GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Honestly, I think I’m just gonna hold out for the next generation of mid-range cards coming next year. They'll probably have better performance and—fingers crossed—better power efficiency too.
My power supply isn't exactly in its prime anymore, so while it might technically work, I'd definitely recommend stepping up to something beefier.

Maybe some mid-range card from Intel... maybe the upcoming 7600 or something?
I'll just hang tight for a bit and keep an eye on how the market shakes out. Honestly, watching the tech trends is almost as much fun as actually gaming!🤣

Every time I finally pull the trigger on a purchase, it feels like the hype just dies down immediately.

An RTX 2080 pulls about 225W, while the RTX 2080 Super hits 250W.
Your PSU is probably fine, but if it's an older unit, you might be cutting it a bit close.

Lawrence Phillips said:I think I'll just hold out for the next generation of mid-range cards next year. Better performance, lower power draw.

Yeah, that's the smartest move. The 2080 isn't exactly a powerhouse anymore, and even the Super was only a minor step up. Honestly, I'd avoid the high-end segment unless you absolutely have to. You end up dealing with massive power draw and needing beefier PSUs, not to mention they're huge. It's always better to wait for the newer generation; you get more actual strength from better architecture rather than just shoving more electricity down its throat.

urbanheron4 said:An RTX 2080 pulls about 225W, while the Super version hits 250W.
Your power supply should be fine, though if it's an older unit, you might be cutting it close.

Yeah, that's definitely the smartest move. The 2080 isn't all that powerful anymore, and the Super was a slight step up. Honestly, I'd suggest avoiding the top-tier enthusiast cards unless you absolutely need them. They just draw way more power and require beefier supplies, which takes up a lot of room in your case. It's always better to jump to a newer generation; you get more performance from better architecture rather than just throwing more electricity at it.

Good grief...
Just look at how much power those new Nvidia cards pull...

Look, Nvidia really messed up this new lineup. Intel isn't actually that bad, either. But right now, they've only released the top-tier cards.
The idea is that they're aiming for something comparable to an RTX 3060 instead of a 2080. In terms of raw power, they should be roughly equal. And ideally, it should pull less than 200W. I guess. Or maybe just wait and see what Intel puts out for the mid-range once it finally drops.

urbanheron4 said:Yeah, Nvidia really messed up this new lineup. Intel isn't even that bad—but yeah, they've only released the top-tier cards so far.
The whole idea is that they should be hitting something more like a 4060 instead of a 2080. Performance-wise, they ought to be pretty much equal... and hopefully, they'll pull less than 200W. Maybe? Or hey, maybe just wait and see what Intel's mid-range looks like when it finally drops.

Exactly! That sounds like a solid plan to me.👍

Quote : USER95

urbanheron4 said:I truly believe that anything beyond 12GB is overkill for a resolution like that.

If a game has extra VRAM to work with, it’ll load more assets, but that doesn't mean it actually needs them. Honestly, I doubt you'd see any noticeable difference in Frames Per Second between 12GB and 16GB at that resolution.

If you aren't interested in paying for overpriced bullshit, you really ought to hold out for the mid-range cards from both Nvidia and Intel. My thinking is that once those hit the market, we might actually see prices stabilize to something resembling reality. But then again, nothing in this industry is ever a sure thing.

Based on this information, the RTX 4070 would be my ideal choice, provided it comes equipped with 12GB of VRAM. I plan on holding off for a bit to haggle on the price, especially since the official specifications haven't been released just yet. I'm also hoping that while I wait, the market for used hardware might see a slight dip in pricing. Thanks.

I’m going to lose my mind if they drop a 4070 with only 8GB of VRAM. Honestly, I suspect it’ll just be some watered-down or downclocked 4070 Ti 12GB—basically a failed 4080 12GB. So, yeah, 10GB isn't off the table, unfortunately.

I mean, it's the same GPU.

I'm actually in a super similar spot right now (Core i5-9600K, GTX 1060), and I just stumbled upon this RX 6650 XT that looks like a total steal:
It’s like $30-$133 cheaper than an RTX 3060, and if you're looking at the next step up, the RX 6700 XT or a 3060 Ti are sitting around $1333. Prices might dip a bit more, but honestly, this feels like my best move. I really don't have the patience to wait around for new AMD cards to drop.

Lawrence Phillips said:Since I'm waiting on those mid-range cards coming out next year, I figured I'd ask for some advice on the best upgrade path.

Current setup:
CPU - Core i3-9100
GPU - GTX 1060

Future plans:
CPU - Core i5-11600K (ordering it in the next few days)
GPU - I'm gonna hold off for a bit and just spend my time obsessively watching YouTube benchmarks to figure out the best option that isn't total overkill.

