[SOLVED] Cheap build for ASUS TUF GTX 1660 Super 3

rage690

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Mar 22, 2013
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I bought this brand new graphics card its the only one i can afford that seems like a good card but even then the price choke my wallet a bit.


now i found out i needed to build new MOBO, CPU ,RAM for it. you guys have any suggestions for a cheap rig that can support this card ?

so far they told me to try
MOBO : EX-H310M-V3 R2.0

and they said to pair it with
Intel® Core™ i3-9100F
https://ark.intel.com/content/www/u...-9100f-processor-6m-cache-up-to-4-20-ghz.html

im not really picky with RAM either i just know my target would be a DDR4 2666mhz 8GB and i need 2x of them.

and theeen they told me i needed to change my old PSU (Cougar RS 500w) or else it my cause a short circuit with my new card and they cant honor the warranty then.

any ideas would be greatly appreciated
 
Solution
GDDR5 is only used on graphics cards and not on motherboards.
The type of ram used in a graphics card has no relevance to the type of ram used on a motherboard.
I don't know who "they" are, but I would not pay much attention to them.

Fit in a case might be a legitimate concern.
What is the make/model of your case?
Do you otherwise like it?
If the new card will impact a drive cage, there are a couple of solutions.
Can the HDD be moved to a different place?
Can the drive cage be removed or relocated?

If you use a ssd, it can be placed anywhere.
It is small and can even be duck taped in strange places if need be.

It may make sense to buy a SSD which is a wonderful performance enhancement instead of paying for a new case.

If there are...
Do you have a link as to where you might shop?
In US dollars, you have a very nice GTX1660 super. costing about $250.
Unless your psu is defective, it is not going to cause a short circuit with anything.
So long as it has a 6+2 pin power lead, which I think it does, you will be fine using it.
Sounds like they are trying to scare you into buying a new psu.

One rule of thumb for a balanced gamer is to budget 2x the cost of the cpu for the graphics card.
On that basis, a i3-10100 at $125 would be appropriate.
I used one in my son's pc and it is quick.
It has 8 threads which is plenty for gaming and it seemed to turbo up very quickly.

i3-9100f and a H310 motherboard would work.
But the i3-10100 has twice the threads and is perhaps 50% stronger.
Most any 400 series motherboard will work.
Us prices would b $75 or so.

On the ram, buy a 2 stick kit for dual channel operation.
Buy them both in the same kit or they may not work together.
Intel is not sensitive to ram speeds. 2666 speed is fine, and that may be all your motherboard can support anyway.
If you can, buy a 2 x 8gb kit up front. Us prices are about $55.
2 x 4gb may work for you, but ram is cheap and you do not want to be in a position where you have to abandon the original 2 x 4gb kit to upgrade to 2 x 8gb.
 

rage690

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Mar 22, 2013
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i
Do you have a link as to where you might shop?
In US dollars, you have a very nice GTX1660 super. costing about $250.
Unless your psu is defective, it is not going to cause a short circuit with anything.
So long as it has a 6+2 pin power lead, which I think it does, you will be fine using it.
Sounds like they are trying to scare you into buying a new psu.

One rule of thumb for a balanced gamer is to budget 2x the cost of the cpu for the graphics card.
On that basis, a i3-10100 at $125 would be appropriate.
I used one in my son's pc and it is quick.
It has 8 threads which is plenty for gaming and it seemed to turbo up very quickly.

i3-9100f and a H310 motherboard would work.
But the i3-10100 has twice the threads and is perhaps 50% stronger.
Most any 400 series motherboard will work.
Us prices would b $75 or so.

On the ram, buy a 2 stick kit for dual channel operation.
Buy them both in the same kit or they may not work together.
Intel is not sensitive to ram speeds. 2666 speed is fine, and that may be all your motherboard can support anyway.
If you can, buy a 2 x 8gb kit up front. Us prices are about $55.
2 x 4gb may work for you, but ram is cheap and you do not want to be in a position where you have to abandon the original 2 x 4gb kit to upgrade to 2 x 8gb.

i was planning on buying an i5 9400f instead. what do you think ?
my dream build is for low to mid range SYSTEM UNIT only saved up to only $600 for it.
already paid about $320 on the ASUS TUF GTX 1660 Super now im down to $280

i messed up pretty bad, due to the COVID19 pandemic there has been a shortage of GPU supplies and this was the only GPU that got my attention in the whole city. so i bought it. now figured i cant use my old unit for it and i have to cough up some more for its requirements.

CPU ( i5 9400f is around $142 and the i3 9100f is around $85 but i prefer the 9400f )
Motherboard ( the EX-H310 above is around $65 )
ATX Tower Case ( around $50 for those that will fit my GPU )
RAM (HyperX 8GB RAM DDR4 2666mhz is around $40 i wanted 2pcs but might sacrificie 1x)
PSU (if i cant use my old Cougar RS 500w then i need about $70 for it e.g. Corsaire CV Series 650w )
im just gonna use my old 1TB HDD im not really picky on disk speeds.
I am a filipino living in the Philippines i converted the Php to $

all in all if i squeeze the specs i could go minimum $297 without the PSU and 1x RAM only
but something tells me i do need that PSU
and if you guys really think the EX-310 is a bad idea, i might have to cough up more for MOBO.

thanks for the reply guys i appreciate the help very much.
 
