[SOLVED] GTX 1080 GPU Upgrade

[Nyphrodel]

I'm considering upgrading my gpu and I would like some advice on where I should go from here...?

My specs:

Alienware Aurora R7
Intel Core i7 8700
Windows 10 Home 64bit
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 with 8GB GDDR5X
128GB M.2 SATA SSD
2TB 7200RPM SATA HDD
460W APFC PSU Air Cooled Chassis
Tray load DVD Drive...

Thanks in advance

 

[COLGeek]

Is your current GPU failing to meet your needs in some way? If so, what is it not doing to expectations?

 

[Darkbreeze]

My recommendation would be a different case and power supply, before ANYTHING else. There is really no where you can go from here with that and to be honest, I'm not even sure how you've been able to run that 1080 on what I know to be a power supply that is both not terrific and moderately underpowered for that card on top of it.

There are, unfortunately, no graphics cards that constitute an "upgrade" that could be reasonably recommended for use with that power supply.

What is the model of your motherboard?

 

[RTX 2080]

Considering your other post in which you are aiming for 4k 60 fps on a tv (no variable refresh rate window), you should get at a minimum a RTX 2070 super, although waiting for a new RTX 3070 to become available is a much better option.

I second what Darkbreeze said; that's a garbage PSU for the hardware you are trying to run. You should upgrade to a Corsair/Seasonic 650-750 watt unit before you do anything else.

 

[Nyphrodel]

Well of course I would more than likely put in a new psu. I don't believe I've ever upgraded my gpu without upgrading the psu first.

Here's the kicker: I just looked at the required psu specs for that card and you are 100% correct: 600w psu. This might explain the tearing and why the fans will just rev on up out of the blue...I. Am. Livid! I actually trusted DELL to send me a system that was configured properly. Well, I certainly know what I need to do FIRST. Unfortunately, it's out of warranty. I purchased it 2 years ago this November. The thing that pisses me off is that I was just starting to recover from Lung Cancer treatment. I haven't really been able to play my games because of Neuropathy caused by chemotherapy. It was just starting to get better...Then, my Mother died. Then my Father died...I've been a mess and I just feel as if I've been taken advantage of...

So, next on the agenda, my Motherboard: Alienware 0VDT73 (U3E1)

I cannot thank you enough for making me open my eyes. I should have been more careful...I just can't believe I let this happen. I always check these things first. They keep bugging me for an extended or another warranty for all of my electronics. They drive me crazy! They seem so desperate with the constant emails. I'm just frazzled right now...and I was just going to buy a brand new XPS for my daughter, TODAY! What do you think I should do?

My recommendation would be a different case and power supply, before ANYTHING else. There is really no where you can go from here with that and to be honest, I'm not even sure how you've been able to run that 1080 on what I know to be a power supply that is both not terrific and moderately underpowered for that card on top of it.

There are, unfortunately, no graphics cards that constitute an "upgrade" that could be reasonably recommended for use with that power supply.

What is the model of your motherboard?

 

[Nyphrodel]

Yeah, I've been noticing some tearing and the fans are always revving up like it's having trouble running my games. But now I see that the psu in this system is inferior. I trusted DELL and got screwed. Oh, I'm sure somewhere it'll say that this card only needs 460w but that's not the manufacturer's required specs, period! Sorry, I'm just pissed.

Is your current GPU failing to meet your needs in some way? If so, what is it not doing to expectations?

 

[Nyphrodel]

First off, my apologies for being so mouthy and out of control with my first response. I've been dealing with a lot, but no excuses. Secondly, thanks again for pointing this power supply issue out to me. Since your response to my post, I've been doing a little research and reading a few articles and comparisons. I'm starting to think that this video card is actually a nice little card for what I do and what I play and it should, for all intents and purposes last a little longer than a year or two, no? Also, my system is quite frankly, pretty new to be having to upgrade already, isn't it? And you mentioned that I should get a new case. Any particular reason? Is this one too small? Does it have bad air flow or something else?

Well, I found an older article that interested me. Probably because it's the type thing I want to hear. If you would take a look at it for me? I see that you are quite busy on this forum and I feel like it's asking too much but you really seem to know what the heck you're doing. I ask only because I'm really thinking that this gpu will be great if I I just get a more powerful psu and I'm set for the next couple of years...I'd appreciate the help, if not, I understand.

Thanks again for the information.

