[SOLVED] How do I know which GPU to buy?

[testtube5]

So I know I want to buy an RTX 2070, but there are so many brands, so many choices within the brands...how do I know which one to buy? What specs should I be looking out for that make one cost 150$ more than the other? etc

Currently I'm thinking I would just buy the cheapest one I can possibly find with reviews where half of the reviewers aren't saying theirs came DOA, but...something tells me that line of thinking is incorrect.

Any input on the matter would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

SEE MY POST RECENT REPLY BELOW FOR ADDITIONAL INFO / QUESTION

 

[dotas1]

The differences between the same chip 2070 from different brands, are cooling solutions, aesthetics and sometimes OC performance due to better silicon.

If you purchase a dual or triple fan (preferably) solution, you will be fine.
The performance difference is most of the time negligible and the silicon lottery well, it's chance.

 

[Mrgr74]

So I know I want to buy an RTX 2070, but there are so many brands, so many choices within the brands...how do I know which one to buy? What specs should I be looking out for that make one cost 150$ more than the other? etc

Currently I'm thinking I would just buy the cheapest one I can possibly find with reviews where half of the reviewers aren't saying theirs came DOA, but...something tells me that line of thinking is incorrect.

Any input on the matter would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

The base "2070" chip is more or less the same with all brands. Some 3rd party sellers will overclock them a bit or add fancy RGB's or add extra fans. Everyone here will have their own Pro's & Con's for each GPU, so take what everyone, myself included, says with a grain of salt.

That being said, lol..

EVGA, Zotac & Sapphire are 3 brands I've personally used the most over the years and all 3 have been great. I currently have an EVGA 1060 6GB SC in my personal system that's been rock solid ever since I bought it 3 years ago. I have an older Zotac 650Ti in my daughters PC and it's been great and still spitting out decent FPS when her & I game, which is just about everyday. Sapphire tends to have robust cooling solutions and I have never had a card by them fail.

Find the cheapest one you can find by a good company, then look at the next card up in cost and compare the differences. Depending on the size of your case & your current cooling solutions & general ambient temps both inside your case & the room the case is in, you may be able to save some $$ and buy a card with a single fan that's just as powerful as a card with 3 fans & flashy glowing RGB's. Some cards may have 6GB of vRAM vs the next step up having 8GB or even 11GB. Some have more. some have GDDR5 vRAM & some have the faster GDDR6 RAM. All things to look for.

Post links to the cards you are looking at and people here will pick them apart, arguing which one is better.

 

[testtube5]

To the last poster that told me to post the card I'm looking at so people could pick it apart, here it is:

https://www.newegg.com/msi-geforce-rtx-2070-rtx-2070-armor-8g-oc/p/N82E16814137363

Reasons I want that one?

1. It looks absolutely awesome to me.
2. MSI made my first ever GPU

^Horrible reasons lol

My current PC: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/d4PMkd

I'm open to ANY suggestions for an alternative GPU AS LONG AS...it's not a penny over 550$ before mail-in rebates or anything like that)

 

[LordVile]

May I ask why you're not considering a 5700XT? Just curious.

Also I would look at first the FE 2070 Super if Nvidia have it in stock because that will be around 500 and secondly why not look at 2060 Supers? They're about 100 cheaper than a 2070 and not far behind.

 

[testtube5]

I've actually never tried an AMD GPU before in my life. Sometimes I forget they even make them...

What would you go with if you were me? (I think I'm gonna take a little longer thinking about this than I was originally planning to)

 

[Mrgr74]

I've actually never tried an AMD GPU before in my life. Sometimes I forget they even make them...

What would you go with if you were me? (I think I'm gonna take a little longer thinking about this than I was originally planning to)

@LordVile makes a very good point in regards to the "Super" version of the RTX line of cards. Especially the 2060 Super. As for the AMD card, that's another excellent suggestion as the new 5700 series, )while not revolutionary, are still extremely good cards. Often beating the 2060 and in some cases giving the 2070's a serious run for their money and are cheaper.

Nothing wrong with going with an MSI card. Brand loyalty is a good thing. As for the card you chose, I'd stick with the updated "Super" cards if you get a 2060 or 2070, unless you can get a truly wicked deal where you save a ton of $$. The 5700 was recently on sale for a crazy low $289 and the higher end model, the 5700 XT, depending on the 3rd party seller, is currently going for just over $400.

 

[testtube5]

(I'm going to stick with Nvidia for now, they've never once failed me and AMD has several times (with CPUs though))...

Yeah I'm actually looking at the 2060 Super vs the 2070 right now and the two I'm comparing (The one I linked and another MSI) are actually 60$ apart, when the performance increase isn't even close to 60$ worth...

...Hell, it may not even be a performance increase in some situations according to this:

https://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-RTX-2070-vs-Nvidia-RTX-2060S-Super/4029vs4049

So...yeah...I'm gonna stick with the 2060 Super for sure, this one to be more specific:

https://www.newegg.com/msi-geforce-rtx-2060-super-rtx-2060-super-armor-oc/p/N82E16814137441

I doubt anyone is going to find me a deal like this but if anyone has any recommendations for another 2060 Super from a reliable brand with similar specs that is ~25$ cheaper, please let me know, otherwise I'm going to buy the one I linked.

 

[LordVile]

(I'm going to stick with Nvidia for now, they've never once failed me and AMD has several times (with CPUs though))...

Yeah I'm actually looking at the 2060 Super vs the 2070 right now and the two I'm comparing (The one I linked and another MSI) are actually 60$ apart, when the performance increase isn't even close to 60$ worth...

...Hell, it may not even be a performance increase in some situations according to this:

https://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-RTX-2070-vs-Nvidia-RTX-2060S-Super/4029vs4049

So...yeah...I'm gonna stick with the 2060 Super for sure, this one to be more specific:

https://www.newegg.com/msi-geforce-rtx-2060-super-rtx-2060-super-armor-oc/p/N82E16814137441

I doubt anyone is going to find me a deal like this but if anyone has any recommendations for another 2060 Super from a reliable brand with similar specs that is ~25$ cheaper, please let me know, otherwise I'm going to buy the one I linked.

Lol I have that exact GPU.

 

[Mrgr74]

I doubt anyone is going to find me a deal like this but if anyone has any recommendations for another 2060 Super from a reliable brand with similar specs that is ~25$ cheaper, please let me know, otherwise I'm going to buy the one I linked.

The 5700 XT is better overall vs the 2060 Super and is cheaper.

This Zotac 2060 Super is cheaper, but not by $25 though. As is this Gigabyte.

 

[LordVile]

The 5700 XT is better overall vs the 2060 Super and is cheaper.

This Zotac 2060 Super is cheaper, but not by $25 though. As is this Gigabyte.

I would agree on the 5700XT unless you REEEEALLy want ray tracing or you want other proprietary tech that Nvidia has. (I got a 2060S over a 5700XT mainly because a lot of games I really like have PhysX in them)

 

[testtube5]

I'm reading some people saying the 5700XT has some driver issues (or had?) though, is this true?