Question GPU upgrade assistance

justcallmejoe

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Sep 29, 2012
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Open to suggestions here. Looking to upgrade my sons GPU for Christmas. Not adverse to upgrading other parts in order to get a better GPU if needed but wouldn't mind just going the easy route with a new GPU if we have spec room to do so and see noticeable improvement. Appreciate the replies in advance.

rtx 3070

8gb vram

12th gen intel core i7-12700KF(20cpus) 3.6ghz 12core

16384mb ram

BaseBoard Manufacturer Micro-Star International Co., Ltd.
BaseBoard Product PRO Z690-A WIFI (MS-7D25)

650w psu

XPG gammix d10 ddr5 4800speed
 

logainofhades

Titan
Moderator
You will need a PSU upgrade for starters. 650w, even a quality one, is a bit low for faster GPU. Much depends on budget for this. What games and monitor resolution are they playing at? Personally, I would do PSU, 32gb ram, and then GPU. Games are becoming more and more ram hungry. My rig easily sees 16gb+ usage, and all I play is World of Warcraft.

Ram and PSU suggestion, need more information for GPU.

PCPartPicker Part List

Memory: TEAMGROUP T-Create Expert 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($85.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 TT Premium 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($105.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $191.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-11-14 16:51 EST-0500
 

justcallmejoe

Distinguished
Sep 29, 2012
43
1
18,535
You will need a PSU upgrade for starters. 650w, even a quality one, is a bit low for faster GPU. Much depends on budget for this. What games and monitor resolution are they playing at? Personally, I would do PSU, 32gb ram, and then GPU. Games are becoming more and more ram hungry. My rig easily sees 16gb+ usage, and all I play is World of Warcraft.

Ram and PSU suggestion, need more information for GPU.

PCPartPicker Part List

Memory: TEAMGROUP T-Create Expert 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($85.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 TT Premium 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($105.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $191.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-11-14 16:51 EST-0500
He plays some semi demanding games and is on a 1440 monitor. Not "too" worried bout the cash. This is a christmas present and If i go big it'll be one of his only :).

I figured RAM would def be needed but thats pretty cheap. I also figure 800w or better on a PSU.
 

punkncat

Polypheme
Ambassador
IMO upgrade the system to 32GB of RAM.

You don't mention cooler, case fans (or case), and storage.

This shouldn't be a poor platform for 1440 gaming. With that card and that CPU I would consider most games running at 75 or better FPS. You didn't mention monitor, so whatever it's max framerate is would be a waste targeting much over that capability.

Get rid of HDD if they exist, and if possible update other storage or OS drives to M.2 or SSD as built permits.

Some nice ARGB lighting....
 
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logainofhades

Titan
Moderator
My pick without going totally out of control would be a 7900xt, or the 7900GRE if money becomes a concern.

relative-performance-2560-1440.png
 
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3070 is a decent graphics card.

To be certain that a gpu upgrade is worth it,
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.

You have a cpu upgrade available in the i9-14900K if you need it.

For a stronger gpu, up the power of the psu to perhaps 850w.
A quality psu will have a 10 year warranty.
 
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Eximo

Titan
Ambassador
I think the best price/performance from Nvidia is the 4070 Super. Since they are used to Nvidia they may be using some of the Nvidia specific features like DLSS or Ray Tracing in some games.

Max I would do is the 4070 Ti Super. This is basically a cut down RTX 4080 and comes with the same 16GB VRAM as the bigger cards, still quite an expensive card compared to the AMD counterparts with similar non ray tracing performance.
 
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justcallmejoe

Distinguished
Sep 29, 2012
43
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18,535
3070 is a decent graphics card.

To be certain that a gpu upgrade is worth it,
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.

You have a cpu upgrade available in the i9-14900K if you need it.

For a stronger gpu, up the power of the psu to perhaps 850w.
A quality psu will have a 10 year warranty.
Great info. Thank you!