My recommendation would be a different case and power supply, before ANYTHING else. There is really no where you can go from here with that and to be honest, I'm not even sure how you've been able to run that 1080 on what I know to be a power supply that is both not terrific and moderately underpowered for that card on top of it.

There are, unfortunately, no graphics cards that constitute an "upgrade" that could be reasonably recommended for use with that power supply.

What is the model of your motherboard?

 

[cryoburner]

Here's the kicker: I just looked at the required psu specs for that card and you are 100% correct: 600w psu. This might explain the tearing and why the fans will just rev on up out of the blue...I. Am. Livid! I actually trusted DELL to send me a system that was configured properly.

To be fair, Nvidia officially lists the GTX 1080 as having a 500w "Minimum System Power Requirement" for the reference design, though some factory overclocked models of the card call for more...

https://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-1080/specifications

And when they make that recommendation, they are figuring in additional headroom to account for lower-quality PSUs, as well as for other potentially high power-draw components in the system, while not running the PSU at maximum capacity. The actual reference GTX 1080 only draws around 180 watts under load, and even factory overclocked models only tend to draw a little over 200 watts. The other relatively high power-draw component in a system would be the CPU, but an i7-8700 only has a 65 watt TDP (though maximum power draw may get somewhat higher), which is relatively modest. So, combined with all the other components in that system, maximum power draw from the PSU isn't likely to ever go much over 350 watts. So as long as the PSU can reliably deliver that, it should be fine, and I fully suspect Dell tested that power supply to do just that.

As for fans revving and screen tearing, that would not be the result of inadequate power. If the PSU's capabilities were exceeded, you would encounter system crashes, not things like that. The fan behavior could be the result of a less-than-ideal cooling setup, or perhaps just a result of fan curve settings that could be adjusted better. And screen tearing is generally the result of frame rates not matching your monitor's refresh rate. If you are using a 60Hz monitor for example, but your frame rates are in excess of that, you may encounter noticeable tearing.

 

[Darkbreeze]

That PSU paired with that graphics card could ABSOLUTELY be the reason you are not getting the kind of performance from it that you expected to be getting. Or, getting visual distortions like pixelation and artifacting. Lot's of things that can present as symptoms with a poor quality or underpowered power supply. Dell is VERY good for workstations and internet browsing machines. Dell is NOT very good for gaming systems, including their Alienware lineup which basically, being blunt, tends to consist of a fancy looking but cheap gimmicky case with as cheap a power supply as they can get away with and not have it automatically break down during the warranty period and what would basically be a simple workstation full of hardware with a gaming card thrown in to make it capable of playing games at some level.

What Dell has going for it really, is terrific support, most of the time, but the systems themselves IMO leave a lot to be desired, especially if we are talking about anything that is supposed to be a gaming system OR is being purchased with the intention of being able to upgrade it later because the vast majority of systems sold by Dell are no upgradeable due to the inclusion of mostly proprietary cases, motherboards and power supplies.

What resolution is the monitor that you are gaming on? What kinds of games do you play? What sort of quality settings and frame rates do you desire, or expect, to get?

What could you REASONABLY afford to put forth in the way of a budget for any necessary upgrades or hardware?

 

[Nyphrodel]

First of all let me apologize for my typo, I actually meant 500w, not 600w. (I actually looked at the NVidia GTX 1080 User Guide to find the answer). I understand how all of the other components of a system draw power, but thank you for breaking it down for me. I had no idea that the processor used so little power! But, I was always told that it's best to always go a little higher than the minimum required power when it comes to gaming. This is how it's been explained to me: Because of the different way that games are programmed and in some cases where they are programmed so poorly that they don't run as well as they could or even should, at times there can be considerable power fluctuations on the gpu or the cpu, so it's safer to have enough power to handle whatever comes your way. Did I explain that right or do I have no idea what I'm talking about? Is this information even correct? I had to learn almost everything I knew all over again and I'm still in the process of relearning.

Also, I did adjust the fan curve settings when I first purchased this system because I live in Florida and I really wanted to be sure that I was keeping this thing cool while playing. It was running fine until recently, then the fans just started to rev up in the oddest places or I guess in my opinion, just for no reason at all. And as far as the tearing, I figured it was the refresh rate, so I tend to keep my games locked at 60 fps. My daughter says that she thinks that games can still go over that...something that I doubt if I have vsinc turned on. At any rate, I've been looking at some of the newer tv's that have vrr and I think that will be a good choice for me in the near future.

