GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

So, a new plan is starting to take shape: I'm thinking about swapping out my current card for an RX 5500 XT instead of going with another RX 580. On paper, the RX 5500 XT pulls about 50 W less power than the RX 580, and while prices for both are hovering around the same level right now due to how the market is looking, who knows? Maybe a good sale will pop up soon. With my existing RX 580, I can actually dial the power down to 100W in the software, though in reality, it's probably pulling closer to 130 W. Moving to the newer card should theoretically keep everything running much cooler, shouldn't it? My main hesitation, however, is that while they seem comparable in raw performance, the online data regarding how the RX 5500 XT handles content creation and compute tasks is all over the place, and that 128-bit bus is definitely making me a bit nervous.

If anyone happens to own an RX 5500 XT and wouldn't mind lending a hand, I'd really appreciate it; I can easily walk you through installing DaVinci Resolve and a benchmark so you could send me the results.

wanderingbison9 said:If anyone happens to have an RX 5500 XT and wants to help me out, it's super easy to set up Resolve and the benchmark (I can walk you through it), so just hit me up with your results.

I actually have an Asrock 5500 XT Challenger 8GB sitting here right now, so I can run that for you tomorrow.

Christian Torres3 said:I currently have an Asrock RX 5500 XT Challenger 8GB setup here, so I can get that running for you tomorrow.

You're a lifesaver, man. And since it's an Asrock, it’s basically the little sister to my own PG x. biti.

I'll put together some Links and a step-by-step guide for you, then I'll shoot everything over via PM.

My buddy Christian Torres3 helped me figure out that the RX 5500 XT is actually quite a bit slower—sometimes by as much as 0-13 fps depending on the specific task and how many effects you throw at it—compared to the RX 580.
It seems pretty clear that it was designed strictly with gaming in mind, so there isn't much way around those limitations.
That’s why I’ve shifted my focus toward finding an RX 570 instead; it should be only negligibly slower than the RX 580 when it comes to compute tasks, and it generally has a smaller physical footprint.
I found this Asus model:

Since I already have an Asus motherboard, using this card offers some nice compatibility perks, plus this specific model features a dedicated fan connector where I can plug in a small side fan to help cool both cards if things start getting too hot.

I realize I might be overthinking this and bothering everyone with so many details, but I'm approaching the finish line of a project where I'm really going to need that extra GPU power.

What exactly are you using that for?

wiredotter14 said:What exactly are you using it for?

Well, I mainly use it for DaVinci Resolve, specifically for real-time playback with certain effects—though I'm not really talking about color grading here. My goal is simply to make sure the director isn't breathing down my neck because they have to wait for a full render just to see if a cut feels right or if the pacing works... but honestly, what can I say? We all deal with the same pressures, so I won't dwell on it too much. 😬
In Resolve, graphics cards don't actually use Crossfire; instead, each card handles its own specific frame, which means if one card is significantly weaker than the others, the more powerful ones end up just sitting there waiting for it to catch up. In Resolve, almost everything is handled by the GPU.

If you aren't running this through a business expense, just hunt down a cheap used RX 580 and undervolt or underclock it. Honestly, if you're rocking two cards, I don't see why a 10% performance hit matters all that much. For my setup, running mining and Folding@Home (OpenCL) at 1150MHz and 950mV, the card stays around 65-70C even with the fans on minimum—all while the CPU is pulling about 150W.

@wiredotter14/">@@wiredotter14: Since I work as a freelancer, I don't have a formal company setup to deal with... though honestly, it’s becoming such a struggle to find a used RX 580 8GB at a decent price, isn't it? Given how old they are and the sheer amount of new GPUs hitting the market lately (at least on paper), if the price difference is only a few bucks, I’d much rather just buy something brand new. I was scrolling through eBay again, and the selection of decent used cards is looking pretty slim, maybe $500+ options worth checking out. This one right here actually claims to be NEW in the title, yet when you read the description, it clearly says it's used...

Exactly. AMD pivoted toward gaming architecture, which essentially means they sacrificed a good chunk of compute power just to boost efficiency. How do Nvidia's RTX cards stack up against Navi when it comes to running Resolve?

