GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Honestly, just grab the EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 super. It performs nearly as well as the 1660Ti, but you'll save about $$133 less
.
You can find plenty of options all over the US...

If you're feeling a bit more extravagant, here are some pricier alternatives: RTX 2060 6GB, or maybe a custom Radeon RX 5700 if you want to hit the ceiling—check this one or this one.

But look, if people were happy with the Radeon HD 7950 back in the day, this first option will be more than enough for you (it’s noticeably more powerful, too).

Going for 144Hz? It’s hard to overdo it, but I wouldn't go overboard. You barely feel the difference once you push past 100 FPS anyway, plus you'll just hit a CPU bottleneck in games where the GPU isn't even the issue.

I think a 1660Ti is a decent pairing, but honestly, I'd try to figure out if the GPU is actually the culprit first. Just so you know exactly what needs an upgrade, rather than swapping parts just because a new monitor makes you want a better card.

Timothy Kim60 said:Just grab the EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 super. The 1660 super is nearly as fast as the 1660Ti, but it’ll save you $133$300
.
You can find them at Best Buy all over the country...

Here are some pricier options if you're feeling reckless: RTX 2060 6GB, or maybe a custom click and click for a Radeon RX 5700 as a ceiling.

But honestly, if they were happy with the Radeon HD 7950, this one will be great too (it's noticeably stronger).

What's the best buy if I want to be set for 4 years until the kid heads off to college?😁
Best Buy has it, and Best Buy is solid. The card (1660) is big—double slot—but there's always room in a Corsair case. Plus, the price is low enough that I might just pay for it out of my own pocket. Might even leave him some extra, I have a soft spot for the kid...

I'll go for the more expensive 2060 if it's actually worth the jump in price. Is it?

wiredotter14 said:First, I'd try borrowing a GPU from someone, even an ancient one, just to see if the graphics card is actually the issue.

I don't have anyone to ask. Everyone I know is tech-illiterate.

wiredotter14 said:Or just throw that old one into another PC to see if it works.

I could do that. Put it in my own rig out in the garage. Then we look at the power supply, if it's not the card.

wiredotter14 said:I think a 1660Ti is a solid pairing, but I’d try to figure out if the GPU is actually the culprit first. Not just to save money, but so you actually know what needs replacing—especially since you'll likely want an upgrade anyway once you get that new monitor

Here's the situation: my old Radeon HD 7950 won't work in this new motherboard, and it's running way hotter than it should during the last third of my sessions.

Just stuck in traffic on the I-95...

So the real question is: which card is the actual best buy? A 1066, a 1066Ti, or a 2060? Which specific model and where should I grab it? Right now, my pick is EVGA GeForce RTX 2060 even though I'd much rather find an ASUS with three fans for a better price.

I reckon the 1660Ti is the absolute best buy here. If you're actually looking for some decent power, the Radeon RX 5700, the RX 5700 XT, or the RTX 2060 Super are all way better picks than just a standard RTX 2060.

The 1660Ti pulls about 120W TDP, so you won't need some massive, overkill cooler to keep it from melting.

https://www.amazon.com/graphics-cards...a-6gb-85900311

Thanks for the advice.

Basically, here’s how I’m looking at it:

The 1660 is roughly $667
. I found an EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 super for about the same price ($680), thanks to a tip from Timothy Kim60.
The 1660 Ti is around $833
.
So, the base 1660 isn't worth the headache.

There's about a 20% price gap between the 1660 Super and the 1660 Ti, but the performance jump is only 4-5%.

The RTX 2060 is nothing less than $1000
.
Comparing the RTX 2060 to the 1660 Super, the 2060 costs 49% more for only a 20% better benchmark score.

I think I'll just settle on the 1660 Super. $667It's an extra expense I wasn't planning on, but compared to my old Radeon HD 7950, it's roughly 130% faster, which is actually noticeable.

Check out these performance numbers

https://www.techpowerup.com/review/e...-ultra/29.html

And yeah, you hit the nail on the head regarding resonance. When it comes to these higher-priced cards, the performance jump just doesn't scale proportionally with the price tag.

It’s also true that there isn't really a "top tier" option right now—if the Radeon RX 5700 had more longevity, it would still be relevant for you. However, it actually makes more sense to upgrade more frequently rather than dropping a massive amount of cash once every five years.

Think about it this way: say you sell the card after three years and reinvest roughly $667 back into a newer model while pocketing the rest. Mathematically speaking, you come out ahead compared to dumping $1333 all at once for a setup intended to last six years. Of course, if you're chasing 144 fps on ultra settings, you'll have to pay the premium, but I doubt your kids are hardcore gamers. Especially since that Radeon HD 7950 was doing the job just fine. By the way, looking back, that GPU was easily one of the smartest purchases ever made in terms of staying relevant over time.