Thank you for all of your help and for taking time to explain all of this to me.

To be fair, Nvidia officially lists the GTX 1080 as having a 500w "Minimum System Power Requirement" for the reference design, though some factory overclocked models of the card call for more...

https://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-1080/specifications

And when they make that recommendation, they are figuring in additional headroom to account for lower-quality PSUs, as well as for other potentially high power-draw components in the system, while not running the PSU at maximum capacity. The actual reference GTX 1080 only draws around 180 watts under load, and even factory overclocked models only tend to draw a little over 200 watts. The other relatively high power-draw component in a system would be the CPU, but an i7-8700 only has a 65 watt TDP (though maximum power draw may get somewhat higher), which is relatively modest. So, combined with all the other components in that system, maximum power draw from the PSU isn't likely to ever go much over 350 watts. So as long as the PSU can reliably deliver that, it should be fine, and I fully suspect Dell tested that power supply to do just that.

As for fans revving and screen tearing, that would not be the result of inadequate power. If the PSU's capabilities were exceeded, you would encounter system crashes, not things like that. The fan behavior could be the result of a less-than-ideal cooling setup, or perhaps just a result of fan curve settings that could be adjusted better. And screen tearing is generally the result of frame rates not matching your monitor's refresh rate. If you are using a 60Hz monitor for example, but your frame rates are in excess of that, you may encounter noticeable tearing.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Yes, I like to see about 100w MORE than what the system is probably going to use under a full load. If you can estimate that the system will use about 350-450w, then a 550w unit is a good choice. If you have plans to overclock anything, then you'd want to add another 100w and a 650w model would be a good choice. It really depends on the hardware and the usage, but in general using the recommendations at the following link, then adding another 100w to those recommendations IF you plan to overclock the CPU and graphics card, are a good idea.

http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm

If you have no plans to manually overclock anything to any significant degree, then a good unit based on those recommendations is a fine choice for practically any configuration around the graphics card the recommendation is made for there.

A person can pretty easily estimate the actual needs of the system themselves if they wish to though.

For example, if you are running an i7-8700 which Intel says is a 65w part, but we KNOW that it can use up to ~117w under a full load due to review data. So, 117w max for the CPU.

Then, you have a GTX 1080, which on average will use UP TO 75w for the slot, and it has only a single 8 pin for most models BUT some models have up to two 8 pins, so we'll go with the dual 8 pin selection which means 150w maximum draw per 8 pin for a total of 375w potentially just for the card.

Add to that the 117w of the CPU and you have 492w theoretical maximum power draw, so far. The rest of the system including the motherboard, USB ports, SATA power cables for storage devices, fans, lighting, etc. might well run up into the 100w range. Likely no where near that much, more like maybe 50w, but we'll say 75w just to split the difference and play it safe. If you had five or more storage drives, a bunch of external USB devices, 7 case fans, the CPU cooler, four sticks of RAM, and an extensive number of LED light strips, we might opt towards the higher number but that isn't the common system PLUS we're going to pad the number a bit towards the end anyhow just to be safe.

So now, we have 117w for the CPU, 375w for the graphics card, 75w for the rest of the system, for a total of 567w. Let's add another 100w to that in order to ensure that there is plenty of headroom to accomodate any spikes in power consumption, which definitely happen, and to help ensure that when the system is running at full load we are not exceeding about 80% of the power supplies maximum capacity, so that it runs in the "Goldilocks zone" where it has the best ripple, voltage regulation and efficiency performance. Generally, about 40-80% of the units capacity is where you want to land when running it under a load and for me, 60-80% of capacity is even better because a lot of units are much less efficient when running at a significantly low percentage of the units overall capability. In truth though, I'm a lot more concerned with the unit not exceeding 80% of the units maximum capacity so that the numbers for ripple and voltage regulation stay in the units most promising range.

Nobody wants to see high ripple or poor voltage regulation, which are unlikely anyhow if it's a very good unit, but which become more of a concern when you get up to using 80-100% of the units capacity on a mediocre or poor quality unit, but to some degree even on a very good one.

So, enough of that ramble, we are now looking at a total of 667w including the extra 100w we added. Technically, this configuration could probably run fine on a 550w unit, as per the most common recommendations.

