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GPU for Dummies

eth_jones

Okay, so I'm not a complete dummy, but I don't really know what to look for when I'm thinking of upgrading my graphics card. I know that a 1060 is better than a 1050. But that's about it. What are the main stats and specs I should look at? What's the real noticeable difference between a 1060 3gb and a 1060 6gb? Can you overclock a GPU like a CPU? I just have so much to learn.

CPU: i5-4690K @ 3.5GHz || MoBo: Asus H81M-C || RAM: 16gb Kingston HyperX Blue || Cooler: Stock intel cooler || GPU: Palit GTX 1050 || PSU: Can't remember exactly but know it meets the needs of my components || Case: White Falcon Case || SSD: Kingston 120GB || Storage: WD Blue 1TB

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Just look at benchmarks for games, especially the ones you want to play.

That is best practice when comparing GPU's. 

 

I could tell you the 1060 6GB is stronger because it has more CUDA cores, but the specs didn't tell the full story; the benchmarks did.

Also, some games just seem to favor team red over team green or vice versa, which is why it is important to look at games you're playing.

 

Otherwise the cooler (e.g. GTX 1060 6GB with an MSI cooler.. Asus cooler, etc.) are not huge differences; just some difference in speed (better cooling is better performance.. Little bit, but mostly less noise) and of course noise.

"We're all in this together, might as well be friends" Tom, Toonami.

 

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well, cooling differs per card. I'll help you with that.

just to add some amd here

580=1060 6gb

570=1050 ti/1060 3gb

560=1050

vega 56=1070

vega 64=1070 ti/1080

Edited by LukeSavenije
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2 minutes ago, LukeSavenije said:

well, cooling differs per card. I'll help you with that.

just to add some amd here

580=1060 6gb

570=1050 ti

560=1050

vega 56=1070

vega 64=1070 ti/1080

Correction
RX 570 = 1060 3gb

 

Quote or Tag people so they know that you've replied.

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And the higher tiered a GPU is, the more power it requires.

A 1080Ti has a rated TDP of 180W, a 1060 only uses 120W iirc

Between team red and green, unless your psu is an issue, both are real good. AMD has freesync and generally better price, so bonus point for that, but nvidia holds the high end currently, so anything above a 1070 seems to fall in their favor, though they are not making 1080Tis anymore.

 

RTX prices are a scam, honestly. Tech is cool and all but I wouldn't pay for a 2070.

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9 minutes ago, ShadowChaser said:

And the higher tiered a GPU is, the more power it requires.

A 1080Ti has a rated TDP of 180W, a 1060 only uses 120W iirc

Between team red and green, unless your psu is an issue, both are real good. AMD has freesync and generally better price, so bonus point for that, but nvidia holds the high end currently, so anything above a 1070 seems to fall in their favor, though they are not making 1080Tis anymore.

 

RTX prices are a scam, honestly. Tech is cool and all but I wouldn't pay for a 2070.

The prices are nuts but it seems the most recent drivers for BF5 are increasing performance.  They may get this thing working sooner than a lot speculated.

"Do what makes the experience better" - in regards to PCs and Life itself.

 

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37 minutes ago, Minibois said:

Just look at benchmarks for games, especially the ones you want to play.

That is best practice when comparing GPU's. 

Thanks man, will do. What are CUDA Cores?

 

31 minutes ago, ShadowChaser said:

And the higher tiered a GPU is, the more power it requires.

Will definitely bear that in mind, thank you. Do I need an AMD Processor to use an AMD Graphics card?

CPU: i5-4690K @ 3.5GHz || MoBo: Asus H81M-C || RAM: 16gb Kingston HyperX Blue || Cooler: Stock intel cooler || GPU: Palit GTX 1050 || PSU: Can't remember exactly but know it meets the needs of my components || Case: White Falcon Case || SSD: Kingston 120GB || Storage: WD Blue 1TB

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Just now, eth_jones said:

Thanks man, will do. What are CUDA Cores?

 

Will definitely bear that in mind, thank you. Do I need an AMD Processor to use an AMD Graphics card?

CUDA cores process some info somehow.  Youtube your afternoon away, just watch the next recommended video after video.

 

No, you can use any with any.  

"Do what makes the experience better" - in regards to PCs and Life itself.

