I'm in a bit of a jam. My 1050 Ti just died, and the cost to fix it is more than what I paid originally. I'm looking at two GPU options: the Biostar/Arrvex RX580 for around 13,000 INR (about $140) with a 3-year warranty, and the RX6500XT 4GB GDDR5 from Asrock. My specs include an R5 4600 CPU, an MSI A520MK motherboard, and 16GB of DDR4 RAM, powered by a 450W Cooler Master supply. I mainly plan to run basic language models and use Topaz AI. The issue is that I broke my budget, and all the local shops have prices a bit higher than the Biostar one. Plus, I'm short on time because the seller is about to sell it to someone else. What would be the better choice?
3 Answers
With the specs you have, jumping into AI might not be ideal for you. These older GPUs won't really cut it for advanced tasks.
The RX6500XT isn't great for what you're planning to do, especially since its bandwidth is lower. The RX580 has 8GB of VRAM, which is much more useful for your setup. Sure, it has a higher power draw, but it'll handle things better in the long run. If you're considering the used market, the 3050 with 8GB would be even better, but I get it—it’s probably out of your budget right now.
You’re right, the RX580 is a better fit, especially with the warranty. Thanks for the guidance!
Honestly, you’ll be pretty limited with just 4GB of VRAM, especially for any language models. Those cards are quite old too, and even if you get one, you won't run the newest models well. You might want to consider a subscription to a service like Claude or OpenAI instead.
I hear you, but I’m just looking to learn LLMs right now. I think I’ll go with the RX580 since it seems better for my needs.
I managed to run a very compressed model on my 1050 Ti, albeit slowly. I suspect the RX580 will do better for my current needs.