New or Used? - upgrading

Jefez · July 13, 2020

Hi, long time LTT watcher but new poster here

Straight to my question: since I only used integrated graphics for more than a year when I built my PC, I want to upgrade to a discrete one. But since I am tight on the budget, I need some help to determine on what should I go with; new or used?

The graphics card I'm aiming for is RX580 8GB (don't know what AIB brand yet though) -- since I think it's perfect for my use case -- with budget around USD 150-200 (already converted from my local currency)

I mostly play esports titles (CSGO, Valorant, Apex), older AAA titles (GTA5), and games on emulators (PCSX2, Bluestacks), and occasionally record them

If I do upgrade, I also want to stream them (not regularly but sometimes), because I tried streaming on the iGPU once and it was not a pleasant experience

I plan only playing on 1080p (I only use a 1366x768 monitor now) but thinking of going for dual monitors (for stream stuff) and hopefully VR (still a long stretch; basically just a bucket list for now)

From what I can find, used cards range from USD 125-150, but the lower priced ones are usually ex-mining, so I am conflicted on that

Whilst there's still some that sell brand new ones for USD 180-190, I don't know if they are worth it for the long run just for the price -- though if I do choose them, I mostly don't have to think about it die on me soon

So, should I go used or new? Or should I look for lower tier one (570 maybe) and allocate the rest of budget to somewhere else?

PC specs for consideration:

Ryzen 3 2200G (using the integrated Vega 8\)
MSI B450M PRO-VDH PLUS
2x4GB DDR4-3200 from some local brand (reputable one, though locally)
Cooler Master MWE 450

Thanks in advance!

Chris Pratt · July 13, 2020

The RX 580 would be a significant improvement over your integrated graphics, obviously, but based on everything you want to do with it, I really don't think it's sufficient.

If would cost a little more, but a 1660 super would be much more appropriate, and has the added benefit of GPU encoding, which given your CPU would almost be a necessity for streaming.

Every dollar goes a long way in GPUs at the low to mid end of the market. A difference of $50 can sometimes get you double or more performance, so it's really not worth cheaping out.