[SOLVED] Should I upgrade to a GTX 1060, 1070 or 1080 (or are there better options?)

Arne.V

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So I've finally gotten budget to upgrade my PC, it's originally an Acer Predator G3620.
my current specs:
-RAM: 4 x 4GB DDR3
-display: full HD 1080p LED monitor (probably gonna buy a simple second monitor once I upgrade)
-psu: 500W but will be upgrading to a Corsair Rm650x together with the GPU because the current psu seems pretty shitty.
-CPU: intel core i7 3770
-current GPU: AMD Radeon HD 7700 Series 2GB
-The GPU interface is PCIe v2.x with:
3 x PCIe 2.0 x1and 1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 Expansion Slots.
-Motherboard is acer brand

I was thinking along the lines of a 1060 or a 1070 (maybe even 1080?). Which GPU would be ideal?
 
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If I would have two 1080p monitors with each 60fps, would it then be worth it to upgrade higher?
I don't think you're going to be gaming on two monitors at the same time, right? That would tend to put the bezels right in the center of the screen, so you wouldn't be able to see what you were aiming at in a first-person game. : P

If you are getting a new 1080p monitor, it would probably be worth getting 144HZ high refresh-rate screen with adaptive sync though, and playing on that, since they don't cost much more than the 60/75Hz models anymore. At least in the US, you can get a 24" 1080p 144Hz FreeSync monitor for as little as $150, though most tend to be priced closer to $200. Or there are 1440p screens if you want to make...

RaidHobbit

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Jun 19, 2014
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So I've finally gotten budget to upgrade my PC, it's originally an Acer Predator G3620.
my current specs:
-RAM: 4 x 4GB DDR3
-display: full HD 1080p LED monitor (probably gonna buy a simple second monitor once I upgrade)
-psu: 500W but will be upgrading to a Corsair Rm650x together with the GPU because the current psu seems pretty shitty.
-CPU: intel core i7 3770
-current GPU: AMD Radeon HD 7700 Series 2GB
-The GPU interface is PCIe v2.x with:
3 x PCIe 2.0 x1and 1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 Expansion Slots.
-Motherboard is acer brand

I was thinking along the lines of a 1060 or a 1070 (maybe even 1080?). Which GPU would be ideal?

Your monitor is your limiting factor. Unless you upgrade that too you only have a 1080p monitor. Is it 60hz? If the answer is yes the current 1080p nvidia card for that entry point is the 1660 6GB.

You should only consider higher than that if you intend upgrading your monitor or if its 120fps or something. Otherwise that more powerful GPU will be sat in your case doing nothing.
 
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Arne.V

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Your monitor is your limiting factor. Unless you upgrade that too you only have a 1080p monitor. Is it 60hz? If the answer is yes the current 1080p nvidia card for that entry point is the 1660 6GB.

You should only consider higher than that if you intend upgrading your monitor or if its 120fps or something. Otherwise that more powerful GPU will be sat in your case doing nothing.
If I would have two 1080p monitors with each 60fps, would it then be worth it to upgrade higher?
 
If I would have two 1080p monitors with each 60fps, would it then be worth it to upgrade higher?
I don't think you're going to be gaming on two monitors at the same time, right? That would tend to put the bezels right in the center of the screen, so you wouldn't be able to see what you were aiming at in a first-person game. : P

If you are getting a new 1080p monitor, it would probably be worth getting 144HZ high refresh-rate screen with adaptive sync though, and playing on that, since they don't cost much more than the 60/75Hz models anymore. At least in the US, you can get a 24" 1080p 144Hz FreeSync monitor for as little as $150, though most tend to be priced closer to $200. Or there are 1440p screens if you want to make use of a higher-end card, though they tend to be priced above $300.

As for those graphics card options, I would say none of the above. The GeForce 10 series is over 3 years old at this point, and no longer being manufactured, and unless you are shopping on the used market, generally won't be priced all that well. If you are buying new, you should look to current-generation cards, like Nvidia's 16/20 series, or AMD's current options, either of which will generally offer better performance for your money.

The GTX 1660 is generally around 15-20% faster than a 1060 6GB, the 1660 Ti offers similar performance to a 1070, the RTX 2060 offers similar performance to a 1070 Ti, and the RTX 2060 SUPER and Radeon 5700 and 5700 XT tend to outperform a 1080. The 20-series cards from Nvidia also feature some new hardware for things like raytraced lighting effects, though those effects tend to tank performance in the handful of games that support them so far.

Really, any of these cards would be a big upgrade over an HD 7700-series card. The 1660 and 1660 Ti would probably be decent options for 1080p in current demanding games, while you would probably want at least an RTX 2060 or RX 5700 for 1440p resolution gaming.
 
