How often do you upgrade your Video card(s)?

[cbn]

How often do you upgrade your Video card(s)?

.......and what level of video card(s) do you normally buy?

Some examples:

1. Someone that buys high end every generation.
2. Someone that buys high end every other generation.
3. Someone that buys midrange to upper midrange every generation
4. Someone that buys midrange to upper midrange every other generation.
5. Someone that buys lower end (Eg, GTX 750 Ti, GTX 1050 Ti, Radeon R7, Radeon RX 460) every generation
6. Someone that buys lower end (Eg, GTX 750 Ti, GTX 1050 Ti, Radeon R7, Radeon RX 460) every other generation

 

[Bacon1]

Whenever its required, I try to get the most out of each purchase.

 

[wanderica]

I tend to upgrade whenever something exciting presents itself. Sometimes that's a good deal, a leap forward in tech, a new monitor, or even just a bonus at work. It usually ends up being about once a year. This year is the exception. I bought a new monitor and traded out my 1070 for a 1080 Ti. If the stars align and Vega surprises us all by beating the 1080 Ti, I may upgrade again. One of the perks of no kids and a good job, I guess. I can afford to splurge on hobbies.

 

[dacostafilipe]

Normally every 2-3 years, but this time because of a monitor upgrade (21:9) and a new Ryzen build I'll upgrade to Vega just after getting my 470 last march.

 

[DooKey]

I buy high end every generation. I want to ensure I can push as close to max FPS and settings on my monitor with each generation of games.

 

[nathanddrews]

I need to have a really good reason:

1. A game(s) I really want to play that is unplayable according to my own subjective metrics
2. New display connectivity (ex: HDMI 2.1)
3. Massive upgrade in encode/decode support (HEVC, AV1, etc.)

Of course, other decisions have to be made such as:

1. Will it pair well with my current platform or should I upgrade that as well?
2. Is the function of this particular machine for gaming or HTPC use?
3. Wait for sale? Try to hit that perfect clearance window? Wait for epic used deal?

So many factors...

 

[Face2Face]

As of the past couple of years I've been buying all of my video cards used. Lately I've been buying EVGA cards, so the warranties are transferable which means very little risk. Because of this I've been upgrading around two times a year. Last year I upgraded from a GTX 780 to a GTX 970, then to a GTX 980Ti. This year I upgraded from a 980Ti to a GTX 1080. I'm sure once VEGA comes out, I might be upgrading again. I don't spend anymore than $400/450 on a card, so I can wait a year or so to get something top of the line or one step down. The GTX 1080 seems to be holding up well at 1440p, so I'm happy for the time being

 

[Tweak155]

Normally every 2 years or less, but I've had this 970 since launch since the 1070 was a hike in MSRP. Now waiting for Vega before I do anything. Wanting to go Vega + FreeSync, but I currently do not have a *sync monitor so my options are still open.

 

[EXCellR8]

don't really have a schedule... last brand new card I bought was the RX 480 but before that was a R9 380 and then I honestly don't remember. it actually may have been a 4870 in late 2008 lol. 5870, 7970 and R9 290X were all used when I got them.

as for NVIDIA cards, I don't think I've ever scooped a new one they are just obsoleted too quickly to drop MSRP. everything going back to Fermi I bought preowned; even the 2x GTX 980 in the Haswell refresh were not bought new.

 

[ZGR]

I purposfully bought a weak 1070 at release thinking it would only last me until the 1080 ti release. It is still going strong at UHD for medium settings. I'm wondering which game won't be able to maintain 60fps at 2160p first. When that happens, I will have to upgrade.

With Nvidia's awful driver support for OS X (Apple shunning NV), I may end up getting a used 1080 ti when Volta releases for my Hackintosh. I hated waiting a year for my 1070 to work properly on OS X. The 1080 ti may be my last Nvidia card if OS X support is dropped; which is kind of a scary thought. I hate being locked into one or the other.

I'm not sure how many others on this forum have two "identical" monitors, but I have a 28" UHD Gsync and a 28" UHD Freesync so I don't exactly feel tied into one camp.

 

[ArizonaSteve]

I have a pair of GTX 670s, the last of which I bought in early 2013. So I haven't touched my video card set-up in over four years, which is a first for me. I do have a 1080ti FTW on the way to me now, as I have several games which don't support SLI. And it was about time I upgraded.