Can you list the make/model of what you have now?
You may be able to reuse more than you think.
Is there a reason why the GTX1660 would not work in your pc?

Do not buy a 1 x 8gb stick of ram.
Adding a second stick later may not be compatible.
Better to buy 2 x 4gb and plan on replacing it if you need 16gb.
Unless you are multitasking while gaming, 8gb should be ok.
 
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rage690

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Mar 22, 2013
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Can you list the make/model of what you have now?
You may be able to reuse more than you think.
Is there a reason why the GTX1660 would not work in your pc?

Do not buy a 1 x 8gb stick of ram.
Adding a second stick later may not be compatible.
Better to buy 2 x 4gb and plan on replacing it if you need 16gb.
Unless you are multitasking while gaming, 8gb should be ok.

OLD 2013 rig

Core i5 3470
Jetstream GTX 660 Ti ( JUST DIED )
P8B75-M LE
8GB of DDR3 ram 1666mhz only i think
Cougar RS 500w
 
Since you bought a GTX1660 super, why not install it in your current pc and see how it does.
Is there any reason why you can not reuse your case?
The psu is sufficiently strong.

My suggestion is to spend $130 on a i3-10100 processor.
It has 4 cores and 8 threads.
I used one in a build for my son and it is really quick.

S B460 based motherboard is about $75.
You can buy a 2 x 8gb ddr4 ram kit for about $55 in 2400/2666 speed.
 
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rage690

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Mar 22, 2013
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Since you bought a GTX1660 super, why not install it in your current pc and see how it does.
Is there any reason why you can not reuse your case?
The psu is sufficiently strong.

My suggestion is to spend $130 on a i3-10100 processor.
It has 4 cores and 8 threads.
I used one in a build for my son and it is really quick.

S B460 based motherboard is about $75.
You can buy a 2 x 8gb ddr4 ram kit for about $55 in 2400/2666 speed.

  1. i think my current motherboard is a GDDR5 and they told me it wouldn't work
  2. i tried to place the GTX1660 near the slot just to see how big it is, and it will hit the HDD about half an inch
  3. thanks i will try the old PSU...
  4. the i3-10100 in the philippines costs more than $200 at the moment.
  5. WOW that mobo looks pretty awesome. but it says gen10 processors only. also i think when it reaches PH it will be more than that price
  6. that sounds like a good deal.

i think the issue around here is that because of the COVID19 pandemic, there has been a shortage of pc hardware. components wont last 2 days online and they get bought right away. i will try and find a B460 it really looks nice.

thank you
 
GDDR5 is only used on graphics cards and not on motherboards.
The type of ram used in a graphics card has no relevance to the type of ram used on a motherboard.
I don't know who "they" are, but I would not pay much attention to them.

Fit in a case might be a legitimate concern.
What is the make/model of your case?
Do you otherwise like it?
If the new card will impact a drive cage, there are a couple of solutions.
Can the HDD be moved to a different place?
Can the drive cage be removed or relocated?

If you use a ssd, it can be placed anywhere.
It is small and can even be duck taped in strange places if need be.

It may make sense to buy a SSD which is a wonderful performance enhancement instead of paying for a new case.

If there are no cats or kids around, one can even run with the parts laid out on a table.

Nothing wrong with going for a 9100f when you have a budget problem.
It is just that I think if one is buying new, it is better to buy current gen products.
 
Solution

rage690

Distinguished
Mar 22, 2013
53
2
18,535
GDDR5 is only used on graphics cards and not on motherboards.
The type of ram used in a graphics card has no relevance to the type of ram used on a motherboard.
I don't know who "they" are, but I would not pay much attention to them.

Fit in a case might be a legitimate concern.
What is the make/model of your case?
Do you otherwise like it?
If the new card will impact a drive cage, there are a couple of solutions.
Can the HDD be moved to a different place?
Can the drive cage be removed or relocated?

If you use a ssd, it can be placed anywhere.
It is small and can even be duck taped in strange places if need be.

It may make sense to buy a SSD which is a wonderful performance enhancement instead of paying for a new case.

If there are no cats or kids around, one can even run with the parts laid out on a table.

Nothing wrong with going for a 9100f when you have a budget problem.
It is just that I think if one is buying new, it is better to buy current gen products.

Hi geo thanks for the indept guide.

i managed to squeezed some more cash and even then the build i have is entry level.
i made sure i would be content with it for at least another 7 years or a decade.

Core i5 9400 ( i chose the version with an iGPU )
ASUS TUF GTX 1660 Super X3 6GB GDDR6 3Fans
ASUS Prime B365M-A ( i liked this one because of the 4 DIMM Slots . room for future upgrade )
2x HyperX 8GB DDR4 2666mhz RAM ( as per your advice i made sure i have 2 of these )
Kingston 480GB SSD
Still using my old Cougar RS 500w
i bought a cheap tower case with 3 LED fans on the front.

currently preparing it for use.. crossing fingers.