[SOLVED] GPU Recommendation?

[beauknowsdiddly]

Hey everyone!
Can you help me find a good GPU? I'm just not sure about the slot. PCIE 16 or..... whatever.
Mobo is an Asus M5A78L-M PLUS/USB3 Rev X.0x
Does it matter what processor even? AMD FX 8350 8 core 4000 mhz.
Right now it has an AMD Radeon R9 200 Series.

(Different PC than what's in my signature btw)

I'm not sure what the deal is but sometimes my PC boots up to these crazy-colored bars all over the screen and seems to just lock up there. I would reboot a couple of times and eventually, it would boot into Windows normally. It was an old monitor using a DVI connection, so I thought maybe it was the monitor. I bought a new one using an HDMI connection. It hasn't booted up to those lines yet, but I'm thinking it will because every once in a while I see a flash of those lines.

So I'm thinking GPU. Do you think it could possibly be the mobo or the processor?

Anyway, could someone recommend a GPU, better than the one I have that would be compatible, please?

Thank you!

 

[hotaru.hino]

So the trouble with recommending one is the age of the platform (i.e., motherboard). The CPU is going to be the main thing holding the computer back in terms of performance and I don't see a reason to get something better performing than a R9 200 series card.

If you're looking for just a replacement so you can have your computer up and running, I wouldn't go for anything higher than:

• GeForce 16
• GeForce RTX 3050
• Radeon RX 6600 (do not get an RX 6500, that thing is crippled to all heck)

However my biggest concern with newer cards is while supposedly cards that have a UEFI boot ROM in them are compatible with legacy BIOS only boards, I'm also reading reports that UEFI cards can only boot on UEFI boards. So you're kinda taking a gamble getting something newer. Otherwise the used video card market for something you used would be the next best place to look.

You also may look into getting a new PSU depending on how old it is.

 

[DSzymborski]

Hey everyone!
Can you help me find a good GPU? I'm just not sure about the slot. PCIE 16 or..... whatever.
Mobo is an Asus M5A78L-M PLUS/USB3 Rev X.0x
Does it matter what processor even? AMD FX 8350 8 core 4000 mhz.
Right now it has an AMD Radeon R9 200 Series.

(Different PC than what's in my signature btw)

I'm not sure what the deal is but sometimes my PC boots up to these crazy-colored bars all over the screen and seems to just lock up there. I would reboot a couple of times and eventually, it would boot into Windows normally. It was an old monitor using a DVI connection, so I thought maybe it was the monitor. I bought a new one using an HDMI connection. It hasn't booted up to those lines yet, but I'm thinking it will because every once in a while I see a flash of those lines.

So I'm thinking GPU. Do you think it could possibly be the mobo or the processor?

Anyway, could someone recommend a GPU, better than the one I have that would be compatible, please?

Thank you!

It depends. Are you staying with this platform? If so, your options are extremely limited; anything being an old RX 480 or GTX 1060 is an absolute waste with this platform and your system is already long past the usual survival time for a cheap AM3+ motherboard using a 125W CPU. It only makes sense to buy a better GPU -- and you need to be specific about the GPU as R9 200 is a series, not just one GPU. Exact power supply is also needed before any GPU recommendation.

It's probably the GPU, though as I said, you're living on borrowed time, so motherboard failure being in the mix is certainly a possibility.

 

[beauknowsdiddly]

Hey, thank you for the advice. Yeah, it's getting pretty old. What I'm hearing here is maybe it's time to go with a whole new build . You're probably right. But in the meantime, would something like this be compatible? I'm seeing a bunch of those it seems.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2255063238...xamzB9Xdo5/sgp8Sy4SlzQ+zE=|tkp:Bk9SR6aXhsPoYQ

 

[Avro Arrow]

