Question Suggestions For OKAY, But Not Amazing, Video Card In Current Market

[randomusername85]

Hello.!

Short Version: What's a good decent graphics card for basic stuff that will still be workable in a few years, maybe $200ish bucks range? Going on old PCIe 2.0 computers, but want to use in future builds when the old ones are retired.

Long Version: I have a few pretty ancient 6 and 8 core AMD FX computers being used for fairly light duty stuff. They've been incrementally upgraded over the years (32GB ram, SSDs), and really aren't THAT bad as daily drivers. I mean they have more theoretical processing power than a lot of low to mid end computers do brand new nowadays still, at least in some respects, even if they have some bottlenecks too in other regards. One is just hooked up to a TV for Netflix/browsing/video watching, one does basic web browsing, MS office, etc. Two of them do some light Photoshop and video game playing of older games now and again.

I've always known that the weakest link in them is the completely garbage video cards, they weren't good even when I originally built the systems. I feel like the last couple years many things have become so graphically fluffy it's really slowed down the monitor draw rate and other graphics related stuff to the point of ridiculousness. So time for an upgrade.

SO my thinking is this: Buy some new graphics cards that will be decent for basic use into the future for awhile so that when I build some totally new systems I can retain the graphics cards in those new builds. But keep rocking these old computers for their limited uses until I can't bear it anymore. LOL Even if they're still a bit clunky with the new graphics cards, I will probably keep using at least one or two of them for a couple years.

My uses are mainly an absurd number of tabs open in browsers (LOL but true), photoshop sometimes, older games that would be nice to run a bit better, but don't need top flight performance even on them (Think Civ V or Fallout 4 or something), would be nice to play 4K videos in VLC well. That's pretty much it. BUT would be nice if it's in budget to get a bit more out of them when put into the new builds too.

I think from my research I would want something with a decent amount of ram (because many tabs, other programs open at the same time), probably minimum 4 GB? Or should I go above 4 GB? As far as speed, GDDR 5 seems like it would be fine? The motherboards are all PCIe 2.0 and I think 2.1. So I imagine even GDDR5 will saturate on the current builds... Or will GDDR5 not saturate 2.0? Is it worth it to go faster for the future proofing either way? If so cost may factor in.

Will I need to watch out for any comparability issues on particular cards if I buy a PCIe 3.0 or 4.0 card since the older systems are 2.0? Like power draw or anything? I have some pretty nice PSUs in all the builds anyway. I know they're theoretically compatible, but we all know that stuff doesn't really work out quite right all the time. I definitely need a 16x card, some of the newer cards that use 4x (because that is enough to max out on faster 3.0/4.0 lanes) would be crazy bottlenecked on my old 2.0 16x system I imagine as they could only use 4 2.0 lanes, right?

I'd been trying to wait out the price hikes, but can't put up with waiting any more. I'd like to stay around $200ish bucks a card, less would be cool, or a bit more would be fine too IF there is a tangible benefit in the future. Keep in mind I'll be doing 2 or 3 computers up, not just 1, hence the price sensitivity. Seems like there are some 4GB GDDR5 cards out there in that range, even some GDDR6 ones. So any suggestions on a particular one? Or a particular type even, like GTX 1050 vs RX 550 vs GTX 1650 or whatever? If I duff up another $50 will I get something so much more awesome for my next build I'd be stupid not to? I guess I'd kinda like to know the "sweet spot" for bang for your buck more or less. Lemme know any suggestions! Thanks!

 

[KananX]

i didn’t read the long part, but I hope I can give a satisfactory answer: I would aim for a used card like RX 580 or 5500 XT at about 200 bucks. You wanna go for a 8GB or 6 GB card like GTX 1060 at least. There’s also the possibility to buy a GTX 1660 or 1650, new. Those are a bit slower however.

 

[randomusername85]

i didn’t read the long part, but I hope I can give a satisfactory answer: I would aim for a used card like RX 580 or 5500 XT at about 200 bucks. You wanna go for a 8GB or 6 GB card like GTX 1060 at least. There’s also the possibility to buy a GTX 1660 or 1650, new. Those are a bit slower however.

I sperg out on details, but I know it so I made the short version for a reason Thanks for the suggestions. Is there a reason you suggest 6 or 8 GB? Is that what's really needed for tons of tabs and some multi tasking nowadays? Keep in mind, I'm not doing intensive gaming stuff. Having something decent on principle is cool, but if something less gets the job done well already...

 

[KananX]

I sperg out on details, but I know it so I made the short version for a reason Thanks for the suggestions. Is there a reason you suggest 6 or 8 GB? Is that what's really needed for tons of tabs and some multi tasking nowadays? Keep in mind, I'm not doing intensive gaming stuff. Having something decent on principle is cool, but if something less gets the job done well already...

Oh okay I didn’t know you basically want a office card. For that you can go with a GTX 1650 or 1050 Ti, RX 550 or RX 6400, they will all be enough and no need to mess around with used GPUs either.

