Hardware & Technical Yet another "Looking for GPU upgrade opinions" thread

[Broon]

Yes this is another "I want your opinion on a GPU upgrade" thread, but with a twist.

Current system:

Dell XPS 8700 i5 4460 @ 3.2GHz,
16GB RAM,
EVGA GTX 750 GPU
Acer 23" widescreen LED monitor, 1920x1080

In my case I am pretty well set on a Nvidia GTX 1060. Why? Well first off it fits in my budget. I was originally looking at a GTX 970 for the upgrade and the potential future step into VR. My case space is limited and a full size graphics card like the 970 just barely fits the opening, requiring some finesse and a tap to get inside.

Secondly I took a look at the 10xx series on a whim and low and behold I could step into the uber modern age and actually touch entry level VR for a few bucks less than the 9xx series cards. So why not go with the latest thing right?

But anyway as I was perusing the 1060's on Newegg I see a few "mini" cards, wide like a double slot card but short like my 750, which would fit perfectly into my Dell case.

Like this card..... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA65C4Z87284&cm_re=gtx_1060-_-14-125-905-_-Product

What is the general consensus on a mini card such as this? Is it the same just smaller? Will it overheat easier? Will that single fan be pretty loud?

Thoughts?


Then there's the "I can't decide on a 3GB or a 6GB card - will it make a large difference?" question.

 

[Kaltern]

Generally speaking, the main issues with small cards like this is heat and fan noise - although it depends on how hot the card runs against the cooling effectiveness. A 1060 will likely run cooler than a 1080 for example, and thus won't need so much fan speed - but this is always dependant on your airflow within your case.

Bottom line tho, is these cards run just the same as a larger card. Overclocking would likely increase the heat very quickly, so you might want to be careful with that - otherwise it'll be fine

And as for 3Gb vs 6Gb - 100% it makes a difference - ALWAYS go for the card with the greater memory, as it will allow higher texture settings etc.

 

[X-Terminator]

The half-size cards look all the same width taking 2 slots only they use 1 fan. This would mean less cooling I'd say...
Any 960 or 1060 is smaller than the 970/1070 so they should fit without a bang.

 

[Porina]

There's a rough guide which is to get the best single card you can. If you can get the 1060 6GB, go for it. The cards are not built equally. The 6GB cards have just over 10% more cores than the 3GB cards, so you get a bit more kick out of them that way. Looking forward, the quantity of vram itself will help prevent the need to reduce quality settings.

It is worth looking at the exact size card the case can take. There are all sorts of sizes, and in general a dual fan one will have more surface area and more cooling potential at less noise. Having said that, the low power of a 1060 isn't terribly demanding. I have a 1070 FE blower style, that doesn't have a thermal problem. My old 980Ti blower did go into thermal throttling.

 

[Broon]

Thanks for your input Commanders!

I took the side cover off of my machine and found that the opening is a static 9.5" long and I have dual-ended 6 pin cable with no current lot in life, though an 8 pin adapter is an option.

There is a Gigabyte card that will fit easily and an Asus that will require just a touch of finesse. Zotac has an offering that fits but I don't know much about that brand though it gets really good reviews.

Output port combinations vary widely. I read that Oculus wants 2 HDMI ports but only the larger cards seem to offer that option. Display Port and DVI are more prevalent offerings.

Since I am waiting for Cyber Monday to make the purchase in hopes of a better price point I have more time to pick and choose.

Opinions on ports and the Zotac brand are still welcome.

 

[Pville_Piper]

The GTX 1060 is as fast as the GTX 970 and in some cases faster. Get the 6gb version as tests have shown that 3gb limits the frame rates in some of the new games at higher details. The 1060 should serve you well.

 

[Broon]

Ok so just to update this for those who are curious, or those who fall upon this thread in a search of their own I'll tell y'all how things turned out.

After a lot of staring at NewEgg and reading online tests/comparisons, and asking the gamers at work and even asking my gamer nephew for advice/opinions I became torn between the Nvidia and the Radeon platforms. Each has their pros and cons and since I was originally waiting for the Thanksgiving week and Cyber Monday sales to get cranking I decided to see how the prices went.

My candidates were....

Zotac Geforce GTX 1060 AMP 6GB, ~$280 USD

Gigabyte Radeon RX 480 G1 Gaming 8GB, ~$270 USD

Both fit my upgrade vision, would fit in my computer case easily and fit my entry level VR bill too.


Then Newegg dropped the price on the Gigabyte card down to $240. That coupled with the $20 rebate made me say "Sold to an American!"

Oh, and the card deal includes a free copy of Civilization VI. I'm an '84 and not really a gamer so I guess I'll get around to d/l'ing it sometime and see what it's all about.

So now I am the proud owner of an RX 480 8GB card and I am happy with my purchase. The card is actually quieter than the GTX 750 it replaced and the graphics are brighter, sharper and more vivid. And it runs stuff in Ultra easily.

Thanks again to all those who gave input.

Fly safe Commanders!

 

[Bigskill]

I bought a new computer duing the balck friday, it is a cyberpowerpc, and it comes with a MSI GTX 1060 3Gb.
Well ED run awesome in ultra, average 150 fps, on a 27'' monitor.
There were no options to get a 6 GB ram one, eventually I will change the vga in the future, but from now in 2 years should be fine.
Starcitizen also run nicely and smooth in ultra.
Very Happy with that.

 

[FuzzySpider]

I'd like to weigh in here with a question of my own.

I've got a 980ti at the moment. It is worth me upgrading to either a 1070 or a 1080 at all? Will I get an increase in performance with my oculus if I upgrade to either of these cards?

 

[Porina]

980Ti and 1070 are pretty close in basic performance. If anything supports the reprojection stuff they put in the 1070 it might make a meaningful difference, but I'm not sure anything does yet. 1080 would be a step up, but if it is enough to justify the spend is another matter. Maybe worth waiting for 1080Ti.