[SOLVED] Right Gpu for Ryzen 5 2600

[Cozzolino]

Hello TH,

I'm almost done with my new build and it's down to picking a good Gpu. I'm knee deep into benchmarks right now and just starting to get a grasp on cpu-gpu bottlenecks.

My cpu is going to be a ryzen 5 2600, paired with 16gb 3000mhz ram, and here I am wondering what's the best pairing for it on my budget (200+-50). I've identified 1650s and 1660s as the best option and with gpucheck and cross CPU-GPU benchmarks it seems that I will be quite bottlenecked by the cpu, in the order of 14% with the 1650s, nevermind 1660s.

It seems that, paradoxically, I would do better with a rx580, which is kind of a bummer.

I have 3 questions:

- Should I rma my r5 2600 now (I'm receiving it today), wait a bit for a good deal on 3300x (EU BTW) which seems to handle these gpus much better at stock?

- Will overclocking alleviate the bottleneck, assuming there is one at all?

- Should I just stick to a rx580?

Thanks for reading

 

[Shektron]

What resolution are you playing at? The R5 2600 is a very capable CPU and will handle a 1650 and 1660 with ease, without bottlenecks, unless you play at low resolution/low settings and want 120+ FPS.

 

[Wolfshadw]

Forget you ever heard the term, "bottleneck". It's a big bark, but no bite and bottleneck calculator web sites are worst that what the dog leaves behind.

They Ryzen 5 2600 is an excellent processor (note my system specs below). You can safely pair it with ANY graphics card within your budget range. I'd likely go with the GTX 1660, given your budget, but would not hesitate to put an RTX 2070 in there either.

-Wolf sends

 

[ceriumin]

Forget you ever heard the term, "bottleneck". It's a big bark, but no bite and bottleneck calculator web sites are worst that what the dog leaves behind.

They Ryzen 5 2600 is an excellent processor (note my system specs below). You can safely pair it with ANY graphics card within your budget range. I'd likely go with the GTX 1660, given your budget, but would not hesitate to put an RTX 2070 in there either.

-Wolf sends

My friend has a Ryzen 5 2600 and a RTX2070 super without issues, such a great cpu

 

[ceriumin]

Hello TH,

I'm almost done with my new build and it's down to picking a good Gpu. I'm knee deep into benchmarks right now and just starting to get a grasp on cpu-gpu bottlenecks.

My cpu is going to be a ryzen 5 2600, paired with 16gb 3000mhz ram, and here I am wondering what's the best pairing for it on my budget (200+-50). I've identified 1650s and 1660s as the best option and with gpucheck and cross CPU-GPU benchmarks it seems that I will be quite bottlenecked by the cpu, in the order of 14% with the 1650s, nevermind 1660s.

It seems that, paradoxically, I would do better with a rx580, which is kind of a bummer.

I have 3 questions:

- Should I rma my r5 2600 now (I'm receiving it today), wait a bit for a good deal on 3300x (EU BTW) which seems to handle these gpus much better at stock?

- Will overclocking alleviate the bottleneck, assuming there is one at all?

- Should I just stick to a rx580?

Thanks for reading

My friend is running an RTX2070 super without any issues with that cpu, I am running an RTX2060 with that cpu, there has been no issues, it is a great CPU, don't use bottleneck calculators, they are bs and dog s. What is your budget? If you want a 1660 super, go for it its a great GPU combo. However any GPU, even up to the 2080 will do with minimal bottleneck.

 

[Cozzolino]

@Shektron I will play at 1080p/60fps.

@Wolfshadw Pardon my insecurity but benchmarks I've seen comparing different CPUs with different GPUs struck quite the fear into me: this is a benchmark from Hardware Unboxed between 2600 and 3600

View: https://youtu.be/uS70S1Tnrjw


It's not strictly using the cards I'm eyeing but the concept is still solid and well tested afaict.

 

[madmatt30]

@Shektron I will play at 1080p/60fps.

@Wolfshadw Pardon my insecurity but benchmarks I've seen comparing different CPUs with different GPUs struck quite the fear into me: this is a benchmark from Hardware Unboxed between 2600 and 3600

View: https://youtu.be/uS70S1Tnrjw


It's not strictly using the cards I'm eyeing but the concept is still solid and well tested afaict.

You're worrying unnecessarily

Even in rhat video those differences are generally less than 5%, the only time they're above that is when fps are way above 140 - you're running a 60htz screen, this is of no concern to you at all.

Buy the best GPU you can, ignore talk of bottlenecks, you'll be able to run higher graphics settings and will have more future proofing.

