Question Upgrade from gtx 970

seraphant

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Nov 10, 2017
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So I upgraded my pc beginning of last year but held off on a graphics card since new cards were still coming out and mine was still running fine. I've been looking casually but still, am not sure what is a worthy upgrade if any at this point. My 970 still works fine but with the upcoming spec increases I've been seeing I wanted to look at getting something newer that will last awhile.

I was looking at either 1660 TI or 2060 potentially if those are even worth the upgrade, unless there are other suggestions.

Below are my pc specs from speccy

Operating System
Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
CPU
AMD Ryzen 7 1700
Summit Ridge 14nm Technology
RAM
32.0GB Dual-Channel Unknown @ 1064MHz (15-15-15-36)
Motherboard
ASRock AB350 Pro4 (AM4)
Graphics
ASUS VN247 (1920x1080@60Hz) -monitor
ASUS VN247 (1920x1080@60Hz) -monitor
4095MB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 (EVGA)
Power supply
EVGA Super Nova 650 G2 Gold
 

seraphant

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Nov 10, 2017
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I want to say max $400, since I want a decent upgrade and want it to last awhile. Originally before the new series was even announced I was planning on getting a 1070 ti but their prices have seemed to go up in terms of finding one new if you even can. I don't feel like I need to go with a 2070 or 2080 personally.
 
Both the GTX 1660 Ti and the RTX 2060 are going to be huge upgrade coming from a GTX 970. OR, Can you wait for some more time ? Because AMD is about to release next-gen mainstream NAVI GPUs pretty soon, next month. These might also offer better price/performance ratio, but if you are not interested in AMD, then go for NVIDIA.
 
Well that price matches well with the choice of a 1660Ti; there are a bunch of those at around $280. I don't really game myself (I'm a PC technician and well versed in general tech) but though gaming benches can vary greatly by game, the newer card does offer better performance on most titles. The cheapest RTX 2060 on Newegg (outside of an open box Zotac) is $350 so it's hard to recommend against the 1660Ti if you were to do an upgrade now.
 

seraphant

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Nov 10, 2017
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Yeah I was looking at the 1660 to earlier and I definitely like that price point much better. I do game on my PC but not hardcore but I like things to look as nice as I can within reason if that makes sense lol.

Otherwise just casual stuff and I do 3D work but nothing extremely heavy.

It's been along time since I've done and for graphics, since back in my early PC years when I was just starting. Otherwise I've mostly stuck with Nvidia.
 
So then I'd say the final decision is on whether to upgrade now or hold off until the next generation. There's the general notion of 'if it ain't broke...' which is to say if there's no particular problem yet you can afford to wait a bit longer and get a better performance boost for similar money. That's not to say a 1660Ti doesn't offer a significant boost in it's own right; I wouldn't call it a waste to buy one either.
 

seraphant

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Nov 10, 2017
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I'm in no big rush to upgrade since like I mentioned my card is still working fine right now. But it is something I definitely want to do.

Is there any idea when AMD will make the announcement? I'm fine with just an announcement just so I can get an idea but I'd really rather not wait another year just to find out something since I've done that twice already because of new announcements.
 
I'd also mention that the old 970 still has some value. An enthusiast looking for max performance wouldn't buy one now but that's a small fraction of the general PC user base; there should be a market to flip that on ebay to make back a bit of the cost
 
I'm in no big rush to upgrade since like I mentioned my card is still working fine right now. But it is something I definitely want to do.

Is there any idea when AMD will make the announcement? I'm fine with just an announcement just so I can get an idea but I'd really rather not wait another year just to find out something since I've done that twice already because of new announcements.

AMD did announce a new series of cards to be based on the 'Navi' architecture though they didn't share exact performance details. Third party reviews will accompany the release of those in July, so it may make sense to wait at least until then to see if they can deliver better bang for the buck
 
the GTX1660ti is pretty much in GTX980ti territory. it is a step up from 970 but i think if you were from GTX970 it is better to at least get RTX2060 level of performance. AMD will be launching Navi soon but from the rumor that we heard so far the new Navi might not going to change current pricing structure that much.
 
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seraphant

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Nov 10, 2017
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I was doing some more looking at performance tests and I think I'm at going with a 2060 now, as I was seeing the same type of comparisons.

Now as for brand, I've mostly gone EVGA in the past due to recommendation and warranty is good. For a 2060 would they still be good to go with or is there a better recommended company to use?

Right now I think I'm looking at the EVGA RTX 2060 XC Ultra, cheapest I can find right now is $399, B&H has it for $379 after a mail in rebate.

I'm still going to wait at least until the announcements next week but thats where I stand right now.
 

seraphant

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Nov 10, 2017
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ok so with the new releases and info out my choices have changed.

I'm between a 5700 xt and 2060/2070 super (more leaning toward the 2070 for to have rendering power)

I was considering just the 2060 super initially but when the benchmarks for the 5700 xt came out it had me rethink things and I'm kinda more leaning towards that, I have just always had an Nvidia for a long time and don't know what to expect.

But has anyone seen any benchmarks for the 5700 xt for rendering for video and especially 3D rendering using VRay? I've looked around and haven't really found anything yet. I do 3d work in Lightwave and 3D Max and my concern is with rendering will there be a big difference between my choices?