[SOLVED] Power requirement & upgrading from GTX 660 to 1050 ?

Chaz-Dave

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I currently have a gtx 660 and want to upgrade to the 1050. I was looking at power requirements; the 660 needs 450-500 W whereas the 1050 needs less, only 300-350w - can that be correct i.e. needing less power?
 
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Yes, 1050 is more power efficient. Back then 660 needed a 6pin to run while alas 1050 off 75w pcie slot. Performance wise won't be that much different though.

Chaz-Dave

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{On reflection of you saying that it won't make much difference to performance, I have the following question} I want to upgrade my GPU but don't want to spend too much nor do I want to upgrade any other components {I don't want to go beyond the parameters of my current power supply} on my PC. How do I go about searching for a list of GPU's that would fit within my general requirements?
 

Chaz-Dave

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I haven't looked inside the pc, but it must be a 500w because I am running the gtx660 currently
Model H77H2-EM
CPU Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3770 CPU @ 3.40GHz
16gb Ram
2 x SSD
 

boju

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1050 would be a safe bet all things considered. Newer architecture would allow support for newer games. Performance level won't be superior than before, but newer supported drivers nonetheless.

I used to run 2600k with 1080ti reasonably well. Cpu was overclocked to 4.5 though which i guess helped cpu bottleneck but what helped more was running 1440p putting less fps strain on cpu. You have 3770, fair bit better than 2600k stock so your cpu is fine running faster graphics cards if considered and if psu upgrade was also an idea.

Should inspect your psu label and read wattage for 12v.
 
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Here is a handy chart that lists the power requirements for a number of graphics cards:
http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm
The key is to look at the number of 6 and 8 pin power plugs that are required.
If your psu does not have the requisite power leads, it does not have the capability of supporting more via adapters.
And, wattage is not all, a cheap psu will not even deliver proper advertised power.

Before you upgrade graphics, try this simple test:
Run YOUR games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
This makes the graphics card loaf a bit.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely more cpu limited.

Check tom's gpu hierarchy chart for a relative ranking of gpu capability:
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gpu-hierarchy,4388.html
 
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DSzymborski

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I haven't looked inside the pc, but it must be a 500w because I am running the gtx660 currently
Model H77H2-EM
CPU Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3770 CPU @ 3.40GHz
16gb Ram
2 x SSD

500W PSUs greatly vary in quality. The exact brand and model is, in many cases, the most important specs of a PC to know, as it is here. If we could only choose one bit of information about your PC to answer a GPU upgrade question, it would almost always be the information about the PSU.

Now, a GTX 1050 uses very little power and can be recommended generally safely on all but the most horrifying 500W PSUs (which, again, is why we need to know). But other GPU recommendations, it can be a different matter.

In all honestly, I'd just stay with with I have right now if you can. The GTX 1050 is an upgrade, but not a huge one, and the GPU market is such a godawful mess that you'll pay more for a used 1050 than you did for a new one back when it was new. The whole semiconductor + supply lines + tariffs + crypto mess means that buying a GPU is basically an exercise in "spending too much."
 
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Chaz-Dave

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So, it seems unanimous that 1050 isn't going to make much difference, but the 1080ti, all being well in theory, could... however when I consider how much one is, which seems to be extortionate for the age I could for a few extra hundred pounds in the UK get a half decent gaming PC ...so it feels like a false economy upgrading - I guess this was all previously factored in by the gods of industry at some level to get you to buy a new one....
 
So, it seems unanimous that 1050 isn't going to make much difference, but the 1080ti, all being well in theory, could... however when I consider how much one is, which seems to be extortionate for the age I could for a few extra hundred pounds in the UK get a half decent gaming PC ...so it feels like a false economy upgrading - I guess this was all previously factored in by the gods of industry at some level to get you to buy a new one....

1080ti is completely different territory, you'd definitely need a new power supply and a quality one at that. If you're wanting to spend the equivalent on something current, don't mind upgrading power supply and are in the UK, sign up for Telegram part alerts. It's how I got this 3080FE for 649 quid. You're not looking at 3080s I'm guessing given your current specs and considering second hand 1080ti cards and what those cost. But a 3070 or 3070ti would be a nice purchase at 469 or 529 quid and enable you to gain a good uplift now, and then take the card over to a new build in a few months time. I only say this as you've mentioned getting a half decent gaming PC. You could just hang out for the part alerts and try, have to be quick though. I just wish AMD was as interested in selling in the UK as NVidia are, but they aren't after Brexit.

I got very lucky, was able to sell my 2080 for 490 quid, meaning a net spend of 170 quid to upgrade to the 3080 when you factor in delivery for the new card. Buying a 2080 when it was the flagship two and a half years ago turned out to be a good move given how things panned out.
 
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