Question What would be the best GPU upgrade (but also RAM and CPU, if needed) ?

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Nemus

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Hi guys,

I got a 2012 high-end pc that still does its job quite well, but with photoshop and blender it's hard to manipulate big scenes.
That said, due to the price increases and my short budget, I'd like to just do an upgrade to my hardware, trying to get every single juice of power I can. This is my actual system:

MB: Asus P8Z68-V PRO
CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2600K CPU @ 3.40GHz 3.40 GHz
PSU: Corsair RM850i 850W (upgraded in 2019)
RAM: Corsari Vengance LP 4x4GB 1600Mhz 9-9-9-24
Corsair Liquid cooling (can't recognize the model, probably near h40, it has 3 cooling power switches...)
Case: Cooler Master 690II
SSD: Samsung MZ-76E500 860 EVO SSD 500 GB, SATA, 2.5" (upgraded in2021)
GPU: Nvidia Quadro 600
OS: Windows 10

Mainly used for 2D 3D graphics. What reasonably is the best upgrade I could do to my GPU (but also RAM and CPU, if needed)?

Thanks
 
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Lutfij

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You forgot to include the make and model of your PSU. If it's from 2012, then that's the first thing I'd swap out for a reliable system though it's kind of too old for 2023. Following a PSU change, you can look at a GPU upgrade. What is the make and model of your ram in the build? Make and model of the SSD?

How is the processor cooled in said build? Speaking of build, make and model of he case? You've posted this thread in the Graphics card section, is that the only thing you want to upgrade?

You might also want to include the budget for your upgrade, your preferred site for purchase and your location to understand if your upgrade is even going to be worthwhile.
 
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Nemus

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Lutfij said:
You forgot to include the make and model of your PSU. If it's from 2012, then that's the first thing I'd swap out for a reliable system though it's kind of too old for 2023. Following a PSU change, you can look at a GPU upgrade. What is the make and model of your ram in the build? Make and model of the SSD?

How is the processor cooled in said build? Speaking of build, make and model of he case? You've posted this thread in the Graphics card section, is that the only thing you want to upgrade?

You might also want to include the budget for your upgrade, your preferred site for purchase and your location to understand if your upgrade is even going to be worthwhile.
Click to expand...
Check my first post, I updated it.

I purchase from Italy; I want to upgrade anything that will speedup my softwares, so RAM and CPU also, if needed.
Budget 250€.
 
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Eximo

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I have to say, not a lot you can do with that budget.

i7-3770k is a possibility, but a very minor upgrade and you would be looking at used CPUs with all the risks that entails.

Might be possible to double the ram, but that might actually be more expensive then it is worth.

Plenty of GPUs to choose from though that will be faster than Quadro 600.
 
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Order 66

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Eximo said:
I have to say, not a lot you can do with that budget.

i7-3770k is a possibility, but a very minor upgrade and you would be looking at used CPUs with all the risks that entails.

Might be possible to double the ram, but that might actually be more expensive then it is worth.

Plenty of GPUs to choose from though that will be faster than Quadro 600.
Click to expand...
hence my saying the platform is dead, I don't understand why the OP wants to keep his mobo unless it is some special limited edition, but I don't think it is.
 
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Eximo

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Kind of one or the other I would say.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i3-10105F 3.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor (€79.15 @ Amazon Italia)
Motherboard: MSI B560M PRO-E Micro ATX LGA1200 Motherboard (€80.50 @ Amazon Italia)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory (€72.98 @ Amazon Italia)
Total: €232.63
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-10-10 15:43 CEST+0200

PCPartPicker Part List

Video Card: MSI D6 VENTUS XS OC GeForce GTX 1650 G6 4 GB Video Card (€164.08 @ Amazon Italia)
Total: €164.08
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-10-10 15:46 CEST+0200
 
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Nemus

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Order 66 said:
hence my saying the platform is dead, I don't understand why the OP wants to keep his mobo unless it is some special limited edition, but I don't think it is.
Click to expand...
It's just to keep down the costs: if I can achieve some good costs/benefits enhancement by changing RAM-GPU-CPU with the same mobo, then ok, I just need un upgrade to keep going for the nest 3 years (keep in mind that I manage to reach the 2023 still using the actual configuration).
But If I need to change also my mobo to get somerthing that worths, then I'd go to a complete new platform, with a different budget of course.
 
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Order 66

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Nemus said:
It's just to keep down the costs: if I can achieve some good costs/benefits enhancement by changing RAM-GPU-CPU with the same mobo, then ok, I just need un upgrade to keep going for the nest 3 years (keep in mind that I manage to reach the 2023 still using the actual configuration).
But If I need to change also my mobo to get somerthing that worths, then I'd go to a complete new platform, with a different budget of course.
Click to expand...
You probably need to change the entire platform meaning you probably need a (significantly) bigger budget, hence my part list in my other post. Otherwise with your current budget you can either upgrade CPU or GPU, but not both and you need both.
 
