GPU Died, Need replacement (or upgrade)

[DomureKlyde]

Greetings,

 

PC building newbie here. My current PC has a failing Nvidia RTX 2070 SUPER, making it generally unusable... I've had to cannibalize a PowerColor PCS+ HD 7850 from an older machine for the past 4 months. I would like to take this opportunity to upgrade to a much better GPU while generally continuing to use the working parts, but I would like some guidance on choosing the right options required for the upgrade. Below I've provided some more detail as to what I'm looking for.

 

About the Current PC 

Prebuild Name: MSI Z390 Gaming Trident X Plus
Description: 

                This is my second desktop PC, and the first was built in 2013 before I had any interest in building a computer. The current prebuild was chosen spefically for its form factor and VR capability as it needed to be ported around different stations and between states. It was light, easy to move, and frequently used to share VR games and development. Mobility is less of a necessity now. Why not a gaming laptop, you might ask? To my knowledge, most laptops are not built to be upgraded or serviced - They are built to die.
What's wrong?: 

                GPU has 0 VRAM. Switching to PEG in BIOS results in no display signal to monitor. The day before it died, it was projecting to a laptop in another room when the laptop screen was closed without disconnecting from the PC or turning it off. It remained like this overnight. I suspect it overheated. Additionally, the 2TB hard drive it came with failed and the data was unrecoverable. Potentially due to its constant porting around, despite precautions taken. Not a concern now as I have other storage options. I intend to get a NAS set up in near future.

 

MOBO:      MPG Z390i Gaming Edge AC (Mini ITX)
CPU:          Intel Core i7-9700K
GPU:          MSI GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER Ventus OC
PSU:          FSP SFX 650W (650-57SAB)
RAM:         1x Samsung M378A2K43CB1-CTD 16 GB
Storage:    WD 1TB SSD
            Samsung 1TB SSD (cannibalized from laptop)
            2TB SeaGate BarraCuda HDD (Failed)
            (2 SATA slots total)
            
Upgrade Information

Usage: 

                I need a personal desktop with decent performance. I do some mild to heavy gaming. Examples: Halo MCC, Beat Saber, Elden Ring, Minecraft w/ shaders and infinite horizons, Genshin Impact, BG3. I do 3D modeling/HD rendering and game development.
Climate: Hot, dry. Need to run mobile AC unit around 17C (63F) to make room tolerable with PC on. Assume US.
Goal:

                Upgrade GPU for the PC to live at least 4-5 more years of daily to weekly use with minimal upgrading/replacing parts; 6-8 years at most. Sustainability is important. I do not care about RGB.
                I would like to change the case to something more DIY friendly and fit more space for better GPU. Mini ITX compatible preferred, though open to larger forms. As a fairly inexperienced PC builder, the current case is a nightmare to work with; too cramped for human hands. Not sure if it is possible to get a decent Mini ITX compatible case and have decent cooling; don't want the PC cooking itself to death.

Budget: $800-$1600 USD
                Ideally less than the cost of a completely new machine with near top of line specs. According to tools like PC part picker and Build Redux, that is around $2200.
                I prefer not upgrading CPU (Intel 13th/14th gen having issues ATM), motherboard, and RAM if I can get away with it. Original price of previous build was $1700. Going off price of existing parts now, dead GPU seems to have been around $700, though math could be off.
Experience: I am new, but I am not wholly illiterate. I have never built or modified a PC. I have worked with CPU and thermal paste before, since the Trident is built so you cannot access RAM or SSD without removing the CPU cooling unit. I am familiar with things like removing/reseating GPU, swapping storage, changing RAM, applying thermal paste.
                
Cheers~

 

[PC HEROES]

1 hour ago, DomureKlyde said:

Greetings,

 

PC building newbie here. My current PC has a failing Nvidia RTX 2070 SUPER, making it generally unusable... I've had to cannibalize a PowerColor PCS+ HD 7850 from an older machine for the past 4 months. I would like to take this opportunity to upgrade to a much better GPU while generally continuing to use the working parts, but I would like some guidance on choosing the right options required for the upgrade. Below I've provided some more detail as to what I'm looking for.

