GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

So, I guess the Ryzen 5 1600 AF just feels like the most logical, sensible move for me right now.
Since I’m planning to swap out my RX 580 for an RX 5700, an RTX 2060, or something similar once prices drop in a year or two—and based on the benchmarks I've been digging through—it doesn't look like there's a massive jump from the R5 2600 (which performs basically like a new 12nm 1600) over to the R5 3600 anyway.

Yeah, I think I'll probably head in that direction.
It just feels like a waste to shell out twice as much cash for an R5 3600 just to gain maybe ten extra frames—especially since that's way more than my monitor can even handle (it's stuck at 72 Hz with V-Sync enabled).

Does that reasoning sound okay to you guys, or am I totally missing something here?🤔

Totally sound logic.

The R5 3600 is solid because it finally stepped up to its level—actually, it surpassed it—by matching or even beating Intel frame for frame in average FPS. That said, nothing was really wrong with the R5 1600 either, especially if you weren't chasing high refresh rates; it still delivered plenty of frames for a smooth 60/75Hz experience at a great price point. This 1600 AF version is just a step up since it’s essentially an R5 2600, which makes it a total no-brainer in this scenario... 🙂

I'm looking at getting a Ryzen 5 1600 AF. $252 It’s half the price of the R5 3600, so if you aren't seeing at least a 50% performance jump, there's really no point. Especially on a 72Hz monitor, having a significantly better GPU for gaming matters way more.

Alexander Moore67 said:...it's 100% cheaper than the 3600...

Where can I grab one for nothing? Maybe I'll snag one too. 😬

Quote:>

Adam Moore3 says: Totally fair point there. The R5 3600 is awesome because it finally hit its stride—actually, I’d say it kind of crushed it—matching or even beating Intel frame for frame by pulling more average FPS. But honestly, nothing was wrong with the R5 1600 either, especially if you weren't obsessed with chasing those crazy high refresh rates, since it still pumped out plenty of frames for smooth 60/75Hz gaming at a really sweet price point. This 1600 AF is just a little bit better since it's basically an R5 2600, which, in my book, makes it a total no-brainer in this spot. 🙂

Thanks! Fingers crossed everything goes smoothly...
Treating myself to a new CPU for New Year's!🎉

Hey everyone, I haven’t seen any real back-and-forth over the last few pages regarding the showdown between the RTX 2060 and the GTX 1660 Ti.

I'm looking to pull the trigger on one of these two cards in about two weeks, but I'm honestly stuck in indecision land.

On paper, it feels like the GTX 1660 Ti would give me more bang for my buck, but man, I have such a love-hate relationship with Intel drivers. I was an Intel user for a solid decade, but at this point, I think I'd rather just switch over to NVIDIA.

So, which card should I grab?

My biggest priority is finding something with a 0dB mode for silent operation; I don't play that much, so I really don't want a loud fan whirring in my ear all the time.

So, this site should give you a pretty good idea of which card to go with: https://www.tomshardware.com

Just a heads up though—I ended up picking the RTX super 2060, so keep that in mind... And regarding that 0dB thing, I don't want to speak for everyone, but I'm pretty sure most modern cards have that feature nowadays. I remember having it on my old GTX 970 and my GTX 1070, and I've got it now on my RTX 2070 super too...

Basically, you're walking away with an RTX 2060 super.
When I weigh things like noise levels and power draw, I’m leaning heavily toward grabbing that Super version specifically.

The whole comparison is flawed from the jump. If you’re actually looking at an Intel card, you aren't grabbing the base model... you're going for the GTX 1660 Ti. The price gap is negligible, but the performance jump is real enough.

Plus, the XT version runs way quieter than the standard one.

So, just take a look at this breakdown:

https://www.tomshardware.com

I’m running a Sapphire GTX 1660 Ti Pulse myself, but feel free to check out the Nitro XT if you want...

