Radeon R7 Series, $70-$150 low budget GPU

[Orbit Storm]

First and foremost, happy holidays!

I'm looking to upgrade the GPU installed with my recent desktop purchase from CyberPowerPC (Gamer Ultra 2203), which came with a PowerColor AMD Radeon R7 240 2GB. The system itself was quite the bargain, although troubles with the GPU and HDMI (and the less than impressive performance) leaves me wanting to seek out a solid upgrade. More details below.

Approximate Purchase Date: Within the next month (end of January perhaps).
Budget Range: USD $70-150 (preferably before rebates)
Usage: Primarily World of Warcraft (Good-High Settings with 40+ FPS), with simple multimedia capabilities such as viewing 1080p format movies.
Current GPU and Power Supply: PowerColor AMD Radeon R7 240 2GB and Turbolink ATX-XG500W (no record of this PSU exists, apparently).
Other relevant system specs: AMD FX-6300 (3.50GHz) 6-core, with an MSI 760GM-P34 board. Currently 4GB DDR3 (ADATA), with an additional 4GB DDR3 (Crucial) on the way. Pair of Kingwin 120mm fans for cooling.
Preferred website for parts: NewEgg.com (country of origin: United States).
Parts Preferences: Simply because this system was built around AMD, I figure it best to stick with an AMD GPU. AMD brand (XFX, Sapphire, etc) isn't of much importance, as I'm not informed enough to know the difference. I'd prefer to stick with the R7 series simply because I know this system should be capable of powering most cards in the R7 line, and they're reasonably priced. I'd love to switch to Nvidia if the budget and performance is available, mostly because Nvidia seems to handle HDMI much better, but again it's not a necessity.
Overclocking: Maybe
SLI or Crossfire: No to the former, as the board isn't big enough to handle two cards. Crossfire isn't a necessity (will only be using a single display).
Monitor Resolution: Currently using a 42" Insignia HDTV (model: NS-42L550A11) via HDMI. Native resolution is 1920x1080.
Additional Comments: The R7 240 isn't a powerhouse. An upgrade for a modicum of dedicated gaming, even if I'm not necessarily interested in maxed settings, would be sensible. My struggles in getting my GPU to utilize my 42" display properly has me convinced that either the GPU is quite poor, or that AMD's resolution settings are disproportional (1920x1080 shouldn't look like 1600x900). The case isn't very big, so finding something designed to be low-profile (or within the 6.5in x 2.5in dimension) is necessary. Whether it's of any help or not, you can find a picture of what the inside of the case looks like, below:
http://i.imgur.com/hvIjQp3.jpg

 

[Mr_Venbeer]

The R9 270X will be a perfect GPU for your system: http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Version-PCI-Express-Graphics-11220-00-20G/dp/B00I0D81OG/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1419558420&sr=8-5&keywords=R9+270x
It's a bit over the budget so if you want something cheaper get the R9 270: http://www.amazon.com/PowerColor-270-DisplayPort-AXR9-2GBD5-TDHE/dp/B00HRSGO9O/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1419558461&sr=8-6&keywords=R9+270

 

[Thaisnang]

Get a r9 270/270X or 750ti. Since you'll be just playing WoW there is no need of waiting for the r9 300 series which should be out in by the end of Jan.

 

[HomerThompson]

And Apevia power supplies are crap. They're on the REPLACE IMMEDIATELY tier of the PSU tiers list on this forum.

 

[HomerThompson]

You should really go Nvidia here, with the Zotac GTX 750 Ti.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500349

It's $130, it's 5.71 inches long, and it only uses about 60W of power. Nothing else makes any sense since you need to be below $150, you need it shorter than about 6.5", and since your power supply is pretty awful. This is by far the best card you can get for this setup.

 

[HomerThompson]

Please replace that power supply ASAP. It is not a 500W PSU. It's a complete piece of dogs**t. Here is a review of a similar PSU labeled with a name to make you think it's 450W that burned when they tried to draw 240W.

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/printpage/Apevia-Turbolink-ATX-TL450W-BK-Power-Supply-Review/1212

Get a proper 450W PSU for $35 or so
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-power-supply-vp450

 

[Mr_Venbeer]

Please replace that power supply ASAP. It is not a 500W PSU. It's a complete piece of dogs**t. Here is a review of a similar PSU labeled with a name to make you think it's 450W that burned when they tried to draw 240W.

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/printpage/Apevia-Turbolink-ATX-TL450W-BK-Power-Supply-Review/1212

Get a proper 450W PSU for $35 or so
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-power-supply-vp450

1. You should be insulting the questioner's component
2. 450 watts is not enough for an Fx-6300 with any R9 graphics card. 500 watts minimum.

 

[HomerThompson]

I was suggesting the 450W PSU with a GTX 750 Ti. I don't think there is an R9 270 that would fit his case. I know there is a really short R9 270x (forgot which brand), but I'm not aware of one for the 270.

 

[Mr_Venbeer]

Is it this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127794&cm_re=r9_270x-_-14-127-794-_-Product

 

[HomerThompson]

Is it this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127794&cm_re=r9_270x-_-14-127-794-_-Product

Yeah, that's it, but that's still too long for the OP's case.