1080P gaming on a 144 Hz monitor. The more I read about this stuff, the more confused I get.
I'm looking for that sweet spot where the CPU and GPU are balanced without wasting cash. As frame rates go up, the load shifts from the card to the processor, and you end up hitting a bottleneck. I'm no expert, but logic tells me that for 1080P, there's no point in buying a beastly card because the CPU will just cap the performance anyway. I get that bottlenecks mostly matter at high frame rates and won't ruin the experience, but I don't want to throw money away since I'm just a casual gamer. Plus, I'm basically handing the PC over to my son who just plays Minecraft anyway.🙄

My gut says I shouldn't aim for anything beefier than an
RTX 3060
or maybe a
RTX 3060

or even some used 5700 XT.

All I really want is to at least roughly "double" my frames compared to what my current GTX 1060 is doing.

Does it make sense to wait for the last generation of mid-range cards from Nvidia and AMD?
The market is getting flooded with used cards, and prices seem to be dropping.

I'm in no rush. My GTX 1060 still holds its own if I tweak things a little.

Anyone got any smart suggestions?

wiredotter14 said:I’ll honestly lose my mind if they drop a 4070 with only 8GB of VRAM. My guess is it’ll just be a slightly underclocked or stripped-down version of the 4070 Ti 12GB—basically what the 4080 12GB should have been. So, unfortunately, we're definitely looking at 10GB being on the table.

It’s essentially the same silicon.

It’s practically an official confirmation at this point that the 12GB RTX 4080 is actually just the new RTX 4070 Ti. This was leaked by a guy who hasn't missed a single prediction yet.

As for the standard 4070, I haven't the slightest clue what the specs will look like.

Jerry Watson2 (No content provided to rewrite.)
I'm in a similar spot right now (Core i5-9600K, GTX 1060), so I just stumbled upon this RX 6650 XT. Looks like a solid deal to me. Looking at this listing for an RX 6700 XT 8GB on Amazon.com. Seems alright, I guess. Just another GPU in a sea of overpriced silicon. Nothing special here.
That's like 300 bucks.$133 Cheaper than an RTX 3060, but the next step up for your CPU would be an RX 6700 XT or a 3060 Ti for around... $1333Prices might drop further, but I don't see that happening for me anytime soon. I'm not sitting around waiting for new AMD cards to hit the shelves.

👍

steelfalcon71 said:It’s basically a done deal that this 12GB RTX 4080 is just going to be rebranded as the new RTX 4070 Ti. Some leaker dropped it, and honestly, this guy hasn't missed once yet.

For a standard 4070? I haven't the slightest clue what those stats are going to look like.

Yeah, I heard about that 4070 Ti too. It's just a blatant rebrand so they don't look quite as pathetic when they finally dump it on the market at a lower price than what they originally planned.
So then the real question is what the hell they’re going to do with the 4070. Price-wise, it needs to drop even further to make sense. It's entirely possible they'll just gut the CUDA core count to save a buck, then mess around with the memory bus and VRAM just to differentiate the tiers.

The 4070 is going to be a beast compared to the last gen, and honestly, it would be a joke if they skimp on it with less than 12GB of VRAM. Look at the 3070Ti—it only had 8GB, which is basically the same amount you'd find on mid-range cards from two years prior. Ridiculous.

Jerry Watson2 said:I find myself in a pretty similar spot right now, running a Core i5-9600K paired with a GTX 1060, so I couldn't help but notice this RX 6650 XT popping up; doesn't it look like an absolute steal? I was just browsing through some hardware listings online and stumbled upon this particular graphics card, an RX 6700 XT 8GB available on Amazon.com, and it really got me thinking about how much the landscape of mid-to-high-end gaming has shifted lately. Isn't it fascinating how we used to settle for whatever was available, whereas now we have such specific tiers to navigate? Looking at the specs for this unit, I can't help but wonder if it truly hits that sweet spot for most modern builds, or if it's just another piece of tech that might be eclipsed by next season's releases. It seems like a solid contender for anyone looking to upgrade their current setup, but does it offer enough longevity to justify the investment right now?
Is that around the 300 mark?$133 If you're looking for something a bit more budget-friendly than the RTX 3060, have you considered looking at the RX 6700 XT or perhaps the 3060 Ti? Given the processor you're running, those two options would likely offer the next best step up in performance for roughly the same price range. $1333Is it possible that prices might dip a bit further down the road? Perhaps, but honestly, it feels like waiting around isn't really an option for me right now. I don't think I have the patience to sit here twiddling my thumbs just waiting for those new AMD cards to finally hit the shelves.

I saw an RX 6700 XT listed on Amazon.com for about $500 including shipping, and I can't help but wonder if I should pull the trigger. I'm really struggling with the decision, though, especially since I just dropped a small fortune on a new OLED TV. If I look at it from a purely practical standpoint for my video post-production work, the speed boost would be exactly proportional to the extra cost compared to what I originally paid for my current GTX 1060. Is it worth the investment?

yo, I need some advice on GPUs... picked up an i5-12400 yesterday (using the integrated graphics, which is fine for just browsing the web and stuff, but obviously sucks for gaming)... so now I'm planning to grab a GPU sometime soon (whether that's next month or in like 3-4 months) because, honestly, it's a necessity at this point. I've been looking at the GTX 1060 or maybe an RX 6600, and they seem decent enough for my build. Think they'll bottleneck me? An RTX 3060 looks pretty good too, but man, that's way out of my budget since I've already dumped so much cash into this PC... is there anything solid I can snag from $700 that'll let me chill for the next 5-6 years playing at 1080p? My monitor is only 60Hz max right now, so I'll probably swap that out in a year or so, but I don't want that to be a factor just yet.

