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grahpics card upgrade
posted in Hardware
1
#1
0 Frags +

hey, im currently using a 660ti with my pretty much brand new r7 1700 build. hoping i could get some suggestions for what graphics card to upgrade with price not exceeding 4000 sek.

i dont particularily care whether its amd or nvidia, but i'd prefer amd since i like their business practices more and would want to support them as much as i can.

asking this because i have not been keeping up with how graphics cards have evolved over the years and i have no idea how good polaris or pascal actually are.

im not looking to play any specific game, i just want something that would be a worthwhile upgrade to my current card, preferably something that can run games from 2016 onward on high? settings i guess at 1440p 60 fps or higher.

hey, im currently using a 660ti with my pretty much brand new r7 1700 build. hoping i could get some suggestions for what graphics card to upgrade with price not exceeding 4000 sek.

i dont particularily care whether its amd or nvidia, but i'd prefer amd since i like their business practices more and would want to support them as much as i can.

asking this because i have not been keeping up with how graphics cards have evolved over the years and i have no idea how good polaris or pascal actually are.

im not looking to play any specific game, i just want something that would be a worthwhile upgrade to my current card, preferably something that can run games from 2016 onward on high? settings i guess at 1440p 60 fps or higher.
2
#2
9 Frags +

If you're not in too much of a hurry, new AMD cards coming soon™.

If you're not in too much of a hurry, new AMD cards coming soon™.
3
#3
3 Frags +
SetsulIf you're not in too much of a hurry, new AMD cards coming soon™.

not in a massive hurry but i dont really have the patience to wait. im assuming the new cards are the 5xx series which are true polaris, correct?

[quote=Setsul]If you're not in too much of a hurry, new AMD cards coming soon™.[/quote]

not in a massive hurry but i dont really have the patience to wait. im assuming the new cards are the 5xx series which are true polaris, correct?
4
#4
6 Frags +

What would be "true Polaris"?
460, 470, 470D, 480, 550, 560, 570, 580 all already exist and are Polaris.
The new cards will be Vega which is definitely not Polaris.

Brief history of the last few years.
AMD develops GCN1 (e.g. 7970). It doesn't quite perform like they want it to. Barely competes with nVidia's new architecture, Kepler (6xx, 7xx). GCN2 (e.g. 290(X)) and GCN3 (e.g. Fury (X)) barely improve anything, the chips just get bigger.
Then Maxwell (8xx) happens and suddenly nVidia is massively ahead. Pascal is literally just Maxwell shrunk to 16/14nm, Polaris is GCN4 with the usual "these improvements should do a lot but end up not doing much" and also a 14nm shrink.
Vega is going to use the same "trick" as Maxwell so the gap could potentially™ close, if AMD doesn't mess up. The drivers require a lot of work though so the schedule slipped a bit and only a token Titan-like version was released a few days ago, with the normal ones following once the drivers are ready.

tl;dr
Fastest AMD card right now = Fury X ~ 1070. Much less efficient.
Fastest Polaris card = 580 ~ 1060. Still less efficient.
New Vega cards ~ 1080 - 1080 Ti. Similar efficiency.

Worth the wait, imho.

What would be "true Polaris"?
460, 470, 470D, 480, 550, 560, 570, 580 all already exist and are Polaris.
The new cards will be Vega which is definitely not Polaris.

Brief history of the last few years.
AMD develops GCN1 (e.g. 7970). It doesn't quite perform like they want it to. Barely competes with nVidia's new architecture, Kepler (6xx, 7xx). GCN2 (e.g. 290(X)) and GCN3 (e.g. Fury (X)) barely improve anything, the chips just get bigger.
Then Maxwell (8xx) happens and suddenly nVidia is massively ahead. Pascal is literally just Maxwell shrunk to 16/14nm, Polaris is GCN4 with the usual "these improvements should do a lot but end up not doing much" and also a 14nm shrink.
Vega is going to use the same "trick" as Maxwell so the gap could potentially™ close, if AMD doesn't mess up. The drivers require a lot of work though so the schedule slipped a bit and only a token Titan-like version was released a few days ago, with the normal ones following once the drivers are ready.

tl;dr
Fastest AMD card right now = Fury X ~ 1070. Much less efficient.
Fastest Polaris card = 580 ~ 1060. Still less efficient.
New Vega cards ~ 1080 - 1080 Ti. Similar efficiency.