 

About the Current PC 

Prebuild Name: MSI Z390 Gaming Trident X Plus
Description: 

                This is my second desktop PC, and the first was built in 2013 before I had any interest in building a computer. The current prebuild was chosen spefically for its form factor and VR capability as it needed to be ported around different stations and between states. It was light, easy to move, and frequently used to share VR games and development. Mobility is less of a necessity now. Why not a gaming laptop, you might ask? To my knowledge, most laptops are not built to be upgraded or serviced - They are built to die.
What's wrong?: 

                GPU has 0 VRAM. Switching to PEG in BIOS results in no display signal to monitor. The day before it died, it was projecting to a laptop in another room when the laptop screen was closed without disconnecting from the PC or turning it off. It remained like this overnight. I suspect it overheated. Additionally, the 2TB hard drive it came with failed and the data was unrecoverable. Potentially due to its constant porting around, despite precautions taken. Not a concern now as I have other storage options. I intend to get a NAS set up in near future.

 

MOBO:      MPG Z390i Gaming Edge AC (Mini ITX)
CPU:          Intel Core i7-9700K
GPU:          MSI GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER Ventus OC
PSU:          FSP SFX 650W (650-57SAB)
RAM:         1x Samsung M378A2K43CB1-CTD 16 GB
Storage:    WD 1TB SSD
            Samsung 1TB SSD (cannibalized from laptop)
            2TB SeaGate BarraCuda HDD (Failed)
            (2 SATA slots total)
            
Upgrade Information

Usage: 

                I need a personal desktop with decent performance. I do some mild to heavy gaming. Examples: Halo MCC, Beat Saber, Elden Ring, Minecraft w/ shaders and infinite horizons, Genshin Impact, BG3. I do 3D modeling/HD rendering and game development.
Climate: Hot, dry. Need to run mobile AC unit around 17C (63F) to make room tolerable with PC on. Assume US.
Goal:

                Upgrade GPU for the PC to live at least 4-5 more years of daily to weekly use with minimal upgrading/replacing parts; 6-8 years at most. Sustainability is important. I do not care about RGB.
                I would like to change the case to something more DIY friendly and fit more space for better GPU. Mini ITX compatible preferred, though open to larger forms. As a fairly inexperienced PC builder, the current case is a nightmare to work with; too cramped for human hands. Not sure if it is possible to get a decent Mini ITX compatible case and have decent cooling; don't want the PC cooking itself to death.

Budget: $800-$1600 USD
                Ideally less than the cost of a completely new machine with near top of line specs. According to tools like PC part picker and Build Redux, that is around $2200.
                I prefer not upgrading CPU (Intel 13th/14th gen having issues ATM), motherboard, and RAM if I can get away with it. Original price of previous build was $1700. Going off price of existing parts now, dead GPU seems to have been around $700, though math could be off.
Experience: I am new, but I am not wholly illiterate. I have never built or modified a PC. I have worked with CPU and thermal paste before, since the Trident is built so you cannot access RAM or SSD without removing the CPU cooling unit. I am familiar with things like removing/reseating GPU, swapping storage, changing RAM, applying thermal paste.
                
Cheers~

 

Hello... I have read over your concerns and I would like to say a few things before getting into any talks of a new PC.

 

First, Building a ITX PC for a Beginner is NOT Recommended. They are very very hard to Build even for more experienced Builders because of minimal space to move around inside the Cases and other things. I would highly recommend a Micro-ATX Build if this is your fist endeavor into PC Building if you need a smaller PC.

 

Second, The PC world have Evolved several times since your Pre-Built was made and the current or even Last Gen Parts are Leaps and Bounds ahead of what you already have. So a whole new PC should be your first option.

