[Electric2Shock]

I was looking for a new GPU to upgrade my current crappy one. I've come down to:

GeForce GT 640 2GB DDR5
GeForce GTX 650 2GB DDR5

The 640 costs less, I can buy it immediately, but to get the 650, I'll have to wait.

Time is of the essence, after halfway through October, I'll be starting my preparation for the 9th grade board exams. And it's gonna be even more busy at the 10+2 grade. I won't really have a lot of time to game.

But I also want to be future proof, in the future if some must have game comes out, I'm sure I can spare a week.

I'm on
core i3 3210
6gb DDR3
450W power supply.


What's your take? Should I wait, or buy the 640?

[Darth-Apple]

They seem similar overall to me. You'd probably get a noticeable performance jump in going for the GTX 650 over the GT 640, but it wouldn't be out of the ballpark or anything of that sort, looking at the benchmarks.

If it were me, the decision would probably come down to how long I was planning on keeping the PC. If it's a PC you're planning to keep for years to come, it may be worth the investment to spend the extra ~$50 to get something a little more future proof. It may not be worth the extra money if you intend to replace your PC in the next year or two though.

[Electric2Shock]

They seem similar overall to me. You'd probably get a noticeable performance jump in going for the GTX 650 over the GT 640, but it wouldn't be out of the ballpark or anything of that sort, looking at the benchmarks.

If it were me, the decision would probably come down to how long I was planning on keeping the PC. If it's a PC you're planning to keep for years to come, it may be worth the investment to spend the extra ~$50 to get something a little more future proof. It may not be worth the extra money if you intend to replace your PC in the next year or two though.

I'm not replacing it any soon. I'll keep upgrading, and then I've got my sister. If I have to go away for a long time, she can probably use it.

[Darth-Apple]

If you plan on upgrading to something better anyway, either is probably a good choice. They are both relatively entry level and would need to be replaced eventually if you want something higher-end. If you don't want to wait, the GT 640 would tie you over. If you want something that will keep you covered for at least a couple years, I'd definitely go for the GTX 650.

Then again, I'm big on future proofing my hardware. I don't get the best tech on the market, but I try to at least be somewhat midrange in my choices.

[Electric2Shock]

Then again, I'm big on future proofing my hardware. I don't get the best tech on the market, but I try to at least be somewhat midrange in my choices.

I want to be future proof, sure, but at the same time I also am not sure if I would be around long enough to make use of it.

[Darth-Apple]

Ah, I can see your delima...

Personally, I'd probably go for the GTX 250, but the extra wait might not be worth it if you're still getting something relatively entry level. If you are looking to make use of it in the nearer future and the GT 640 is what you can afford, it's still not a bad deal.

[Electric2Shock]

I'm not a big graphics guy, I just need to run games without lag, no matter the detail.

[Darth-Apple]

The GT 640 might be the right card for you if that's what you're able to afford then. If it has good reviews and is in your budget, I'd say go for it.

[Electric2Shock]

The GT 640 might be the right card for you if that's what you're able to afford then. If it has good reviews and is in your budget, I'd say go for it.

I'm able to afford it. I can see decent reviews on my retailer.

[CapTon]

Seeing this thread, I just may get one of these GPUs . The only game that lags on my PC is SimCity, and so I would love to record it without lag.

[SpookyZalost]

going to bump this one up.
for gaming a good entry level card these days is either the 980 or the 1060, mostly because the GPU price hike kinda made everything else outta reach, but also because the price to performance balance is really good if you're saving cash... AMD would be the next best thing but that's more a matter of opinion.

[Electric2Shock]

As long as we're here, I'd love an ELI5 about Ryzen APUs vs NVIDIA GPUs.

[CreateAForum]

I am waiting on Nvidia to release some new gpus... I have many on backorder. Just need the GDDR6 memory

[Thomas]

Big bump here. Nowadays the RX 580 is the entry level gpu to get. 1080p on High!

[SpookyZalost]

IDK, I still say the 1060 is a good GPU, but then I've not needed to upgrade, I've no need for 4K.

[Thomas]

1060 is good but RX 580 is better.