GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Nathan Reyes59 said:You're looking at examples that are way too pricey. Use these instead. Check out www.procurement.com. Any idea where I can find these cards at a better price? Any leads on cheaper retailers?

NVIDIA GTX 460 / NVIDIA GTX 560?
So, which one? The HD6850, 6870, or the 6950? Tough call.

Just grab whichever one’s cheaper and you can't go wrong. Seriously.

Ugh, he's just hunting for the cheapest models out there. I mean, is it even worth it? You won't get any decent airflow if you drop $300 or $500 on this.$233 Paying extra for some nonsense just because they claim they're "better" when all they really did was bump up the core clock? You can easily tweak that yourself once you get home and plug the card in. Why bother?

Only go for the Twin Frozr or Gigabyte models with heatsinks like the one pictured. Seriously. They’re quiet as hell and actually efficient—definitely worth the extra cash. $33 More... in this case?

Any info on this?
EVGA ATI Radeon HD6870 1GB GDDR5/256-bit, PCIe, CRT (adapter)/DVI-I, DVI-D/Display Port/HDMI/HDCP, GBT Fansink (GV-R687OC-1GD) $507
Check this out. Looks like EVGA is dropping an overclocked version of the ATI Radeon HD6870? Interesting. Anyone else keeping an eye on this one?

Check out this link for some twin fan setups. Pretty decent selection, right?

Check out this link to some twin fan setups on Google Images. Pretty cool, right?

Jacob Wilson76 said:I'm currently running a GeForce 8600GT and trying to play Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, but this junk piece of hardware can barely hit three-quarters of the max settings =) I actually want to enjoy the game, but this card is already five years old... I'm going to need something more powerful soon, so I think it's finally time for an upgrade...

You've heard it all. 👍

Yeah, I’ve heard those Twin Frozr cards are basically gold standard

http://217.14.221.177/StartEU.ashx?_...THxxHkGY2Vh5XB

I'll probably just grab this one and call it a day... finally be done with it.

Jacob Wilson76 said:Yeah, I hear those Twin Frozr coolers are top-tier.

They are, but they aren't a requirement. Just decide how much cash you're actually willing to drop and you'll have plenty of options that aren't total garbage. There are so many GPUs on the market right now that you could get lost reading reviews and obsessing over tiny FPS differences. If you're cheap, you'll spend hours analyzing data. If you just want to get things done, pick whichever one from the list Bryan Evans77 and I gave you looks best regarding price and just play Assassin's Creed at home.

Jacob Wilson76 said:http://217.14.221.177/StartEU.ashx?_...THxxHkGY2Vh5XB
I'll probably just grab this one and be done with it...

Don't. That card falls into the territory of the NVIDIA GTX 570, which will crush it. I've even seen the NVIDIA GTX 570 priced lower than that at a local Best Buy.

Got one more thing I'm wondering about... does it actually matter, or even cause any issues, for the graphics card? Like, if I take a GeForce and plug it into an AMD chipset, or vice versa... you know, putting an ATI card on a GeForce chipset?

Jacob Wilson76 said:I have one more question... how much does it actually matter, or if it even matters at all, for the graphics card... for example, if I put a GeForce on an AMD chipset or vice versa... basically, is there such a thing as a GeForce chipset?

All that matters is that the motherboard has a PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot. Plug in whatever you want.

So we're looking at a GTX 570 then...? =)

Jacob Wilson76 said:So we're looking at a GTX 570 then...? =)

🤣

Just make up your mind about the cash. A GTX 570 is roughly $800

Honestly, I'm starting to think you're just messing with us.

I mean, I could totally drop 6k on it if I wanted to, but I’m just not feeling it. You feel me? I wouldn't even bother grabbing those $133 if it actually makes that much of a difference

It’s not like it’s actually better than just throwing money down the drain...
And honestly, two GPUs is total overkill. You wouldn't even notice a difference between any of those, from the 6850 to a GeForce GTX 580.. everything would run smooth as butter anyway....
My advice? Just grab a GTX 560, a 6870, or maybe a 6950 and call it a day. You'll be set for a long, long time. 🙂

Jacob Wilson76 said:Look, I could drop 6000 if I wanted to, but I just don't want to. Do you get what I'm saying? I'd rather save that $133 if it actually makes things
.