 

[DSzymborski]

What are the power supplies involved? Can't answer a GPU question without knowing the exact models. And it's hard to tell what you can upgrade to without knowing what GPUs you actually have right now.

I would keep expectations realistic. These aren't really competitive with any mid-end CPUs released today or even the vast majority of low-end CPUs that aren't Celerons. Just know that going in; I'd hate you to spend money to upgrade decade-old machines slightly and then be disappointed by the results. It may make more sense to upgrade one machine well.

 

[randomusername85]

Oh okay I didn’t know you basically want a office card. For that you can go with a GTX 1650 or 1050 Ti, RX 550 or RX 6400, they will all be enough and no need to mess around with used GPUs either.

Well, that and maybe 4K movies playing smooth. But as I said in the long bit, also want to future proof a bit. Just because something will max out my current systems throughput doesn't mean it wouldn't be nice to have some breathing room when it goes into a computer than can fully utilize it. If those better cards aren't much more money but will provide a lot more performance it might be worth it.

So do you still think 6 or 8 GB would be better than 4 as a baseline? Speed and memory available don't accomplish the same things of course... If I multitask a lot, which I do, is something more than 4 GB still a good idea even if I go with a lower end card?

 

[KananX]

Well, that and maybe 4K movies playing smooth. But as I said in the long bit, also want to future proof a bit. Just because something will max out my current systems throughput doesn't mean it wouldn't be nice to have some breathing room when it goes into a computer than can fully utilize it. If those better cards aren't much more money but will provide a lot more performance it might be worth it.

So do you still think 6 or 8 GB would be better than 4 as a baseline? Speed and memory available don't accomplish the same things of course... If I multitask a lot, which I do, is something more than 4 GB still a good idea even if I go with a lower end card?

Oh yes, unless you want to game, 4 GB are easily enough. For gaming I would go with at least 6 or 8 now. If you want something a bit stronger than the baseline, look for a GTX 1660 (with new cards).

 

[randomusername85]

What are the power supplies involved? Can't answer a GPU question without knowing the exact models. And it's hard to tell what you can upgrade to without knowing what GPUs you actually have right now.

I would keep expectations realistic. These aren't really competitive with any mid-end CPUs released today or even the vast majority of low-end CPUs that aren't Celerons. Just know that going in; I'd hate you to spend money to upgrade decade-old machines slightly and then be disappointed by the results. It may make more sense to upgrade one machine well.

Different ones in different computers. But they're all pretty high end fully modular with a TON of excess wattage available. I don't imagine any GPU I will be buying will soak up enough juice for them to not be sufficient. As for what's in there now, a few different models of 1-2GB old AF, super slow Radeons. But PCIe is PCIe, so don't know why what I have now matters.

An FX8350 like 2 of these have theoretically outperforms a number of newish CPUs, in multithreaded tasks anyway... The thing slowing down a computer like this old beast compared to a newer one is the GPU and the memory running lower clocks as much as anything.

I have realistic expectations though. I want video stuff to stop being quite as chokey, which is probably will be. Some games I do play on these already will probably play a bit better, but I don't even really care on that front.

Keep in mind the GPUs aren't being put into these old computers, and then tossed in the trash when I do a new build... That's the whole point. PCIe is forwards and backwards compatible so I can upgrade the GPUs and use it on these old ones, but then toss it into a new build when I do it. That's why I don't want to get something barely good enough to max out PCIe 2.0, which would be a pretty weak sauce card. I want to buy something that's more than PCIe 2.0 can even throughput, but that will be able to live to its potential when put in my new build.

 

[KananX]

If you want to buy something used, it’s easy to get something good for about 200 bucks as I mentioned earlier. If not, 1650 or RX 6500XT are about the maximum you can get for that price, I’ve just checked on 1660 and they’re actually too expensive, I wouldn’t pay 280 bucks for it, the next good option is a 6600 then for about 330, but that’s over the mentioned budget.

 

[randomusername85]

Oh yes, unless you want to game, 4 GB are easily enough. For gaming I would go with at least 6 or 8 now. If you want something a bit stronger than the baseline, look for a GTX 1660 (with new cards).

Cool, thanks. You read a ton of stuff online trying to figure out how any of it works out in the real world... It's easier to just ask somebody a lot of the time. I used to be a hardcore specs geek when I was younger, and always kept up on the new stuff coming out... Nowadays I just kind of cram study new stuff that's come out since my last buy when I am actually shopping. LOL

 

[DSzymborski]

Different ones in different computers. But they're all pretty high end fully modular with a TON of excess wattage available. I don't imagine any GPU I will be buying will soak up enough juice for them to not be sufficient. As for what's in there now, a few different models of 1-2GB old AF, super slow Radeons. But PCIe is PCIe, so don't know why what I have now matters.