Worth the wait, imho.
5
#5
0 Frags +
Setsul
Worth the wait, imho.

depends on how long the wait is. im sure i could get a decent card now and i dont particularily care whether its outdated in half a year as long as it performs far above the 660ti

[quote=Setsul]

Worth the wait, imho.[/quote]

depends on how long the wait is. im sure i could get a decent card now and i dont particularily care whether its outdated in half a year as long as it performs far above the 660ti
6
#6
4 Frags +

Launch was announced for SIGGRAPH 2017, that's 30.07.-03.08..

Launch was announced for SIGGRAPH 2017, that's 30.07.-03.08..
7
#7
2 Frags +

bit too long for my impatience, im not one to fuss about wheter i have the latest hardware or not but i just want an upgrade from this 660ti as fast as possible since im fairly sure its bottlenecking the rest of my system
edit: oh yeah i ahve a bad experiecne with buying tech just as it launches so i cant be arsed sitting through all the problems that it comes with (had this with my ryzen upgrade)

bit too long for my impatience, im not one to fuss about wheter i have the latest hardware or not but i just want an upgrade from this 660ti as fast as possible since im fairly sure its bottlenecking the rest of my system
edit: oh yeah i ahve a bad experiecne with buying tech just as it launches so i cant be arsed sitting through all the problems that it comes with (had this with my ryzen upgrade)
8
#8
0 Frags +

gpu prices/availabilities are fucked atm due to bitcoin going up making mining more viable atm. i'd recommend waiting a bit. i'd also recommend getting GPUs used but that's just me, up to you

gpu prices/availabilities are fucked atm due to bitcoin going up making mining more viable atm. i'd recommend waiting a bit. i'd also recommend getting GPUs used but that's just me, up to you
9
#9
1 Frags +
gemmgpu prices/availabilities are fucked atm due to bitcoin going up making mining more viable atm. i'd recommend waiting a bit. i'd also recommend getting GPUs used but that's just me, up to you

yeah i know, this whole ethereum business is fucking everyone over. i prefer not to buy used pc parts since i want the whole warranty and all that jazz.

[quote=gemm]gpu prices/availabilities are fucked atm due to bitcoin going up making mining more viable atm. i'd recommend waiting a bit. i'd also recommend getting GPUs used but that's just me, up to you[/quote]

yeah i know, this whole ethereum business is fucking everyone over. i prefer not to buy used pc parts since i want the whole warranty and all that jazz.
10
#10
4 Frags +

Well then you are fucked.
Anything faster than a 660 Ti but not as fast as a 1070 is sold out or massively overpriced.
Anything as fast or faster than a 1070 you can't afford.

I mean the only thing you can afford that's faster (not just 30% I mean) than your 660 Ti would be one of the 1060s that is still in stock.
But name a "game from 2016 onward" and I'll tell you that you won't get 60 fps on high at 1440p.
E.g. Witcher 3 (2015)

https://tpucdn.com/reviews/NVIDIA/GeForce_GTX_1060/images/witcher3_2560_1440.png

Well then you are fucked.
Anything faster than a 660 Ti but not as fast as a 1070 is sold out or massively overpriced.
Anything as fast or faster than a 1070 you can't afford.