For our estimate, even though we end up above the 650w mark by about 17w, we can reasonably assume that a 650w is a really good fit for that system because the 117w we got for the CPU was taken from it's usage while running Prime95 during a torture test, and we are never going to see that kind of usage under real world conditions, so anything from 650w-750w is a good choice. If I was buying a Seasonic Prime Ultra Titanium for that system usage, I'd probably feel great about a 650w unit. If I was looking a somewhat lesser quality Corsair CX model, I'd probably want the 750w unit.

Having some additional overhead in terms of not using a PSU that barely covers the capacity needs has one additional benefit as well. It is going to run much quieter under most conditions, even while under a full load, than it would if you only had about what the system needs or only slightly higher. Not having a noisy PSU is a good thing, both for your sanity and for the life of the PSU and it's fan as well. So, win-win in that regard.

 

[Nyphrodel]

Thank you for the explanation/description of DELL. As my daughter and I were both reading your reply, we both stopped and looked at each and nodded because these are the things we had been discussing. We suspected the same thing considering our history with them. I have purchased 2 laptops and 4 desktops from them over the years. Once I realised that I had this underpowered psu, I suspected that they would install the cheapest psu that they can get away with...so here I am now. I'm just praying that this system doesn't have a proprietary case...live and learn.

To answer your questions, my resolution is 3840x2160. I've been playing on my 55inch uhd tv w/60Hz refresh rate, so at this point I play my games with vsinc turned on to keep them locked at 60fps. Because of my neuropathy, I can't play for long periods of time if I'm at my desk sitting up, so I have to play laying back now and I've really come to enjoy the large screen instead of a monitor. But I am looking into buying one of the newer televisions with a variable refresh rate, then I can increase my framerates and probably eliminate the tearing. I also purchased an Oculus this year and I'd really like it to work without any problems. I play many different games but I don't play online. Right now I'm playing No Man's Sky, but mostly I play games like Subnautica, Supraland, The Witcher 1, 2 & 3, Don't Starve and Don't Starve Together - which I will play online with my daughter through STEAM but we're always in the same room, it's just that we like having our own screens. I just purchased The Master Chief Collection and I LOVED all of those games so much when they were first released, I can't wait to play them all again in all their glory now that they've been remastered. Of course I'd like to play on Ultra settings (who wouldn't, right?) but I'm not fond of post-processing. I've heard that the eye can't see beyond 60 fps, but if possible, I'd like to hit the higher numbers and see for myself.

As far as a budget, I really can't say at this point. I need to find out if this psu can be upgraded as well as this: Can I even upgrade this particular mb or is it proprietary as you mentioned?

I want to thank you once again for your help and in advance for any additional that comes from this thread. You've given me much to think about and I hope to hear some of your ideas and what you think of mine

That PSU paired with that graphics card could ABSOLUTELY be the reason you are not getting the kind of performance from it that you expected to be getting. Or, getting visual distortions like pixelation and artifacting. Lot's of things that can present as symptoms with a poor quality or underpowered power supply. Dell is VERY good for workstations and internet browsing machines. Dell is NOT very good for gaming systems, including their Alienware lineup which basically, being blunt, tends to consist of a fancy looking but cheap gimmicky case with as cheap a power supply as they can get away with and not have it automatically break down during the warranty period and what would basically be a simple workstation full of hardware with a gaming card thrown in to make it capable of playing games at some level.

What Dell has going for it really, is terrific support, most of the time, but the systems themselves IMO leave a lot to be desired, especially if we are talking about anything that is supposed to be a gaming system OR is being purchased with the intention of being able to upgrade it later because the vast majority of systems sold by Dell are no upgradeable due to the inclusion of mostly proprietary cases, motherboards and power supplies.

What resolution is the monitor that you are gaming on? What kinds of games do you play? What sort of quality settings and frame rates do you desire, or expect, to get?

What could you REASONABLY afford to put forth in the way of a budget for any necessary upgrades or hardware?

 

[Darkbreeze]

Can you take the side panel off the case, and take a picture of the motherboard. I'd like to see the model number if possible and the arrangement of the mounting holes. I suspect it is likely a micro ATX motherboard, but as I said before Dell is often guilty of using proprietary hardware. In the case of motherboards, this generally means non-standard rear I/O configurations and non-standard motherboard mounting hole patterns. It also sometimes means non-standard motherboard power sockets and power supplies.