Timothy Kim60 said:Check out the performance here

https://www.techpowerup.com/review/e...-ultra/29.html

But yeah, you're right about the price-to-performance ratio. These more expensive models aren't actually delivering a proportional jump in speed.

Nice breakdown. The more I look at this, the more I feel like I made the right call. Thanks.

Timothy Kim60 said:Especially if the Radeon HD 7950 was still holding its own. Honestly, looking back, that GPU was one of the best buys ever in terms of how long it stayed relevant.

That 7950 lasted me a solid six years... and would have gone even longer if it wasn't for a freak power surge that fried both the card and my new motherboard (the old one had only been in for a few months). To top it off, while the kids were trying to "help" fix things, they snapped a connector on a terabyte drive, so that's dead too.

Picked up an EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 super this morning, and getting it installed was a total nightmare.

I've never wrestled with drivers more in my life. They just refused to install, kept throwing the error: "Nvidia installer cannot continue, This NVIDIA graphics driver is not compatible with this version of Windows."

So I spent forever hunting down newer versions, flashing the board to F50, and patching Windows... until it finally decided to cooperate.

On the bright side, the motherboard, the card, and Winsi are all fully updated now. Small victories, I guess.

Did you make sure to uninstall those AMD drivers first?

You should probably run DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) just to clear out any leftover traces from your old GPU.

It’s a fresh OS install on a brand-new SSD from scratch. Honestly, even I was impressed by how smooth it is.

Man, just give the kids a glass of water to put on their PC...

Sent from my LG-M700 using Reddit

Keith Nguyen7 said:Great, now give the kids a glass of water to pour right onto their PC...

Sent from my LG-M700 using Reddit

🤣🤣

mellowraven8 said:I did a fresh install on a brand new SSD from scratch. Even I was impressed by how smooth it felt.

You didn't necessarily have to do that when just swapping a GPU, but since you're changing the motherboard, it’s definitely the smart move to ensure everything stays stable.

Keith Nguyen7 said:Great, now let's give the kids a glass of water to pour over the PC...

Anyway, the case is sitting on the desk now—exactly where I always suggest it should be, instead of tucked under the desk where the kids find it convenient.



Let's see who tries to move it. And the monitor is going back on the wall, right where the old one lived.

Timothy Kim60 said:Look, you didn't need to worry about it during the GPU swap, but since we're changing the motherboard, it's actually recommended.

The SSD isn't tied to any of that; it was ordered along with the monitor a few days before the Kraft incident.
It's a new 500GB PCIe drive replacing the old 120GB SATA SSD. Makes sense.

Hey there!
I'm back again after a long break—some of you might even remember me
Larry Ortiz5

Quick question
Does anyone here own this card?
The Nvidia geforce gtx 1660 6 is what I'm looking at. If you've used one, how has your experience been with it?
Just got my new PC delivered today, so I'm curious.

Greetings,

Has anyone here had any hands-on experience with the Asus RTX 2080 Ti Advanced Edition cards?
Are you finding them to be reliable, or have they been a disappointment?

driftinggull33 said:Hey,

Anyone actually using an Asus RTX 2080 Ti Advanced Edition?

Loving it or hating it?

Are you seriously asking about a GPU that costs $1,300?

driftinggull33 said:Hey there,

Anyone here have some hands-on experience with the Asus RTX 2080 Ti Advanced Edition cards?
Are they actually worth it—any major pros or cons you've run into?

Well, I guess it all comes down to what you're actually looking for, right? It'll do exactly what you need it to do... though if you're just planning on gaming at 1080p, this card is definitely overkill.😁

Christian Torres3 said:Is that really a serious question to be asking about a $1,300 graphics card?

I fail to see why anyone would consider this an unserious inquiry.

https://www.microspot.ch/de/--c58400...g--p0001630513

It's listed at $1,324, which actually makes it slightly cheaper than $1,300.

Though, clearly, I have either misread the purpose of this forum or stumbled into the wrong thread entirely...

driftinggull33 said:Not sure why anyone would think this isn't a serious question...

https://www.microspot.ch/de/--c58400...g--p0001630513

It's about $1,450, so even cheaper than $1,500.

Guess I picked the wrong sub or thread, whatever...

Most people here can't swing that kind of cash. For most, that's two or three entire paychecks just for a GPU... who's actually paying that? ☕

If you've got money to burn, go ahead and grab it. You won't find anything better right now. But honestly? It’s not worth it. You're getting maybe 60-70% of the performance for 300% of the price.