[SOLVED] Should I get the RTX 2060 or RTX 2060 Super?

[techflame700]

I am deciding between 2 GPUs: RTX 2060 and RTX 2060 Super. I plan to do 1080p @ 60Hz at High / Ultra settings. I also plan to use this card for 2 - 3 years. Does the extra VRAM on the Super make a difference? How future-proof are these cards? Thanks!

 

[Darkbreeze]

For 1080p 60hz/fps gaming, the RTX 2060 regular model is plenty powerful enough, and less expensive. If you can afford the Super model, then it's not a bad idea especially in light of the fact that game difficulty and hardware requirements seem to go up every cycle, but if NOW is your only concern, then that standard card is more than capable enough of Ultra gaming at 1080p for pretty much everything out there.

There is no "future proof" ANYTHING when it comes to hardware. What works at the highest levels today will only be a middle of the road product in terms of performance down the road a year or two, and the requirements of the software will likely go up along with them. That's the way it's always been, and that's the way it will always be.

To somewhat mitigate that, you buy the MOST powerful components you can afford NOW, so that they will remain viable and offer at least decent performance for as long as they remain functional for. Most hardware, not all, but most, dies before it loses its worth in terms of being capable enough to still have value.

 

[stefanos50]

Both of cards are overkill for 1080p 60hz. And for sure you will be able to play 1080p 60hz for the next 2-3 years. Ofc rtx 2060 super is more future proof because is faster and have two extra gigs of vram. If money is not a problem take the super card and maybe after some time you decide to buy a new monitor too.

 

[techflame700]

Both of cards are overkill for 1080p 60hz. And for sure you will be able to play 1080p 60hz for the next 2-3 years. Ofc rtx 2060 super is more future proof because is faster and have two extra gigs of vram. If money is not a problem take the super card and maybe after some time you decide to buy a new monitor too.

Ok, so if I were to buy a 1440p 144Hz monitor how would these cards hold up?

 

[Darkbreeze]

At Ultra settings? It's not going to do Ultra settings at 144fps for a lot of titles. If you want 1440p gaming at 144fps you are going to want to look at 2070 models.

Now, if you're willing to drop some of the quality settings to the left, then it will do fine.

 

[techflame700]

At Ultra settings? It's not going to do Ultra settings at 144fps for a lot of titles. If you want 1440p gaming at 144fps you are going to want to look at 2070 models.

Now, if you're willing to drop some of the quality settings to the left, then it will do fine.

Gotcha. Last question: will most games at 1080p take advantage of that extra VRAM on the super?

 

[stefanos50]

Ok, so if I were to buy a 1440p 144Hz monitor how would these cards hold up?

rtx 2060 super will do fine with most games. Ofc if you go and play metro exodus , ac odyssey or shadow of the tomb raider at ultra you wont get 144fps but do you really need 144hz at these games? no . It is always good to invest to a good monitor cause you will keep it for a long period of time.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Certainly if you have a monitor that can handle adaptive sync at the hardware level, then it's not a big issue. But if you don't have a Gsync monitor, or a Freesync monitor that is compatible and actually WORKS with it properly, then the fact that you can't do 144fps IS a problem. While the 2060 is definitely a capable card, there are absolutely scenarios where the demands of some games simply will not allow you to maintain those kind of frame rates.

So long as you have a monitor that can sync, or are willing to make allowances, then it's better (And it's ALWAYS better anyhow) to have a little more GPU prowess than you actually need. That being said, all of this is pointless commentary anyhow because in reality you should pretty much always buy the highest tiered graphics card you can reasonably afford.

In that way, it MIGHT suffice for your uses an extra year or two beyond what buying a card that JUST does what you need it to now will do, so long as the hardware remains functional for that period of time. A lot of them don't. So there is that as well. But as long as you're not overclocking the hell out of it, it should last well beyond the warranty. And if you NEED to overclock your card that much, you should have went with a higher tiered card to begin with. Only if you have the flagship model, and there is no higher tiered card to buy, can that be full excused.

Or, when the budget is what dictates the purchase. Or if you're cheap and frugal, like me. LOL.

 

[techflame700]

Certainly if you have a monitor that can handle adaptive sync at the hardware level, then it's not a big issue. But if you don't have a Gsync monitor, or a Freesync monitor that is compatible and actually WORKS with it properly, then the fact that you can't do 144fps IS a problem. While the 2060 is definitely a capable card, there are absolutely scenarios where the demands of some games simply will not allow you to maintain those kind of frame rates.

So long as you have a monitor that can sync, or are willing to make allowances, then it's better (And it's ALWAYS better anyhow) to have a little more GPU prowess than you actually need. That being said, all of this is pointless commentary anyhow because in reality you should pretty much always buy the highest tiered graphics card you can reasonably afford.

This is seriously going to be my last question: will my 7700K bottleneck any of these cards?

 

[Darkbreeze]

That depends. It should be fine, but if you are running the 2060 or 2060 Super with medium or low settings at 1080p on some title where you are looking for super high frame rates, then it might not be able to keep up. If you are running medium to high or ultra settings, then it's not going to need to feed as many frames and will be fine. Overall, it should be fine, but keep in mind that BIOS updates and Windows patches have placed a fairly significant hit on the hyperthreaded performance of Intel processors. Not as much in gaming as in some applications, but if it's a game that is well optimized for multithreaded performance, you are likely going to notice it more. Unfortunately, not much you can do about it if you have a BIOS version newer than December of 2017, and you can't undo the microcode changes those versions bring with them so there's no going back once done, even if you reflash with an older BIOS as that won't undo the microcode changes AND it won't affect the Windows patches in any case.

Still, I think you're fine. Besides which, if you decide to upgrade down the road if you do have a problem, then you don't lose anything no matter if you chose to go with a 2080 TI super now. You really can't ever have a graphics card or CPU that is too much. Worst case scenario, you are limited to the performance of your weakest component and if your weakest component is a 7700k, well, it could be a LOT worse.