Question i7 3770 CPU and a Dell 19 Monitor E1913 (1440x900), what is the best GPU for gaming in 2019? Do I need a better monitor?

[Matt123MJC]

I got a pc containing an i7 3770, 8gb of ram recently for very cheap and wanted to upgrade it with a graphics card to be capable of gaming for the current year. Not massively fussed about highest settings but medium-high at steady 60 fps on newly releasing games would be nice after playing on lowest on a potato laptop for many years. I have a monitor that I am hoping to use as well (a Dell E1913). It is 1440x900 but doesn't have HDMI- only VGA and DVI but I heard that DVI was similar quality to HDMI and I'll probably use headphones so no problem about lack of sound. I'm wondering what a good GPU would be to go for and whether I will need a new monitor or not? Thanks in advance.

 

[SkyNetRising]

Depends on

how much are you willing to spend?​

what PSU do you have (model name)?​

 

[Matt123MJC]

Depends on

how much are you willing to spend?​

what PSU do you have (model name)?​

Probably a max of £400-500 but that's not set in stone. Obviously would prefer to be lower though

As for the power supply, I'm not certain. I've got the HP Elite 8300 Tower. I could get a new one if I have to.

 

[SkyNetRising]

HP Elite 8300 Tower has 320W PSU. That will need to be upgraded.

Something like this perhaps.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Video Card: MSI - GeForce RTX 2060 6 GB VENTUS OC Video Card (£329.99 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - S12II 620 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£57.62 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £387.61
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-02-20 15:11 GMT+0000

 

[geofelt]

DVI and HDMI are digital and will give better quality than VGA. You are good there.
The main reason hdmi has sound is so you can play sound through your monitor speakers if you have them.
Not useful since monitor speakers are crappy.

Look at the psu you have.
What is the wattage?
Does it have at least one 6 pin psu power cable available.
If it does not, the strongest card you can use will be a GTX1050ti.

If you want a stronger graphics card, look for the upcoming GTX1660ti.
It will be a low power card of improved performance.
Of cards available now, something in the GTX1060 class will be about right.
Here is a EVGA GTX1060SC for £229.99 which leaves you with a budget for a good psu.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/EVGA-GeFor...=UTF8&qid=1550675095&sr=1-3&keywords=gtx+1060

You only need 550w.
Here is a 550w Seasonic focus gold for £82.99
https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Computer-Power-Supply-Components/Seasonic-SSR-650FX-FOCUS-Power-Supply/B073GY89G5/ref=sr_1_5?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1550675635&sr=1-5&keywords=seasonic+focus+550&th=1

Do you need a better monitor??
That is really your call.
Larger monitors with higher resolution are more immersive.
Something in the 30" size.
For quality, pick a IPS 178/178 panel.
For fast action, tn is faster but a lower quality image.
Go to a store and see the differences in person.
Consider carefully, a monitor tends to be a long term purchase.
Bust your budget if you need to for a good one.



Lastly, if you have not yet done so, put windows on a good ssd with the rest of your budget.
I like Samsung EVO, they have a nice utility to move your C drive.

 

[hang-the-9]

Get a 24" 1080 monitor as well, you will have plenty of money left if you get a 1060 card, or even an RX580 whch is a very good buy and is under 200.

 

[Matt123MJC]

HP Elite 8300 Tower has 320W PSU. That will need to be upgraded.

Something like this perhaps.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Video Card: MSI - GeForce RTX 2060 6 GB VENTUS OC Video Card (£329.99 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - S12II 620 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£57.62 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £387.61
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-02-20 15:11 GMT+0000

I did see in some places that it is difficult to upgrade the 8300 but I think that is people talking about the SFF version whereas I think I am getting the largest size.

They look like good recommendations but perhaps the graphics card is a bit much considering the cPU is only i7 3770? I've heard really good cards with less good processors can be throttled and not exercise their full potential?

How do I know which wattage I need for different graphics cards?

 

[Matt123MJC]

DVI and HDMI are digital and will give better quality than VGA. You are good there.
The main reason hdmi has sound is so you can play sound through your monitor speakers if you have them.
Not useful since monitor speakers are crappy.

Look at the psu you have.
What is the wattage?
Does it have at least one 6 pin psu power cable available.
If it does not, the strongest card you can use will be a GTX1050ti.

