Best 'bang for buck' budget GPU

H

heartbroken

Expert Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2010
Messages
3,148
Reaction score
1,467
Location
Bloemfontein
Hi,

I am looking to upgrade my GPU - still running a 250GTS. Now I am looking for advice on the best bang for buck budget GPU out there. Something in the sub-R3000 range. Any suggestions?

My Rig:

i7-3770 @ 3.4Ghz
16Gb RAM
240GB SSD
250GTS

EDIT: Running a 780(iirc) Gigabyte PSU

Thanx
 
Last edited:
Sub R3k you're looking at a Radeon R9 270X or the Geforce GTX660 3GB, whichever you prefer. R3000 on the dot gets you the Radeon R9 285 2GB which is pretty good bang-for-buck.

The Radeon R9 280X 3GB is still an option, but it is based on two year-old technology and is on its way out of the market as AMD prepares for the Radeon R9 285X or the jump to the R-300 series. It'll hold its performance well for the next two years until it starts to drop in the rankings and get usurped by mid-range GPUs that consume half the power (the GTX750 Ti already comes close to that without needing extra power). The story's the same for the equally-priced GTX760 2GB.
 
Try go get a R9 280x even if its second hand you can get the for around R2500 its a bargain! Performance will match a 770
 
Chevron said:
http://www.wootware.co.za/powercolo...rd-includes-3-free-games-amd-golden-tier.html
Click to expand...

WOW, this thing is high up on the TomsHardware charts.

K T said:
This is where I always start when looking for a graphics card.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107.html
Click to expand...

Shot, looks like I have a bit of comparing to do. But just of the bat, it looks like I will be abandoning the Nvidia range.

I think Chevron might have solved my problem in one post!
 
heartbroken said:
I have a 785w Gigabyte PSU, not the best, but I think I can run that until the PSU decides to pop.
Click to expand...

That's more than enough, for interest sake you can check the two 12v rail ratings for their amp ratings. Most have two rails, each rated at around 24A (I would guess in your case).
But yeah if R3k is your budget, that card literally costs R1k more at just about every other place I see in South Africa atm. It's a really good deal which I would personally take if I were in your position.

That's not even taking into account the free games. Alien Isolation and Star Citizen, that's just lovely.
I'm slightly jealous, which is a good thing.
 
HideInLight said:
Not bad, Think you'd need a 650w at least for that though. Really good price.
Click to expand...

Honestly, a good 450W PSU would be enough for everything, but 450W units rarely have the proper connectors. 500-550W with at least a Bronze rating would be good enough here.

heartbroken said:
I have a 785w Gigabyte PSU, not the best, but I think I can run that until the PSU decides to pop.
Click to expand...

You're fine for now, stash some money away for a PSU upgrade 3-4 months from now if that thing is older than four years.
 
heartbroken said:
WOW, this thing is high up on the TomsHardware charts.



Shot, looks like I have a bit of comparing to do. But just of the bat, it looks like I will be abandoning the Nvidia range.

I think Chevron might have solved my problem in one post!
Click to expand...

The thing that's also nice about the 285 is that it actually runs a bit cooler and uses less than the 280 it's replacing.
 
NAG - Wesley said:
Honestly, a good 450W PSU would be enough for everything, but 450W units rarely have the proper connectors. 500-550W with at least a Bronze rating would be good enough here.



You're fine for now, stash some money away for a PSU upgrade 3-4 months from now if that thing is older than four years.
Click to expand...

A 550w bronze rated (I assume 80% efficiency) power supply can handle the i7 and graphics card?
I've looked up the following:
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/his_radeon_r9_280x_iceq_x2_turbo_review,8.html

It has a nice little chart, and it looks like a 550w is indeed what's need for most single card systems.
If I understand it correctly every card there that's under 400 as total system performance should be fine, without any hassle.
 
HideInLight said:
A 550w bronze rated (I assume 80% efficiency) power supply can handle the i7 and graphics card?
I've looked up the following:
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/his_radeon_r9_280x_iceq_x2_turbo_review,8.html

It has a nice little chart, and it looks like a 550w is indeed what's need for most single card systems.
If I understand it correctly every card there that's under 400 as total system performance should be fine, without any hassle.
Click to expand...

Correct, 550W for a i7, even overclocked, with a single card is more than enough juice if you're going by the numbers. You still have to take into account the components inside the PSU and the maximum wattages of the rails and whether its rated for peak or continuous power. Suffice to say, though, most decent 500W units are good enough.

Dell's Alienware X51 used to get by with a 300W PSU running a i7 and a GTX670 when it first had that option. Today they can shove in a GTX980 in there and have it all running on a 330W external brick.

If you want to get a more accurate idea of power consumption, look up any GPU review where they measure power at the wall and then use Techpowerup's wattage readings to get a clearer idea of what you'll need. TPU's reviewer, W1zzard, measures GPU power usage straight from the power ports on the card, not from the wall socket the power supply draws from.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X