Hey, thank you for the advice. Yeah, it's getting pretty old. What I'm hearing here is maybe it's time to go with a whole new build . You're probably right. But in the meantime, would something like this be compatible? I'm seeing a bunch of those it seems.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/225506323837?hash=item3481396d7d:g:hksAAOSwBI9kKDki&amdata=enc:AQAHAAAA0KD47qJoYQYi3K5j+3/dNr6M/7cCMPY3Ee6tc6PtDiMMQngtKma0v3FrE0WJSAposMbZr++XiKN6nVuRPA1SL/bSNRbJ4OUPHSI7A64jul3CKgaKrCYTTmYTn12YABqHOmMIqKPTdxRPfBT9gsw3CwW7mBh/RUXhVMe1mRhXacJp05jgSQPANW2sKW2i+3EPizkD9lBs5ngK3zYtYnjwQHr3uxDzm+s38SHLufWNnGtvzCuS9YO3wOSVgFyVTPxamzB9Xdo5/sgp8Sy4SlzQ+zE=|tkp:Bk9SR6aXhsPoYQ

Yes, it would be compatible but definitely not worth buying. If you're going to upgrade your system then you should consider the RX 6600. While its PCI-Express v4.0 x8 interface would be bottlenecked by your AM3+ board, it would still vastly out-perform any R9-290X, bottlenecked or not.

Why pay $80USD for a used R9-290X when you can get a NEW RX 6600 for $235? Let's compare them, shall we?

R9-290X:
Brand: Sapphire
Model: Tri-X
VRAM: 4GB of GDDR5
TDP: 290W (Jesus, that's more than an R9 Fury!)
Interface: PCI-Express v3.0 x16
Condition: Used, no warranty
Driver Support: Long-dead
Price: $80

RX 6600:
Brand: ASRock
Model: Challenger D
VRAM: 8GB of GDDR6
TDP: 132W
Interface: PCI-Express v4.0 x8
Condition: New, 3-year warranty
Driver Support: Strong, only one generation removed from current, 5+ years.
Price: $235

Relative Performance: RX 6600 = 1.95 x R9 290X (almost double)

When you upgrade your platform, you'll immediately get a good deal more performance out of it. Now, there are already games that are showing that 8GB of VRAM isn't enough going forward to max out games (one even has problems at 1080p with only 8GB) so 4GB would be a REAL hindrance, like, some games won't even load.

I don't know what your budget is but if you want to make only one GPU purchase in the next 3-5 years, you're going to need at least an RX 6700 for $320 (10GB, for 1080p only) or an RX 6700 XT for $360 (12GB, for 1080p or 1440p).

In any case, buying that R9-290X for $80 would be literally flushing that $80 down the toilet because the R9-290X is already long obsolete and will just become completely incapable of gaming within the next 24 months at most.

 

[beauknowsdiddly]

Why pay $80USD for a used R9-290X when you can get a NEW RX 6600 for $235? Let's compare them, shall we?

Thank you Avro! That all makes perfect sense. This particular machine isn't really used for a lot of gaming so there's that.

I take it this would be okay then?

https://www.newegg.com/asrock-radeon-rx-6600-rx6600-cld-8g/p/N82E16814930066?Item=N82E16814930066&Description=rx 6600&cm_re=rx_6600--14-930-066--Product&quicklink=true

Hey thanks again! I really appreciate the input!

 

[ocer9999]

That would be a good 1080p option for sure.

 

[Avro Arrow]

Thank you Avro! That all makes perfect sense. This particular machine isn't really used for a lot of gaming so there's that.

I take it this would be okay then?

https://www.newegg.com/asrock-radeon-rx-6600-rx6600-cld-8g/p/N82E16814930066?Item=N82E16814930066&Description=rx 6600&cm_re=rx_6600--14-930-066--Product&quicklink=true

Hey thanks again! I really appreciate the input!

Yep, that's the one, the ASRock RX 6600 for $235 at Newegg! I didn't make a specific link because if you weren't in the USA, it might not have been relevant to you. I'm glad to see that it is!

If the PC isn't used for gaming much, then ignore the more potent Radeons, you won't need them. The power savings and warranty would be most important in your case.

Thank you for the best answer award, I'm glad that I could help!