Upgrading from GTX 660

[gregoryvg]

Okay folks, my GTX 660 is not really cutting it any longer. My specs are as follows:

i5 2500k @ 4.2Ghz
8 GB RAM @ 1600Mhz
GTX 660 2GB
500W Antec Green PSU (about 6 years old now)
My monitor is 60hz 1080p

I will most likely be upgrading this PC sometime next year and don't want to go overboard on the new graphics card. Would like to keep it under $150.

What should I get? I'm thinking about a GTX 1050ti as it's faster than a GTX960 so should be a good upgrade. What else should I be comparing it to?

I play mostly GTA V, CIV VI, Total War: Warhammer, and will be getting Dawn of War III later this month.

 

[Bouowmx]

If you do not live on NVIDIA-only features (ex. CUDA and NVENC), consider the AMD Radeon RX 470 or 570 4 GB.

 

[kawi6rr]

I would look for a 470/570.

 

[Bacon1]

Look for a 4GB 470 or 480 for under $150, 470 has been as low as $110. They will be quite a bit faster than the 1050 Ti.

GTA V and Total War Warhammer the 470 is 25% faster

https://www.computerbase.de/thema/grafikkarte/rangliste/

In DX12 Civ 6 the 470 is over 50% faster

https://i.imgur.com/bdtIQF4.png

 

[gregoryvg]

Thanks for the advice guys, think I will look into the RX 470 or maybe RX 480 depending on price.

 

[gregoryvg]

Or maybe I should splurge (just a little over my budget) and get this:
https://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-Rad...955011,p_n_feature_four_browse-bin:6066316011

I think that would last another two years easy.

 

[crisium]

480 4GB isn't bad if you're willing to stretch the budget by $30. Unless you can find a 1060 6GB or 480 8GB for the same price for extra longevity, but that may not be possible

 

[TeknoBug]

RX 570 poses some nice power to value ratio right now.

 

[gregoryvg]

RX 570 poses some nice power to value ratio right now.

Do you all think this might be better?

https://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-Rad...&qid=1492624041&sr=1-5&keywords=radeon+rx+570

 

[crisium]

No, the 480 is faster.

Strange. The 480 you linked to earlier was showing for $180 just a few minutes ago but it's higher now.

 

[guachi]

A 470 is a great buy if, like others have said, you can get a 4GB version for under $150.

Also, if your budget can ever fit it in, get a Freesync monitor if you buy a 470. They really make my gaming experience better and Freesync has a very low premium over a non-Freesync monitor.

Older games can now be played at above 60 Hz and it extends the life of your GPU by allowing you to acceptably play never games at lower resolutions.

 

[gregoryvg]

No, the 480 is faster.

Strange. The 480 you linked to earlier was showing for $180 just a few minutes ago but it's higher now.

Really? I guess it's a good thing I went ahead and bought it right after I posted!

Edit: Crap - it's $250 now!! Wonder if they made a mistake with the price being so low earlier.

 

[SteveGrabowski]

Really? I guess it's a good thing I went ahead and bought it right after I posted!

Edit: Crap - it's $250 now!! Wonder if they made a mistake with the price being so low earlier.

Wow, that 480 for $180 was a really nice deal.

 

[gregoryvg]

Wow, that 480 for $180 was a really nice deal.

I agree, but why am I soo tempted to cancel and get that 570? I think I like bigger numbers or something. That Freesync 2 thing sounds nice too.

 

[crisium]

You like bigger numbers? Your 480 has more shaders that run at a higher frequency. That gives you a bigger framerate - the most important number. =P

 

[vissarix]

I agree, but why am I soo tempted to cancel and get that 570? I think I like bigger numbers or something. That Freesync 2 thing sounds nice too.

You can also flash an RX580 bios into your RX480 and voila, you have now a brand new gpu

 

[Ajay]

That Gigabyte Radeon Rx 480 G1 (4 GB) is back down to $180 US for anyone interested.

 

[gregoryvg]

But dangit, it's (the RX480) not arriving until May 5th!

 

[gregoryvg]

You can also flash an RX580 bios into your RX480 and voila, you have now a brand new gpu

No, lol, definitely no!

 

[ConsoleLover]

I would go for the RX 470 4GB, if you do plan on keeping it for over a year than its worth it to invest in 8GB vram. The 470 4GB can be easily found for $150, while the 8GB version is usually about $20 more expensive.

 

[TeknoBug]

You can also flash an RX580 bios into your RX480 and voila, you have now a brand new gpu

That comes with a huge risk factor.

 

[tamz_msc]

I would look for the RX 570 4GB even if it costs 20$ more. Near identical performance to the RX 480, something you would not notice unless you play games with an FPS counter, plus added power savings on idle, video playback and multi-monitor use.

EDIT: This is one sweet card.

 

[nathanddrews]

I've seen some GTX 970 4GB cards go for $150 on ebay claiming to be brand new.

Oh, one thing to verify: what connector does your 1080p monitor use? All the new cards use DVI-D, DisplayPort, or HDMI. Just thinking that if you are using an older DVI connector (or VGA?), you'll need an adapter or new cable...

 

[gregoryvg]

I've seen some GTX 970 4GB cards go for $150 on ebay claiming to be brand new.

Oh, one thing to verify: what connector does your 1080p monitor use? All the new cards use DVI-D, DisplayPort, or HDMI. Just thinking that if you are using an older DVI connector (or VGA?), you'll need an adapter or new cable...

Good question, I bought the monitor a few years ago and I think I'm using a DVI connector (def not VGA), don't know if it's DVI-D or the older one. I'll just plug in an HDMI if the other one won't work. 60hz 1080p; don't think that'll be an issue.

 

[TeknoBug]

Good question, I bought the monitor a few years ago and I think I'm using a DVI connector (def not VGA), don't know if it's DVI-D or the older one. I'll just plug in an HDMI if the other one won't work. 60hz 1080p; don't think that'll be an issue.

If it's DVI-I (older one) the pins will be split up the middle, DVI-D has all the pins across the plug.