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Arne.V

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I don't think you're going to be gaming on two monitors at the same time, right? That would tend to put the bezels right in the center of the screen, so you wouldn't be able to see what you were aiming at in a first-person game. : P

If you are getting a new 1080p monitor, it would probably be worth getting 144HZ high refresh-rate screen with adaptive sync though, and playing on that, since they don't cost much more than the 60/75Hz models anymore. At least in the US, you can get a 24" 1080p 144Hz FreeSync monitor for as little as $150, though most tend to be priced closer to $200. Or there are 1440p screens if you want to make use of a higher-end card, though they tend to be priced above $300.

As for those graphics card options, I would say none of the above. The GeForce 10 series is over 3 years old at this point, and no longer being manufactured, and unless you are shopping on the used market, generally won't be priced all that well. If you are buying new, you should look to current-generation cards, like Nvidia's 16/20 series, or AMD's current options, either of which will generally offer better performance for your money.

The GTX 1660 is generally around 15-20% faster than a 1060 6GB, the 1660 Ti offers similar performance to a 1070, the RTX 2060 offers similar performance to a 1070 Ti, and the RTX 2060 SUPER and Radeon 5700 and 5700 XT tend to outperform a 1080. The 20-series cards from Nvidia also feature some new hardware for things like raytraced lighting effects, though those effects tend to tank performance in the handful of games that support them so far.

Really, any of these cards would be a big upgrade over an HD 7700-series card. The 1660 and 1660 Ti would probably be decent options for 1080p in current demanding games, while you would probably want at least an RTX 2060 or RX 5700 for 1440p resolution gaming.
I would probably go for the 1660 Ti then, but the price of an rtx 2060 isn't that much higher it seems. Would it be worth it to buy an rtx 2060 and have it underperform for a while so I can upgrade to a much better monitor later?
 

RaidHobbit

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If I would have two 1080p monitors with each 60fps, would it then be worth it to upgrade higher?

If you want a 2x monitor 1080p 60hz setup with settings on ultra with both giving you at least 60fps then you would need two 1660 6GB or a single high end card. You could go for a single high end card but something like the GeForce 1080 is actually more expensive than 2 x 1660 6GB anyway.

When it comes to the 1660 vs 1660ti please be advised both will give you the 60fps on ultra and should last you a few years. The only advantage with your monitor setup that you would gain from the 1660ti is it would give you a little longer before you needed to upgrade due to it giving a few extra fps. If that matters to you I would say pick the 1660ti, if not the 1660.

If for the upgrade after you think you might go to 4K (which should hopefully be the norm by then) then the 1660, 1660ti, and even the 1080ti are going to be pretty much useless for 4k gaming at ultra with 60fps. The 1080ti currently cant do that job at 60fps. I just thought I would point that out in case you think a 1080ti would future proof you for 4k gaming.
 
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RaidHobbit

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I would probably go for the 1660 Ti then, but the price of an rtx 2060 isn't that much higher it seems. Would it be worth it to buy an rtx 2060 and have it underperform for a while so I can upgrade to a much better monitor later?

For single monitor gaming on ultra:

1660/1660ti = 1080p gaming (60+fps)
1070/1070ti = 1440p gaming (60+ fps)
1080/1080ti = 4k gaming (you are looking at about 30-35fps)
2060/2060ti = 1080p gaming (120+ fps)
2070/2070ti = 1440p gaming (120+ fps)
2080/2080ti = 4k gaming (60+ fps)

A 60hz monitor can only do 60fps. A 20** card is only for when you will be making the jump to a high end monitor. If that is 5 years out, you dont want a 20** card yet as there will be something more appropriate nearer the time.
 
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So I've finally gotten budget to upgrade my PC, it's originally an Acer Predator G3620.
my current specs:
-RAM: 4 x 4GB DDR3
-display: full HD 1080p LED monitor (probably gonna buy a simple second monitor once I upgrade)
-psu: 500W but will be upgrading to a Corsair Rm650x together with the GPU because the current psu seems pretty shitty.
-CPU: intel core i7 3770
-current GPU: AMD Radeon HD 7700 Series 2GB
-The GPU interface is PCIe v2.x with:
3 x PCIe 2.0 x1and 1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 Expansion Slots.
-Motherboard is acer brand

I was thinking along the lines of a 1060 or a 1070 (maybe even 1080?). Which GPU would be ideal?
I would suggest a used 1060, since your panel is 1080p and 60hz, you don't need to push anything serious. Used 1060s go for around 100- 120$
 

koson123

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if you want a 1070 also look at the vega 56. you can find one for about 300 right now and they are about the same performance as a 1070. i would look at the 2060, 1070, vega 56 regardless of your panel. they are not much more expensive and they future proof your setup somewhat. seriously though get a 144hz panel and look for VA if you can. look at this for psu considerations.