I suspect you won't find much luck with the mainstream Nvidia lineup either. Even though they started letting gamers touch more of that compute architecture starting with Turing—something AMD used to reserve—these mid-range models are just the "GTX" 16xx series. They lack the Ray Tracing cores and Tensor cores found in the RTX 2xxx models.

There’s a chance they might trickle down the Ampere architecture (the 3000 series) into the mainstream segment this generation, which would finally give budget GPUs access to RT cores and Tensor cores.

@Timothy Kim60/">@@Timothy Kim60: The real headache is that all the GTX cards are capped at just 6 GB of RAM, though I have been weighing the idea of running an AMD and Nvidia combo specifically using OpenCL mode. While everyone talks about how RT in Resolve is a game changer, or how Tensor cores are supposed to supercharge things like Optical flow and Temporal Noise Reduction x1, does that actually hold up in the real world? It often feels like it doesn't quite live up to the hype.

https://www.pugetsystems.com/pic_disp.php?id=65580

In most tasks, the RTX 2 xxx and 3xxx series generally handle Navi just fine, but it gets interesting when you look closer; in Temporal Noise Reduction x1 and Optical flow—areas where the Tensor cores should theoretically dominate—Navi holds its own quite impressively. In fact, looking at the performance of the RX 6900 XT versus the RTX 3090, they are remarkably neck-and-neck, and in some instances, the Navi card actually manages to outpace the 3090!

It leads you to wonder, isn't it? Such bizarre results...

Well, damn, what happened. Wasn't $333 used polaris
back in the day? Maybe we're seeing another mining craze where people are just grabbing cheap cards again.

wanderingbison9 said:@Timothy Kim60/">@@Timothy Kim60: The issue is that all GTX cards are capped at just 6 GB of VRAM, though I have considered running AMD alongside Nvidia using OpenCL mode. RT in Resolve isn't particularly helpful here, and while they claim Tensor cores help with Optical flow, TNR, and other tasks, in reality, that's not really how it plays out.

https://www.pugetsystems.com/pic_disp.php?id=65580

In most operations, the RTX 2xxx and 3xxx series outperform Navi quite nicely. However, interestingly enough, when it comes to Temporal Noise Reduction x1 and Optical flow—where Tensor should theoretically dominate—Navi holds its own. The RX 6900 XT and the 3090 show nearly identical performance, and in some cases, Navi actually beats the 3090!

Bizarre results...

It's tough to be an expert these days. The smartest move is to find actual results based on the specific use case you need. Like you asked that guy, mainstream models aren't even seriously benchmarked or reviewed much anymore (for example, a comprehensive roundup of mainstream GPU coolers is almost non-existent).

Regarding VRAM, people online seem shocked by the potential 12GB on the rtx 3060 (especially since the 256-bit 3060Ti has 8GB), but honestly, this will be a more powerful GPU than the gtx 1080 which had 8GB back in 2016. It’s ridiculous to act surprised that a newer GPU has more VRAM five years later—even if it's only 50% more rather than double what was standard before. It just highlights how stingy Nvidia is with memory and how used to low standards everyone has become. In their style, they’d probably release a 6GB version too (or maybe a 3GB version of the gtx 1060 for anyone interested ;D).

wiredotter14 said:Man, what happened? At one point, was polaris considered a budget pick?$333
Maybe there's another mining craze and people are grabbing the cheap ones again.

I was looking around recently and couldn't find any RX 5700XT available anywhere (the RX 5700s vanished long ago). Now I see a few 5700XTs popping up online, but who knows if they actually have stock; they end up costing almost as much as a cheaper RTX 306Ti when they do appear. The cheapest 5600XTs have moved from $800 to $900. It seems like Navi 1.0 has been phased out, especially now that the mainstream models of the new generation are arriving.
Right now, the best bet is to wait.