 

[gx_saurav]

For the last 8 years, I am buying Radeon XX70 series such Radeon HD 7870, Radeon R9 270 and now a Radeon RX 470. I do this because my monitors have been 1080p only and for 1080p gaming the XX70 series fits well. Recently I purchased a LG 27MP68HM Freesync Monitor as I have decided to stick with AMD only for next few years cos the last monitor was used for 4 years and intend to keep this monitor also for 5 years.

All my GPUs come with 3 year warranty and I sell them after 2.5 years are complete so that I can sell them while they still have 6 months warranty. That way I get good selling price in India.

Next GPU upgrade is going to be AMD Navi or whatever is available in July 2019.

 

[Elfear]

In the past I upgraded once or twice a year when the new hotness arrived from either camp. Back in the day I'd see a significant performance boost with each purchase and most cards were $550 or less. Around the Hawaii/Maxwell generation, my buy rate started to slow down because either 1) performance was lackluster with the incoming generation or 2) a significant performance increase was accompanied by a $1200 price tag. I've been using a 980Ti since launch two years ago. Looking forward to see what Vega has to offer but I may hold off until Volta/Navi if Vega has little chicken legs.

 

[lifeblood]

Tended to upgrade midrange cards as needed. Had my last card for 5 years (HD 7850) as we've been at DX11 forever. I also haven't been playing AAA games for the past few years. Mass Effect Andromeda forced me to upgrade.

 

[mjdupuis]

Lately I've gone for high end, but once it's a generation behind: R9 290 when it was available for $250, and then a year later the Sapphire Fury when it dropped to $300. At time of purchase they were the best perf/$ within the $200-$400 range, but I'll probably break that trend for the cut-down Vega, as long as it's 85-90% of the full Vega and around $400.

 

[gorb]

Not often at all. My last four upgrades:
ATI 9600XT
nvidia 6600GT
nvidia 8800GT
ATI HD5850

 

[Yakk]

So little reason to upgrade anymore...

I'm back on my CF 7970 cards, even sold the last of my 480 cards. Couldn't resist.

Gonna get a few Vega cards for fun rather than need.

 

[Indus]

I used to do every 2 years (skip 1 generation) but after I bought the 8800 GT and then GTX 260 I skipped 2 till GTX 660.

I'm contemplating an upgrade now.

I think if you get a higher end card you can go longer inbetween upgrades but a lower end feels the pain faster.

 

[Omar F1]

How often do you upgrade your Video card(s)?
2. Someone that buys high end every other generation.

Upgraded to GTX 980 when it came, kept on playing League of Legends. Upgraded to 1080 last year, and currently playing SWKOTOR...

 

[MajinCry]

First got a 6670 in 2011. Then got a 7850 in 2012 or 2013.

Currently waiting it out for Vega. The price : performance : power ratio's been stagnant for ages.

 

[Wall Street]

I seem to upgrade every other year, as the opportunity arises. Here are my recent purchases.

2010 HD 5450
2011 HD 5770
2013 GTX 570
2015 HD 7970
2017 GTX 1080

I bought the 5450 and 1080 on newegg, the 5770 and 7970 I got used for good prices and the 570 was literally free from a friend. The 1080 a very recent purchase and is in the mail. I sold the 5770 and 7970 for about the same prices I bought them for.

 

[thxdd]

It really depends on the definition of "high end", since technically the current "high end" would be the Titan XP. I buy a new card every other generation at the $600-$700 price point, which is either upper mid-range or high end. My last jump (780 > 1080) felt like a long time between upgrades, even though it was only a single generation hop.

 

[Smoblikat]

I only upgrade as neded, recently I went from an HD7970 to a 980Ti. I only buy used cards.

 

[Ventanni]

Uhh, still using a Geforce 570, haha!

Currently I'm playing Everquest (progression servers), World of Warships, maybe some Diablo 3 every now and then, and some older games every once a while. The last new game I played was Thief, and that played just fine on my Geforce 570. I just haven't found much of a need to purchase anything beyond that.

 

[NIGELG]

I'm playing older games from my backlog on my 7970 which has been in service since January 2013.

I will upgrade to play GTA 5 at some point.