 

That being said, here is a Build List for a new PC that is pretty good and the GPU has double that amount of VRAM as your 2070 Super. The GPU is the AMD RX 7600 XT 16GB VRAM. The CPU that I picked is the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D. This CPU is made for Gaming. It has 8 Cores & 16 Threads. The reason I chose this CPU is for the L3 Cache which is 96MB. Intel CPUs only have 24MB of L3 Cache. This L3 Cache allows the CPU to take some of the Incoming Data from the RAM so that the RAM does not have to work harder than it needs to. This CPU & GPU Combo will allow you to play any Game in 1080p or even 1440p.

 

I was able to give you 32GB of RAM, a 2TB M.2 Storage Drive which is Lighting Fast compared to the old HDDs that you are use to and even older 2.5" SSDs. It also has a 750w Power Supply that is ATX 3.0 / PCIe 5.0 Ready for all the latest PC Parts that require Power.

 

This new PC is like a Dream from the Future compared to your old PC, the difference is Night & Day. I know you will love it for many years to come.

 

Have a look and let me know what you think.

 

I have been building PCs for over 30 years so if you have any questions please ask. For Future Communication I use Discord for much Faster Response Times as I have it open 24/7. I am also available if you need help before, during, or after the Build Process on Discord through Text,Voice, or Video Chat. I can be with you while you build your new PC if you need me to be. Here is my Discord: Wizardsnapper#2772

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/74w7t7

 

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D 3 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($209.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Frozen Edge 69 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($58.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B550M AORUS ELITE AX Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  ($53.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: TEAMGROUP MP44Q 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire PULSE Radeon RX 7600 XT 16 GB Video Card  ($329.97 @ Amazon)
Case: Zalman P30 MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS GX-750 ATX 3.0 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($89.99 @ B&H)
Total: $1062.81

[DeerDK]

If you want a relatively small footprint for your case, look at mATX. It's still smaller than the big cases, but more user friendly. 

I was very happy with my Silverstone Alta G1M (monolith style case), and my first build was actually a mITX 

[DomureKlyde]

20 hours ago, PC HEROES said:

First, Building a ITX PC for a Beginner is NOT Recommended. They are very very hard to Build even for more experienced Builders because of minimal space to move around inside the Cases and other things. I would highly recommend a Micro-ATX Build if this is your fist endeavor into PC Building if you need a smaller PC.

Thanks for the recommendations, it is much appreciated. You mention ITX being too hard to work with for beginners, but I'm wondering if there are cases that fit these motherboards without the lack of space? I no longer care about the size of the PC - it really only comes into play when I am moving between states.

 

20 hours ago, PC HEROES said:

Second, The PC world have Evolved several times since your Pre-Built was made and the current or even Last Gen Parts are Leaps and Bounds ahead of what you already have. So a whole new PC should be your first option.

I may not have been entirely clear in my first post, but my primary concern is the GPU, and I would like to reuse existing parts as much as possible. Sure, I may be missing out on advancements in the 4-5 years it's been since my prebuild was put together, but honestly I am not too concerned with massive jumps in performance. Anything that can perform at or above what I had before is good enough for me, at least for now. So I would like to know what my options are for GPUs first without getting too crazy... for example I know I may need to get a new PSU if the GPU is sufficiently more advanced

 

Cheers~

[PC HEROES]

3 hours ago, DomureKlyde said:

Thanks for the recommendations, it is much appreciated. You mention ITX being too hard to work with for beginners, but I'm wondering if there are cases that fit these motherboards without the lack of space? I no longer care about the size of the PC - it really only comes into play when I am moving between states.

