A replacement (new) GPU for $500

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dbzlotrfan

n00b
Joined
Apr 17, 2012
Messages
19
  • What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games or programs you will be using.
    • Games (in no real specific order):
      • DOOM (2016)/eternal /newer wolfensteins
      • Skyrim/Oblivion/Morrowind (all heavily modded) /other
      • Baldur's Gate 3
      • The Witcher 3/Cyberpunk 2077
      • Batman: Arkham (Asylum/City/Origins/Knight)
      • System Shock 1 (Remake)/SystemShock 3
      • Grim Dawn / Titan quest
      • Divinity Original sins (series)
      • Emulation/older games (last decade/decades before)
    • Browse the web as well. I may try to fold proteins a little (folding@home)
  • What is your maximum budget before rebates/shipping/taxes?
    • $500 should be enough
  • When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.
    • 6+ months from now I'd imagine, would probably need to see what GPU's are suggested and how long the one on my 3770k lasts
  • Which country (and state/province) will you be purchasing the parts in? If you're in US, do you have access to a Microcenter location?
    • US - Texas. Yes. Although I may also order from Amazon.
  • If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? Brands and models are appreciated.
    • Reusing:
      • Motherboard
      • CPU
      • RAM
      • Keyboard
      • Mouse
      • Monitors
      • Tower (/cast)
      • Hardrives/ssd's.
      • Really only replacing the GPU.
  • Will you be overclocking? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line? CPU and/or GPU?
    • NO. Texas is one of the hottest states in the US, I do not need the extra heat.
  • Do you need a copy of Windows included in the budget? If you do need one included, do you have a preference?
    • No, using Linux Mint
  • Misc:
    • https://steamcommunity.com/id/DlfC/games
    • https://www.gog.com/u/dbzlotrfan/ga...e&order=desc&comparedUserId=46988614724296672
    • [You can see what steam/GOG games I have/would want to play]
    • Monitor(s) are:
      • BenQ EL2870U 28 inch 4K HDR Gaming Monitor
      • ASUS PB278Q 27 inch
    • Also, I am not a fanboy of any computer. I will consider AMD or Nvidia, EVGA, gigabyte, powercolor, sapphire, etc.
    • I would at the very least like a playable, enjoyable experience playing the games I've listed above at a good resolution, settings, and framerate.
    • Oh, and when I bought most of these components (I've had to replace a few hard drives) is April of 2013.
    • Random Question, does this motherboard let be put in an (NVME) SSD? If possible I may want to put in one of those small SSDs in (OS)
Current specs

PCPartPicker Part List
CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5 GHz Quad-Core Processor
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H-WB ATX LGA1155 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (x4, 32 GB total)
Storage: SanDisk Extreme 120 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7970 3 GB Video Card {replacing this}
Case: Cooler Master HAF X ATX Full Tower Case
Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply
 
If you're buying today:
https://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-GeF...1_4?keywords=2070+Super&qid=1581904537&sr=8-4
Or any other 2070 Super. That one happens to be $500 on the nose, though. Driving a 4K display may be a stretch with that, but just like the 10 series before them, the 20 series are pretty much universally great, if a bit pricy.

If you're planning on buying this in six months though, most of what we can tell you today will be meaningless, since pricing and availability change all the time. Also, and much more importantly, nvidia is supposedly on final approach for their next generation (30 series?) cards - rumor has it around April or May. I doubt we're going to see any sort of performance bargain, but there may be a better option at that price point then, purely by virtue of the next generation arriving.
 
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hate to say it but 3770k is gonna bottleneck you in new games.

6 months from now, new cards will be out.

I suggest saving as hard as you can for a Ryzen 3600 upgrade (or better), as well.
 
If people are going to suggest I replace the CPU/RAM/Motherboard as well then I guess I should replace them.

Total budget: ~$900 (if the GPU is $500 alone)

- USB 3 (+) support
- NVME support (I'd like to try to use an NVME SSD for the OS)
- Probably a minimum of 32 GB. I'm fine (for the moment) starting with like 16 and expanding over time. In the little bit of time I've started using the integrated GPU I've run very close to the 32GB (with a VM of windows open, only allocate 8GB to it, I only ever run one at a time)
- I do use Bluetooth speakers (there should be a Bluetooth card in the current motherboard and wi-fi

Someone else where suggested:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($182.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming 4 ATX AM4 Motherboard ($143.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($127.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: SanDisk Extreme 120 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Storage: Samsung 860 Evo 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: ADATA XPG GAMMIX S5 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($81.16 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Blue 4 TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER 8 GB WINDFORCE OC Video Card ($399.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF X ATX Full Tower Case
Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply
Monitor: Asus PB278Q 27.0" 2560x1440 60 Hz Monitor (Purchased For $0.00)
Monitor: BenQ EL2870U 28.0" 3840x2160 60 Hz Monitor (Purchased For $0.00)
Total: $936.11
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-02-17 01:03 EST-0500
 
I would recommend waiting on the GPU and buy it in two waves. 3000 series cards should be out in 3 months. Personal opinion, I would get a Ryzen 7 3800x, and save a few dollars more for the RTX 3070 when it comes out in the middle of the year to fall. This way you can maximize your upgrade cycle this hardware generation.
 
chameleoneel said:
hate to say it but 3770k is gonna bottleneck you in new games.

6 months from now, new cards will be out.

I suggest saving as hard as you can for a Ryzen 3600 upgrade (or better), as well.
Click to expand...

