# Which used graphics cards from these should I get? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 21, 2017, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-used-graphics-cards-from-these-should-i-get/799421 "2017-10-21T09:51:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JakeRS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ab097/32.png) [@JakeRS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JakeRS)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2017, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-used-graphics-cards-from-these-should-i-get/799421/1 "2017-10-21T09:51:03Z")
I’m thinking of upgrading my graphics card, I currently have a **Radeon 7730 2gb** , but even with a cpu upgrade, it still limits GTA V to about 35 fps even on all semi-normal, semi-low settings at 1280x1060 and I ran some benchmark program that said that it was used 99% (and that was in the desert, where there’s a lot less to render) I can lower the resolution to get more juice, up to 80 fps, but anything lower than 1280 just looks terrible on my screen. Also, I started doing 3d modeling and rendering, so a better graphics card would definitely mean a lot there as well. My budget is limited a lot, so I can only go for used cards from Radeon 6970 to 7970 (btw. I’m from Serbia and I **only have these to chose from** in my city, so I am only interested in them, nothing else) 1. Radeon 6970 2. 7770 3. 7850 4. 7870 5. 7970 6. Rx 460 and R9 360 (slightly out of my budget, but wondering where they rank on this list) Unfortunately many gpu benchmarking sites don’t have benchmarks of all of these cards and at lower resolutions, so I can’t really tell which one is strong enough for me, but not a overkill. Ideally I want something that can have a solid **60FPS at 1680x1050, with (very?) high settings** in GTA V, that’s enough for me, anything over that is nice, but wouldn’t really matter to me, since I don’t play at full 1080p or let alone 4k… My current 7730 as I said can’t handle 60 fps even at 1280x1024 at low to normal settings, so I need something that is at least 2 to 3 times stronger. edit: I should have probably started this topic in IMHO, but hopefully someone will move it if this is not the right place. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2017, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-used-graphics-cards-from-these-should-i-get/799421/2 "2017-10-21T12:17:41Z")
The 7970 is by far the best of those. Check out [this benchmark link](https://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html). The 7970 scores 5,248 and the RX 460 4,326. If memory serves, you should be careful with the 7970 as there were two version: you want the one with 3 GB VRAM. But really, can you not use mail-order? Ebay? Edit: your 7730 scores 1,400 so the 7970 is nearly 4x faster. ---
**Author:** ![FluffyBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecb155/32.png) [@FluffyBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FluffyBob)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2017, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-used-graphics-cards-from-these-should-i-get/799421/3 "2017-10-21T18:34:04Z")
I refer to Toms Hardware for their Graphics Card Hierarchy chart when thinking of upgrading. > **[GPU Benchmarks and Hierarchy 2023: Graphics Cards Ranked](https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gpu-hierarchy,4388.html)** > > We've run hundreds of GPU benchmarks on all the current Nvidia and AMD graphics cards and ranked them in our comprehensive hierarchy. The chart separates cards into comparable tiers and they recommend if upgrading you go up three tiers to really see a difference. I have a 7970 in my current build and it is still a very capable card, however the 7xxx series cards are getting quite old by now. ---
**Author:** ![JakeRS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ab097/32.png) [@JakeRS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JakeRS)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2017, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-used-graphics-cards-from-these-should-i-get/799421/4 "2017-10-22T09:05:00Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > The 7970 is by far the best of those. Check out [this benchmark link](https://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html). The 7970 scores 5,248 and the RX 460 4,326. If memory serves, you should be careful with the 7970 as there were two version: you want the one with 3 GB VRAM. > > But really, can you not use mail-order? Ebay? > > Edit: your 7730 scores 1,400 so the 7970 is nearly 4x faster. I don’t buy over mail, I live in a 100k city, so I can find pretty much everything here and don’t like to risk, I can find both new and used, the issue is with money, I can only afford these few cards without straining my wallet, since salaries here are just around 350 dollars, and I still need more RAM and a larger HDD, so…yeah. Btw. does gddr3 vs gddr5 make any real difference, in case I need to choose between them? ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2017, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-used-graphics-cards-from-these-should-i-get/799421/5 "2017-10-22T09:52:24Z")
> [@JakeRS](#): > > Btw. does gddr3 vs gddr5 make any real difference, in case I need to choose between them? Only with the same GPU.