 

I may not have been entirely clear in my first post, but my primary concern is the GPU, and I would like to reuse existing parts as much as possible. Sure, I may be missing out on advancements in the 4-5 years it's been since my prebuild was put together, but honestly I am not too concerned with massive jumps in performance. Anything that can perform at or above what I had before is good enough for me, at least for now. So I would like to know what my options are for GPUs first without getting too crazy... for example I know I may need to get a new PSU if the GPU is sufficiently more advanced

 

Cheers~

Hey... There aren't really any ITX Cases that are easy to Build in. I do this for a living and I can tell you from 25+ years experience that I have had my fair share Cuts, Scrapes, and Bruises from ITX Cases. They are a major headache and not worth the trouble unless it's 100% needed. If having a smaller PC is needed then I always suggest Micro-ATX first.

 

As for the GPU, I would still look at the Sapphire PULSE Radeon RX 7600 XT 16 GB Video Card. It has roughly the same performance as the RTX 2070 Super but with double the VRAM. If you have to have NVIDIA then I would suggest the RTX 4060 Ti 16GB Version, not the 8GB as newer Games today struggle with less than 16GB of VRAM. You could go with the RTX 4070 Ti Super 16GB but then you are paying way too much just to replace your broken GPU. The RX 7600 XT is the cheapest option and will allow you to Play Games in 1440p, maybe even 4K is the Game is old enough and doesn't require much. The 4060 Ti gets a bad Wrap but it is actually a good GPU if all you are doing is 1080p and maybe some Low Settings on 1440p. The 4070 Ti Super is a BEAST and will blow the other 2 GPUs away but still it's like a $800 GPU. I will post links to the different Cards Below.

 

If you have any more questions please ask, also I get messages much quicker on Discord as that is open 24/7 on my Laptop and Phone.

 

RTX™ 4070 Ti SUPER 16GB $799.99 Amazon

 

RTX™ 4060 Ti 16GB $439.99 Amazon

 

Radeon RX 7600 XT 16GB $329.99 Amazon

 

I have been building PCs for over 30 years so if you have any questions please ask. For Future Communication I use Discord for much Faster Response Times as I have it open 24/7. I am also available if you need help before, during, or after the Build Process on Discord through Text,Voice, or Video Chat. I can be with you while you build your new PC if you need me to be. Here is my Discord: Wizardsnapper#2772

 

 

[DeerDK]

9 hours ago, DomureKlyde said:

Thanks for the recommendations, it is much appreciated. You mention ITX being too hard to work with for beginners, but I'm wondering if there are cases that fit these motherboards without the lack of space? I no longer care about the size of the PC - it really only comes into play when I am moving between states.

 

I may not have been entirely clear in my first post, but my primary concern is the GPU, and I would like to reuse existing parts as much as possible. Sure, I may be missing out on advancements in the 4-5 years it's been since my prebuild was put together, but honestly I am not too concerned with massive jumps in performance. Anything that can perform at or above what I had before is good enough for me, at least for now. So I would like to know what my options are for GPUs first without getting too crazy... for example I know I may need to get a new PSU if the GPU is sufficiently more advanced

 

Cheers~

There is no issue with using itx motherboards in bigger cases. It will leave some empty space, but there should be holes for mounting matx or itx motherboards in bigger cases.

And the GPU goes on the same place in the case anyway.

Look at the specs for the individual case though. 

 

Do you have any specific looks in mind for your case? 

[DomureKlyde]

15 hours ago, PC HEROES said:

As for the GPU, I would still look at the Sapphire PULSE Radeon RX 7600 XT 16 GB Video Card. It has roughly the same performance as the RTX 2070 Super but with double the VRAM. If you have to have NVIDIA then I would suggest the RTX 4060 Ti 16GB Version, not the 8GB as newer Games today struggle with less than 16GB of VRAM. You could go with the RTX 4070 Ti Super 16GB but then you are paying way too much just to replace your broken GPU. The RX 7600 XT is the cheapest option and will allow you to Play Games in 1440p, maybe even 4K is the Game is old enough and doesn't require much. The 4060 Ti gets a bad Wrap but it is actually a good GPU if all you are doing is 1080p and maybe some Low Settings on 1440p. The 4070 Ti Super is a BEAST and will blow the other 2 GPUs away but still it's like a $800 GPU. I will post links to the different Cards Below.