If you could locate and take a picture of, or provide the model number off of, the specifications decal on the side of the power supply, that would also be helpful. Looking at the Dell forum I'm not seeing any confirmation either way as to whether these parts are or are not in fact proprietary and it might actually depend upon additional factors such as deviations between sub models of the R7.

 

[Nyphrodel]

On it! Give me just a few...

By the way, this is the psu that I was looking at just last night. Is this what I should be looking for? I was feeling pretty good when I read your post and it matched what I was kind of thinking...believe me, I am no computer wiz, but it did make me feel like one.: Corsair 750w 80 Plus Gold Power Supply

Can you take the side panel off the case, and take a picture of the motherboard. I'd like to see the model number if possible and the arrangement of the mounting holes. I suspect it is likely a micro ATX motherboard, but as I said before Dell is often guilty of using proprietary hardware. In the case of motherboards, this generally means non-standard rear I/O configurations and non-standard motherboard mounting hole patterns. It also sometimes means non-standard motherboard power sockets and power supplies.

If you could locate and take a picture of, or provide the model number off of, the specifications decal on the side of the power supply, that would also be helpful. Looking at the Dell forum I'm not seeing any confirmation either way as to whether these parts are or are not in fact proprietary and it might actually depend upon additional factors such as deviations between sub models of the R7.

 

[Darkbreeze]

That RM750 is ok. It's a "good" power supply. It is not bad at all. Better however, for only a few dollars more, would be the Corsair RM750x, with the X being the differentiator. You can read reviews of both units by googling them. When it comes to power supply reviews, it is usually best to stick to those at jonnyguru.com, tomshardware.com and techpowerup.com. Those reviews will mostly all be done by Aris, Oklahoma wolf and Taz, all of whom do very good thorough reviews. When there are no reviews from any of those sites for a given unit, you have to pay attention to who is doing the review because reviews, like power supplies, are not all equal at all.

Most people don't want to be bothered to have to do that, so, guys like me provide guides like this:

Discussion - PSU recommendations and power supply discussion thread - Tom's hardware

Below you will find MY standard list of recommended power supplies and beyond that this thread is intended as a landing place for questions or discussions regarding specific units, platforms or related PSU tech, all of which are all welcome to be discussed here. If it's related to power supplies...

forums.tomshardware.com

And there are tier lists around as well, but the only one that exists currently that is even worth looking at is this one. I don't believe it to be completely accurate, and there are some point of view discrepancies on there, but it's better than any other tier list out there and for the average person it definitely simplifies the selection process. You would not end up with a bad power supply using my guide OR this tier list, generally speaking.

Article - [psucultists] PSU tier list rev. 14.8 (Final Update Jul '21)

PSU Tier List 4.0 rev. 14.8 (outdated) Last Update: 12-07-2021 Legend : Gray - EoL/obsolete and/or otherwise not recommended for purchase. Green - small form-factor (gold and blue colors are disregarded due to scarcity of SFX PSUs) Gold - best units in the tier (includes requirements for blue...

forums.tomshardware.com

 

[Nyphrodel]

Apologies for the delay, a member of my family has taken ill...

I went ahead and took a few pics of the inside of my system as you requested. I'm not sure if they'll be of any additional help to you but I do know that you know what you're looking at a heck of a lot better than I do or I wouldn't be here asking for help. By the way, that was the only sticker of any sort on the psu. There was absolutely no other info of any kind anywhere on it or even in it that I could see. I went ahead and made a folder in my Google Photos account and here's the link: Alienware Aurora R7

Thank you so much linking your threads. I can now take some time to become better informed. I always read reviews but as you say, it's hard to know what's what because not all power supplies are created equal. I'm personally more concerned about the honesty of some reviews because I never know who's being paid by whom and if I can believe what I'm reading. It's hard for us leyman because we are so much less knowledgeable, so thank you for pointing me towards Aris, Oklahoma wolf and Taz at jonnyguru.com and techpowerup.com and of course Tom's, whom I always check first.

You know, before my illness, I would never have made this type of mistake and it's really bothering me that I didn't even think about it first. I've always made sure that the system that I purchased was upgradable. I feel like such an idiot! One thing I do know though: I'm no computer wiz, not by a longshot, but I am starting to remember a lot of the stuff that I had forgotten. It's all just kind of creeping back in...unfortunately, I'm pretty sure I'm going to learn a hard lesson before I'm through...

