Best bang-for-my-buck around $250

GhengisKhan

GhengisKhan

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I seriously need to upgrade my GPU. I'm good on mobo, CPU, RAM and PSU. But I'm still pushing my HD7770 as fast as I can get it to go stably. To play any modern games, it just doesn't cut it anymore.
I've been doing some shopping around, and have come up with a few choices.
I want to keep it to Microcenter, since my budget is kept low and to cash.
I have no preference when it comes to going Green or Red. I would like to stay away from a couple of the lower end brands though.
Here are the finalists in my search:

1. http://www.microcenter.com/product/467997/GeForce_GTX_1060_Overclocked_Dual-Fan_6GB_GDDR5_Video_Card

2. http://www.microcenter.com/product/...GDDR5_Video_Card_w-_Dual_Dissipation_HeatSink

3. http://www.microcenter.com/product/467997/GeForce_GTX_1060_Overclocked_Dual-Fan_6GB_GDDR5_Video_Card

4. http://www.microcenter.com/product/471816/Radeon_RX_480_ARMOR_Overclocked_8GB_GDDR5_Video_Card

I'm kind of leaning towards the ASUS 1060 just because I'm on an ASUS mobo. From the more recent reviews I've seen the RX480 has edged out the 1060 when it comes to performance, now that the drivers have matured a bit. And the 480s come with DOOM. :cool:
 
I vote rx480. It seems to have the same/better performance than the 1060 at the same or lower price. Oh, and two extra (probably useless, though) gigs of vram.
 
Do you have a monitor that is Freesync or GSync? Which games do you play? Those two extra GB of VRAM may come in useful in certain games like Skyrim.
 
Do you plan on playing with VR? Do you have enough wattage for either of this?

If no and yes, then get the cheaper 480.

If you're not in a rush, Vega might shake up prices some more.
 
Quartz-1 said:
Do you have a monitor that is Freesync or GSync? Which games do you play? Those two extra GB of VRAM may come in useful in certain games like Skyrim.
Click to expand...
No, I do not have either of those types of monitors (yet).
I'm not sure what all games I'll be playing, but I do play Skyrim every once in a while. I do enjoy FPS games, and would love to give BF1 a try, and be able to play others.

CombatChrisNC said:
Do you plan on playing with VR? Do you have enough wattage for either of this?

If no and yes, then get the cheaper 480.

If you're not in a rush, Vega might shake up prices some more.
Click to expand...
I don't really plan on doing VR. I do have plenty of power to supply 2 of either of these cards.
I'm not going out today to get one. Any idea when Vega will be coming out?
 
The RX 480 is a solid card for the price. Especially if you are at 1080p it should suffice. Likely a nice upgrade from the 7770.

If you're not in a huge rush, the RX 500 series will be coming out in one month. Though these are basically a rebrand with slightly higher clocks, it may shake up the pricing a bit.
 
Microcenter has the Fury card for $300, if you found one open box for $250 I personally would rather have a Fury card than a RX480 at around the same money. Faster in everything.

But at $100 cheaper the RX480 is your better choice for your budget dollar.

 
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As others have said, used 980ti at around $300 would be your best bet. Better than 1070 performance if you can get a solid OC on it for about the same money you're looking at now.
 
GhengisKhan said:
I seriously need to upgrade my GPU. I'm good on mobo, CPU, RAM and PSU. But I'm still pushing my HD7770 as fast as I can get it to go stably. To play any modern games, it just doesn't cut it anymore.
I've been doing some shopping around, and have come up with a few choices.
I want to keep it to Microcenter, since my budget is kept low and to cash.
I have no preference when it comes to going Green or Red. I would like to stay away from a couple of the lower end brands though.
Here are the finalists in my search:

1. http://www.microcenter.com/product/467997/GeForce_GTX_1060_Overclocked_Dual-Fan_6GB_GDDR5_Video_Card

2. http://www.microcenter.com/product/...GDDR5_Video_Card_w-_Dual_Dissipation_HeatSink

3. http://www.microcenter.com/product/467997/GeForce_GTX_1060_Overclocked_Dual-Fan_6GB_GDDR5_Video_Card

4. http://www.microcenter.com/product/471816/Radeon_RX_480_ARMOR_Overclocked_8GB_GDDR5_Video_Card

I'm kind of leaning towards the ASUS 1060 just because I'm on an ASUS mobo. From the more recent reviews I've seen the RX480 has edged out the 1060 when it comes to performance, now that the drivers have matured a bit. And the 480s come with DOOM. :cool:
Click to expand...
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...14202186&cm_re=R9_Fury-_-14-202-186-_-Product

$234, sell ends shortly. This is a steal and would cream either the 480 or 1060. Plus not too far behind a 1070 and can match it in DX 12 titles.
 
Yeah that fury at $234 is by far the most power you'll get at that price point. Huge, huge upgrade from what you have now.
 
You might look for open box deals with mirs from microcenter, I have seen some killer rx470 deals and 480 ones too. As far as a furry, hbm is nice but are they not mini nuclear reactors
 
Fury is the best at that price point. The 4gb is a limiting factor on the occasional title (couldn't use Ultra textures on Shadows of Mordor, had to turn down texture streaming on Titanfall 2).
 
There are some RX 480 cards going for $200 in the aftermarket if you want to save a little cash from what you've got budgeted.

I see them listed in the [H] trading forum from time to time. MrSteel74 has one up right now, one of the really high clocked versions too.

Would definitely recommend avoiding the 3/4GB cards right now. If you are thinking to buy now and have the card in use for as long as you did with your 7770 you'll be glad for the extra memory.
 
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