Question GT 1030 to RX 550 4GB?

[AspectSaber]

Hello, my graphics card, the GT 1030 is over 2 years old, and it is starting to wear down. I need a new graphics card pretty soon so I can't wait for the shortage to end, and my only option at a "reasonable" price is the rx 550 4gb version. I am wondering if this is a good performance difference or not because according to many benchmarks they score very similarly and is not worth the upgrade. Thanks for any help My! My gpu is this: Gigabyte GV-N1030OC-2GI Nvidia GeForce GT 1030 OC 2G Graphics Card https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07646VQ6T/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_DYGRV8VC5PJJQX7RRW1Y

 

[popatim]

What games do you play, the Radeon can eeeck out a few wins over the GT but its very game dependent.
For examples: https://www.techspot.com/review/1488-esports-geforce-gt-1030-vs-radeon-rx-550/

 

[AspectSaber]

I play mostly esports titles but I want to play games that are more demanding since my gt 1030 can't run them and they are in my library from gifting and stuff. Games that I currently play without an issue are GTA 5, minecraft, CSGO,Rainbow Six Siege, Rocket League, Valorant, fortnite(I play occasionally) and Splitgate. Games that I want to play but can't run due to my hardware are Titanfall 2, Ghostrunner, battlefield 1 (possibly V, IV) Apex Legends, and COD Warzone.

 

[ARICH5]

my friend i implore you to update patches....valorant is an online game.

we as experts have alot of knowledge but you have broad questions my friend.

your specific ram/mobo is a start

 

[AspectSaber]

I'm sorry I don't know much about hardware I'm just asking if there really is an overall performance difference between a gt 1030 to an rx 550

 

[madmatt30]

I'm sorry I don't know much about hardware I'm just asking if there really is an overall performance difference between a gt 1030 to an rx 550

No, literally the only difference is that rx 550 has 4gb vram - it is however not really powerful enough to take advantage of it.

You should save your money until you can afford a proper upgrade

I'm sure your 1030 is not 'wearing out'.
2 years is nothing for a modern built gpu, I have cards that are close to 10 years old.

 

[AspectSaber]

Oh ok thank you very much. I'll probably save for a better card then. Thanks!

 

[RodroX]

Oh ok thank you very much. I'll probably save for a better card then. Thanks!

New GPU performance will also be linked to your CPU performance, RAM and display resolution.

In the future if you want to know/ask for GPU upgrades, remember to share with the forum whats your current CPU, RAM and whats you display resolution. Another important factor is the power supply, so it will be great to know the make and model of that too.

 

[AspectSaber]

I guess but I am limited in options since I have an office style computer in which I upgraded the power supply into a 430 watt thermaltake. But my pc case is very small so I can only fit a mini itx card which limits my options but there still are some options.

 

[Eximo]

I guess but I am limited in options since I have an office style computer in which I upgraded the power supply into a 430 watt thermaltake. But my pc case is very small so I can only fit a mini itx card which limits my options but there still are some options.

GTX1650, GTX1650 Super, GTX1660... you can also look at RTX2060 and 3060 Mini cards (and if the RTX3050Ti ever comes out)

 

[AspectSaber]

I think the rtx cards will pull too much power, so the 1650 super and 1660 super could be good options. Just waiting for them to drop in price then.

 

[Eximo]

I think the rtx cards will pull too much power, so the 1650 super and 1660 super could be good options. Just waiting for them to drop in price then.

RTX3060 is listed as 170W, so you basically need an 8-pin connector (or dual 6-pin). Thermaltake Smart 430W has two 8-pin PCIe connectors. As long as the rest of your system is relatively low power, which is pretty typical of office PCs, then it would do alright. Not ideal, but still doable. Even the older TR2 430W power supply has at least 1 6+2 connector.

 

[AspectSaber]

Yes but my psu isn't the smart one it's one of those older tr2 430 watts and it doesn't have a 6 or 8 pin connector. Other than that my system is low power since I have a modest cpu (core i3 7100) and just 2 other drives.

 

[Eximo]

How old? I have a TR2 running an old GTX285, that was a dual 6-pin card from 2009...

If you have a TR2 without a PCIe connector (white connectors), that makes it well over ten years old, even if you bought it more recently...You should consider replacing that to protect your future GPU investment.

 

[AspectSaber]

I'm not Exactly sure how old it is all I know is that it doesn't have 6 pin connectors, it's that 430 watt thermaltake that has a red background saying tr2 430w

 

[Eximo]

Yeah, they change their labeling a lot so that only helps a little, they do have part numbers on them that you could use to get a more specific answer.

Still, if it lacks PCIe connectors, that means it is a very old unit. And lower end Thermaltake units aren't considered that good to begin with. Capacitors age over time and max power delivery goes down. You should certainly replace it if you plan on any late model GPU. With boosting features they can draw more during spikes than their rated TDP which might quickly kill a borderline unit.

I only have a TR2 because it is what Best Buy tends to carry and I needed a PSU quickly. That PC has an old Athlon X2 in it, so not too worried about it if does fail, easily replaced with a $200 used desktop.

 

[AspectSaber]

I have decided to just save up for an entire new system. Although saving up for the system with the graphics card would be difficult due to the shortage and insane overpricing, I would benefit from building a new computer. I am very limited in options with this computer, from the weak processor which bottlenecks a stronger GPU (higher than a regular 1650 will be bottleneck for my system), to the size of the case, which is very small. So in all, I will save up for an entirely new system, thanks to everyone that helped.