 

Onyx AMD Ryzen 7 7800x3d / MSI 6900xt Gaming X Trio / Gigabyte B650 AORUS Pro AX / G. Skill Flare X5 6000CL36 32GB / Samsung 980 1TB x3 / Super Flower Leadex V Platinum Pro 850 / EK-AIO 360 Basic / Fractal Design North XL (black mesh) / AOC AGON 35" 3440x1440 100Hz / Mackie CR5BT / Corsair Virtuoso SE / Cherry MX Board 3.0 / Logitech G502

 

7800X3D - PBO -30 all cores, 4.90GHz all core, 5.05GHz single core, 18286 C23 multi, 1779 C23 single

 

Emma : i9 9900K @5.1Ghz - Gigabyte AORUS 1080Ti - Gigabyte AORUS Z370 Gaming 5 - G. Skill Ripjaws V 32GB 3200CL16 - 750 EVO 512GB + 2x 860 EVO 1TB (RAID0) - EVGA SuperNova 650 P2 - Thermaltake Water 3.0 Ultimate 360mm - Fractal Design Define R6 - TP-Link AC1900 PCIe Wifi

 

Raven: AMD Ryzen 5 5600x3d - ASRock B550M Pro4 - G. Skill Ripjaws V 16GB 3200Mhz - XFX Radeon RX6650XT - Samsung 980 1TB + Crucial MX500 1TB - TP-Link AC600 USB Wifi - Gigabyte GP-P450B PSU -  Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L -  Samsung 27" 1080p

 

Plex : AMD Ryzen 5 5600 - Gigabyte B550M AORUS Elite AX - G. Skill Ripjaws V 16GB 2400Mhz - MSI 1050Ti 4GB - Crucial P3 Plus 500GB + WD Red NAS 4TBx2 - TP-Link AC1200 PCIe Wifi - EVGA SuperNova 650 P2 - ASUS Prime AP201 - Spectre 24" 1080p

 

Steam Deck 512GB OLED

 

OnePlus: 

OnePlus 11 5G - 16GB RAM, 256GB NAND, Eternal Green

OnePlus Buds Pro 2 - Eternal Green

 

Other Tech:

- 2021 Volvo S60 Recharge T8 Polestar Engineered - 415hp/495tq 2.0L 4cyl. turbocharged, supercharged and electrified.

Lenovo 720S Touch 15.6" - i7 7700HQ, 16GB RAM 2400MHz, 512GB NVMe SSD, 1050Ti, 4K touchscreen

MSI GF62 15.6" - i7 7700HQ, 16GB RAM 2400 MHz, 256GB NVMe SSD + 1TB 7200rpm HDD, 1050Ti

- Ubiquiti Amplifi HD mesh wifi

 

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3 minutes ago, eth_jones said:

Thanks man, will do. What are CUDA Cores?

Keep in mind CUDA cores wont be exactly indicitive of performance (directly).

CUDA cores are Nvidia's way of kind of saying how much processors a GPU has, AMD calls these stream processors (of course those are the same concepts, not the exact same thing).

"We're all in this together, might as well be friends" Tom, Toonami.

 

mini eLiXiVy: my open source 65% mechanical PCB, a build log, PCB anatomy and discussing open source licenses: https://linustechtips.com/topic/1366493-elixivy-a-65-mechanical-keyboard-build-log-pcb-anatomy-and-how-i-open-sourced-this-project/

 

mini_cardboard: a 4% keyboard build log and how keyboards workhttps://linustechtips.com/topic/1328547-mini_cardboard-a-4-keyboard-build-log-and-how-keyboards-work/

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Might not be universally correct all the time, but there is a page called game-debate where you can get a good idea of how all the cards stack up head to head, or just see how they "could" perform with certain titles based mainly off of theoretic data.  

 

Some things to note, a graphic card's cooling solution can make it outperform a "better" card.  While the actual GPU inside the card may be the same, they are not always equal once a 3rd party manufacturer gets ahold of one.  For instance, all Vega 56 GPUs are technically the same, but when you compare bench marks between all the Vega 56 based graphics cards, the Asus Strix and the Sapphire Nitro+ consistently out perform the others because their cooling solution is much better.  They even find themselves performing at Vega 64 stock levels when over clocked properly. 

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