I see, thank you for clarifying the VRAM option. It looks like the RX 7600 XT is the absolute best price for simply replacing the GPU, and it seems it could potentially last me until I eventually build a dream PC in like 4+ yrs. This option is also appealing to me since it would mean I don't have to rush to get a larger case, as there would be plenty of room. To me it seems the difference between AMD and Nvidia isn't really that important as it may have once been - I am using an old HD 7850 as a temporary replacement and most programs run OK-ish on normal settings. Although, I don't know if it's just that the other components are much better than the original system...?

 

If I go the 4070 Ti Super route and assuming of course I get a PSU with the right connectors, is that something that could theoretically survive until I inevitably have to start replacing parts, especially with a much older CPU like the i7-9700K? Or is it still too new to know for certain?

 

8 hours ago, DeerDK said:

There is no issue with using itx motherboards in bigger cases. It will leave some empty space, but there should be holes for mounting matx or itx motherboards in bigger cases.

And the GPU goes on the same place in the case anyway.

Look at the specs for the individual case though. 

 

Do you have any specific looks in mind for your case? 

Not really. The case I have now looks decent, although it is usually below the desk and never really admired. Glass windows and RGB mean very little to me... I just know that my first tower, an iBuyPower i-Series 301 case (the blue one, not red), was hideous at the time and still is. I've no clue what I want to do with it, but I certainly don't want to try fitting my current PC into it. It's good to know mini ITX can work fine with ATX cases though.

 

Cheers~

[Jeppes]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7700 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($288.97 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock B650M Pro RS Micro ATX AM5 Motherboard  ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: TEAMGROUP T-Create Expert 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory  ($92.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Lexar NM790 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($118.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus DUAL OC GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER 12 GB Video Card  ($599.99 @ B&H)
Case: Lian Li A3-mATX MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($79.99 @ Adorama)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS GX-850 ATX 3.0 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Thermalright TL-C12C X3 66.17 CFM 120 mm Fans 3-Pack  ($11.90 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Thermalright TL-C12C X3 66.17 CFM 120 mm Fans 3-Pack  ($11.90 @ Amazon)
Total: $1448.72
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-07-27 14:15 EDT-0400

[DeerDK]

1 hour ago, DomureKlyde said:

I see, thank you for clarifying the VRAM option. It looks like the RX 7600 XT is the absolute best price for simply replacing the GPU, and it seems it could potentially last me until I eventually build a dream PC in like 4+ yrs. This option is also appealing to me since it would mean I don't have to rush to get a larger case, as there would be plenty of room. To me it seems the difference between AMD and Nvidia isn't really that important as it may have once been - I am using an old HD 7850 as a temporary replacement and most programs run OK-ish on normal settings. Although, I don't know if it's just that the other components are much better than the original system...?

 

If I go the 4070 Ti Super route and assuming of course I get a PSU with the right connectors, is that something that could theoretically survive until I inevitably have to start replacing parts, especially with a much older CPU like the i7-9700K? Or is it still too new to know for certain?

 

Not really. The case I have now looks decent, although it is usually below the desk and never really admired. Glass windows and RGB mean very little to me... I just know that my first tower, an iBuyPower i-Series 301 case (the blue one, not red), was hideous at the time and still is. I've no clue what I want to do with it, but I certainly don't want to try fitting my current PC into it. It's good to know mini ITX can work fine with ATX cases though.

 

Cheers~

Man, if you lived in Denmark I would let you get my Fractal Design Mini C for cheap. 

Its just collecting dust as it was a stop gap solution for me.