If they were gaming at 1080p or 1440p i'd agree with you, but OP's got a 4K display listed. I can't imagine they're trying to run 4K on a 7970 though. OP, what's the target resolution here, 4K or 1440p? I'm not really sure the CPU will be much of a bottleneck if we're looking at 4K. Certainly nowhere near enough to justify the cost on a limited budget (going to a 3600 means new CPU, MB, and RAM... you're looking at $350-$400 minimum to make that jump). Based on the post above, OP suggests he could manage a total $900 build (w/ $500 GPU). ... I still don't see that as the best move, especially if 4K gaming is the only concern. A $900 GPU would well outpace a $500 GPU w/ a $400 platform swap. If OP wants the other benefits that come with a new platform, go for it, but iIf FPS is all that matters I say milk that 3770k as long as you can and get the best GPU you can afford.

Regarding what GPU that should be, trying to determine that right now is pointless. OP says he's looking for a new card in ~6 months. 3000-series RTX parts are rumored for a May/June release, and I've seen big-Navi rumors as early as March. The landscape is going to be incredibly different in 6 months than it is today.
 
If you are willing to wait 6 months, then check what nvidia/amd offer by then

and if you are going 4k, keep your cpu.
 
OP has two displays listed and if gaming is on the 1440p/60hz panel a midrange gpu is enough. I run a 2060s and 1440p/144hz and 60fps is easy to hold in anything I play. Settings are easy to adjust to stay there as well.

SO the question for the OP is --gaming on which monitor? Because if chasing the 4k gaming dragon just throw $800 at a gpu whenever you find one you like and see how that goes on the existing platform. A platform change with GPU can get to 1440p/60 for $900 easily if you want or need 'modern' features.
 
I had a longer reply initially, but most of it has been covered. The rumors do say Computex 2020 (June) for 3000-series launch, high-end parts first. If it follows the RTX schedule that suggests 3080 and 3080 Ti, then 3070 within a 2 months window; can't say I remember retail availability after those 'launch dates' though. Contrast that with Pascal that did 1080 (May), 1070 (June), and then 1080 Ti (March following year).

I suppose the rumor most relevant to the OP is the price rumor - that it would be less than Turing. The 2070's $499/$599 (non-reference, FE) price split wasn't nearly as good as the 1070's $379 (mining premium notwithstanding). The initial 'gouging' for nVidia GPUs is $25-50 after launch, so hopefully the non-reference 3070 fits the bill here.

And maybe it's premature, but will Covid-19 have any affect on Computex attendees? Anandtech suggests it remains on schedule, so hopefully that continues to be the case.
 
Would be nice to see a 3070 legit 4K60Hz for $500. I suspect that's a little bit of a stretch tho.

AAA 4K gaming is beyond the reach of the 2070 in general, much can be done with scaling, DLSS etc.

I use a 32" 4K monitor for many of my fav games and enjoy it a lot.
From Conan Exiles, NMS, TOW, Wolf YB, D3, various WH40K titles, Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden bla bla bla
 
Auer said:
Would be nice to see a 3070 legit 4K60Hz for $500. I suspect that's a little bit of a stretch tho.

AAA 4K gaming is beyond the reach of the 2070 in general, much can be done with scaling, DLSS etc.

I use a 32" 4K monitor for many of my fav games and enjoy it a lot.
From Conan Exiles, NMS, TOW, Wolf YB, D3, various WH40K titles, Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden bla bla bla
Click to expand...

That would be nice, but I wouldn't expect it. My (totally baseless) expectation is that the 3070 will give us 2080 Super performance at $500-$600. 3080 I expect will be 2080 Ti territory, maybe a hair faster, at under (but close to) $1,000. 3080 Ti will probably be the typical 30% or so boost over the previous flagship, and I really wouldn't be surprised to see at least a continuation of the 2080 Ti's $1200 price tag... maybe more depending on what AMD brings to the table.

If I'm right... 2080 Super is no slouch, but not consistently a 4K 60fps card. Most games yeah, but there are a handful out already that it cannot accomplish that in, and it's obviously only going to struggle more as time goes on. For the duration that most people like to hold onto a GPU, I don't see it as a true contender for a 4K capable card. I hate to say it, but I know I'm going to end up buying a 3080 Ti. It's going to be more than I want to pay, and I'm going to be salty at Nvidia for it, but I'm still going to buy it because it's likely to be the only card I can confidently assume will handle 4K60 for a few years. First world problems and all that...
 
Based on the performance difference between the 2070 Super and 2080 Super (15-20%), I wouldn't want to pay more than say $470 on the 2080 Super. However, good luck getting that price right now lol.
Depending on how things shake out pre-3000 series launch though, I'm sure things could change in the used market.

Viper87227 Well tbf, better to be buying that at the beginning of the cycle vs later. It's not quite on the level of MacRumors "Buying Guide" where you don't want to buy into last-gen at new prices...but it's definitely in that same price range lol. Instead of say a laptop, you're getting a GPU. Same difference when it's 4-figures though...
 
You can buy this used sold by Amazon warehouse. It's currently $466 used. It will be treated like a new purchase from EVGA as long as it's sold by Amazon, so their warehouse count. You will get the full 3 year warranty, plus be able to purchase the additional 5 or 10 year extended warranty. You can also prepay for their advance rma aka EAR. You also get the 2 free games they are offering right now. I know this as a fact as I just purchased the EVGA 2080ti FTW3 for $1194 before taxes from Amazon's warehouse.
https://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce...ds=evga+2070+Super&qid=1581992189&sr=8-2&th=1
 
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My .02 would be buy an nvidia 2070 super if you can find it in your budget. AMD drivers right now are a total dice roll if you'll be stable or not. It's not worth the monetary savings for the crashes and headaches. Until they sort it out I wouldn't recommend anything AMD at any price point.
 
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cough cough, a used 1080 Ti may fit the bill. Since on Linux Mint, RTX features are meaningless. 2080 performance, better than a 2070 super and most likely less than $500. Hell I am debating on selling mine as it is.
 
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