monitor/GPU upgrade for i5-3570k

[edhouston]

(Reposting this in GPU and monitor forums)
My old monitor (27" 60Hz) died and I need to upgrade, which is making me consider upgrading my GPU also, but I don't want to overdo it and bottleneck my CPU. My specs are i5-3570k, GTX 660Ti GPU, ASUS p8z77-v motherboard, 16GB 1600 RAM, 750w psu. For gaming I mainly play online MMORPGs like Elder Scrolls Online, but my son may want me to join him in Fortnite. My CPU is currently at 3.6 but I could overclock it to around 4.1 if I got a new GPU (right now my 660Ti is bottlenecking my CPU). I am trying to get another few years out of this CPU before building a new computer.

Monitor: I am focusing on two 1080 res Freesync monitors at MicroCenter, a 75Hz 1ms 27" ASUS for $150 or a 144Hz 1ms 27" ASUS for $250. I am wondering if I will be able to tell the difference for 75 vs 144 Hz? I am probably sticking with 1080 res since I am not sure what FPS my CPU could give me on 1440 res, or if it would even matter much for the games I play. Will the Freesync be worth it if I get a Radeon GPU? Not sure G-sync would be worth it, since the monitors cost so much more and my CPU might limit me anyway.

GPU: I have always owned NVidia GPUs but I am looking at Radeon since the monitors would have Freesync. I am wondering if my CPU could run a RX 580 8gb GPU or if it would bottleneck it. Or maybe a RX570 with 4gb? It only saves me about $50 but if the CPU will bottleneck it anyway, why spend the money? In between those two there are the RX580 with 4 gb and RX570 with 8gb, how do those stack up?

So my questions are:
1. difference between 75 vs 144 Hz monitor worth it?
2. stick with 1080 res or try for 1440?
3. Freesync?
4. Radeon RX580 vs RX570 and 8gb vs 4gb for my CPU? Or drop Freesync and stick with NVidia?

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[RobCrezz]

1) not a huge difference unless you are playing a lot of FPS games
2) 1440p is much nicer, but youll need to run lower detail settings compared to 1080p
3) only worth it if you get an AMD GPU
4) RX580 8gb 100% if you go freesync, otherwise consider the 1060 6gb.

 

[hang-the-9]

There is an 8 GB RX580 on Amazon for under $200 now after rebate, a really good deal https://www.amazon.com/MSI-RX-580-8G-OC/dp/B06XZQMMHJ

For a 27" screen you will be OK with 1440 resolution and the 580 will be able to handle it. The 75hz screen should be smooth enough especially with Freesync.

 

[tennis2]

I'd echo the recommendation for the $200 MSI RX580 8GB

I have an i5-3570K (4GHz @ stock voltage), and RX480 8GB (same as RX580), and a Samsung C27HG70 monitor (27", 1440p, 48-144Hz). I also have experience with my brother's LG29UM67P (29", 2560x1080, 40-75Hz) and I will say that while it's not impossible to dial in graphical settings (and driver settings via Frame Rate Target Control in AMD Settings) to stay within that 40-75Hz range, my 48-144Hz monitor just works. That said, my monitor cost double what my brother spent on his.

If you're going to get a 1080p monitor, an RX580 will easily push >75Hz on most/all games you play and will last you a number of years. Thankfully, there are a bunch of settings in AMD driver software to reduce delivered frame rates (so you're not generating frames the monitor never displays) which saves power/heat.

I personally think that 1080p resolution is too low for 27" (16:9) monitors, but there are plenty of people I know that don't mind the lower pixel density.

 

[need4speeds]

My GTX-970\Llano@3.5ghz system flys on games like that so if you want to move up to something higher than 1080p i think you will be fine.

- With the death of mining there are lots of used GTX970's, 980's, RX570's, 580's, 480's, and of course gtx 1060's, 1070's.

660ti sli would be ok too if you find a cheap used one locally. ? $30 or $40 and you have about 80% more gpu speed. The 6XX series like the amd HD-7XXX series scaled well compared with newer gpus. (I am not recommending that you pay lots to do this, just if you get lucky and find a 2nd card and it's not too expensive)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpTCmgRxqSY
GTA 5, Witcher 3, GTX 660Ti SLI

https://us.hardware.info/reviews/3026/16/nvidia-geforce-gtx-660-ti-review---3-way-sli-included-the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim
(Some are tri-sli so read the chart carefully)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJI8f81a9IA
GTX 660 Ti SLI vs GTX 680 Single Card Performance Review Linus Tech Tips

Actually it's faster and has better scaling than i expected, so yeah if you get lucky to find a 2nd 660ti for sli and the price is right i would go for it.

 

[need4speeds]

If you go with a 2nd 660ti, i would stick with 1080p because the lack of video memory on the 660ti's wont do so good above 1080p.

 

[need4speeds]

Because when you upgrade the whole system you wont want a 1440p monitor, you will want a 4K one...

A used $40 or so 1440x900 monitor that's 22" to 24" would be ok if it's fairly cheap. They are a bit taller so it's creates the illusion that the monitor is bigger like a 25" or so. The advantage in this is that 1440x900 was the standard for a while so most games support it and the taller monitor is better for webpages and office use. There is also a bit taller 1920x1200 monitor too. Less pixels to push means faster fps in gaming. (Compared with going to a 1440p, and assuming your going with a budget gpu choice like a 2nd 660ti or RX570)

A 24" to 25" 1080p 60HZ monitor would also be a good compromise, they are cheaper to buy and most games default with this monitor without having to change any settings. ( This is why i like my 1080p lcdtv's so much, click on a new game, it works right away without doing anything. )

 

[Karadjgne]

Gtx970/980/980ti
Gtx1060-3/1060-6/1070
Rx480/580

Any of those will maximize performance of that i5-3570k. Much depends on budget and availability. All are good for 1080p @75Hz. Trying to get 144fps out of any pre-coffeelake i5 is hard except for e-sports type games, steam games etc, since most are going towards 8thread optimization, making quad cores struggle above 90-100fps. A 75Hz monitor will allow for smoother/seamless gameplay.