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Advice need on GPU choice - suggestions welcomed but please read first.

RedSwordBlueSoul

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Hi Carbonites,

I always like to get a bit of advice on here, where peeps have probably gone through this whole "Eternal question of Life; what Card should I Choose" thing themselves before. So, let's get down to it.

Like many others, I suffer from a budget problem; let that first be understood. The budget I'm currently working with is a measly R3.5k (Max), although I use the term "measly" very loosely given the current (general) state of affairs. To add context, I'm upgrading from a Radeon R9 360 - which, allow me to say, was a kick-ass little card...until it wasn't and, well, it died - so, for those thinking of suggesting I save up money and wait to grab that first 1080 ti (or various other overly priced kith and kin)....,just, don't. I know I probably should, but we've waited long enough as is and I know that there are some really great mid-range cards out there that will serve our particular purpose - that of which amounts to comfortable gaming at 1080p with settings set to "ooh, that's pretty😵".

Specs of my PC: Core i7-6700
Memory: 8 Gb 2133
Board: Asus H100M-K

I built this little budget rig from parts I salvaged from an old Vostro 3650 (CPU and GPU), the memory I bought from a fellow Carbonite and the board I scavenged from FB Marketplace (pre-knowing-Carbonite-existed days). Subsequently, I've not sat idle and I've done some research on cards that may fit both my rig as well as my pocket. Since, recently, having become a fan of Carbonite, I've decided that this will, inevitably, be the place that I choose to spend my money. Having said that, here are the options I came across and I'd like to hear some advice on which of these YOU think would be my best friend (until next time🙄):

First Up:

Seen this PowerColor Red Dragon Radeon™ RX 480 4GB GDDR5 up for grabs at R3.1k. Have read a lot about this card and it seems to be a good buy. Not sure what the whole "Team Red", "Team Green" is all about but I can say that, as an AMD owner, I only ever experienced problems with the Radeon Software. Although, I've seen this has been addressed by offering a "Download Driver Only" in the latest versions of the software.

Second:

Seen a few GTX 1060's available - both the 3Gb versions as well as the 6Gb's. Now, these must have some "legendary" status linked to them because I'll be damned if these little bastards don't move faster through Carbonite than the SA looting did through the SAPS'S hands. However, seldom have I seen the 6Gb cards going at my price range (I'm "iffy" about condition, I'm afraid - a card shouldn't look like it's been stabbed to death, and I'm not willing to risk short-lived happiness for long-term regret; not for a 500 bucker discount) and the 3Gb card - though seeming to be only a fraction of the performance less than the 6Gb - does not seem to meet the performance of the other two cards I've been looking at.

Third and Last (But please add your own Suggestions if I'm missing anything, just kindly Consider my Budget and Specs):

Saw a RX 580 4Gb card listed at around my budget. My budget will need to include shipping the item to me, so this card looks to have come around at the right price a few times. The reviews have some positive things to say and some mentioned "reliability".

Alright, those are the ones I've seen that make the most sense to me. Given that my son is going to be gaming as well, would these cards be the correct options with regards to reliability and performance? Noticed on some threads, for instance, that people are wary of buying used mining cards - should I look out for that? We don't expect miracles, just a decent card that can get us through till I can save again. Therefore, the choice needs to be right.

Your advice and suggestions would be most welcomed and appreciated.

Cheers!
 
Hey there,

I hear you about the budget and tech-life issues we deal with in the current world. I have owned a GTX1060 3GB, it is a pretty decent card and I only upgraded to a (GTX1070) because its VRAM limited performance on Breakpoint. From the choices above, get the RX580. The biggest issue is they are relative aged now and you gotta be mindful about who you buy from. These were bang smack in the middle of most minner rigs (probably still are).

Good luck...
 

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