Can I get a cheap graphics card recommendation?

cremes

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I just replaced my X99 intel motherboard with an Asus ROG Strix x570-E gaming board and a Ryzen 5600G. It has built-in graphics which I have learned on this site do not and will never work. That's fine by me...

So I'd like to drop in a relatively cheap graphics card. I searched the success stories forum and looked up the graphics cards that I saw there. Examples include a Radeon 5500 XT ($605), ASUS TUF RX 6800 OC ($1600), Sapphire RX 5700 XT ($1200), etc. All prices are from Amazon US.

I do NOT want to spend $500+ on a graphics card. My use-case is to drive a single 32" 4k monitor. No gaming, just normal stuff.

Anyone have a recommendation for a card under $250?
 

Edhawk

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In that price range you will struggle to get a recent AMD card second-hand.

You may need to look at an AMD workstation dGPU.
  • Something like a WX4100 (new), might fall within that price range. Although this card is a low profile model, not sure if it comes with the Full Height adapter in the box.
  • If not there are some full height adapters available on eBay.
  • The WX5100 would be another option, but probably beyond your price range.
  • Steer clear of the WX2100, WX3100 as they are not macOS compatible.
  • WX7100 and WX9100 are well beyond your price range.
 

cremes

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That's a bummer. I looked at the WX4100 and Amazon has it for $500. The WX5100 is $650.

How about NVIDIA cards. I hear the 1050 is a no go but maybe the older GeForce 970/980 cards would be workable?

Just answered my own question. Those things are still going for $600+ at Newegg and Amazon. WTF is going on here? These cards are like 5 years old. Is everyone doing crypto mining inflating these prices?

I just spent $600 on a x570-e gaming + 5600G. That's like a whole computer. Now the graphics cards are going to double that? Insane.

I should lower my standard to a card that can do 2560x1440 on one monitor.
 

cremes

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I started going down the list of GPUs listed here.


Looks like I can get a 4gb 560X for about $250. Everything else is way more $$. And Nvidia is apparently not well supported going forward so steer clear.
 

Edhawk

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cremes

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Yes, the RX 560 seems about right. It's either that or a GeForce GT 710 for $90.

I'm a bit cautious about ebay. It's been around forever but I've never purchased anything there. Maybe this will be my inaugural buy.

Thanks for the help.
 

Edhawk

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The Nvidia card is OK for a low end model. While it states it will provide 4k resolution it is normally @30Hz not @60Hz. It would be fine for a 2560x1440 resolution but anything above that and you are not guaranteed it will work as well as you would like.

Also while there are some hacks to get the old Kepler series Nvidia cards working in MacOS Monterey the methods used are not a great way to run a Hack. You have to run the system with SIP disabled and download and install the full 12GB+ installers for each update, instead of the 2-3GB incremental updates.

AMD cards are the best option for current and any future versions of macOS.

ebay is not so bad. I fully understand the trepidation people feel about using the online retailer, I felt the same a few years ago. I use PayPal for all my eBay transactions, as another safety buffer. But have to say whenever I have had an issue with something not working or not being as described, poorly packed etc. eBay have always given me a refund. The delay in getting a refund is really annoying but the money spent has always been recovered, including postage.

Best of luck.
 

cremes

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I'm bidding on some AMD RX 460 4gb cards for about $90 on ebay.
 
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