[SOLVED] Can my build support a Graphics Card upgrade?

Sebubble

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This is my build currently. I'm just wondering if upgrading to a GTX 2080 Super will cause any issues. Or if there are any other suggestions of Graphics Card I could upgrade to, that would also be helpful.

GTX 1070 O8G (ASUS STRIX)
Corsair 16GB RAM
250GB SSD
Cryorig CR-H7A Cooler
1TB HDD
NZXT CA-S340MB-GR Source 340 Midi Tower Case
Intel Core i7-7700K 4.2 GHz QuadCore 8MB Cache Processor
ASUS LGA 1151 STRIX Z270E GAMING Intel Z270 ATX Motherboard
EVGA 220-G3-0650-Y3 SuperNOVA 650 W G3 80+ Gold SLI/Crossfire Fully Modular PC Power Supply Unit

Thanks for any advice!
 
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1080p at 60Hz currently. I think it has FreeSync but I'm not sure. I'm looking to go to 1440p with 144hz... or either of those options (so 1080p 144hz, or 1440p 60hz). Again, I'm grateful for any advice.
  • 1080p @ 60Hz: upgrading is overkill, and your GTX 1070 is more than enough, and any upgrade would be a waste of money.
  • 1440p @ 60Hz: upgrading to a 2080 Super is overkill. An RTX 2060 Super or RX 5700 would be plenty, and going to the RTX 2080 Super would be a waste of money.
  • 1080p @ 144Hz: upgrading to a high end card might make sense, if you're trying to keep games going at super-high frame rates.
I would definitely hold off until AFTER you get the monitor you're planning to upgrade to. Further...
Your PSU looks good, your CPU looks solid, a RTX 2080 Super should work great!

However, depending on how important this is to you, it might be worth waiting 4-5 months to see how Ampere shapes up. You'll probably get more performance per $ and it'll age a lot better. Not only that, but with big Navi coming out on the AMD side around the same time, there is a good chance Nvidia will have to price it's cards more competitively this generation.
 
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Sebubble

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Your PSU looks good, your CPU looks solid, a RTX 2080 Super should work great!

However, depending on how important this is to you, it might be worth waiting 4-5 months to see how Ampere shapes up. You'll probably get more performance per $ and it'll age a lot better. Not only that, but with big Navi coming out on the AMD side around the same time, there is a good chance Nvidia will have to price it's cards more competitively this generation.

Thank you for the response!! Luckily I was looking to purchase in about 4-5 months so that works out perfect. I'll keep an eye out and thanks again for the advice :)
 
If you play fast action games, then a graphics upgrade will be beneficial.
Your psu is good for any graphics upgrade you want to buy.
For now, here is a simple test:
Run YOUR games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
This makes the graphics card loaf a bit.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely more cpu limited.
 

Sebubble

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Sep 28, 2016
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How about your monitor? What is it's:
  • resolution?
  • refresh rate?
  • does it have FreeSync, GSync, or neither?
And, what specific games are you playing?

1080p at 60Hz currently. I think it has FreeSync but I'm not sure. I'm looking to go to 1440p with 144hz... or either of those options (so 1080p 144hz, or 1440p 60hz). Again, I'm grateful for any advice.
 

Sebubble

Honorable
Sep 28, 2016
99
0
10,630
If you play fast action games, then a graphics upgrade will be beneficial.
Your psu is good for any graphics upgrade you want to buy.
For now, here is a simple test:
Run YOUR games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
This makes the graphics card loaf a bit.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely more cpu limited.

I play Overwatch at max settings and get 60fps (my monitor is 60hz so its capped). I'll try heavier games and test this, thank you!
 

King_V

Illustrious
Ambassador
1080p at 60Hz currently. I think it has FreeSync but I'm not sure. I'm looking to go to 1440p with 144hz... or either of those options (so 1080p 144hz, or 1440p 60hz). Again, I'm grateful for any advice.
  • 1080p @ 60Hz: upgrading is overkill, and your GTX 1070 is more than enough, and any upgrade would be a waste of money.
  • 1440p @ 60Hz: upgrading to a 2080 Super is overkill. An RTX 2060 Super or RX 5700 would be plenty, and going to the RTX 2080 Super would be a waste of money.
  • 1080p @ 144Hz: upgrading to a high end card might make sense, if you're trying to keep games going at super-high frame rates.
I would definitely hold off until AFTER you get the monitor you're planning to upgrade to. Further, even then, sometimes 144Hz monitors are worthwhile because they're not really much more than a lower refresh screen of the same size and resolution. I would also make sure that whatever monitor you get has FreeSync, so you can take advantage of the adaptive refresh.

The biggest issue, though, is, what is your goal? Do you want higher resolution, for finer detail? Or do you want faster refresh in order to get faster frame rates? The two possible future monitor choices are going in opposite directions in that regard. Also, frankly, once you hit triple digits, frame/refresh rates beyond 100 aren't perceptible to the human eye, and the human body can't react that fast. It's a lot of marketing, and, while I know it's not the popular thing to say, it's also a lot of "belief" that people can notice an improvement going from, say, 120 to 144, or to 165, etc..
 
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