help me pick a GPU please :)

[Errtu]

hey, i've not been up to date with a lot of the hardware updates in the last few years, but time has come to upgrade my GPU so I was hoping a kind sould would help me pick something - i'm currently running i5-12600KF + MSI MPG Z690 CARBON + 64GB DDR5 with an old nvidia 1060. the pricing is semi relevant, but I am flip flopping between something like a 3060 Ti and an RX 7900 XT - I'm not excluding upgrading the CPU at some point soonish either if that would be required. my biggest gripe is and this is what I'm looking for an advice in - should i get something lower end (i only play in 1080p anyway) to get a shorter lifespan or is the RX 7900 XT worth buying ? or maybe something different in between ? would my CPU be able to even sustain the XT ? thanks a lot for any suggestions/opinions !

[Errtu]

budget would probably be up to around $1000, the PSU is RM850X. i'm mostly really trying to figure out which level should I aim in, what would work with what I have and what would be a good long term choice - though i am also considering a shorter term solution with something like a 3060. basically i'm trying to figure out if the current latest generation is worth buying over something from the previous one (both nvidia or amd)

[TurkishBTW]

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[Bagzie]

Kindoff an odd thing to be trying to decide between an RTX3060 and 7900XT.

 

One is a high end gpu from the current generation the other is a midrange from the previous.

 

Maybe go somewhere in the middle with a 4070 or 6900XT/6950XT? 

[Errtu]

9 hours ago, Bagzie said:

Kindoff an odd thing to be trying to decide between an RTX3060 and 7900XT.

 

One is a high end gpu from the current generation the other is a midrange from the previous.

 

Maybe go somewhere in the middle with a 4070 or 6900XT/6950XT? 

sorry if i didnt explain myself correctly.

what i'm trying to figure out is

1. is my current setup good enough to pull off a 7900XT - and then if it is, should i maybe think instead of splashing out a little more for a 4080 ?

2. are the current high end gpus worth investing in

3. maybe there is something in the middle that has a really good price/performance ratio that is just a really good value for money

 

I dont specifically need a high end gpu, i play a lot of games, but even with the 1060 im using currently, most things i play run without issues, soemtimes ill need to go down to low details of course, but with 1080p and 60hz generally i cant even see above that 60 so i dont need 300fps (might upgrade the screen at some point ofc)

 

so i'm trying to figure out if it's worth to go for high end currently, which i could do or should i get something with a shorter life span like 3060 Ti (example, doesnt specifically need to be this).

 

with the 4070 - and again, this is because of my lack of knowledge - there seems to be quite a bit of unfavourable reviews, i know it doesnt mean the card itself is bad, but im just wondering if maybe another choice is a better one.

 

with the 69XX cards - that is an option, but i was thinking that if i was going for high end cards, i could just go for the new generation, rather than the previous one to give the purchase a longer life span - but maybe this is not the correct mindset, so let me know

[Bagzie]

5 hours ago, Errtu said:

sorry if i didnt explain myself correctly.

what i'm trying to figure out is

1. is my current setup good enough to pull off a 7900XT - and then if it is, should i maybe think instead of splashing out a little more for a 4080 ?

2. are the current high end gpus worth investing in

3. maybe there is something in the middle that has a really good price/performance ratio that is just a really good value for money

 

I dont specifically need a high end gpu, i play a lot of games, but even with the 1060 im using currently, most things i play run without issues, soemtimes ill need to go down to low details of course, but with 1080p and 60hz generally i cant even see above that 60 so i dont need 300fps (might upgrade the screen at some point ofc)

 

so i'm trying to figure out if it's worth to go for high end currently, which i could do or should i get something with a shorter life span like 3060 Ti (example, doesnt specifically need to be this).

 

with the 4070 - and again, this is because of my lack of knowledge - there seems to be quite a bit of unfavourable reviews, i know it doesnt mean the card itself is bad, but im just wondering if maybe another choice is a better one.

 

with the 69XX cards - that is an option, but i was thinking that if i was going for high end cards, i could just go for the new generation, rather than the previous one to give the purchase a longer life span - but maybe this is not the correct mindset, so let me know

It really comes down to budget , The usual philosophy should apply here and that's to get the best that you can afford now.

 

Don't rush out and get a remortgage for your house but within reason ofcourse.

 

A 3060ti I would avoid , 8GB of vram although not quite as bad as is made out is definately starting to become a limitation.

 

If you want to go budget a 6700XT is as low as I would go , If you want something for the next 4-5 years then think 7900XT , RTX4080 and 7900XTX , Unless you have loads of cash to burn then you could go full hog on an RTX4090.

 

There's no right and wrong answer here its really a personal decision you have to make.

 

 

[Errtu]

amazing, thanks for the input ! i am slightly leaning towards the 7900 xt as well due to the limited ram on the 3060

 

i have somewhat filtered the options to 3 models

XFX Radeon RX 7900 XT Gaming SPEEDSTER MERC310 20GB GDDR6
XFX Radeon RX 7900 XT BLACK Gaming SPEEDSTER MERC310 20GB GDDR6

Gigabyte Radeon RX 7900 XTX GAMING OC 24GB GDDR6

 

all in the same ballpark range of within $100 of each other

 

while as far as i understand the first two is just one is a factory OC version, i'm wondering why in my favouritre retailers (EU) the XTX gigabyte is actually slightly cheaper than the black edition xt from xfx ? because if it's just pricing because pricing that seems the best pick in this list, no ? i'm half thinking to message them and ask them why the higher tiered card is cheaper (perhaps its just the lower tiers that are overpriced tho)

EDIT: actually just looking now and it seems they even have the XT version (Gigabyte Radeon RX 7900 XT GAMING OC 20GB GDDR6) listed at a higher price than the XTX wtf lol

 

also i do have an 850W plus gold PSU and the recommended PSU is 850W, so it should be fine I gather ? (got like 6 HDDs + 2 SSDs but nothing fancy drawing power outside of that)

 

[SteveGrabowski0]

7900 XT is so over the top for 1080p60. You wouldn't be anywhere close to running that card full power at 1080p with VSync to 60 fps. Would probably use less power than your 1060 in that situation.

