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N00b_of_PCs

N00b_of_PCs

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Hey! Im looking to build myself a pc for about $500. Ive heard that for gaming, the most important aspect is the gpu. As a result, people should pay more for their gpu than cpu. Ive been doing my research and have been attracted to the gtx 950 series. Its cheap and seems to hold its own for 1080p gaming. However I have a few questions:

a. Will this card work with an AMD quad core?
b. What budget motherboard and case are best for the cheap price?
c. What is the difference between the brands of cards? I see EVGA gtx 950, GeForce, and MSI - whats the difference, isnt it the same card?
d. What is the best budget build with this card? (without OS and mouse/monitor)

Thanks!
 
Solution
A
A: Yes.
GPU's generally work with any CPU you pair them with.
Whether or not they work at full performance is another, more complicated matter.

B: You would need to check your local vendor prices.
I generally build more on the Intel platform, so I can't recommend any AMD motherboards without doing a whole lot of research into the matter.
As for casing, you again need to check your local vendors.
On a budget, Aerocool, Cooler Master and Thermaltake would be pretty good AFAIK.
The best solution would - again - be to check with your local stores to see what they carry.

C: Yes, and No.
The different manufacturers each have their own card design and cooling solutions.
The GPU model number is just the reference design they have based their...
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alexandergc

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A: Yes.
GPU's generally work with any CPU you pair them with.
Whether or not they work at full performance is another, more complicated matter.

B: You would need to check your local vendor prices.
I generally build more on the Intel platform, so I can't recommend any AMD motherboards without doing a whole lot of research into the matter.
As for casing, you again need to check your local vendors.
On a budget, Aerocool, Cooler Master and Thermaltake would be pretty good AFAIK.
The best solution would - again - be to check with your local stores to see what they carry.

C: Yes, and No.
The different manufacturers each have their own card design and cooling solutions.
The GPU model number is just the reference design they have based their cards on.

Generally speaking, EVGA, Gigabyte, ASUS and MSI are the go-to OEMs for GPUs. You really can't go wrong buying a card from any of them.
Other OEMs include Sapphire, Palit, Zotac and Leadtek, all of which produce decent cards as well, but usually end up playing in the lower end of the price/quality spectrum compared to those bigger manufacturers mentioned above. That said, I've owned a Leadtek GTX660Ti for several years now and have had zero problems with it. A buddy of mine swears on Palit GPUs. It's really a matter of how much you're willing to spend for incrementally higher quality products.

D: I don't have the time right now to suggest a build (for reasons described in A), but I do have to say that the GTX950 is a decent mid-level GPU to get started with PC gaming.

I wish you the best of luck with your build and oh, Welcome to the PC Gaming Master Race :p
 
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Wazero

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hey i saw that the card price went up so I changed it to a different model happy gaming of and if you can spend the extra 30 get either the r9 380 or gtx 960
 
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N00b_of_PCs

N00b_of_PCs

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Thanks, I really appreciate your help! I have to stick to a strict budget, so I might just have to tighten my belt and buy the cheapest card for now!
 
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