Sep 27, 2020
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Hey, so I'm planning to upgrade my computer soon cuz Black Friday and Cyber Monday are right around the corner, as of right now I have a gtx 660 and I'm in desperate need of an upgrade as I basically can't run any games at lowest settings and get stable framerates, I've been looking into a gtx 1660 super for a while now, just wondering if u guys still think it's a good GPU as of late 2020 and how future proof it'll be. I don't play games at ultra settings I go for competitive settings but I'm also scared that my Ryzen 5 2600 will bottleneck low settings. Got any advice? Thanks
 
Solution
Yes, if you are trying to use low settings to hit competitive very high frame rates, then the Ryzen 2600 is going to be a limiting factor, but it would be a limiting factor no matter WHAT graphics card you used, so unless you plan to replace the CPU with something that has better IPC and single core performance, it really doesn't make that much difference. You are unlikely to hit 144FPS on any demanding games with the Ryzen 2600. Light games, eSports titles, with lower settings, probably ok. AAA games, not a chance. 60-80fps max, most likely, for anything demanding with lower settings. Especially if it's something that is fairly well CPU intensive. Then it may be even lower frame rates.

BUT, the good thing is, it costs you NOTHING to...
If you are gaming, or intending to game, at a resolution of 1080p or lower, then yes, the GTX 1660 Super is still a good choice, especially coming from a GTX 660 as this will be MAGNITUDES more powerful than what you currently have. It will be like going from a bicycle to a six cylinder Camaro.

It is a good pairing for a Ryzen 2600.
 
Sep 27, 2020
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Ok, thanks good to know! Do you think my Ryzen 5 2600 will bottleneck low and competitive settings, whenever I see benchmarks of the GTX 1660 Super with other CPU's they get higher framerates at low and competitive settings compared to benchmarks with the Ryzen 5 2600. Thanks!
 
Yes, if you are trying to use low settings to hit competitive very high frame rates, then the Ryzen 2600 is going to be a limiting factor, but it would be a limiting factor no matter WHAT graphics card you used, so unless you plan to replace the CPU with something that has better IPC and single core performance, it really doesn't make that much difference. You are unlikely to hit 144FPS on any demanding games with the Ryzen 2600. Light games, eSports titles, with lower settings, probably ok. AAA games, not a chance. 60-80fps max, most likely, for anything demanding with lower settings. Especially if it's something that is fairly well CPU intensive. Then it may be even lower frame rates.

BUT, the good thing is, it costs you NOTHING to TRY it out, because you already have that CPU. If you find that you are hampered by less than desirable CPU performance, you can always upgrade the CPU. If not, then no need to do so. Trying will tell all, but the graphics card isn't going to be the limiting factor in that regard if you are running lower settings at 1080p.
 
Solution
Nov 11, 2020
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The 980ti is a good deal. The 980ti performs about 30% better than the 1650 Super. When comparing the 980ti with the 1660ti, they are both about equal, with the 980ti performing slightly better in some games, and the 1660ti performing slightly better in others. The 1660ti costs $270, while the used 980ti costs $200. I feel like the 980ti is the logical choice. I personally got lucky a couple of months ago, and found a MSI manufactured 980ti that has a Corsair liquid cooler on it, and came with a factory-overclock for $190, and to me, it was an obvious choice. And, since the 980ti is somewhat older than the 1660ti, the 980ti will bottleneck your first-gen i7 less than the 1660ti would. One thing to note is that the 980ti takes so much power it is ridiculous (250 watts max), but for you it would not be an issue with your 1000 watt power supply. The 980ti will be able to handle newer titles at 1080p @ 144hz, 1440p @ 60hz. Also notable is that the 980ti was the first "real" 4k card. It will be able to run most pre-2015 games at 4k 60hz.
So, I feel like this GPU would fit in your instance. Your CPU would probably have a very minimal bottleneck on your 2600, and is basically as good as the 1660 Super. If you get lucky, like I did, you can get a 980ti that comes with a pretty substantial factory overclock, that would make the card beat the 1660 Super. I see 980ti's on eBay all the time for $180-$200. So, for $40 less than the 1660 Super, you can get a GPU that is basically equivalent. The only drawback to the 980ti is that you have to have a 600 watt or higher PSU.
 
Sep 27, 2020
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So I've been waiting to upgrade my GPU all year, I currently have a GTX 660, and Black Friday/Cyber Monday are right around the corner and I was originally set on purchasing a GTX 1660 Super, but with the release of the new RTX 3000 series, I'm not so sure anymore. The performance equivalent of the GTX 1660 Super is a GTX 1070 and that card was released 4 years ago, so in retrospect, although the card was released last year It has the same performance as the second-highest model from 4 years ago, not to say its a bad card and I know it'll be still way better than the GPU I have now. But from a standpoint of value and longevity, I want the most out of my money. I want the latest model so It'll last longer, but there's no set solid performance for their budget lower-end RTX 3000 cards as they are haven't been officially announced that is set to release later this year and early 2021, passing up Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals is iffy because I don't know if their lower-end cards will be in my budget (GPU prices are higher in Canada) or if ill even be able to power them with a 550W PSU. What type of relative performance do you guys think the RTX 3050 or 3050 ti will give? Should I upgrade in a few weeks? Or to see what the new line has to offer in the coming months?
Thanks for the advice in advance!
 
D

Deleted member 2720853

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How do you know there will even be a 3050 or 3050 Ti?

If you're gaming at a resolution of 1080p, just get a 1660 Super. Considering how awful tech launches are this year, I doubt you'd even find any 30 series GPUs in stock, let alone during black friday.
 
The time to buy is when you need/want an upgrade.
New products are launched all the time.
They will have better price performance characteristics than the products they replace.
Otherwise, why launch at all?
You will get fair value at any price point, excepting perhaps for the top dog card.
Think out a year or two and buy what you need. No telling what you might want after that.
If you buy now, buy a significant jump in graphics power, otherwise you may be disappointed if you do not see magical results.
Particularly if you play fast action games or higher resolutions.
 

BradHP

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Oct 17, 2011
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With how bad the availability is on all the new models, I'm not expecting to see many Black Friday or Cyber Monday deals this year. A lot of the older cards are already at slightly inflated prices, so we might be lucky if they drop down to what they should actually cost.
 

InvalidError

Titan
Moderator
New products are launched all the time.
They will have better price performance characteristics than the products they replace.
Some times are better/worse than others. While new products may launch on a somewhat regular basis, worthwhile new products are less common. As far as value per dollar is concerned, the 5600X is horrible compared to the 3600 and the 5800X is passable compared to the 3700X. New generations don't always provide better value per dollar, especially not at launch prices with possible gouging and scalping on top.

Right now is a crappy time to buy with everything on short supply and disproportionate price bumps on many new lower-midrange products.