I just stumbled upon some fresh data regarding the 6800 XT in Resolve:

https://www.computerbase.de/2020-11/...800-xt-test/5/ (check out the results under the standard Candle benchmark)

That Puget Systems benchmark—which feels like a bit of mumbo-jumbo since it’s so heavily dependent on your CPU, drive speeds, and file types—isn't really the best way to measure pure GPU performance, is it? According to these numbers, the RX 6800 XT is either slightly ahead or holding its own, but it absolutely crushes the RTX 3090 when it comes to TNR. Of course, we have to remember this was done at HD resolution; could things shift once we start looking at UHD? Still, when you consider that the RX 6000 series sits around $1,000, which is roughly half the price of the RTX 3090, the fact that the performance isn't even close to being half as bad is pretty impressive. (I can't seem to pin down the exact standalone price for the RX 6800 XT because everywhere I look, they're just bundling it into pre-built systems rather than selling it individually.)

Hey there!

I'm looking for a GPU that's pretty close to the GTX 1660 SUPER 4GB DDR6 in terms of specs, but maybe just a little bit stronger.

I'm basically just waiting for some prices to drop, so I want to know which ones to keep an eye on. 😉

Thanks in advance!

There isn't actually a 1660 super with 4GB of RAM; you either meant the 6GB version or you were thinking of the 1650 super. Generally speaking, the lineup goes from the 1650 super to the 1660 super, then the 1660Ti—which is almost identical to the 1660 super acting as its direct successor—though they are hard to find now. After that, you have Nvidia's RTX 2060 6gb (which used to be cheaper than $800, but is currently the cheapest $1067) and the comparable AMD option, the RX 5600XT (currently the cheapest at $887, though they used to go for as low as 2300-$800). Moving up, there's the Nvidia 2060 super 8gb tier (hardly any left on sites like Best Buy), and the AMD RX 5700 models, which could sometimes be found on sale for $833, while the standard price was usually $1000 (but again, availability is nearly zero). Beyond that, you're looking at Nvidia's 2070 and 2070 super (mostly just used ones available now), or the AMD RX 5700XT, which are either nonexistent or priced at $1600 (they used to be 3200-$1167)

Bottom line: the GPU market has been absolutely brutal lately. If you're looking for value, the 1650 super 4gb is a solid bet because prices haven't spiked; miners aren't interested in 4GB VRAM cards anymore (which is why you see so many used RX 570 4gb and RX 580 4gb units floating around on eBay). After that, the 1660 super 6gb makes sense if you can snag one for around $667 (prices have only crept up slightly to about $67). The AMD 5600XT is also a decent move, provided you can find a reasonable price like $867 via the Links. After those, everything else becomes overpriced nonsense. Honestly, the only card that really makes sense right now is the RTX 3060Ti, but only if you catch it near $1333 in the Links. Those are pretty much the only new cards worth considering; anything else is either impossible to find or priced ridiculously.

Got it, thanks for the heads up 👍

I'm mostly just waiting until spring (no rush, really) before picking up a new GPU... so until then, I'll just run my new build with the old card ☕

We might see a whole new wave of budget options hitting the market this spring—specifically the RTX 3050 and RTX 3050Ti—so it’s definitely worth holding off for a bit.

They were supposed to drop back in January, but things went quiet, and we only saw the RTX 3060 show up. However, I don't think it'll be long before those lower-end models arrive; we could be looking at February or March.

I'm just sitting here pulling my hair out. I keep waiting, watching the listings for an RX 570 at $467, but while I'm waiting, they vanish only to pop back up later at $533, and now the cheapest RX 580 I can find is sitting at 2000.

wanderingbison9 said:I'm just sitting here waiting. I was watching for an RX 570 at $467, but while I was looking, they disappeared and now the RX 570 is up to $533, and the cheapest RX 580 is sitting at 2000.

You've got to be kidding me, is it miners again?
Three years ago, I picked up an RX 580 for $633, 4 GB, and the situation with the miners was exactly the same.

There’s basically zero bread left on the used market, guys. Even looking at last generation's GPUs—the ones that actually make sense for budget builds—they're nowhere to be found, with just a few outliers like the 1650 super.
We’re going to have to sit tight and wait for the new mainstream models to drop and for the stock to actually hit the shelves. This could easily drag on for a few months.