When it comes to upgrading your graphics card, you need to ensure that you're getting the right one for your needs, PC specs, and wallet. We ask five important questions as a guide to help you with choosing a new GPU.
Guide to Choosing a New Graphics Card: 5 Key Questions Before Buying
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m3tavision
Posts: 1,437 +1,222
UdyrL
Posts: 146 +233
Thank you for the article. This is useful information. However, some recommendations are somewhat off:
At 1080p, a 6650XT is a better recommendation based on the price difference, and if you want to include the "ray tracing" argument, at that resolution and GPU performance, RT is rather pointless.
Between $150 and 300, there's a huge gap that may be covered by an additional tier, because I would not recommend a 6500XT when you can get a 6600, 6600XT, 6650XT, 6700 and the 7600 within the same price range. You can even include the 3060 if you want to go the Nvidia route, or the Arc A750 if you wanna try Intel.
At 1080p, a 6650XT is a better recommendation based on the price difference, and if you want to include the "ray tracing" argument, at that resolution and GPU performance, RT is rather pointless.
Between $150 and 300, there's a huge gap that may be covered by an additional tier, because I would not recommend a 6500XT when you can get a 6600, 6600XT, 6650XT, 6700 and the 7600 within the same price range. You can even include the 3060 if you want to go the Nvidia route, or the Arc A750 if you wanna try Intel.
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punctualturn
So refreshing to see an article where AMD is recognized as a viable option, instead of the constant nvidia blind worshiping pushed by the non neutral writers that should not be showing their blatant pro nvidia bias.
On the points listed above, I would add: Does the GPU supports open standards or push proprietary tech that only works to lock you into their brand?
On the points listed above, I would add: Does the GPU supports open standards or push proprietary tech that only works to lock you into their brand?
llamapanda
Posts: 35 +37
Excellent article, thanks!
I can't be the only veteran PC gamer here who gets a surprise as to how much of this stuff they no longer even think about while going through the upgrade/new-build motions. It's easy to see why so many people are scared away from computers when there are so many factors and options involved for newbies.
I can't be the only veteran PC gamer here who gets a surprise as to how much of this stuff they no longer even think about while going through the upgrade/new-build motions. It's easy to see why so many people are scared away from computers when there are so many factors and options involved for newbies.
godrilla
Posts: 1,363 +893
It's true, but I assume this article is targeted towards new to PC DIY market and eventually this initial purchase will also needed to be upgraded eventually down the line. Another metric to measure is which graphics card ( brand, performance tier, and vram size) will retain its value in second hand market to mitigate purchases on future purchases on successor cards.
For eg. if you buy a card with 8 gigs of vram today will this card retain any value in a few years with vram requirements on the rise.
While the price to performance might be similar between cards another metric is probably vram ( once you get to competing price/performance cards) there is a 6700 non xt at 10 gigs of vram selling for as low as $279.99
6700xt 12 gigs as low as $329.99 ( seen lower)
6750xt as low as $369.99 ( seen as low as $319.99)
6800 non xt as low as$ 489.99
6800xt as low as 499.99
all via pcpartpicker website today. I personally tend to go for the highest performance/vram card because this tier normally retains most of its resell value and benefit from the top performance today.
On a certain level, yes, however, a GPU that can deliver 20 fps and is free, isn't really a value for anyone. This is why I'm not a big fan of $/fps. You can usually get a lower performing GPU that can deliver a decent $/fps, but you're not going to be happy if it doesn't deliver a certain level of actual performance. For me, anything that can't do 60 fps on average across a wide range of games isn't worth buying. Also, generally speaking, when you move up in performance you tend to pay a premium for that in most products, though computers don't hold fast to that rule all the time.
takaozo
Posts: 944 +1,479
#1 – Will this graphics card fit inside my PC?
Don't worry I got a hammer and an angle grinder and I already done some surgery on metal cases
#2 – Do I need a new power supply?
I'm sure I can get 2-3 old power supplies do the job, or get a 2KW PSu from a old server
#3 – What will I use the graphics card for?
Can it be used for something else than gaming?
#4 – What monitors will I be using with the card?
Anything higher than 1920x1080 but not 4K
#5 – How much money am I willing to spend?
$300 max or wife will make me sleep with the dog
Don't worry I got a hammer and an angle grinder and I already done some surgery on metal cases
#2 – Do I need a new power supply?
I'm sure I can get 2-3 old power supplies do the job, or get a 2KW PSu from a old server
#3 – What will I use the graphics card for?
Can it be used for something else than gaming?
#4 – What monitors will I be using with the card?
Anything higher than 1920x1080 but not 4K
#5 – How much money am I willing to spend?
$300 max or wife will make me sleep with the dog
Nobina
Posts: 4,500 +5,492
You can't just determine your budget if you don't know how much a GPU should cost in the first place. If your budget is <$300, well, you might struggle to find anything at all.
If I was out of the loop on hardware, I would first like to know what is the amount of money I will potentially need to be able to game, THEN I would think about my budget, because good price/performance doesn't mean cheap.
I will look for benchmarks, see which GPUs can play games that I want to play, 1% lows should be close to 60, check prices for each GPU in my region and then determine whether I'm buying something or nothing.
If it's more expensive than what I imagined, I would have to either ditch the idea of getting new hardware completely or build around lower resolution. Gaming, in my opinion, shouldn't cost an arm and a leg but it's getting there.
If I was out of the loop on hardware, I would first like to know what is the amount of money I will potentially need to be able to game, THEN I would think about my budget, because good price/performance doesn't mean cheap.