Can you take the side panel off the case, and take a picture of the motherboard. I'd like to see the model number if possible and the arrangement of the mounting holes. I suspect it is likely a micro ATX motherboard, but as I said before Dell is often guilty of using proprietary hardware. In the case of motherboards, this generally means non-standard rear I/O configurations and non-standard motherboard mounting hole patterns. It also sometimes means non-standard motherboard power sockets and power supplies.

If you could locate and take a picture of, or provide the model number off of, the specifications decal on the side of the power supply, that would also be helpful. Looking at the Dell forum I'm not seeing any confirmation either way as to whether these parts are or are not in fact proprietary and it might actually depend upon additional factors such as deviations between sub models of the R7.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Unfortunately, I don't see anything useful in those images. And, there HAS to be a specifications decal on the power supply somewhere, it just might not be easily seen without removing the four screws or latching mechanism that holds the PSU in place and either removing it or turning it to access one of the other sides. Has to be there on it someplace. It is the LAW in every major country in the world. If it was a 20 year old system I'd say it may have fallen off or been removed, but in this case, we know that doesn't apply. It's there, just need to find it.

However, you might be in luck, and will want to take a look at this thread, and the one linked to in this thread.

https://www.dell.com/community/Alienware-Desktops/Aurora-R7-PSU-Upgrade/td-p/6071624

 

[Nyphrodel]

I have added an image to my earlier link: Alienware Aurora R7
I opened up the ps and found the specs decal right away. I've left a few of the other images just in case we need to look at them sometime later on down the line.

The post by 'YoungSpeccy' on the DELL forums was very helpful. Do I honestly need that many additional cables? And secondly, I was looking at a 750w ps with the expectations of some head room. From your previous posts it would appear that you would agree, but if I should go for an 850, I will.

Also, I've read that the GTX 1080 is a pretty nice little card and that I'm not going to see that much improvement going from a GTX 1080 to an RTX 2070 (maybe 10fps) and that moving to an RTX 2080 would be a wiser choice. I would suspect an RTX 2080 would probably run better with an 850w ps, especially if I want to use an Oculus too. Your thoughts?

Unfortunately, I don't see anything useful in those images. And, there HAS to be a specifications decal on the power supply somewhere, it just might not be easily seen without removing the four screws or latching mechanism that holds the PSU in place and either removing it or turning it to access one of the other sides. Has to be there on it someplace. It is the LAW in every major country in the world. If it was a 20 year old system I'd say it may have fallen off or been removed, but in this case, we know that doesn't apply. It's there, just need to find it.

However, you might be in luck, and will want to take a look at this thread, and the one linked to in this thread.

https://www.dell.com/community/Alienware-Desktops/Aurora-R7-PSU-Upgrade/td-p/6071624

 

[Darkbreeze]

See, there's your problem. That unit is only capable of a RATED 385w, per the label. Not even the 460 that it's advertised as. And you can bet that it's 100% not able to supply that 385w at 40°C. That rating is almost certainly at 30°C which is unrealistic for any power supply used in anything even remotely demanding like a productivity or gaming system that gets pushed hard a bit here and there. Much less any kind of solid gaming machine. It's a shame and an embarrassment that they even put those in a supposedly "gaming" system to begin with, but for OEMs they just don't care so long as the machine makes it out of the warranty period and if it doesn't, it is cheap to replace them with another one and send it back out.

Anyhow, it IS an ATX unit, so any standard ATX power supply SHOULD fit in place of that unit if you just want to replace the power supply and not have to worry about a whole case swap.

I'll be honest, at this late date, I would advise against any 100 or 200 series Nvidia card, with the 30 series cards already here and the 3060/3070 supposed to be coming out in the next month or so, with better than 2080 performance probably at a lower price. It's definitely worth the wait IMO. I can't provide a lot of details on a 3060, because there have been a few problems with supply on existing 3080 and 3090 cards, a delay on the release of 3070 cards and not much information yet on the 3060 cards, but with both AMD's Big Navi coming very soon as well as these potentially 40-75% more powerful per dollar Nvidia cards, I can't see it making much sense to buy a 2070 or 2080, or even a 2080 ti, unless the price was ridiculously fabulous. And by that I mean costing like 200 dollars, which won't happen unless you bought a used card and only fools buy used cards IMO.

