Help me find a graphics card

Hi!

I'm looking for a decent graphics card so I can play some games.
BUT! My PC is not so new and I'm not up to date on the latest cards.

My PC is a custom AMD FM2+ DDR3 build:
Mainboard: GIGABYTE F2A88XM-HD3P
GA-F2A88XM-HD3P (rev. 1.0) | Motherboard - GIGABYTE Global

Memory: Kingston FURYX 4GB x2 1866Mhz (kit)
CPU: AMD A6-5400K Black Edition

This build was originally meant for Windows 8.1 but also runs Windows 10 just fine. Drivers are available for both. I'm fine with either, but of course being up to date is always nice.

So far I've been using the integrated graphics that comes with this CPU/APU.
You can tell I'm not so much into gaming but yet I would now like to play a few games.

I'm looking for support for Grand Theft Auto V (GTA V) and Fortnite specifically. Maybe The Sims 3 and 4 too. Sims 3 plays just fine on the integrated APU graphics too.

I know this rig is now old. I know I should better get a DDR4 build
But I don't have the budget OR the desire just now. So I'd like a cool midrange graphics card that allows me to get the most out of this system.
I know with todays card I will easy bottleneck this system but that's no problem
I will eventually upgrading this PC and I will want to carry my shiny new card over. So please suggest something that would be sensible for a new midrange build too but until then would let me run these games.

I prefer AMD but I'm fine with anything. I trust in cards with dual or more coolers but again, fine with anything.

I plan to spend $200 max. Would appreciate less for sure but I don't want any entry basic level cards or any fanless low profile units. (unless it is really good, I leave it up to you)

Besides not being DDR4 I think it's not a bad PC. I know the processor is an entry level but the RAM is quite there among DDR3 ones.

And there are my gaming requirements. I think they are not that high. These games are not new, besides Fortnite this build was meant to run them with a decent card or maybe with a better processor


Speaking of processor.. Can I keep it or is it absolutely a must to upgrade it right away? If so, does it make any sense in 2018 to get another FM2 (or FM2+) CPUs?

Your system can still handle basic tasks, so you can keep using it for that purpose if you want.

As for gaming, any midrange cards will be bottlenecked by that A6-5400K, even if you overclock it.

You could go used for your budget, a Core i5 2400, H61 motherboard and GT 1030 DDR5 would suffice.

The cutoff between the high end basic graphics cards and the high performance graphics cards seems to be the AMD RX 580 series. That's what I would recommend you go with. I have an AMD Ryzen 7 2700X system with an OEM RX 580 card in it and I'm about 90% happy with it. With your system, I believe the RX 580 would definitely NOT be the bottleneck in performance, but it won't drain your bank account too much either.

You're looking at about $200 US for an RX 580 card. On my system, I do believe the OEM RX 580 is the bottleneck, but I'm not going to drop $300+ for a high performance card. My RX 580 OEM card gives me good enough performance. The biggest difference between OEM and retail RX 580s is that the OEM version only has 4 GB DDR5 VRAM and the retail versions have 8 GB.

The hardware specs for GTA V call for a minimum of a Phenom 9850, with an FX-8350 as the recommended AMD CPU.

https://www.geforce.com/games-applic...m-requirements

(I'm no gamer. I see that this isn't the latest game, though.)

For Fortnite, an FX-8100 is suggested. https://www.game-debate.com/games/in...&game=Fortnite

I think that your A6-5400K should be adequate.

The nVidia equivalent of the AMD RX 580 appears to be the GTX 1060, which is a good midrange card. The retail versions cost about the same (at the top of your budget).

Both the RX 580 and the GTX 1060 require an auxiliary PCI-E power connection. Got one?

Hey! Thank you very much for your answers and honest opinions! They are very much appreciated!

I am also looking at the 550-580 series. This 580 you mentioned seems to be a good deal!

I don't mind bottlenecks as I will eventually upgrade the rest too. But until then I want something that works and is a good buy.

Is this 580 card worthy to keep for a future rig? I would bring it over as I said

I forgot to mention :yes, my power supply is decent I believe, at least that one lasts. FSP Hyper 600W.
It has good quality components, decent power, quite some reserves and all the connectors I need.

I also have a large chassis (middletower) so I can fit anything in. Size doesnt matter. I got plenty of fans and ventillation too.

580 seems to be my pick right now. I'll also consider the intel upgrade option but that is now out of the question. This is a special board with 8 Sata connectors that I need. Its hard to find one like this used so I dont want to go used.
I'll save up but until then I want to grab a card only so I can play at least some of these games.

ish4d0w said:

(snip)

I forgot to mention :yes, my power supply is decent I believe, at least that one lasts. FSP Hyper 600W.
It has good quality components, decent power, quite some reserves and all the connectors I need.

I also have a large chassis (middletower) so I can fit anything in. Size doesnt matter. I got plenty of fans and ventillation too.

(snip)

Good stuff. (45A on the +12V rail, two 6+2 PCI-E power connectors.) You should be able to use any single PCI-E graphics card on the market.

If you were still considering a CPU upgrade, here's the list that your motherboard supports:
https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard...10#support-cpu

(You've probably already seen that.) The CPU that CountMike suggests looks like a pretty good upgrade, for minimal cost.

Thank you very much bobkn!

Indeed, this CPU you guys suggested seems to be a really great bargain. It is even cheaper than on amazon, it's down to $50 in local shops at the moment.

I think I'll get it and the 580 soon. And should I upgrade my PC in the future, I'll consider an Intel rig and will carry on my GPU :)

Thank you again to all of you guys, you really helped me very much!

Intel or AMD Ryzen is the best way if you're looking into upgrading your processor soon :)

The Athlon II 880K will still bottleneck the RX 580, especially if you keep lowering graphical settings in-game.