Looking to upgrade

JeckeL

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Jul 19, 2009
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I'm looking to possibly purchase a new graphics card, below are my system specs, I'd like to upgrade before buying the new RE2 remake because it looks amazing. Also, I purchased my current EVGA GTX 960 2GB like 5 years ago for $199, how is the same card currently selling for $299 new and $200+ used on newegg/amazon/etc? Seems very strange, am I missing something lol? Anyway I was thinking about getting a GTX 1060

Asrock Fatal1ty Z68 Professinal/Gen3
intel i5-2500k
EVGA gtx 960 (2GB)
seasonic S12II 620watt PSU
 
hmmm. whilst it's not exactly a bad idea to upgrade. Your CPU, although stellar in it's day, will bottleneck the new GPU in demanding games, and pretty much all AAA games right now.

The GTX1060 is nearly 100% faster than a 960 in FPS, BUT, your CPU may hold it back in certain scenarios, meaning you won't see much of an improvement in FPS, sometimes.

Also, ram is now very important for gaming. Most AAA games use upward of 8gbs at 1080p 60hz resolution. So if you have 8gbs of old ram too, that will further hamper performance.

Both of these issues can/will cause stuttering and can be very unpleasant.

Rather than pump 200 quid into a card that may not perform as you expect (because of your current system), I'd recommend thinking about a platform upgrade first, keeping your current GPU to 'get you by' until you have a base system, that will take advantage of whatever card you do choose.

You could also re-use your PSU in a new build, along with HDD/SD. So getting a new CPU/Mobo/Ram will serve you much better for now IMO.

You would be surprised what you would get with about 400-500 €£$.
 

JeckeL

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Jul 19, 2009
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Thanks for the info, very informative. The thing is I play almost everything on medium/lowish settings, I've never been big on pumping settings to ultra, even if I had the computing power for it. For example I play GTA 5 on this current setup without any stuttering/FPS problems and based on what little research i've done by way of "will this gtx 960 2gb play RE2" it seems I could play RE2 on low-medium settings with maybe with a couple hiccups here and there on the GTX 960 so I figured i'd get a card like 1060 that I could use for now and put in to a new system along with the PSU and some other things when that time comes like you mentioned

Edit: I rarely ever play AAA titles... the most graphic intensive games I play are the aforementioned GTA5 as well as path of exile, both I currently play without any real hiccups
 
hmmm, that's a very close call. For RE: 2 the min CPU is an i5 4460, which is slightly better for everything than your current CPU.

The 960 might cut it with a better CPU, but you will have stutteringI expect. Perhaps not so much at low settings, but anything higher will impact it.

You are right on the threshold of playable experience, that's enjoyable for that game, and your current rig.

I know it's so tempting to just get the GTX1060 and weigh in. But you may be disappointing. Some games most certainly you will see an improvement. But for some not so much at all.

I'd recommend waiting a bit saving a some extra dosh, and getting something that wll give you a solid base (upgrade-able) and the potential for a lot more performance than you currently have.

If you absolutely must have the 1060, then just be prepared, that in some games you might not be overwhelmed by the expected increase in performance versus the actual increase.

Good luck with the choice :)

Just to whet your taste buds, you could do something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($164.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - B450 Pro4 ATX AM4 Motherboard ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team - Vulcan 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $289.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-02-07 14:23 EST-0500

Along with your GTX960/HD/SSD/PSU you would have a PC capable of playing those games you mentioned very nicely at pretty much med-high settings at 1080p.

Then, all you would need down the line (maybe 6 months later) is a GTX1660ti/RTX2060/RX590 for a really good gaming experience at high/ultra settings at 1080p.

Making good choices now, will save you money. Getting a GTX1060 with your current system, will cost you money.