I mean the only thing you can afford that's faster (not just 30% I mean) than your 660 Ti would be one of the 1060s that is still in stock.
But name a "game from 2016 onward" and I'll tell you that you won't get 60 fps on high at 1440p.
E.g. Witcher 3 (2015)
[img]https://tpucdn.com/reviews/NVIDIA/GeForce_GTX_1060/images/witcher3_2560_1440.png[/img]
11
#11
0 Frags +
SetsulWell then you are fucked.
Anything faster than a 660 Ti but not as fast as a 1070 is sold out or massively overpriced.
Anything as fast or faster than a 1070 you can't afford.

I mean the only thing you can afford that's faster (not just 30% I mean) than your 660 Ti would be one of the 1060s that is still in stock.
But name a "game from 2016 onward" and I'll tell you that you won't get 60 fps on high at 1440p.
E.g. Witcher 3 (2015)
https://tpucdn.com/reviews/NVIDIA/GeForce_GTX_1060/images/witcher3_2560_1440.png

see i wouldnt mind a 1060, since i have no issue lowering the graphics, just as long as lets say the 1060 is a worty upgrade from the 660ti. i was also looking at the 470, 560 and 570 but i have no idea how they perform

[quote=Setsul]Well then you are fucked.
Anything faster than a 660 Ti but not as fast as a 1070 is sold out or massively overpriced.
Anything as fast or faster than a 1070 you can't afford.

I mean the only thing you can afford that's faster (not just 30% I mean) than your 660 Ti would be one of the 1060s that is still in stock.
But name a "game from 2016 onward" and I'll tell you that you won't get 60 fps on high at 1440p.
E.g. Witcher 3 (2015)
[img]https://tpucdn.com/reviews/NVIDIA/GeForce_GTX_1060/images/witcher3_2560_1440.png[/img][/quote]

see i wouldnt mind a 1060, since i have no issue lowering the graphics, just as long as lets say the 1060 is a worty upgrade from the 660ti. i was also looking at the 470, 560 and 570 but i have no idea how they perform
12
#12
0 Frags +

If you have a Micro Center in your area and you want a 1060 I would suggest checking there. I was just there a few days ago and they seemed to have plenty of 1060s, at least the 6GB variant (which I would choose over the 3GB just cause it's not that much more for the benefit). All normal prices. It seemed to me that it was really lucky, but who knows?

If you have a Micro Center in your area and you want a 1060 I would suggest checking there. I was just there a few days ago and they seemed to have plenty of 1060s, at least the 6GB variant (which I would choose over the 3GB just cause it's not that much more for the benefit). All normal prices. It seemed to me that it was really lucky, but who knows?
13
#13
0 Frags +
IcedKappaIf you have a Micro Center in your area and you want a 1060 I would suggest checking there. I was just there a few days ago and they seemed to have plenty of 1060s, at least the 6GB variant (which I would choose over the 3GB just cause it's not that much more for the benefit). All normal prices. It seemed to me that it was really lucky, but who knows?

does nvidia still do this 4 GB = 3.5GB bullshit or did they stop when they got called out for it

[quote=IcedKappa]If you have a Micro Center in your area and you want a 1060 I would suggest checking there. I was just there a few days ago and they seemed to have plenty of 1060s, at least the 6GB variant (which I would choose over the 3GB just cause it's not that much more for the benefit). All normal prices. It seemed to me that it was really lucky, but who knows?[/quote]

does nvidia still do this 4 GB = 3.5GB bullshit or did they stop when they got called out for it
14
#14
0 Frags +
hpqoeudoes nvidia still do this 4 GB = 3.5GB bullshit or did they stop when they got called out for it

no they don't but the difference between 3GB and 6GB 1060 is more than just the amount of vram, 6GB version has additional shader units aswell so the difference between them is basically 1060 vs 1060ti

[quote=hpqoeu]
does nvidia still do this 4 GB = 3.5GB bullshit or did they stop when they got called out for it[/quote]

no they don't but the difference between 3GB and 6GB 1060 is more than just the amount of vram, 6GB version has additional shader units aswell so the difference between them is basically 1060 vs 1060ti
15
#15
0 Frags +

#11
Well it is an upgrade, about twice as fast.
You said

hpqoeui just want something that would be a worthwhile upgrade to my current card, preferably something that can run games from 2016 onward on high? settings i guess at 1440p 60 fps or higher.