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Nemus

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Order 66 said:
You probably need to change the entire platform meaning you probably need a (significantly) bigger budget, hence my part list in my other post. Otherwise with your current budget you can either upgrade CPU or GPU, but not both and you need both.
Click to expand...
got it, so, keeping the same mobo, what's the best deal for gpu+cpu?
 
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Eximo

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For the type of work you are wanting to do an i7-3770/i7-3770k wouldn't be a big upgrade over an i7-2600k. Nothing beyond that will fit in your motherboard.

i7-2600k is a PCIe 2.0 CPU. i7-3770 would be PCIe 3.0 if your motherboard supports that which is another factor in dropping an up to date GPU in your system. Any 8x lane GPU will effectively run at PCIe 2x equivalent of what it expects if you leave it as is.

Now that parts I selected above are within your original budget, but if you were to increase that I would recommend this instead:

6 core CPU instead of a quad core, double the memory (speed and capacity), and an entry level late model GPU. (Previous GTX1650 is already 4 years old)

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12400F 2.5 GHz 6-Core Processor (€176.90 @ Amazon Italia)
Motherboard: ASRock B660M-HDV Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard (€99.00 @ Amazon Italia)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory (€72.98 @ Amazon Italia)
Video Card: Inno3D Twin X2 OC GeForce RTX 3050 8GB 8 GB Video Card (€244.93 @ Amazon Italia)
Total: €593.81
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-10-10 16:47 CEST+0200

CPU comparison:

 
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Nemus

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Eximo said:
For the type of work you are wanting to do an i7-3770/i7-3770k wouldn't be a big upgrade over an i7-2600k. Nothing beyond that will fit in your motherboard.

i7-2600k is a PCIe 2.0 CPU. i7-3770 would be PCIe 3.0 if your motherboard supports that which is another factor in dropping an up to date GPU in your system. Any 8x lane GPU will effectively run at PCIe 2x equivalent of what it expects if you leave it as is.

Now that parts I selected above are within your original budget, but if you were to increase that I would recommend this instead:

6 core CPU instead of a quad core, double the memory (speed and capacity), and an entry level late model GPU. (Previous GTX1650 is already 4 years old)

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12400F 2.5 GHz 6-Core Processor (€176.90 @ Amazon Italia)
Motherboard: ASRock B660M-HDV Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard (€99.00 @ Amazon Italia)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory (€72.98 @ Amazon Italia)
Video Card: Inno3D Twin X2 OC GeForce RTX 3050 8GB 8 GB Video Card (€244.93 @ Amazon Italia)
Total: €593.81
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-10-10 16:47 CEST+0200

CPU comparison:

Click to expand...
Thank you, that's more or less the advice I was looking for.

Juat for my personal curiosity, I noticed that yourbenchmarks show that an i3/i5 CPU are performing better than a i7, so thinking that i3<i5<i7 is just my mental bias?:sweatsmile:
 
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Eximo

Eximo

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Nemus said:
Thank you, that's more or less the advice I was looking for.

Juat for my personal curiosity, I noticed that yourbenchmarks show that an i3/i5 CPU are performing better than a i7, so thinking that i3<i5<i7 is just my mental bias?:sweatsmile:
Click to expand...

i7-2600k launched 12 years ago. It is a quad core with hyperthreading with a relatively low maximum clock speed.
Late model i3 are also quad cores with hyperthreading and have comparable clock speeds, plus 10 years of innovation for the ones I posted.
late model i5 have at least 6 cores with hyperthreading, and additional e-cores on the higher end models
late model i7 have 8 cores and 4-12 E cores
Late model i9 have 8 cores and 8-16 E cores

So basically the i3 of today is the i7 of yesterday.
 
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Avro Arrow

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Nemus said:
Hi guys,

I got a 2012 high-end pc that still does its job quite well, but with photoshop and blender it's hard to manipulate big scenes.
That said, due to the price increases and my short budget, I'd like to just do an upgrade to my hardware, trying to get every single juice of power I can.
Click to expand...
What exactly is your budget? The term "short budget" has no real meaning.
Nemus said:
This is my actual system:

MB: Asus P8Z68-V PRO
CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2600K CPU @ 3.40GHz 3.40 GHz
PSU: Corsair RM850i 850W (upgraded in 2019)
RAM: Corsari Vengance LP 4x4GB 1600Mhz 9-9-9-24
Corsair Liquid cooling (can't recognize the model, probably near h40, it has 3 cooling power switches...)
Case: Cooler Master 690II
SSD: Samsung MZ-76E500 860 EVO SSD 500 GB, SATA, 2.5" (upgraded in2021)
GPU: Nvidia Quadro 600
OS: Windows 10

Mainly used for 2D 3D graphics. What reasonably is the best upgrade I could do to my GPU (but also RAM and CPU, if needed)?

Thanks
Click to expand...
There is a lot there that you should upgrade but I would need to know what country you're in and what your budget is in your local currency.
 
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