 

[HomerThompson]

D'oh, I missed that the card has to have low-profile width. This is 2.72 inches wide. Is this too much to fit into your case?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127836

Because a 750 Ti will make that system fly on WOW, and an FX-6300 + GTX 750Ti system with 8GB of RAM should allow you to play new AAA games too on high and medium. But I do not trust your bundled power supply in the least. Something like this would be my recommendation. I know it's annoying to do a $20 mail in rebate and even with the rebate this is $30 over budget, but the power supply is absolutely not something to skimp on at all since a failing power supply can kill the rest of your system.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($153.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($25.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $179.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-26 00:36 EST-0500

 

[nikoli707]

do not buy the corsair builder 430w. get that antec vp450 linked above, its a solid quality unit. though it only has a single 6pin pcie connector, thats why it wont work for video cards that require two.


otherwise, your best bet is the low profile msi 750ti or the low profile gigabyte 750ti if you want to keep your current case.

or go with a new case altogether, but i understand if you dont want to do this.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $167.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-26 01:04 EST-0500

 

[HomerThompson]

The CX430 gets a recommendation from JohnnyGuru

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story4&reid=214

Seeing that the R7 240 is a 65W card while the GTX 750Ti is a 60W card, you should be ok with that MSI GTX 750 Ti for a while, Orbit Storm. But I wouldn't add a second hard drive or overclock the CPU at all, and I'd try to upgrade the power supply when you have the available disposable funds. The 750Ti will be a massive upgrade over the R7 240. To give you an idea of what the 750 Ti is capable of:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2014-nvidia-geforce-gtx-750-ti-review

 

[Orbit Storm]

I'm hoping that reopening long-dead support threads, as the author, is permitted. Just didn't think it sensible to create a new topic.

I return to this thread in shame. I never got around to replacing my current PSU and just a few hours ago, it apparently died. Mid-gaming, the system randomly powered off (with the power light still blinking). I immediately assumed that perhaps it had overheated so I flipped the power switch on the PSU and proceeded to unplug all wires and dust out the inside of the case. I moved the case to a new outlet, just to be sure it wasn't a power strip issue, and upon trying to turn the system back on.. it did nothing. No fan kicked in for the PSU so all signs point to it having died.

All of that said, since it's been just over a year, I was hoping for confirmation on whether or not either of the PSUs listed above are still viable options for me, keeping in mind that I plan to stick with the same case and [for now] the same GPU. I intend to eventually upgrade to the 750Ti so the PSU needs to be able to support that GPU.

I'm hoping to find an affordable PSU with a $50 max budget.

Lastly, if anyone has any tips on ensuring that the PSU is my only problem or any other advice, I'm open to it. Thanks.

 

[king3pj]

I don't have advice for which power supply you should go with but I would recommend going with a GTX 950 instead of a GTX 750Ti when you upgrade your GPU. It's Nvidia's new $150 GPU to replace the GTX 750Ti and has better performance in games.

Edit: Did you stick with the original R7 240 or have you already upgraded your GPU. After reading the old posts in this thread it's not clear what GPU you are currently running. That is important information to have for people trying to recommend a power supply.

 

[Orbit Storm]

Apologies if I wasn't clear enough in my last response:

I'm still using the same Radeon R7 240 2GB DDR3 for the moment and I do intend to upgrade in the coming weeks but I still need to get this new power supply and ensure that no other hardware was damaged when my current PSU died earlier tonight. I'm not the most hardware savvy individual so I wouldn't even know where to start on testing other hardware. I just happened to know how to test a power supply (is the fan running or not?) due to a friend's PSU dying on him earlier in the year.

Essentially, I need a PSU that will fit my case, power the system I have and be capable of supporting an upgrade to a more powerful GPU in the near future. At the moment, I have the Corsair Builder Series CX 430 Watt ATX/EPS 80 PLUS certified Power Supply in my cart on Amazon as it was one of the recommended units from an earlier post and it's still available at a reasonable price ($40).

Here's a link to that PSU:
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Builder-EPS%C2%A080-certified-Power/dp/B0092ML1SC/

 

[Orbit Storm]

After a bit more research and a short consultation with a more tech-savvy friend of mine, I've settled on the Corsair Builder and have already ordered it via Amazon. It's within budget at the moment and while only being dubbed a Tier Four here on Tom's, I've found nothing but positive feedback for this unit. The hardware I have at the moment isn't high-end anyway and I only overclock my entry-level GPU for a handful of games that I don't frequently play, so I'm confident that this power supply should be sufficient until I'm ready to sink more cash into the system. I'll be sure to update this thread with some feedback on the PSU once I have it installed (it won't be here until Wednesday).

On a side note, I was able to hook up an old Kingwin ABT series 600W (dated from 2007!) just to test if the system would boot and sure enough, it did. Since this old Kingwin doesn't have any SATA connectors I was unable to boot to the desktop but to my knowledge, that single audible "beep" that I heard before being presented with the "no boot device" error means all other hardware is functional. I may try to splice a SATA connector in place of a Molex connector on the Kingwin but I haven't yet decided if the risk is worth it. I'm aware of Molex-SATA adapters but the closest store that carries one is nearly 60 miles away; might as well wait for the new PSU.