A 3060 or 3070 would make a LOT more sense, and would give you a lot more in return for your investment.

https://www.techradar.com/news/nvidia-geforce-rtx-3060-release-date-price-news-and-features

 

[cryoburner]

I'll be honest, at this late date, I would advise against any 100 or 200 series Nvidia card, with the 30 series cards already here and the 3060/3070 supposed to be coming out in the next month or so, with better than 2080 performance probably at a lower price. It's definitely worth the wait IMO. I can't provide a lot of details on a 3060, because there have been a few problems with supply on existing 3080 and 3090 cards, a delay on the release of 3070 cards and not much information yet on the 3060 cards, but with both AMD's Big Navi coming very soon as well as these potentially 40-75% more powerful per dollar Nvidia cards, I can't see it making much sense to buy a 2070 or 2080, or even a 2080 ti, unless the price was ridiculously fabulous. And by that I mean costing like 200 dollars, which won't happen unless you bought a used card and only fools buy used cards IMO.

While I would generally agree that it's probably a good idea to wait if one doesn't need a card immediately, it's probably worth pointing out that the supply of 30-series cards has been extremely low so far, and as a result, it might be months before they can be easily bought near their MSRPs. If one is willing wait, they will probably be a much better buy than the current 20-series offerings though.

As for pricing, it's a bit of an exxageration to say those 20-series cards will only be worth $200 new. The 3070 is expected to offer 2080 Ti-like performance starting at around $500, so $500 might be reasonable for a 2080 Ti. And if a 3060 offers 2080-like performance, it will likely be for around $350-$400. 2070-like performance will probably make its way to under $300, but even that will likely still be more than $200.

 

[King_V]

In defense of the 460W PSU, those were offered in the era Dell started where they publicly stated on the product page that the PSU would support up to a 225W GPU. I doubt they would make that claim if they didn't believe it, since they'd be getting warranty calls like crazy if it wasn't up to the task.

It does sound sketchy, but worked trouble free, with my GTX 1080, with my old R9 285 (190W I think), and with my son's RX 580 8GB (also 190W?). Never a hiccup with any of those GPUs, and variously with a Haswell era and a Skylake (6th gen) era system.

Now, whether it's really that Dell was confident in the 12V rails, and justified in that confidence, or if it's been luck for myself and my son - that's a question I can't answer with certainty.

 

[Darkbreeze]

While I would generally agree that it's probably a good idea to wait if one doesn't need a card immediately, it's probably worth pointing out that the supply of 30-series cards has been extremely low so far, and as a result, it might be months before they can be easily bought near their MSRPs. If one is willing wait, they will probably be a much better buy than the current 20-series offerings though.

As for pricing, it's a bit of an exxageration to say those 20-series cards will only be worth $200 new. The 3070 is expected to offer 2080 Ti-like performance starting at around $500, so $500 might be reasonable for a 2080 Ti. And if a 3060 offers 2080-like performance, it will likely be for around $350-$400. 2070-like performance will probably make its way to under $300, but even that will likely still be more than $200.

I didn't say they would only be worth 200 dollars new. At all.

What I said was, it wouldn't make SENSE to buy one of them unless you could GET it for that price, because if you couldn't (New, used, refurbished, whatever) then it probably doesn't make a lot of sense because 20 series cards haven't seen any really substantial price reductions on new cards, and probably won't, but 30 series cards, once there is a sufficient supply of them, will be much less expensive for the same amount of performance than current 20 series cards. For example, once supply reaches a stable level, an RTX 3070, with 2080 ti performance, is going to be less expensive than what you could get a 2080 non-ti for. My point is only that it is probable that a much higher performance per dollar can obtained by waiting for an appropriate 30 series card than settling for any of the 20 series cards, unless of course you can get one used in good shape for a ridiculously low price.

 

[Darkbreeze]

The 3070 is expected to offer 2080 Ti-like performance starting at around $500, so $500 might be reasonable for a 2080 Ti..

This makes no sense man.

Why would ANYBODY want to buy a 2080 ti for 500 dollars, knowing that you're not going to find one at that price new, only used, when you are going to get no warranty with it, but a full warranty with a 3070 that outperforms it or at least performs as good, AND supports some things not supported well on the 2080 ti. It just doesn't make sense really, at least, to me it doesn't.

 

[Zerk2012]

If your using the stock cooler on that 8700 I would change it, that could be part of the problem.

You can run a stress test I bet it throttles.

 

[Darkbreeze]

There is very little room for adding an aftermarket cooler in those Alienware cases. But certainly something better than the stock cooler could be found, if cooling is a problem, and I agree that it very well could be.