An FX8350 like 2 of these have theoretically outperforms a number of newish CPUs, in multithreaded tasks anyway... The thing slowing down a computer like this old beast compared to a newer one is the GPU and the memory running lower clocks as much as anything.

This is what I'm talking about by realistic expectations. An FX-8350 doesn't beat any mid-range CPUs in multicore applications and hasn't for five or six years.

In any case, since you are apparently unwilling to provide specifics about PSUs, I am unable to provide any specific advice, so I can not assist you further. I can't ethically cut corners on a safety issue.

I wish you good fortune in completing upgrades that are to your liking.

 

[KananX]

Cool, thanks. You read a ton of stuff online trying to figure out how any of it works out in the real world... It's easier to just ask somebody a lot of the time. I used to be a hardcore specs geek when I was younger, and always kept up on the new stuff coming out... Nowadays I just kind of cram study new stuff that's come out since my last buy when I am actually shopping. LOL

Yea I kinda noticed, not talking to a noob here, hehe.

 

[randomusername85]

If you want to buy something used, it’s easy to get something good for about 200 bucks as I mentioned earlier. If not, 1650 or RX 6500XT are about the maximum you can get for that price, I’ve just checked on 1660 and they’re actually too expensive, I wouldn’t pay 280 bucks for it, the next good option is a 6600 then for about 330, but that’s over the mentioned budget.

Sweet. I'll make sure to look up those models. Yeah, $300 something bucks is just a bit much if I end up doing all 3 of these computers. Although, maybe I could get 2 cheaper ones and one slightly better one for what will be my "main" box when I build new systems.

 

[KananX]

Sweet. I'll make sure to look up those models. Yeah, $300 something bucks is just a bit much if I end up doing all 3 of these computers. Although, maybe I could get 2 cheaper ones and one slightly better one for what will be my "main" box when I build new systems.

Be cautious if you go for used cards, it’s a bit of a gamble.

 

[randomusername85]

This is what I'm talking about by realistic expectations. An FX-8350 doesn't beat any mid-range CPUs in multicore applications and hasn't for five or six years.

In any case, since you are apparently unwilling to provide specifics about PSUs, I am unable to provide any specific advice, so I can not assist you further. I can't ethically cut corners on a safety issue.

I wish you good fortune in completing upgrades that are to your liking.

Yeah, could be. It has been a minute since I've bothered to look at any benchmark sites for kicks. I just remember not that many years back last time I did I was surprised it wasn't completely awful compared to a lot of newer products out there on SOME benchmarks. They were always dogs single core really. But processor power is almost never even getting close to tapped out anyway for anything these computers do, so I'm not too worried about that. It's pretty much exclusively graphics oriented stuff that's laggy, and with the CPU not even close to pegged anyway.

It's not so much that I'm trying to be a pain as I think there are 3 different ones for PSUs, and I don't know where I bought them all from, and I don't have access to physically go look at all of them right now either. I looked at my Newegg history, and found one of the PSUs.

https://www.newegg.com/cooler-maste...s-800w/p/N82E16817171057?Item=N82E16817171057

Pretty sure this is actually one of the lower wattage ones. Can't look through every site I shop on to see where I bought the other ones from or what they are. But I'm pretty sure I won't be short on juice with anything I buy since I'm not going ultra high end. If by some chance I did end up buying something that needed more power, I might be inclined to just buy a new PSU anyway as these guys are getting a bit long in the tooth. Safety issues though? I'm not much for concern with safety issues. Frying motherboards etc is fun, it's been years since I've done that!

 

[randomusername85]

Yea I kinda noticed, not talking to a noob here, hehe.

Well it's good to know I can at least still fake it! I used to be a pretty proper geek, new sweet stuff every couple years... And now I'm like "Pshhhh, these 10 year old computers will be fiiiiiine with a new GPU!" LOL

 

[randomusername85]

Be cautious if you go for used cards, it’s a bit of a gamble.

Definitely. I buy all kinds of stuff used, but rarely ever do that with computer stuff... You never know how much use it could have seen. Especially with a GPU if somebody was overclocking the heck out of it or something.

 

[KananX]

Well it's good to know I can at least still fake it! I used to be a pretty proper geek, new sweet stuff every couple years... And now I'm like "Pshhhh, these 10 year old computers will be fiiiiiine with a new GPU!" LOL

Yea well I would certainly stay away from the newer Radeons, they only use 4 lanes and too dependent on PCIE 4.0 and you wanna use it with 2.0, so GTX 1060 used, 1050 Ti, 1650 are good for that, they have the full 16 lanes and won’t be slowed down by 16x PCIE 2.0 either.

Definitely. I buy all kinds of stuff used, but rarely ever do that with computer stuff... You never know how much use it could have seen. Especially with a GPU if somebody was overclocking the heck out of it or something.

Exactly, so your used options are RX 580 or GTX1060, for new cards go with a 1050 Ti or 1650. Your decision, I would honestly not risk it with those used cards, too many were used for mining, recently.