 

BTW, have you seen the Fractal Design Torrent series? They have some smaller ones and I've heard they have great thermals (which mean less noisy cooling as the fans don't need to work so hard) 

[PC HEROES]

8 hours ago, DomureKlyde said:

I see, thank you for clarifying the VRAM option. It looks like the RX 7600 XT is the absolute best price for simply replacing the GPU, and it seems it could potentially last me until I eventually build a dream PC in like 4+ yrs. This option is also appealing to me since it would mean I don't have to rush to get a larger case, as there would be plenty of room. To me it seems the difference between AMD and Nvidia isn't really that important as it may have once been - I am using an old HD 7850 as a temporary replacement and most programs run OK-ish on normal settings. Although, I don't know if it's just that the other components are much better than the original system...?

 

If I go the 4070 Ti Super route and assuming of course I get a PSU with the right connectors, is that something that could theoretically survive until I inevitably have to start replacing parts, especially with a much older CPU like the i7-9700K? Or is it still too new to know for certain?

 

Not really. The case I have now looks decent, although it is usually below the desk and never really admired. Glass windows and RGB mean very little to me... I just know that my first tower, an iBuyPower i-Series 301 case (the blue one, not red), was hideous at the time and still is. I've no clue what I want to do with it, but I certainly don't want to try fitting my current PC into it. It's good to know mini ITX can work fine with ATX cases though.

 

Cheers~

I think the best option for you is the 7600 XT. Just be sure to get the XT Model and not the Non XT. The Non XT is only 8GB and is not what you want.

 

AMD Radeon RX Sapphire Pulse 7600 XT 16GB $329.97 Amazon

 

If you wanted to go the 4070 Ti Super route then I must warn you that there will be a MAJOR Bottleneck. Your CPU won't be able to keep up with the 4070 Ti Super, sure it will work but the CPU will have to work so much harder to keep up and with the CPU being as old as it is it might not make it another 4 years if you do that. The 7600 XT will pair better with your i7 9700K and have much less of a Bottleneck and will hold up long enough until you are ready for a Full New PC. 

 

And you are right that AMD is quickly closing the Gap with NVIDIA. AMD has always had a bad wrap when it comes to GPUs. Sure when they first came out with the RX 5000 Series they had loads of issues with the Drivers and Software but that has long been fixed ans AMD did it quicker than NVIDIA would have. People still look at them with disgust and I can't understand why anymore. I have been using AMD GPUs for many years and never had any problems since they fixed the Driver issues.

 

As far as Cases go, Please make sure that if you get a Standard ATX Case for your ITX Motherboard that the Case is Compatible with ITX Boards. Not all ATX Cases work with ITX. Just be careful and do your research before you buy a ATX Case. Since you are not interested in Side Windows or RGB then I suggest you look at the Be Quiet Line of Cases. Some of them don't have a Side Window but do have a Full Mesh Front Panel for Airflow. I'll Link one here.

 

Be Quiet! Silent Base 802 $169.90 Amazon

 

This Case will support ITX and comes with no RGB and it has 3 140mm Fans, 2 in Front and 1 in the Rear. It also comes with interchangeable Front Panels, 1 Solid and 1 Mesh. Don't use the Solid one because then the Front Fans are worthless. PCs need Fresh Air to keep Cool. The Side Panel is all Metal and is Sound Insulated so that it absorbs the sounds inside the Case. Plus you can reuse this Case when you Build your new PC in 4 years. Win-Win for you.

 

For PSUs I would get one that is ATX 3.0 / PCIe 5.0 Ready. They are Finely Tuned for newer PC Parts that require Power. Here are some options that I think you will like.

 

Be Quiet! Pure Power 12 M 850 W 80+ Gold $99.90 Amazon

 

SeaSonic FOCUS GX-850 ATX 3.0 850 W 80+ Gold $109.99 Amazon

 

I have been building PCs for over 30 years so if you have any questions please ask. For Future Communication I use Discord for much Faster Response Times as I have it open 24/7. I am also available if you need help before, during, or after the Build Process on Discord through Text,Voice, or Video Chat. I can be with you while you build your new PC if you need me to be. Here is my Discord: Wizardsnapper#2772

[DomureKlyde]

Thanks everyone for the recommendations!

 

Cheers~