Just grab this and let us know how it feels in hand and how the cooling performs😛

Seriously though, the GTX 570 is a beast if you're ready to pull the trigger. If anyone else wants to cash out, you can snag one at Rolling Stone from a top-tier manufacturer for $823.

With that kind of money, you could honestly pick up two HD 6850s and run them in Crossfire—your motherboard supports it—which would actually outperform the GTX 570... see how this whole thing turns into a pointless debate?

Let's be real: a single HD 6870 for $467 is going to be phenomenal, period.😁

thanks man, I'll give you a shout if I hit a wall somewhere. catch ya later!

Jacob Wilson76 said:uh... please recommend a GPU for this build... $667 needs to actually fit this setup—if you don't know, up to $2000 is fine, maybe even more, just as long as it pairs well with these specs...

Motherboard ASUS ROG Maximus, Intel X58, DDR3, audio, SATA, RAID, G-LAN, PCI-E, SLI, USB 3.0, ATX, socket AM3

Intel Core i7 1055T BOX, socket AM3, 2.8GHz, 9MB cache, Six Core

6 GB G.SKILL 2133MHz RAM

700W SCYTHE Stronger PSU, SPSN-070, 140mm fan

Maybe I'm just being dense, but suggesting an 8600GT for hardware like this feels wrong—unless the guy is just trolling...😁 just a thought...😂

So, here’s the situation...
My current setup is an ASRock A770CrossFire motherboard
running an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.67GHz
with 7GB of DDR2 RAM
paired with an ATI Radeon HD 3650 512MB card
and a 250GB Maxtor SATA hard drive
on Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
powered by a 500W power supply, though I'm not entirely sure of the exact model

My uncle is working over in Germany right now and he told me he'd pick up whatever graphics card I want, as long as it stays under $350. For example, he mentioned seeing a Radeon HD 5870 there for about $180.
The big question is... which card should I have him grab considering my current power supply? Or, if my PSU just won't cut it for a better card, would it make more sense to have him pick out a new motherboard and processor instead?

Thanks!

The processor isn't exactly your strongest link here; you'd be better off pairing it with a decent modern GPU rather than trying to push it too hard.

The absolute ceiling for that rig would be something like a GeForce GTX 460 or an HD 6850. I wouldn't touch anything higher than that, especially since I have no idea what kind of power supply you're running.

I was originally thinking about picking up a quad-core processor for an AM2+ socket, but it looks like they've pretty much vanished from the market now.

So, for instance... do you think I could get away with using an ATI Radeon HD 5870? (Though I know the GeForce GTX 460 is a beast). Also, what kind of FPS would I realistically be looking at with the 5870 if I'm running Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare at 1600x1200 with all the settings cranked to the max?

Drew Mendoza3 said:So for example... could I get an ATI Radeon HD 5870? (The GeForce GTX 460 is a really good card)

Sure you can, but that card is way too powerful for that processor. You wouldn't even be able to utilize its potential properly. Plus, it pulls way more power, and if you're running some off-brand power supply over there, the whole thing might just blow up by 3 PM.

At full load, it draws about 350 W. Just so you know, a newer HD 6870 uses about 100 W less... though it is slightly weaker.

You have to watch out for that; wattage isn't everything.

If you actually have $350 to spend, invest it in multiple things right now—meaning both the GPU and a decent power supply if yours is a low-end brand.

EDIT: If we're talking about Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, you're throwing money away. An 8800GT will hit 250 local FPS in that game, assuming we're talking about Multiplayer and a solid config.

I’m thinking about picking up a new power supply unit today... I was just browsing through some options online and saw this one: a 700 W EVGA Gaming Edition, ATX 2.2, featuring active PFC, 1×PCIe, 4×SATA, a 20+4-pin connector, and a 135mm fan $193

http://www.hwcompare.com/6023/radeon...adeon-hd-6870/

Drew Mendoza3 said:I could just pick up a new PSU... I was actually just looking at this one... 700 W EVGA Gaming Edition, ATX 2.2, active PFC, 1×PCIe, 4×SATA, 20+4-pin, 135mm fan $193

Don't get distracted by raw numbers or high wattage counts. Get a legitimate brand that’s proven to be reliable and stable, like Seasonic or Corsair—just stay away from their CX series.

In my opinion, the best move would be a Seasonic 430, or maybe even a 520 if you're planning on upgrading your build later on.