It’s actually pretty wild how often Intel pushes out driver updates lately. Have you run into any weird glitches or stability issues with them? For me, the software side of things is a huge deal—I need everything to just work without a headache. Lately, I’ve been sticking with NVIDIA, and honestly, the experience has been smooth as silk.
But yeah, looking at the specs, I’d say this GTX 1660 Ti can definitely hold its own against a standard RTX 2070.

Look, I just finished building my own rig about two weeks ago, so I'm still pretty green when it comes to all those technical questions you're throwing at me.

You might want to do a little digging on Google, or maybe someone here with more mileage under their belt will chime in...😉

silentcobra3 said:It’s actually interesting how frequently AMD has been dropping driver updates lately. Have you run into any issues with them? For me, the software side is huge—it has to work right. I’ve been using Nvidia recently and everything just runs flawlessly.
But yeah, I’d say this RX 5700 XT can pretty much hold its own against a standard RTX 2070.

Honestly, AMD has been putting out better drivers than Nvidia for years now. I don't even know where this whole "bad driver" reputation even comes from anymore.🤦

Andrew Fox74 said:Honestly, I’ve been thinking about this for a while—AMD has consistently delivered better, more stable drivers for years now. I really don't get where this whole reputation regarding Nvidia's driver superiority comes from anymore? It feels like an old myth that just won't die. 🤦

I honestly have no idea where you're getting that from...

So, I finally pulled the trigger and grabbed the MSI 2060 super Armor edition.
I’m thinking this thing should hold its own and stay solid for at least the next 3 or 4 years.

Ever since Navi dropped, I feel like Nvidia has gained some ground because their ray tracing tech is still catching up a bit. Before that, though, there were definitely stretches where Nvidia was struggling more.

My rule of thumb is pretty simple: if my drivers are working fine, I don't touch them unless there's a massive optimization for a specific game. Besides, they aren't really putting much effort into updating drivers for older cards from the Turing era (GTX 1600 / RTX 2000) anymore.

silentcobra3 said:So, I ended up grabbing the MSI 2060 super Armor version.
It should hold up okay for the next three or four years, I guess.

For how long? Just so you know, the Armor series has one of the weaker coolers out there.

I don't mean to be a buzzkill or anything, but I’d really suggest keeping an eye on those temperatures on the Armor card.

Just speaking from my own experience dealing with an overheating RX 580—I did a little digging online, and it looks like the Armor versions aren't exactly winning any awards when it comes to staying cool.🕺

You know what, you guys were totally spot on. After I placed the order, I went down a bit of a rabbit hole researching that Armor version and realized I’d made a mistake, so I jumped on that cancellation right away.
In the end, I decided to pull the trigger on the Asus Strix RTX 2060super instead.

Thanks for the heads-up, everyone! Catch ya later!

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=asus+strix+rtx+2060

Man, I really hope you didn't actually pay that much. 😁

Lawrence Phillips said:Consequently, I have come to view the Ryzen 5 1600 AF as the most sensible and pragmatic choice for my current needs.
Looking ahead, once market prices inevitably dip in a year or two, I intend to upgrade my current RX 580 to something more capable, such as an RX 5700, an RTX 2060, or perhaps a similar model.

In a year or two, when you are finally ready to purchase a new graphics card, even the R5 3600 will likely be priced at around $267, perhaps dropping to $1000 within a year's time.

If things go according to plan, the R7 3700X would be an absolute $433 within a year—assuming history repeats itself...

Regarding the Navi drivers click. It seems like the latest adrenalin 2020 versions are being a bit finicky, though everyone is reporting that the slightly older ones run perfectly fine. I have no doubt they’ll get the adrenalin 2020 issues sorted out soon enough.

As for this whole debate about whether the RX 5700 XT is actually worth the premium over the non-XT model, I'm not entirely sold... Take the same lineup, for instance—the MSI Gaming X non-XT version at $1020 versus the XT version at $1267. The performance jump isn't massive enough to justify that price gap, especially when you factor in all those headaches involving flashing an XT BIOS onto a non-XT card. It's the same story with the Sapphire Pulse models: $983 compared to $1167...