Used GPU vs RX460/GTX1050 (Less than 260 mm length)

[Mcjv2016]

Hi there i have recently started to slowly upgrade a stock Acer PC i picked up cheap (£80) at the start of 2017, it came with an i3-2120, 4GB RAM, 250 HDD and not much else.

The first GPU i picked up was a HD5850 which i got cheap (£20) to test if the system is even upgrade-able and it did fine however i had the Sapphire extreme version which is only 215 mm long and measuring without the card i have roughly 260 mm of space for a GPU inside my case.

I have researched endlessly and found the used cards that would fit in my price range are (from cheapest to most expensive) HD7870, R9 270, R9 270x, GTX 960 and if i saved for a little longer possibly a R9 380/X. On the on the other hand i could pick up a new RX460 or GTX 1050 for around what i could get a used R9 380 and not have to worry about size or even power consumption but after looking at some benchmarks I'm not to convinced id be happy as opposed to say a used R9 270 (less ££)

Just would like a little guidance or if anyone knows of a good card thats' compact for less than £100, i'm mostly drawn to AMD cards not sure why but am in no way apposed to an Nvidia option. I've also already picked up 4GB extra RAM and a i7-2600 i plan to install when i get a new graphics card.

I realise i could buy a better case and plan to in the future but im not sure the stock Acer MOBO would work in another case and i plan to build a new PC from scratch at the end of the year now i have some experience.

 

[Computers Taste Like Metal]

I'd get the 960 or the 270x. It's your personal preference. Both are nice cards.

 

[Eximo]

Well, with an i7-2600, it is going to be a decent computer. R9-270 is roughly on par with an RX460, and that card should gain a little performance over time. If you saved for an RX470 you would be in pretty good shape to even use it again in your re-build.

I suppose it comes down to how much you want to put into it now vs later.

There is the potential that the newer GPU won't work in that OEM board as BIOS updates are rarely forthcoming for them.

 

[dontlistentome]

If you're going to be building an all new computer within a year, I'd just get a small 460. Older cards suck up more power and are generally larger, neither things you need. You don't need maximum performance since you will be replacing this computer anyways.