[Errtu]

1 hour ago, SteveGrabowski0 said:

7900 XT is so over the top for 1080p60. You wouldn't be anywhere close to running that card full power at 1080p with VSync to 60 fps. Would probably use less power than your 1060 in that situation.

I will probably upgrade the screen at some point as well, just wanted to start with the GPU, now I'm trying to figure out why this price discrepancy between the gigabyte xtx and the xts from xfx

[Nalyk]

Usually has to do with bus and memory clock speeds.  Some manufacturers overclock from the factory. If not that you're paying for their brand or warranty or both. 

[Errtu]

35 minutes ago, Nalyk said:

Usually has to do with bus and memory clock speeds.  Some manufacturers overclock from the factory. If not that you're paying for their brand or warranty or both. 

sorry, what im trying to say is that my usual supplier has

gigabyte 7900 XTX
cheaper than
xfx 7900 XT

the higher tiered card is cheaper than the lower tiered from a different manufacturer, thats what  im trying to understand - i think its just that the XT is overpriced, but im not sure

[Nalyk]

Or stock isn't moving and the retailer is cutting a deal to move merchandise?  I bought my 6950 for $600. Pretty decent for a generation old $1100 card at msrp.

[Errtu]

you can see this on newegg as well, the XTX
https://www.newegg.com/gigabyte-radeon-rx-7900-xtx-gv-r79xtxgaming-oc-24gd/p/N82E16814932587

is cheaper than this XT
https://www.newegg.com/p/27N-0002-00182

 

not sure what to make of this

[Bagzie]

18 hours ago, SteveGrabowski0 said:

7900 XT is so over the top for 1080p60. You wouldn't be anywhere close to running that card full power at 1080p with VSync to 60 fps. Would probably use less power than your 1060 in that situation.

Going to second this , A 7900XT is a high refresh rate 1440P or a good entry point into 4k.

 

It's really not meant for 1080p gaming , A 6600XT is a better fit there.

[Errtu]

On 8/16/2023 at 3:42 PM, Bagzie said:

Going to second this , A 7900XT is a high refresh rate 1440P or a good entry point into 4k.

 

It's really not meant for 1080p gaming , A 6600XT is a better fit there.

that is of course true, but this is also a tiered problem, where i am using 1080 currently because my screen is 1080, i could get a new screen first, but then i will still have the same performance missing at 1080 so going to 1440 or higher will make no sense, so my idea to get anywhere higher is to up the gpu first and then think about the screen to fit it rather than the other way around

[naylor2006]

Could even dabble into the second hand market, I know its not as easy as going new and there is some risk involved. My last 3 cards have been off eBay, usually a good clean is needed and then I stress test them like crazy for a few days and ensure all the clock speeds and cooling works to spec. If it doesnt eBay are pretty good at protecting the buyer these days, IE you can return even if the seller doesnt accept returns, so long as you can prove somethings wrong.

 

Its not for everyone and in a perfect world id love to go new but I picked up a Gigabyte RTX3080 Vision OC for 450GBP just the other week.

 

For me my decisions are what games I play, I wanted something that would be good with the new CS:GO (CS2) and something that I could play CyberPunk at 1080p High and Ray Tracing with 60 plus FPS, I mean CyberPunk is a pain in the backside to get running perfectly, so many people still use DLSS. Anyway, the 3080 seemed like the card for me and the second hand market was okay, unlike it was during the pandemic.

[Bagzie]

4 hours ago, naylor2006 said:

Could even dabble into the second hand market, I know its not as easy as going new and there is some risk involved. My last 3 cards have been off eBay, usually a good clean is needed and then I stress test them like crazy for a few days and ensure all the clock speeds and cooling works to spec. If it doesnt eBay are pretty good at protecting the buyer these days, IE you can return even if the seller doesnt accept returns, so long as you can prove somethings wrong.

 

Its not for everyone and in a perfect world id love to go new but I picked up a Gigabyte RTX3080 Vision OC for 450GBP just the other week.

 

For me my decisions are what games I play, I wanted something that would be good with the new CS:GO (CS2) and something that I could play CyberPunk at 1080p High and Ray Tracing with 60 plus FPS, I mean CyberPunk is a pain in the backside to get running perfectly, so many people still use DLSS. Anyway, the 3080 seemed like the card for me and the second hand market was okay, unlike it was during the pandemic.

I think the problem the OP would probably have is once you go high end , Whether it's an older generation or not is your psu starts to become much more important.

 

That said If he's thinking 7900XT he's allready looking at a decently strong psu.

 

 

[naylor2006]

34 minutes ago, Bagzie said:

I think the problem the OP would probably have is once you go high end , Whether it's an older generation or not is your psu starts to become much more important.

 

That said If he's thinking 7900XT he's allready looking at a decently strong psu.

 

 

He has an RM850x doesn’t he? That should take care of most GPU’s