At current prices I don't think it's a worthwhile upgrade.
It is an upgrade, but >60fps on high at 1440p in new games is not going to happen.

#12
He's not in the US. You can tell by the whole "4000 Swedish Krona" budget thing.

#13
Well, all 970s still have that. Cutting down ROPs/L2 cache/memory interface is still a thing but now they are not hiding it anymore. E.g. the 1080 Ti only got 11GB RAM (down from 12GB on the Titan X), but it's clocked higher to get the same bandwidth.

As #14 said though the 1060 3GB and 1060 6GB are actually different cards because the bullshit never ends.

#11
Well it is an upgrade, about twice as fast.
You said
[quote=hpqoeu]i just want something that would be a worthwhile upgrade to my current card, preferably something that can run games from 2016 onward on high? settings i guess at 1440p 60 fps or higher.[/quote]
At current prices I don't think it's a worthwhile upgrade.
It is an upgrade, but >60fps on high at 1440p in new games is not going to happen.

#12
He's not in the US. You can tell by the whole "4000 Swedish Krona" budget thing.

#13
Well, all 970s still have that. Cutting down ROPs/L2 cache/memory interface is still a thing but now they are not hiding it anymore. E.g. the 1080 Ti only got 11GB RAM (down from 12GB on the Titan X), but it's clocked higher to get the same bandwidth.

As #14 said though the 1060 3GB and 1060 6GB are actually different cards because the bullshit never ends.
16
#16
0 Frags +

What is the price range of the upcoming amd cards?

What is the price range of the upcoming amd cards?
17
#17
2 Frags +

Unconfirmed.
We know it's going to be everything above the 580 so >250$.
The problem is that the high end cards come first, upper midrange later.
But no one knows the exact performance. If Vega 10 turns out to be the best thing since sliced bread and beats the 1080 Ti easily they're not going to sell it for 400$. If it sucks and barely competes with the 1080 then AMD can't exactly ask for more money than that.

Considering the size of the chip it should be at least somewhere between 1080 and 1080 Ti, but the driver apparently isn't quite there yet.

Unconfirmed.
We know it's going to be everything above the 580 so >250$.
The problem is that the high end cards come first, upper midrange later.
But no one knows the exact performance. If Vega 10 turns out to be the best thing since sliced bread and beats the 1080 Ti easily they're not going to sell it for 400$. If it sucks and barely competes with the 1080 then AMD can't exactly ask for more money than that.

Considering the size of the chip it should be at least somewhere between 1080 and 1080 Ti, but the driver apparently isn't quite there yet.
18
#18
0 Frags +

I really wanted to buy myself a nice gift for my birtday but if i have to wait until end of july/start of august i dont mind. just that i want to utilize the card as much as possible before going back to uni and having barely any time to play games.

I really wanted to buy myself a nice gift for my birtday but if i have to wait until end of july/start of august i dont mind. just that i want to utilize the card as much as possible before going back to uni and having barely any time to play games.
19
#19
2 Frags +

Well you can still buy a 1060 / 580, it's just not ideal.

If you're really lucky Vega keeps being terrible at mining and the mining continues so you can sell it later and get Vega at a normal price.

Well you can still buy a 1060 / 580, it's just not ideal.

If you're really lucky Vega keeps being terrible at mining and the mining continues so you can sell it later and get Vega at a normal price.
20
#20
0 Frags +

would a 780 be a decent purchase for almost less the retail price from when i came out?

would a 780 be a decent purchase for almost less the retail price from when i came out?
21
#21
1 Frags +

Answered on steam, OC'd GTX 780 ~ RX 570, so whichever is cheaper, same/almost the same -> 570.

Answered on steam, OC'd GTX 780 ~ RX 570, so whichever is cheaper, same/almost the same -> 570.
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