Samsung SSD 120 and two WD Caviar Black drives.

My case is some kind of Cooler Master Tower. My current card is about 9 inches long, so the interior could fit a card up to 10 inches max. I'd prefer not to upgrade the PSU if possible, but I think this 550W unit should be enough for what I need.

I'm looking to spend up to $0.67, and I don't care whether it's NVIDIA or AMD, as long as it's a total best buy for the money. I want something new; I don't really trust buying used gear.

I bet you dropped a pretty penny on that setup when you first built it. 🙂 You've got a great foundation here; even though the platform is older, it's still a beast of a machine where, as you mentioned, the graphics card is the only bottleneck. Right now, what's available for $667 is basically either an R9 280, R9 285, or a GTX 960. Honestly, I'd suggest holding off just a little longer until the new AMD series hits the market, which should be very soon. Prices will likely shift then—and hopefully in your favor—so you might end up being able to get something worth $600 for maybe $150 or something similar in just a week. It's hard to predict the future, but I don't think you'll lose anything by waiting a week. 🙂

Alright, thanks for the heads-up. I actually checked out that 960 myself, but figured it was better to double-check before pulling the trigger... just to be safe 🙂

I think I'll hold off for a bit to see if prices drop. That savings would basically pay for my copy of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim 😁

@cosmicmoose2

If it’s still in stock, though it is 28cm long... I guess you could maybe remove some of the HDD cages?

I just can't get this thing to fit... no matter what I do.

Hey,

I need some help picking out a new GPU. It’s likely that in a few months—or maybe even a year—I'll be swapping out my motherboard, drive, RAM, and CPU (looking at a Z97 build next)... but for now, here's what I'm running:

ASUS ROG motherboard (PCIe 2.0)
Intel Core i7 processor
4GB DDR2 800

Seagate Barracuda HDD 500GB
AMD ATI Radeon 4770 512MB DDR5

Cooler Master case
400W generic PSU..

So, here's the options:

ASUS Radeon series $444

XFX Force AMD Radeon R7 265A 2GB DDR5 $400

The local retailers don't really have the exact R7 265 models listed, so I just linked to Best Buy...

XFX Force AMD Radeon R9 270A 2GB DDR5 $467

GIGABYTE AMD Radeon R9 270X GDDR5 2GB 256bit GV-R927XOC-2GD $551

ASUS R9 270X DC2 2GB GDDR5 $517 .... basically the same Asus one from the link... $475 (web)

What do you guys think about those two R7 265 cards? Also, what kind of PSU should I get, considering this Q9300 pulls about 95W on its own?
Is it actually worth stepping up to the R9 270s, and if so, which one is better?
And will any of these fit in my Cooler Master case? (That Gigabyte one from $533 looks massive...)

I'm buying this card strictly for PES and FIFA over the next couple of years... maybe Killing Floor 2... nothing too demanding.

Hey guys,

I was wondering if it’s actually worth dropping $3,900 on an AMD Radeon series card with 8GB of VRAM? I can't decide if those are still a good move, or if I should just hold out for something with more modern tech—or even just something faster and more efficient than the older AMD Radeon RX series. Basically, I'd love to hear what you all think about it.

Larry Murphy83 said:Hey guys,

Is it actually worth dropping $400 on an AMD Radeon RX series 8GB card? Are they bringing anything new to the table, or are they just faster than the old R9 2xx series? Basically, I want your take.

It’s the exact same crap in different packaging. Literally.

If they were rebranding, I expected the 380 to equal the 290, and for the 390 to actually be something fresh. Instead, they just renamed last gen's cards. They even bumped up the VRAM just to say they did... lol.

It sucks. They aren't new tech, they aren't even faster—it's just overpriced, repackaged garbage.

Thomas Diaz53 said:Hey there.

I could use some help picking out a new graphics card. There's a good chance that in a few months—or maybe even a year or two—I'll be upgrading my whole setup, including the motherboard, hard drive, RAM, and CPU (probably moving toward a Z97-style build)... but for right now, here is what I'm currently running:

ASUS ROG motherboard (pcie2.0)
Intel Core i7 processor
DDR2 4GB 800

Seagate Barracuda HDD 500GB
I was looking at an old AMD ATI Radeon 4770 with 512MB of DDR5.