Sean Sanders3 said:Guys, I need some advice on GPUs... picked up an Intel Core i5-12400 yesterday. The integrated graphics are fine for browsing the web and daily stuff, but obviously useless for gaming. So, I'm planning to grab a GPU soon—maybe next month, maybe in three or four months—as God intended. I'm looking at an NVIDIA GTX 1060 or an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, which seem decent for my build. Will there be a bottleneck? An NVIDIA RTX 3060 would be great too, but honestly, it’s way out of my budget since I already dropped too much on this rig. Is there anything worth getting $700 so I can just relax for the next 5-6 years playing at 1080p? My monitor is only 60Hz max right now, so I'll probably upgrade that in a year or so, but let's not make that a factor today.

Go with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060; it's a massive step up from the NVIDIA GTX 1060.
Regarding the bottleneck

https://pc-builds.com/bottleneck-cal...sks/1920x1080/

The math shows an 8% bottleneck from the CPU. It's nothing to lose sleep over, though. I think they'd pair together just fine. Going any higher than that doesn't make sense for me.

The Intel Core i5-12400 is plenty powerful enough to handle an NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti, a 3070, or even a 6700/6750XT; I don't see any kind of bottleneck happening with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 😁

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 is a solid best-buy, though it's just a bit slower than the NVIDIA RTX 3060.

urbanheron4 said:Go with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, for sure. It's way better than an NVIDIA GTX 1060.
Regarding bottlenecks

https://pc-builds.com/bottleneck-cal...sks/1920x1080/

The math shows an 8% weak CPU. Not a huge deal though. I think they'd work fine together. Anything stronger is just overkill.

Those bottleneck calculators are pretty much useless. They aren't transparent.

While running general tasks, processor Intel Core i5-12400 will be utilized 100.0% and graphic card NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 will be utilized 92.0% .

This means basically nothing...

crimsonstag84 said:The Intel Core i5-12400 is plenty strong for a 3060 Ti, 3070, or even a 6700/6750XT. There's zero bottlenecking with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060. 😁

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 is a solid buy, just slightly weaker than the NVIDIA RTX 3060.

Depends on the resolution, obviously. You could run an NVIDIA RTX 3080 on it at 1440p.
At 1080p, I wouldn't bother with anything more than a 6750XT or similar, and that's not even really about the CPU.
Of course, assuming you're aiming for 144Hz+.
If you're playing at 1080p 60Hz, both are total overkill.

In two or three months, whoever's still standing can decide then.

wiredotter14 said:If you're sticking with the LGA 1700 platform, the Intel Core i5-12400 is actually a better pick—the performance jump is pretty noticeable. And if there's any wiggle room in the budget, maybe grab a motherboard that isn't super cheap... just so it at least has some decent VRM heatsinks.

Same thing over at Newegg

1 * Intel Core i5 6C/12T 12400 (3.5/4.4GHz Boost, 20MB, 65W, LGA 1700) Box
SKU: 100-100000927BOX
1 * GIGABYTE Main Board Desktop B450M GAMING
SKU: B450M_GAMING
1 * G.Skill 3000MHz AEGIS C16 DDR4 16GB (2x8)
SKU: F4-3000C16D-16GISB
Total: $395.00 $921
Total with discount: $355.00 $829

Probably best to wait until after New Year's to swap out the GPU

Hey, I was actually looking into getting a processor like this one, but I can't seem to find it anywhere lately!? 🤷

Samuel Evans5 said:Hey, I was looking for this specific processor, but it seems like it's totally out of stock everywhere! 🤷

Cheapest option:
Others: https://www.nabava.net/search.php?q=...5600&cod=&cdo=

But it’s actually not quite what the guy above mentioned.

Of course it is, it's an Intel Core i5-12400 😁
If you aren't 100% sure about this, maybe you should just ask someone who actually is? It's so easy to end up buying the wrong parts that just don't work together...

Andrew Fox74 said:well, yeah, it's still an Intel Core i5-12400 😁

If you aren't feeling super confident about this stuff, you might want to run it by someone who is—it’s way too easy to accidentally grab parts that just don't play nice together...

Look, I wouldn't call myself an expert—that's definitely a stretch—but I'm not a total amateur either, so I wouldn't just blindly pick up parts that don't fit. It was just a bit confusing because the specs mentioned above were slightly different—like, 36mb and 4.2hz—while the one below listed 32mb and didn't even mention the clock speed, so I figured they weren't the same thing. 🤦