[SOLVED] Midrange GPU Recommendations?

[martinch]

Hi all,

It's looking like I'll have to replace my GTX 970 in the near future. I'm using a 1440p 60Hz monitor and the only games I'm interested in where the GTX 970 is not fast enough are Metro Exodus (recommended: 2070 or 3070 for Enhanced) and the not-yet-released S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 (recommended: 2070 Super).

Looking at local suppliers, I can get:

• RTX 3060: ASUS Dual OC or MSI Gaming X (both £385)
• RTX 3060 Ti: ASUS Dual OC Mini (£435), MSI Gaming X (£480), or ASUS Dual OC (£500)
• RX 6650 XT: Sapphire Pulse (£385), MSI Gaming X (£400), or ASUS Dual OC (£455)

The RTX 3070 and RX 6750 XT are more than I want to pay (~£575).

Would an RTX 3060 be a sensible choice, or should I be looking at the 3060 Ti? I feel that the Ti is a better option, but it also feels expensive (if the Founders Edition were actually available at its RRP of £370, I'd probably just get that...).

Finally, is there any real difference between any of the models listed above in terms of either quality or fan noise? I'm struggling to find reviews on twin-fan models.

Thanks!

P.S. It's going to be paired with a Ryzen 5 5600X, and will be going in a Fractal Design Define R4 (so I'm not interested in RGB). Power shouldn't be an issue (Corsair RM750x).

 

[gpumarketonfire]

MSI Gaming X (£400), or ASUS Dual OC (£455) , always amd

 

[martinch]

MSI Gaming X (£400), or ASUS Dual OC (£455) , always amd

Any particular reason for not Sapphire? (I thought they were one of the better AMD board manufacturers)

The RX 6650 XT does seem to be great for rasterisation. The only thing I'm not 100% sold on is its raytracing performance (44fps in Metro Exodus benchmarks), although I suppose bumping the settings down one notch would solve that (and I guess is likely not make a noticeable difference visually).

 

[MEMOFLEX]

I would personally go the 3060 ti route based upon what game you have mentioned and the RT performance. Quite a decent gap between a 3060 and the 3060 ti. The DLSS helps in a number of games.

The 3060ti outperforms the 6650xt at 1440p across most games what I can see but is a little more expensive.

The MSI 3060 Ti 8GB VENTUS 3X OC is £440 on scan which I put in my brothers computer and has been very good for him at the same resolution.

The 6650XT is a decent card as well though and in pure rasterisation it competes and in some games outperforms the 3060ti but mainly at 1080p.

 

[martinch]

I would personally go the 3060 ti route ... The 3060ti outperforms the 6650xt at 1440p across most games what I can see but is a little more expensive ... The 6650XT is a decent card as well though

I think that may well be the correct answer, although I'm still suffering from "sticker shock" on all of them a bit*, especially as a lot of the games I play don't need much GPU power (Frostpunk, STALKER, Endzone, XCOM, Wasteland, Pillars of Eternity).

* I paid £280 for my GTX 970, and am used to the "60" model cards being £150-175. 😊

The MSI 3060 Ti 8GB VENTUS 3X OC is £440 on scan which I put in my brothers computer and has been very good for him.

Can I ask how he's finding it in terms of noise? I've struggled to find reviews on the Ventus line, other than some (slightly snarky) comments along the lines of "they're the budget line and you don't see reviews of them because noisy compared to the Gaming X line" (obviously, there's the possibility that this may all be snobbery and nonsense).

 

[MEMOFLEX]

I think that may well be the correct answer, although I'm still suffering from "sticker shock" on all of them a bit*, especially as a lot of the games I play don't need much GPU power (Frostpunk, STALKER, Endzone, XCOM, Wasteland, Pillars of Eternity).

* I paid £280 for my GTX 970, and am used to the "60" model cards being £150-175. 😊


Can I ask how he's finding it in terms of noise? I've struggled to find reviews on the Ventus line, other than some (slightly snarky) comments along the lines of "they're the budget line and you don't see reviews of them because noisy compared to the Gaming X line" (obviously, there's the possibility that this may all be snobbery and nonsense).

The prices are still a bit crazy I agree. The 3060 ti is a little better for me as the performance is still good. I think this is the way it is now unfortunately. The difference between your 970 and one of the above however will be considerable though.

The MSI card is fine noise wise from what I have experienced but as with every card it can be audible at 100% load but again that depends on the location of your case.

I have used the 2x super ventus 2070 super in my system and I have no issues with the noise. It is a subjective thing however.

Budget is often meant to mean bad and the gaming x line does look prettier and may have a better cooling solution but from my experience both 'budget' cards have been more than fine even at heavy loads.

 

[martinch]

I think this is the way it is now unfortunately.

Yeah, I think you're right on that one - I don't see it changing any time soon. 🙁

The difference between your 970 and one of the above however will be considerable though.

Very true.

The MSI card is fine noise wise from what I have experienced but as with every card it can be audible at 100% load but again that depends on the location of your case. I have used the 2x super ventus 2070 super in my system and I have no issues with the noise. It is a subjective thing however..

Thanks - sounds like it shouldn't be an issue. I've got sensitive hearing and the PC is on the desk next to me, but the noise from my GTX 970 - which is a EVGA "blower" design - is fine due to the case (a Define R4) dulling most of it.

 

[Nero1024]

RTX 3060 Ti would be the best choice if you can afford it, and it will last for a long time if you handle with care

 

[DRagor]

It's looking like I'll have to replace my GTX 970 in the near future

If near future then wait for new Radeons announcement (Nov 3 if I'm not mistaken) as they can shake things a lot.

 

[martinch]

If near future then wait for new Radeons announcement (Nov 3 if I'm not mistaken) as they can shake things a lot.

My upgrade timeline is somewhat dependent upon how long my current card behaves for, which means it'll probably fail about a month before the new Radeons become available. 🤦‍♂️ On a more serious note, I do hope the new Radeon line is interesting, and causes the existing 30-series cards to drop a bit.

 

[DRagor]

On a more serious note, I do hope the new Radeon line is interesting, and causes the existing 30-series cards to drop a bit.

As we all do. We need somebody shake some sense into NVidia and AMD is the most obvious contender for that.