Choosing a graphics card

[DrRobotnik7]

Hi all,

I am going to upgrade my GPU and I'd appreciate your opinions on which to buy. Due to my budget I'm looking at mid to entry level cards. There are quite a few variables so I'm having a bit of a headache with it!

My options are below;

1. NVIDIA GTX 1050Ti 4GB £160 without G Sync monitor (although I could buy one eventually when they get cheaper)
2. AMD RX 560 4GB £110 with Freesync monitor £100
3. ATI Radeon R9 270X 2GB (used) £70 + new PSU (for correct PCIe connectors) £40 but not Freesync compatible
4. ATI Radeon HD 7970 3GB (used) £100 + new PSU £40 but not Freesync compatible

Essentially I can get used cards that are great but need a new PSU and aren't Freesync / GSync compatible, or get a new card and choose between NVIDIA and AMD for the Freesync / GSync features later down the line.

GSync monitors are very expensive compared to Freesync, and the RX 560 is much cheaper than the GTX 1050Ti. The question is; does the RX 560 with Freesync beat the 1050Ti without GSync?

What would you buy for your rigs? Your advice, opinions and general comments would be much appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

 

[King_V]

What do you have currently?

 

[DrRobotnik7]

What do you have currently?

A GT 630, so an upgrade definitely needed!

 

[10tacle]

Rule out #3 and #4 immediately. Old technology is not worth buying when newer tech is more efficient and has better driver and game support. Between the 1050Ti and RX 560, the 1050Ti is the more powerful card. But neither are solid 60FPS GPUs even at 1080p unless quality is reduced. So you'll have to decide if you think smoother Freesync gameplay at 40FPS with the RX 560 is better than say 50FPS with the 10850Ti on a 60Hz monitor.

 

[DrRobotnik7]

Rule out #3 and #4 immediately. Old technology is not worth buying when newer tech is more efficient and has better driver and game support. Between the 1050Ti and RX 560, the 1050Ti is the more powerful card. But neither are solid 60FPS GPUs even at 1080p unless quality is reduced. So you'll have to decide if you think smoother Freesync gameplay at 40FPS with the RX 560 is better than say 50FPS with the 10850Ti on a 60Hz monitor.

Agreed, I'll only get a new GPU. That's the tough one, if GSync monitors were cheaper it'd be a no brainer. The Freesync monitor I have in mind is 75Hz and the range where Freesync kicks in is 30 - 75Hz, so although the RX 560 would struggle I imagine Freesync would kick in. Would it look better than 50 FPS on 1050Ti without GSync? That's the question! It's tough to turn down what is clearly a better GPU. I just don't know how big a difference Freesync would make.

Thanks for your help.

 

[dontlistentome]

You don't mention your CPU. Depending on the CPU, all this could be irrelevant since it's possible that all the cards will perform in a similar fashion and it's possible adaptive sync of any type won't be much benefit.

Assuming your CPU is powerful enough, I'd go for the 1050 Ti + new PSU. I know that's not an option but it sounds like you have an older and/or cheap PSU, you should make sure you have a decent quality PSU anyways. If you're able to spend £220 on an AMD card + freesync monitor then you can afford a 1050 Ti + quality PSU.

The best alternative card of your choices, the HD 7970, only gets you 1050 Ti level of performance and you still need the new PSU. So then you might as well get the 1050 Ti.

The problem with low end adaptive sync use is that due to the card being entry level, your range of framerate is not going to be that much. I think you're better off getting a faster card than a slower card with a freesync monitor. The exception would be if you personally have seen freesync in action with a 560 on the games you play and it performs to your satisfaction. Don't just go by what people say about freesync.

 

[DrRobotnik7]

You don't mention your CPU. Depending on the CPU, all this could be irrelevant since it's possible that all the cards will perform in a similar fashion and it's possible adaptive sync of any type won't be much benefit.

Assuming your CPU is powerful enough, I'd go for the 1050 Ti + new PSU. I know that's not an option but it sounds like you have an older and/or cheap PSU, you should make sure you have a decent quality PSU anyways. If you're able to spend £220 on an AMD card + freesync monitor then you can afford a 1050 Ti + quality PSU.

The best alternative card of your choices, the HD 7970, only gets you 1050 Ti level of performance and you still need the new PSU. So then you might as well get the 1050 Ti.

The problem with low end adaptive sync use is that due to the card being entry level, your range of framerate is not going to be that much. I think you're better off getting a faster card than a slower card with a freesync monitor. The exception would be if you personally have seen freesync in action with a 560 on the games you play and it performs to your satisfaction. Don't just go by what people say about freesync.

It's an i7-3770 at 3.4Ghz, turbo boost to 3.8Ghz. I've researched this CPU and don't believe either GPU will be bottlenecked. The PSU is 450 watts and after doing a PSU calculator online should be more than enough to power the 1050Ti.

I've got a 32" 720p TV I can use for my PC monitor, although not 1080p which would be ideal, it does mean I could probably run games in ultra settings with either card at this lower resolution. Just need to make sure I'm sat a long way away from the TV!!!

Thanks, I think you've helped convince me to get the 1050Ti. I can always get a GSync monitor in the future when/if prices drop.