[SOLVED] 1660Ti > 3060 upgrade?

[neurokitty]

So, in building a new PC my plans were to start with the main build and processor, and then later in the year move to a new GPU. I've kind of come to accept that getting a new GPU in 2021 is probably not a realistic idea, and after already missing the entire 30 series line and Nvidia now releasing the 3060 which will probably sell out and be hiked up just as fast as every other GPU I'm really starting to wonder if it's even worth it.

I really wanted to, by the end of the year, have a new gaming PC that was top of the range, not budget or mid tier, but something that was going to last. I'm getting really tired of being on these mid tier cards, I suppose the benefits of the 3060 is that I get more VRAM, and its RTX and DLSS capabilities I'd assume would be significantly improved over the 2060, but at this point when you don't know what's happening with this market and manufacturers as well as distributors fail to resolve these stock issues, it just seems like a waste of money.

I don't want to upgrade from a budget card to a budget card, I've been doing that for years now,
It just feels like a waste of money. And it also means that instead of building the PC in Febuary I then have to jump to the grab to try and get any sort of GPU what so ever. I do want to move to 1440p gaming, I do want to move to RT and DLSS, but I don't want to be stuck with a 4 core CPU with a 30 series GPU and still be CPU bound in games.

What are the options here and how realistic is it that things might improve in the future to build the PC that I want.

 

[RTX 2080]

So, in building a new PC my plans were to start with the main build and processor, and then later in the year move to a new GPU. I've kind of come to accept that getting a new GPU in 2021 is probably not a realistic idea, and after already missing the entire 30 series line and Nvidia now releasing the 3060 which will probably sell out and be hiked up just as fast as every other GPU I'm really starting to wonder if it's even worth it.

I really wanted to, by the end of the year, have a new gaming PC that was top of the range, not budget or mid tier, but something that was going to last. I'm getting really tired of being on these mid tier cards, I suppose the benefits of the 3060 is that I get more VRAM, and its RTX and DLSS capabilities I'd assume would be significantly improved over the 2060, but at this point when you don't know what's happening with this market and manufacturers as well as distributors fail to resolve these stock issues, it just seems like a waste of money.

I don't want to upgrade from a budget card to a budget card, I've been doing that for years now,
It just feels like a waste of money. And it also means that instead of building the PC in Febuary I then have to jump to the grab to try and get any sort of GPU what so ever. I do want to move to 1440p gaming, I do want to move to RT and DLSS, but I don't want to be stuck with a 4 core CPU with a 30 series GPU and still be CPU bound in games.

What are the options here and how realistic is it that things might improve in the future to build the PC that I want.

Many people on this forum are waiting for a RTX 30xx GPU to become available at a reasonable price, myself included.

Seeing as how you don't want to be CPU bound in games and you're currently waiting on the right GPU to become available, now would be a good time for you to upgrade your CPU. What is your budget? What kind of CPU/motherboard/RAM are you using right now?

 

[Karadjgne]

What are your expectations out of 1440p? A 3060 should land somewhere around the abilities of a 2070Super, which isn't too shabby at 1440p, but is still a 'budget' card. You'll be averaging 40-70fps. If you want top of the line, and the ability to hit 144Hz in 1440p, you'd need to be looking at a 3070Super (if they release that) class or better.

For cpus, amd 5700x, Intel 10700k or whatever happens with 11thGen. Anything less and you are jumping right back into budget class, even as good as the 5600x is or the 10600k.

 

[neurokitty]

Many people on this forum are waiting for a RTX 30xx GPU to become available at a reasonable price, myself included.

Seeing as how you don't want to be CPU bound in games and you're currently waiting on the right GPU to become available, now would be a good time for you to upgrade your CPU. What is your budget? What kind of CPU/motherboard/RAM are you using right now?

7700K
2400 DDR4

It's basically a complete overhaul, 6 core 12 thread single core performance and PCIe gen 4 is what I'm aiming for. It will benefit my current set up for CPU intensive games, but won't really benefit me in a bump in resolution or fidelity as I'll still be stuck with the same graphics settings for however long it takes for manufacturers and distributors to sort this issue out with GPU's. I'm fine with the 1660Ti, it's a good card for a pseudo Turing card, but ultimately I want RT and DLSS, I don't really want to play games like Control and 2077 without it, and whatever GPU heavy games especially those with proper RT impmementation come after it.

It even raises questions into the entire build, whether it's even worth just waiting till the end of AM4 or whether Nvidia will actually be able to reduce TDP or if they roll out new cards requiring 850W instead of 750W with a 40 series card. The whole point is to build a PC to support a GPU, but if you can't get the GPU and you don't know what's happening why even bother spending $600+ on a PC at all in 2021?

I sound so pessimistic but all that money for a few CPU intensive games instead of the next five years, it's just getting to the point of being annoying. At least the 3060 would be a significant improvement but it would be reversing my upgrade path and probably end up bottlenecking my self in the meantime, not lest be a waste of money in general.

 

[RTX 2080]

7700K
2400 DDR4

It's basically a complete overhaul, 6 core 12 thread single core performance and PCIe gen 4 is what I'm aiming for. It will benefit my current set up for CPU intensive games, but won't really benefit me in a bump in resolution or fidelity as I'll still be stuck with the same graphics settings for however long it takes for manufacturers and distributors to sort this issue out with GPU's. I'm fine with the 1660Ti, it's a good card for a pseudo Turing card, but ultimately I want RT and DLSS, I don't really want to play games like Control and 2077 without it, and whatever GPU heavy games especially those with proper RT impmementation come after it.

It even raises questions into the entire build, whether it's even worth just waiting till the end of AM4 or whether Nvidia will actually be able to reduce TDP or if they roll out new cards requiring 850W instead of 750W with a 40 series card. The whole point is to build a PC to support a GPU, but if you can't get the GPU and you don't know what's happening why even bother spending $600+ on a PC at all in 2021?

I sound so pessimistic but all that money for a few CPU intensive games instead of the next five years, it's just getting to the point of being annoying. At least the 3060 would be a significant improvement but it would be reversing my upgrade path and probably end up bottlenecking my self in the meantime, not lest be a waste of money in general.

If you buy a good CPU, it'll be there when you get a good GPU. If you buy a really good power supply, there'll be no need to replace it anytime soon (I have a Corsair AX1000; no matter how power hungry GPUs get, it'll be more than enough).

I'm not hearing a question; if you have one, feel free to ask it.

 

[neurokitty]

If you buy a good CPU, it'll be there when you get a good GPU. If you buy a really good power supply, there'll be no need to replace it anytime soon (I have a Corsair AX1000; no matter how power hungry GPUs get, it'll be more than enough).

I'm not hearing a question; if you have one, feel free to ask it.

I guess future proofing the PSU is always an option, an extra expense I don't really want to spend but a good option non the less.

I guess the original question still stands, upgrade from 1660Ti and jump on 3060? Or hold my Hope's that Nvidia sorry this thing out.

 

[RTX 2080]

For your purposes, I think the RTX 3060 is a great GPU; when it becomes available at a reasonable price, buy it.