Upgrading my GPU for 1440p

[itaroken_]

Hi ,

 

I'm looking to upgrade my GPU as my current one (1660 super) is just not powerful enough for 1440p gaming (even in sim games like Planet Zoo I have to play on low otherwise it crashes). I would like to play other games like Baldur's Gate 3 too.

 

My budget would be around £300 if possible. What do you think the cheapest "good" option is for 1440p gaming? Would I need to upgrade my PSU too?

 

These are my current specs:

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600

Mobo: MSI B450M MORTAR MAX mATX

RAM: Corsair VENGEANCELPX16GB (2x 8GB) DDR4 3600 C18

GPU: MSI GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER 

Case: Fractal Design Meshify C Mini

Storage: Samsung 970 EVO 1 TB PCIe NVMe M.2

PSU: Seasonic Focus GX 650W Power Supply, Fully Modular, 80+ Gold

Display(s): Acer Nitro 27", 165Hz, 1440p x2

Thank you!

[podkall]

16 minutes ago, itaroken_ said:

I'm looking to upgrade my GPU as my current one (1660 super) is just not powerful enough for 1440p gaming

how do you know it's a GPU problem?

[itaroken_]

2 minutes ago, podkall said:

how do you know it's a GPU problem?

Thanks for your reply. It never crashes or force restarts when playing games on low settings and previous advice I've received from the forum has suggested that my GPU isn't really sufficient for gaming at medium/high settings at 1440p. But if there are specific tests I should try I can give it a go! 

[podkall]

6 minutes ago, itaroken_ said:

Thanks for your reply. It never crashes or force restarts when playing games on low settings and previous advice I've received from the forum has suggested that my GPU isn't really sufficient for gaming at medium/high settings at 1440p.

stuttering and crashes can have many reasons, driver issues, compatibility, system stability,

 

hardware wise it could be highly utilized CPU not keeping up, RAM issue, power issue, GPU less likely but also possible

6 minutes ago, itaroken_ said:

But if there are specific tests I should try I can give it a go! 

CPU utilization and temperature, and GPU utilization, temperature and power draw while gaming

 

and seeing the tests how they respond to low and medium/high settings (CPU usually gets utilized more in low res/settings while GPU usually at high res/settings)

[Guille.R]

I think that a 1660 Super should work for what you want but if anyway you want to upgrade the GPU for under 300$ you can find up to a RTX 3070 on second hand markets (although a 3060 should be more than enough) and up to a new 3060 or a 4060 (If you search well and have a little patience). If you prefer AMD you can go up to maybe even a 6750Xt second handed (it will be hard to find but maybe you get it) and if you want it new up to a 6650Xt or a 7600. And about the PSU I don’t think you would need to upgrade it with any of the card I listed

[PDifolco]

30 minutes ago, itaroken_ said:

Thanks for your reply. It never crashes or force restarts when playing games on low settings and previous advice I've received from the forum has suggested that my GPU isn't really sufficient for gaming at medium/high settings at 1440p. But if there are specific tests I should try I can give it a go! 

Easy to tell : make a game run at max settings then at min settings

If GPU is always 100% and framerates are much better the second time you're GPU limited and a better GPU will at least allow you to play at higher settings

If not you're CPU limited

Plus BG3 and CP2077 are GPU heavy games, BG3 is more CPU heavy in late game parts (the City) only

My experience at 1440P some years ago with a 2060S (already better than a 1660) and a 3900X (similar perf to OP 3600 in gaming) is that in nearly all games you're GPU limited, so OP is right

With £300 he could get a 6700XT which is like double performance of a 1660S

 

[JoHeJo06]

1 hour ago, itaroken_ said:

Hi ,

 

I'm looking to upgrade my GPU as my current one (1660 super) is just not powerful enough for 1440p gaming (even in sim games like Planet Zoo I have to play on low otherwise it crashes). I would like to play other games like Baldur's Gate 3 too.

 

My budget would be around £300 if possible. What do you think the cheapest "good" option is for 1440p gaming? Would I need to upgrade my PSU too?

 

These are my current specs:

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600

Mobo: MSI B450M MORTAR MAX mATX

RAM: Corsair VENGEANCELPX16GB (2x 8GB) DDR4 3600 C18

GPU: MSI GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER 

Case: Fractal Design Meshify C Mini

Storage: Samsung 970 EVO 1 TB PCIe NVMe M.2

PSU: Seasonic Focus GX 650W Power Supply, Fully Modular, 80+ Gold

Display(s): Acer Nitro 27", 165Hz, 1440p x2

 

Thank you!

get something cheap with more than 8gb of memory. like a 6700xt or 6800

[itaroken_]

8 hours ago, podkall said:

stuttering and crashes can have many reasons, driver issues, compatibility, system stability,

 

hardware wise it could be highly utilized CPU not keeping up, RAM issue, power issue, GPU less likely but also possible

CPU utilization and temperature, and GPU utilization, temperature and power draw while gaming

 

and seeing the tests how they respond to low and medium/high settings (CPU usually gets utilized more in low res/settings while GPU usually at high res/settings)

 

8 hours ago, Guille.R said:

I think that a 1660 Super should work for what you want but if anyway you want to upgrade the GPU for under 300$ you can find up to a RTX 3070 on second hand markets (although a 3060 should be more than enough) and up to a new 3060 or a 4060 (If you search well and have a little patience). If you prefer AMD you can go up to maybe even a 6750Xt second handed (it will be hard to find but maybe you get it) and if you want it new up to a 6650Xt or a 7600. And about the PSU I don’t think you would need to upgrade it with any of the card I listed

 

7 hours ago, PDifolco said:

Easy to tell : make a game run at max settings then at min settings

If GPU is always 100% and framerates are much better the second time you're GPU limited and a better GPU will at least allow you to play at higher settings

If not you're CPU limited

Plus BG3 and CP2077 are GPU heavy games, BG3 is more CPU heavy in late game parts (the City) only

My experience at 1440P some years ago with a 2060S (already better than a 1660) and a 3900X (similar perf to OP 3600 in gaming) is that in nearly all games you're GPU limited, so OP is right

With £300 he could get a 6700XT which is like double performance of a 1660S

 

7 hours ago, JoHeJo06 said:

get something cheap with more than 8gb of memory. like a 6700xt or 6800

Thanks all for replying

I will run some tests to see what the GPU and CPU usage is like on max and low settings. I'll also keep an eye on 6700XT prices - what brands/models have the best reputations? I think I will upgrade sometime in the next couple of months.

[JoHeJo06]

14 hours ago, itaroken_ said:

 

 

Thanks all for replying

I will run some tests to see what the GPU and CPU usage is like on max and low settings. I'll also keep an eye on 6700XT prices - what brands/models have the best reputations? I think I will upgrade sometime in the next couple of months.

Almost every model is good, just look up reviews with temps and noise levels. 
a couple of good models are: sapphire nitro+, asus rog strix, powercolor red devil.

[PDifolco]

5 hours ago, JoHeJo06 said:

Almost every model is good, just look up reviews with temps and noise levels. 
a couple of good models are: sapphire nitro+, asus rog strix, powercolor red devil.

On mid range cards I don't think model matters at all *except* for thermals, but they won't be really bad anyway, get a 3 fan model if you can, that's all

[QuantumSingularity]

If you want new, get the  Asus DUAL OC RX 6750XT. If you are ready to go 2nd hand, the 6800XT is excellent choice for 1440p, but you will have to upgrade the PSU. 650W might be too weak for a 6800XT.