The Cooler Master case.
Some random 400W power supply... maybe?

So, here we go:

ASUS Radeon series card (DC2 2GB GDDR5) $444

XFX AMD Radeon series 2GB DDR5 $400

Since Linksys doesn't actually carry those ASUS Radeon series cards, I figured I'd just drop the link from eBuy.

Thinking about picking up an XFX AMD Radeon series card—specifically that R9 270A with 2GB of DDR5. I've been weighing the options lately, and I guess I’m just trying to figure out if it still holds any weight for basic setups. It’s a bit of an older spec, maybe, but I wonder if it can still handle some light lifting without being a total headache. Just something to chew on. $467

So, I've been looking at this Gigabyte AMD Radeon series card—specifically the R9 270X model with 2GB of GDDR5 and a 256-bit bus. It's an interesting little piece of hardware. I guess it's worth digging into if you're trying to figure out where it sits in a modern build, though maybe it's a bit dated for anyone looking for heavy lifting these days. Just something to keep on the radar. $551

So, I've been looking at this ASUS Radeon series card lately. It's an interesting little piece of hardware, though I guess it depends on what you're actually trying to get out of it. Just thinking about how it might fit into a build. $517 ...it’s basically the same thing as that ASUS model from Linksys... $475 (web)

I'm curious what you guys think about these two R7 265 cards. Also, any idea what kind of power supply I should be looking at? This Intel Core i7 processor pulls about 95W on its own, so I don't want to run into any issues.
So, how much is it actually worth to go for one of those R9 270 cards? And honestly, which one is the better bet?
So, I was wondering... do you think this Gigabyte board would actually fit inside this Cooler Master case? I'm looking at that specific one. $533 It looks like a massive amount...

I’m looking at getting a GPU strictly for playing PES and FIFA over the next few years... maybe some Killing Floor 2 too. Nothing really more demanding than that, I guess.

If you ask me, you'd be much better off going with an AMD Radeon series card right now. I wouldn't bother with the 270x, though; honestly, for what you're spending, you can grab an AMD Radeon RX 580 with 2GB instead. That’s going to hold up way longer. Since it's part of the newer lineup, it's definitely the smarter play for gaming. It should also fit into that Cooler Master case of yours without any real issues. Even something beefier like a SHAPPHIRE AMD Radeon series card with three fans—which usually runs about 8 inches long—would probably fit just fine.

Gary Anderson38 said:It’s literally the exact same packaging. Just repackaged.

With a rebrand like this, I kind of expected the 380 to equal the 290, and maybe the 390 would actually bring something new to the table. Instead, they just renamed the old generation of cards. Oh look, they bumped up the VRAM, haha...

It's pretty bad. At the end of the day, there's no new tech here and they aren't any faster. It's just overpriced, repackaged junk.

hahah, so even with a bit more GB, it doesn't really matter? I guess it still makes sense to just grab an older Radeon RX series card for cheaper if I can get basically the same performance, right?

Larry Murphy83 said:haha, so even with a bit more VRAM, it’s still useless. So you're saying I should just grab an old R9 290X series instead? It'd be cheaper and give me basically the same performance?

Yeah.

It’s honestly pathetic that this current 200 series is just a rebranded version of the previous generation.

They haven't moved forward since 2012.

They had plenty of time. Nvidia absolutely crushed them with the 900 series about a year ago, and now those same Nvidia cards are still faster and more efficient than these new "upgraded" AMD scraps.

To be fair, Nvidia pulled similar moves with their 700 series... at least they actually did something with the 900.

I've got an AMD Radeon RX series, so what would I even need to buy to make an upgrade worth it? Honestly, I'm running a 7970 from 2012 under a different name. Am I really supposed to drop $1333 just to gain maybe 10 fps?

And they'll probably still be trying to sell these R9 300 leftovers in 2016.

If I decide to go with this ASUS Radeon series, looking at the specs—the Power Consumption says up to 150W and calls for an extra 6-pin PCIe connector...

What kind of PSU should I be looking at? Keep in mind my Intel Core i7 processor pulls about 95W.

Would this specific one work, and is it actually compatible with my setup (P43, i7..)?

Thermaltake Smart SE 530W