Question What would be the next logical upgrade?

Brandoss

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I am at a point in my PC's life where I need to upgrade some stuff. My dilema is whether to just go with a GPU for now and upgrade the MOBO/RAM/CPU later (Say a year). Im considering the AMD GPU's that are currently on sale. RX590 maybe. My build is as below.

Intel I5 4440
8GB (2x4gb) 2133 DDR3 GSkill
Asus Z87-K
Zotac GTX 760
Samsung SSD 860 EVO 500GB
 
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Barty1884

Retired Moderator
What games do you play? What resolution do you game at?

While a 4440 is showing it's age, it can still certainly pair well with stronger GPUs than a 760. I would opt for a GPU upgrade now, and see how you fare.
Ultimately, you need a new GPU regardless. Even if you upgrade the CPU/MB/RAM to something modern, if you maintain the 760, that's going to be the component holding you back.


As for a 590...... I wouldn't, personally. A 590 is an overclocked 580 which, in turn, was essentially an overclocked 480.
If you have to buy new, then look to a 580. Might be worth looking to the used market too though, as 480s and 580s can usually be found pretty cheap - although do have an added degree of risk being used.
 

clutchc

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The GPU now, full upgrade later would be the better way to go, IMO. The RX 590 will make a world of difference with your Haswell quad core. Especially if you like lots of eye candy. And be about the max w/o bottleneck. I picked up a RX 590 (Fatboy) for my old FX-8350 and it is really sweet at 1080p/60Hz. I've had a couple RX 580s as well, but $old them when the cryptocurrency craze was hitting its peak.
 
If your main use is for gaming, try this test:
Run YOUR games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely more cpu limited.

If you upgrade graphics, make it a good jump so you can really tell the difference.
GTX1660ti looks good to me.
A good graphics card can be carried forward to an eventual new build of cpu/mobo/ram.
 
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Brandoss

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Alright so consensus is go with a decent GPU. Thats where I was leaning to begin with so its good to hear that thought might have been on track. While I did build this PC Im certainly not very experienced with these things, but Im a good learner.

As for GPUs.

I can get a used Sapphire Radeon NITRO RX 580 8GB GDDR5 for $175.
 

Barty1884

Retired Moderator
Canadian? Honestly, I wouldn't spend $175 on a used 580. Guessing you've got a limited used market near you? Out here (Calgary) I've picked up used 580's (8GB) for ~$120 CAD and 6GB 1060's for ~$140. At those kinds of prices, they're good deals.

Looking at new cards, you can have a 580 (8GB) for ~$250, a 590 for $290-$300, a 1660 for ~$280 or a 1660TI for ~$350

The 580 would probably just about edge on strict performance per dollar, with a 1660 being close behind.... at least, based on new prices. The 1660TI is a great card, but loses out on a value proposition.

Definitely take a look at what geofelt mentioned:

If your main use is for gaming, try this test:
Run YOUR games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely more cpu limited.

If you upgrade graphics, make it a good jump so you can really tell the difference.
GTX1660ti looks good to me.
A good graphics card can be carried forward to an eventual new build of cpu/mobo/ram.

I'm 99% sure you'll benefit from a GPU upgrade, and potentially a sizeable one at that - but better to be sure.
 

Brandoss

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Canadian? Honestly, I wouldn't spend $175 on a used 580. Guessing you've got a limited used market near you? Out here (Calgary) I've picked up used 580's (8GB) for ~$120 CAD and 6GB 1060's for ~$140. At those kinds of prices, they're good deals.

Looking at new cards, you can have a 580 (8GB) for ~$250, a 590 for $290-$300, a 1660 for ~$280 or a 1660TI for ~$350

The 580 would probably just about edge on strict performance per dollar, with a 1660 being close behind.... at least, based on new prices. The 1660TI is a great card, but loses out on a value proposition.

Definitely take a look at what geofelt mentioned:



I'm 99% sure you'll benefit from a GPU upgrade, and potentially a sizeable one at that - but better to be sure.
Once the kiddos go to bed, Im going to do just that.

Yes Canadian prices. It was used for mining so some ppl might advise to stay away from those cards. But if it was undervolted and well cooled there should be no issue. Might be able to get the 580 for $150. Im still pricing things out though.
 

Barty1884

Retired Moderator
I agree on the mining aspect. I've picked up 570s and 580s that I know have been used for mining (and priced accordingly), and they still operate as intended.

Depends on the miner though - ones who know what they're doing have undervolted and kept the card cool. At worst, a fan may fail. Not impossible for a mined-on card to die, of course - but if you can get a feel for the prior owner, you'll have a better idea of the conditions the card was run under.

~$150 is certainly close to being viable, IMO.
 

Barty1884

Retired Moderator
I was going to suggest you shy away from a mining card that may have been used 24/7 for a year or two straight (or more) until I checked gfx card prices at Newegg.ca. Wow! The RX 590 Fatboy I was mentioning above is $145 more in Canada than here in the US.
Canada
US

In fairness, NewEgg have one heck of a markup on the 590 Fatboy.

You can buy it on Amazon for $315 CAD with one day Prime shipping.
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07JQDKNXS/?tag=pcp0f-20

$315 CAD is ~$235 USD right now, so right in line with US pricing.
 

Barty1884

Retired Moderator
So the question is is the difference between the 580 and 590 worth $165?

Absolutely not. 5-10% performance improvements over the 580. So, on a direct 1:1, maybe +10% in price. You could make an argument for a little more, but definitely no more than ~15%.

Considering the 590 is a minimum of $315 vs a 580 (8GB) that can be had for ~$250, that's a 25% price premium .
 

Brandoss

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From the seller,

"It was an open air rig, temps never went above 75, usually ran around 70. Memory was overclocked to 2150, and core was set to 1150."

Is that an aggressive overclock, or within safe tolerance?
 

Brandoss

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I have decided to pass on the one that was used for mining. I think I will wait a bit and see how GPU prices are doing in a month or two. Gives me time to save for a better at the same time. Shooting for the 590 maybe.


Thank you for the fast feedback and support. Ill post back here once I get a GPU and provide some feedback on how it helped my system.
 

Brandoss

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That isn't horrible, but it does mean you'd have a year less lifespan that with a new(er) one. I think you made the better move by waiting. The RX-590 would be a decent move too. Probably not worth the cost over a RX-580 if you're on a tight budget, tho.

I should mention that im looking to get 1080p at 144hz for whatever games I can. I play a wide variety of games but mostly first person shooters. I know something like BFV would require I get something I can afford, but I would like to see at least med setting at those speeds on games like Apex Legends, Anthem, and some COD games.
 

clutchc

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The RX 590 should get you 70-100 fps @ 1080p in most AAA gamesif you don't crank the settings all the way up. Just estimating , because I don't have a 144Hz monitor. The i5-4440 might be limiting on busy (64 players) servers, tho. In single-player gaming, that won't be an issue.