[SOLVED] Looking to upgrade my card, haven't been in the market for one since 2014

NatalieJoestar

Prominent
Jun 7, 2019
4
0
510
Hey all, so I have $300 to work with and I can only think of my graphics card to upgrade as its the only part that wouldn't require me to change out another part (like a CPU upgrade would require a board that's not AM3+ like my current, or how I'm only allowed to have DDR3 ram with this board). I cannot go for more than $300 USD and I'd rather avoid having to do the mail in rebate, but if it's truly worth it, I'll go for it.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/stJstp

Here is my setup, minus the graphics card currently installed. What I have in there now is an ASUS R9 270X 4GB and I can tell it's slowly but surely dying as its caused GPU crashes in multiple games and the only fix has been to underclock it.
Not sure what would be a good card for that price these days so any help would be appreciated. Also my monitor is Freesync so AMD would be preferable, but I'll take better framerate if NVIDIA really makes the difference. Thanks!
 
Solution
Newer Nvidia GPU's (10XX series or newer) support Freesync as long as you use the newest drivers and the monitr & GPU support a DisplayPort cable.
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/how-to-run-gsync-on-freesync-monitor,6072.html

That being said you want to figure out which part(s) to upgrade, use this guide.
https://davescomputertips.com/how-to-determine-gpu-vs-cpu-bottlenecks-and-possible-solutions/
  • If lowering the graphics settings has no effect on frame rates, then the bottleneck is your CPU
  • If lowering the graphics settings increases the frame rate, then your GPU is reaching its upper limits
Spec wise I think the GPU should be replaced first but do the testing and find out.

Assuming you have a good...

WildCard999

Titan
Moderator
Newer Nvidia GPU's (10XX series or newer) support Freesync as long as you use the newest drivers and the monitr & GPU support a DisplayPort cable.
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/how-to-run-gsync-on-freesync-monitor,6072.html

That being said you want to figure out which part(s) to upgrade, use this guide.
https://davescomputertips.com/how-to-determine-gpu-vs-cpu-bottlenecks-and-possible-solutions/
  • If lowering the graphics settings has no effect on frame rates, then the bottleneck is your CPU
  • If lowering the graphics settings increases the frame rate, then your GPU is reaching its upper limits
Spec wise I think the GPU should be replaced first but do the testing and find out.

Assuming you have a good PSU (we should know the make/model) this is what I'd recommend.

PCPartPicker Part List

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 Super 6 GB SC ULTRA GAMING Video Card ($239.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $239.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-02-15 06:05 EST-0500


I have the same GPU and it's great for 1080P or 1080P ultra wide (21:9) gaming. The next upgrade will be the CPU/MB/RAM.
 
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Solution

NatalieJoestar

Prominent
Jun 7, 2019
4
0
510
Newer Nvidia GPU's (10XX series or newer) support Freesync as long as you use the newest drivers and the monitr & GPU support a DisplayPort cable.
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/how-to-run-gsync-on-freesync-monitor,6072.html

That being said you want to figure out which part(s) to upgrade, use this guide.
https://davescomputertips.com/how-to-determine-gpu-vs-cpu-bottlenecks-and-possible-solutions/
  • If lowering the graphics settings has no effect on frame rates, then the bottleneck is your CPU
  • If lowering the graphics settings increases the frame rate, then your GPU is reaching its upper limits
Spec wise I think the GPU should be replaced first but do the testing and find out.

Assuming you have a good PSU (we should know the make/model) this is what I'd recommend.

PCPartPicker Part List

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 Super 6 GB SC ULTRA GAMING Video Card ($239.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $239.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-02-15 06:05 EST-0500


I have the same GPU and it's great for 1080P or 1080P ultra wide (21:9) gaming. The next upgrade will be the CPU/MB/RAM.

Ah, I seem to have forgotten to add my PSU to the list. It's the most recent part as it was a gift from a friend and it should have plenty of room for the new part and more, thankfully. And that's great to hear about Freesync! It's nice when the big 3 companies get along, makes the user experience much better.

Here's the PSU in case you still wanna check here

That card does look very nice, I'll most likely go for it, thank you!