 

[Shektron]

It's not strictly using the cards I'm eyeing

This part right here is much more important than you seem to think. The bottlenecking you are so afraid of is actually occurring when the GPU is overkill for the resolution and settings in most games, and even in the few where bottlenecking does occur, the 2600 still delivers playable performance, i.e., 60 FPS or more. I don't think you have taken the information present in that video the correct way - it is just for comparing the raw power of CPU's when there is no GPU restriction, but in realistic scenarios like the one you are planning, the bottlenecking will be next to nonexistent.

 

[Third-Eye]

the only time they're above that is when fps are way above 140 - you're running a 60htz screen, this is of no concern to you at all.

If you are playing competitive games like CSGO or Fortnite, it's worth it to buy a faster card to have fps that is at least double your refreshrate. 120+fps at 60Hz allows for better reaction time than 60fps at 60Hz. If you are only playing something like Civilization 6 or other single player games and never play multiplayer, then it makes sense to save money and only buy the hardware you need to reach 60+fps at your desired resolution and graphics settings.

Cozzolino
That being said, for a Ryzen 5 2600, I wouldn't buy anything less than a GTX 1070/1660 Super/1660 TI/RTX 2060, RX 5600. Those cards will generally get you 60-120+fps at 1080p on high to ultra settings depending on the game. With my R5 2600 and GTX 1070, I generally get around 60fps average in Red Dead Redemption 2 with a mix of medium to ultra settings at 1080p with lows of around 45fps depending on location (like in Roanoke Ridge) and highs close to 80fps. Most games I play hover around 80-120fps at 1080p with mostly high to ultra settings.

 

[Wolfshadw]

@Shektron I will play at 1080p/60fps.

@Wolfshadw Pardon my insecurity but benchmarks I've seen comparing different CPUs with different GPUs struck quite the fear into me: this is a benchmark from Hardware Unboxed between 2600 and 3600

View: https://youtu.be/uS70S1Tnrjw


It's not strictly using the cards I'm eyeing but the concept is still solid and well tested afaict.

The only significant bottleneck here is your budget. If you are so concerned about peak performance, then keep saving until you can afford the I9-9900K and RTX2080Ti. If that isn't an option (I know it isn't for me), then get what you CAN afford. If you've decided on the Ryzen 5 2600 and you only have ~$200-$250 for a graphics card, that's kind of the limiting circumstance here.

Why are you worried about the performance differences when you can't afford it anyway.

-Wolf sends

 

[Cozzolino]

@Shektron that hit the nail on the head, thank you

@Third-Eye I think I'll save up for a gtx 1660s, as it's simply the best bang for my buck

@Wolfshadw I feel like either I was misunderstood or I inadvertently insulted you somehow. Of course the reason I linked that specific video is that its a well made proof of concept that you CPU power is important when picking a Gpu pair. Which GPUs were used in the benchmarks isn't really important. Illiterates such as me might know this and still be unable to gauge the real application of the concept.

But the point is, as explained in the Op, that mainstream bottleneck calculators lead me to believe that I had to settle for an older card to get the most out of it given my CPU. Gpucheck said that I'd get slighty, very very slightly, better FPS with a rx 580 than with a 1650s, which in turn convinced me that I might be wasting my money even with the 1650s, let alone a 1660s.

Of course you promptly replied that I could pick any card within my price range and it would be OK, and I could trust you right there - and I did - but I still needed an explanation.

 

[Wolfshadw]

@Cozzolino

First off, no. I am not insulted and I apologize if I seemed to have come off as such. The term, "bottleneck" is a bit of a pet peeve of mine as it's gotten WAY too much hype over the last year or so.

tl;dr
You've got a fairly balanced system with the budget you have. Don't worry about bottlenecks.

For the most part and for the vast majority of PC gamers, "bottleneck" is a useless term. Unless you're pairing a high-end component with a low-end component, any limitations you might come across are minimal. For example:

If you're paring an Athlon 200GE with an RTX 2080Ti, depending on what you're doing, there's probably going to be an issue.
If you're pairing an Intel Core I9-9900K with a Geforce GT 710, again, depending on what you're doing, there's probably going to be an issue.

However, if you're going with two mid-range components, like a Ryzen 5 2600 and a GeForce GTX 1660. there may be some limitations in some of the apps you're using and no limitations in others. There is no system that is completely free of a bottleneck somewhere and as I said in my opening statement, bottleneck calculator web sites are worth less than dog hooey.

One of the other moderators on this site tested them. He put in his system components (a fairly balanced system) and got a bottleneck calculation (I don't remember the exact figure). A month later, he went back to the site, entered the exact same component list and got a vastly different calculation ( >30% difference). Again, using the exact same component list.

In the end, as long as you have a fairly balanced system, you will run into some limitations, but unless you're actually looking for them, you won't notice.

-Wolf sends

 

[Cozzolino]

@Wolfshadw I guess that's it, then. My take here is that common sense is the best medicine against bottleneck, and I'm glad I know now.

Thanks everyone 🙂