I will look for benchmarks, see which GPUs can play games that I want to play, 1% lows should be close to 60, check prices for each GPU in my region and then determine whether I'm buying something or nothing.
If it's more expensive than what I imagined, I would have to either ditch the idea of getting new hardware completely or build around lower resolution. Gaming, in my opinion, shouldn't cost an arm and a leg but it's getting there.
This article came out 2 weeks too late for me 
I was a bit surprised by the 8 pin connector needed for an RX 6650 XT as my 500W PSU only had a 6 pin connector. In the end I used a 6 pin to 8 pin adaptor and just dialled down the power usage in AMD's Adrenaline software. I'll admit I still haven't found a good balance between power usage and performance.
I was a bit surprised by the 8 pin connector needed for an RX 6650 XT as my 500W PSU only had a 6 pin connector. In the end I used a 6 pin to 8 pin adaptor and just dialled down the power usage in AMD's Adrenaline software. I'll admit I still haven't found a good balance between power usage and performance.Xaxaa very close to my answers ,especially the part about the wife ,but truly let's answer with cost in mind !!
1000 euros to get a good card for my 240hz 1440p a new atx3 psu to handle it 150euros plus ,a new cpu and motherboard 500 euros plus new memddr5 120 plus and dont forget child support and divorse who knows how much that will cost LOL ,maybe I will get a new gpu in 2 years and all the rest after being obsolete!!
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punctualturn
And this is why Dear Leader Jensen spend so much money in bribing the media.
Thanks to this, PC gaming has become a closed platform, locked to one vendor.
passwordistaco
Posts: 572 +1,239
Very true, but consider points 1 & 2 of the article. If your upgrade will require a new case & power supply then the price can climb quickly.
Some tin snippers works wonders on sheet metal.
I've actually thought about this in the past. Why not have 2 PSUs powering different parts of the machine?
Yes, it can. Rendering, video encoding, and heating up a bowl of ramen if you get the right one.
I'd go 1440P, but that's just me.
You must be young because $300 would be an easy sell. Just ask your wife how much she spends on hair styling, manicures and purses. You'll have a 4090 by the end of the week. LOL
Excellent article from Techspot.
IMHO the case dimensions are the #1 most critical factor. The card height (slots) and width are very easy to overlook. For example, my Lian-Li PC-V700 has tool-less pci slot latches which are fairly wide and can hit the edge of the card. Standard OEM cards fit ok but custom cards tend to go wide and will not fit.
So make sure you check the card width at the bracket!
It may be worth spending the time to set up a spread sheet.
IMHO the case dimensions are the #1 most critical factor. The card height (slots) and width are very easy to overlook. For example, my Lian-Li PC-V700 has tool-less pci slot latches which are fairly wide and can hit the edge of the card. Standard OEM cards fit ok but custom cards tend to go wide and will not fit.
So make sure you check the card width at the bracket!
It may be worth spending the time to set up a spread sheet.
The gaming angle for the article is ignoring the elephant in the room. The only way to exceed a $500 console is to build a $1500 PC and even then many games won't be any better. Until the GPU pricing gets under control building a gaming PC is for people that don't live on a budget. This only gets worse when considering the quality of console ports in the last couple years...
m3tavision
Posts: 1,437 +1,222
That still is price/performance.
You hold one metric and compare all cards to that metric... (vice versa)
If your price is $400... then you shop all the performance you can get in that price range.
-or-
If you performance goals are 150+ frames at 1440p.... then you Price all the cards that reach that level of performance.
Nobody (not too many people) are going to pay more for a GPU, when there is another model that offers better performance for less = price/performance
The point is absolute "price/performance" is not the only decision criteria, at least not for me. If I only had $X to spend and I could not get a GPU that would meet my minimum of 60 fps then I would not buy anything, I would save up to get a better GPU. In other words, just because one GPU has a $1/fps cost doesn't mean it's a better buy than a GPU that has a $2/fps cost, if that GPU doesn't give me 60 fps. So, for me, the criteria is price/performance versus minimum fps
m3tavision
Posts: 1,437 +1,222
Price/performance is a ratio... not an absolute.
It means based on YOUR PRICE.... what PERFORMANCE can u buy..?
You keep confusing $1/fps... as price/performance, it is not.
($/fps is cost per frame).
Cost per frame is price/performance. It's the same thing. How would you state price/performance? It's how many frames per second I get for $X. For example, if I have a GPU that cost $300 and it can average 60fps across the games I play, is that better or worse than a GPU that cost $100 and averages 30 fps? For me, it's better because it can do 60 fps. While the second GPU cost 1/3 the price of the first GPU and gets 50% of the performance, it cannot deliver the minimum FPS that I desire.
Yes, price/performance is a ratio, but that ratio is a number, $1 per frame, $2 per frame etc. What I'm saying is that if a GPU doesn't hit a minimum FPS it doesn't matter what it cost. It could be free, but it would have no value to me because it can't deliver enough FPS to be worth buying. For me price/performance doesn't matter until you cross a minimum threshold of performance (ie 60 fps).
m3tavision
Posts: 1,437 +1,222
Please...
No it is not the same thing. You can have a $250 card with the exact same cost per frame as a $900 card. (How does that show their performance?)
Cost per frame helps illustrate VALUE. Not performance...
^^
Don't confuse the two.
Price/Performance is a value statement, not a performance metric. When you compare FPS against a price point that is value. If you only care about performance, then price doesn't come into play. I can create a chart of GPUs by average FPS. That is performance and only performance. It doesn't tell me anything about what it cost to achieve that performance. If I add in the cost to achieve a certain FPS, that is now a value statement. I'm not confused one bit about that.
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