If you want a stronger graphics card, look for the upcoming GTX1660ti.
It will be a low power card of improved performance.
Of cards available now, something in the GTX1060 class will be about right.
Here is a EVGA GTX1060SC for £229.99 which leaves you with a budget for a good psu.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/EVGA-GeFor...=UTF8&qid=1550675095&sr=1-3&keywords=gtx+1060

You only need 550w.
Here is a 550w Seasonic focus gold for £82.99
https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Computer-Power-Supply-Components/Seasonic-SSR-650FX-FOCUS-Power-Supply/B073GY89G5/ref=sr_1_5?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1550675635&sr=1-5&keywords=seasonic+focus+550&th=1

Do you need a better monitor??
That is really your call.
Larger monitors with higher resolution are more immersive.
Something in the 30" size.
For quality, pick a IPS 178/178 panel.
For fast action, tn is faster but a lower quality image.
Go to a store and see the differences in person.
Consider carefully, a monitor tends to be a long term purchase.
Bust your budget if you need to for a good one.



Lastly, if you have not yet done so, put windows on a good ssd with the rest of your budget.
I like Samsung EVO, they have a nice utility to move your C drive.

Okay I think I'll skip on the monitor. Those cards, even the 1050ti, sound fine tbh. The most graphics intensive games I play are probably GTA V, Fallout 4 and Elder Scrolls Online but I do want a decent bit of future-proofing.

What does putting windows on SSD get me? Is it just faster boot-up or any benefits during use?

 

[Matt123MJC]

Get a 24" 1080 monitor as well, you will have plenty of money left if you get a 1060 card, or even an RX580 whch is a very good buy and is under 200.

What main benefits do I get from a 1080 monitor and do you have any recommendations for specific low-cost monitors?

 

[J_E_D_70]

Higher resolution allows the screen size of the monitor to be larger and still crisp. So, low res big screen = pixelated; higher res medium screen = crisp; highest res smaller screen = super sharp. It varies by the person viewing the screen but 1080p is good to ~24" (some people are ok at 27"), 1440p is good for ~27"-32"; 4k for 32" and up.

After getting a 1440p/27"/144hz screen I couldn't go smaller. Very immersive. Ultrawide curved screen would be more so.

BUT, the more pixels/higher res you go the beefier the GPU you have to shell out for to maintain framerates. Same goes for refresh rate (hz) and framerate - faster framerates need more GPU so costs more money. It's a vicious cycle

 

[crystalcity]

Yes you need a better monitor.

rx580.

Elite 8300 has a weirdo power plug for the mobo. You're going to have to get an adapter cable to swap the PSU. Make sure the GPU you choose will fit without hitting things.

24" monitor $200
adapter figure $10 to $20
psu $20 to $50
gpu $150 to $200
All within budget.

Or just do a 1050ti and the monitor so you can avoid the PSU swap.

 

[Matt123MJC]

Yes you need a better monitor.

rx580.

Elite 8300 has a weirdo power plug for the mobo. You're going to have to get an adapter cable to swap the PSU. Make sure the GPU you choose will fit without hitting things.

24" monitor $200
adapter figure $10 to $20
psu $20 to $50
gpu $150 to $200
All within budget.

Or just do a 1050ti and the monitor so you can avoid the PSU swap.

I think I will stick with the monitor at least for now. I can always upgrade later. My main decision now is change psu and get a graphics card better than 1050 ti or keep psu and just get 1050 ti. Is there some sort of context as to how good 1050ti is compared to say the next level or two above- like is it worth it?

 

[SkyNetRising]

Here is review of those cards. If you ever intend to upgrade your monitor to at least 1080p, then gtx 1050 ti will become too weak. GTX 1060 should be minimum then.

https://www.techspot.com/review/1269-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1050/page3.html

 

[crystalcity]

The oldest gpu in my family is a 660ti and it games just fine @ 1080p. So you know what I'm going to say about a 1050ti. I have two 1050ti cards in builds.. they seem to do well also.

Boils down to expectations per dollar. If you buy a dusty $100 1050ti, you're going to get more for your dollar.. Obviously its not going perform on the same level as a brand new $200 rx580. Pick your poison.. Honestly I'd pickup the 1050ti and adopt a crusty ebay 60/75hz 1080p 24" monitor. Keep saving your pennies while you enjoy your system.

 

[Matt123MJC]

The oldest gpu in my family is a 660ti and it games just fine @ 1080p. So you know what I'm going to say about a 1050ti. I have two 1050ti cards in builds.. they seem to do well also.

Boils down to expectations per dollar. If you buy a dusty $100 1050ti, you're going to get more for your dollar.. Obviously its not going perform on the same level as a brand new $200 rx580. Pick your poison.. Honestly I'd pickup the 1050ti and adopt a crusty ebay 60/75hz 1080p 24" monitor. Keep saving your pennies while you enjoy your system.

Not a bad shout. Gonna get the card sorted and then will look into a monitor.