Best "Bang for Buck" card at the moment?

Scooby-DoobyDoo · 16 Aug 2017 at 16:45

I bought a s/h 2 month old 1050ti a couple of months back for £85 for a spare machine running 1080. Very pleased with it with doom on high settings 60+ fps.
My main machine has a 1080ti and was considerably more. 1050ti 4gb's are great of you can pick them up for around £120 new.

humbug · 16 Aug 2017 at 17:46

ShiWarrior said:
do you defiantly want a new card?

S/H GTX 980 4Gb or 1060 6Gb

This

PS: don't bother with the 3GB 1060, i had one, 3GB is not really enough for 1080P, its also slower than the 6GB, less cores.

Telecaster · 16 Aug 2017 at 17:57

Unfortunately I don't think there is any VFM cards around at the minute, they're all overpriced at their performance point. If you're ok with used then I'd look for a 980.

Psycho Sonny · 16 Aug 2017 at 21:16

humbug said:
This

PS: don't bother with the 3GB 1060, i had one, 3GB is not really enough for 1080P, its also slower than the 6GB, less cores.

lolwut? it has the same power as a 580 from AMD.

it manages to run CSGO @ 2K @ 300fps

it runs PUBG @ 1080p @ medium-ultra settings @ 60-110fps

humbug · 16 Aug 2017 at 21:18

Psycho Sonny said:
lolwut? it has the same power as a 580 from AMD.

it manages to run CSGO @ 2K @ 300fps

it runs PUBG @ 1080p @ medium-ultra settings @ 60-110fps

Yes, i didn't say there was anything wrong with the RX 580, its also a good card.

Ayahuasca · 16 Aug 2017 at 21:24

Psycho Sonny said:
lolwut? it has the same power as a 580 from AMD.

it manages to run CSGO @ 2K @ 300fps

it runs PUBG @ 1080p @ medium-ultra settings @ 60-110fps

CSGO isn't a benchmark for performance really and neither is PUBG with settings as low as medium.

Pretty sure I've seen you on another forum trying to upgrade your card as well

Psycho Sonny · 16 Aug 2017 at 21:28

Ayahuasca said:
CSGO isn't a benchmark for performance really and neither is PUBG with settings as low as medium.

Pretty sure I've seen you on another forum trying to upgrade your card as well

the only thing i have on medium is textures. everything else is ultra bar shadows.

it runs the game fine @ 1080p on my 60hz screen. wanting to upgrade for my 2K 144hz Gsync monitor which it obviously cannot run on

R0B75 · 16 Aug 2017 at 21:37

Telecaster said:
Unfortunately I don't think there is any VFM cards around at the minute, they're all overpriced at their performance point. If you're ok with used then I'd look for a 980.

It is looking that way, going from benchmarks and reviews the cards I would probably be better getting are beyond what I want to spend right now. I might wait, but keep an eye on the members market etc.

Panos · 16 Aug 2017 at 21:42

R0B75 said:
I've been out of the upgrade game for some time and I've no idea what card would be best for me.

I'm only going to be gaming at 1080p resolution for the odd game such as Dark Souls 3 and whilst my PC can run it, the frame rate is not as smooth as I'd like it to be, I suspect the card I have is the issue, but I could be wrong..

Currently running an i5-6500, 8gb ram with a 7850 1GB graphics card. As I said, I rarely play games on PC so it's never been an issue. It runs Zwift (cycling sim) and Path of Exile fine.

What cards should I be looking at for 1080p gaming that will offer the best performance for my money without spending a silly amount? I consider anything over £150 too much for the amount of use I'd get out of it.

Cheers

A second hand 290X, not the blower model.

Psycho Sonny · 16 Aug 2017 at 21:53

R0B75 said:
It is looking that way, going from benchmarks and reviews the cards I would probably be better getting are beyond what I want to spend right now. I might wait, but keep an eye on the members market etc.

1060 is the best VFM or a 1050ti. what res and hz do you play at and what games?

DONOHUE07 · 16 Aug 2017 at 22:00

Awful timing mate, two months ago you could have gotten yourself quite a bit more for your money, if possible I would get the cheapest 1060 3gb you can, it's quite a big improvement over the 1050

R0B75 · 16 Aug 2017 at 22:01

Psycho Sonny said:
1060 is the best VFM or a 1050ti. what res and hz do you play at and what games?

I don't play many games hence why I don't want to spend loads, but playing Dark Souls 3 currently and will possibly play Destiny 2. Ideally I'd like them to run smoothly at high settings - 1080p

spikerules · 16 Aug 2017 at 22:04

For 1080p the RX580 or 1060 are probably the best bang for buck, but seeing as though the 580 has been heavily price hiked due to miners, the 1060 is probably the best option.

Personally even if 1080p is your preferred resolution I would still go for something with a bit more grunt. The Vega56 might be a good option if it releases at £350...

Psycho Sonny · 16 Aug 2017 at 23:25

R0B75 said:
I don't play many games hence why I don't want to spend loads, but playing Dark Souls 3 currently and will possibly play Destiny 2. Ideally I'd like them to run smoothly at high settings - 1080p

well no idea about destiny 2 as it's not been released yet.

however a 1060 3GB will play dark souls 3 absolutely maxxed out @ 1080p with 60 fps minimum

https://www.techspot.com/review/1162-dark-souls-3-benchmarks/page2.html

a GTX 780 3GB plays it at 54 fps minimum and 57 fps average on a 60 hz monitor.

and a 1060 3gb is 12% faster

http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-GTX-780-vs-Nvidia-GTX-1060-3GB/2164vs3646

a 1060 6gb is 19% faster

http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-GTX-780-vs-Nvidia-GTX-1060-6GB/2164vs3639

so the choice is yours. it depends on how regularly you upgrade. if you plan on upgrading again within 12 months then the 3GB probably makes more sense atm with it's £180 price tag. if not then get the slightly more expensive 6GB card.

those saying the 1060 3GB is rubbish clearly don't play 1080p 60hz

Psycho Sonny · 16 Aug 2017 at 23:26

spikerules said:
For 1080p the RX580 or 1060 are probably the best bang for buck, but seeing as though the 580 has been heavily price hiked due to miners, the 1060 is probably the best option.

Personally even if 1080p is your preferred resolution I would still go for something with a bit more grunt. The Vega56 might be a good option if it releases at £350...

a bit more grunt @ twice the price. not exactly bang for buck

R0B75 · 17 Aug 2017 at 12:56

Psycho Sonny said:
well no idea about destiny 2 as it's not been released yet.

however a 1060 3GB will play dark souls 3 absolutely maxxed out @ 1080p with 60 fps minimum

https://www.techspot.com/review/1162-dark-souls-3-benchmarks/page2.html

a GTX 780 3GB plays it at 54 fps minimum and 57 fps average on a 60 hz monitor.

and a 1060 3gb is 12% faster

http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-GTX-780-vs-Nvidia-GTX-1060-3GB/2164vs3646

a 1060 6gb is 19% faster

http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-GTX-780-vs-Nvidia-GTX-1060-6GB/2164vs3639

so the choice is yours. it depends on how regularly you upgrade. if you plan on upgrading again within 12 months then the 3GB probably makes more sense atm with it's £180 price tag. if not then get the slightly more expensive 6GB card.

those saying the 1060 3GB is rubbish clearly don't play 1080p 60hz

All useful info, but it's more than I want to pay for a card to play one or 2 games at the moment. I played Dark Souls 3 last night and it runs ok, just gets slightly choppy at times, but still looks better than it ever did on console, even on mostly medium settings. For now I think I will wait for inevitable price drops or a second hand bargain.

CAT-THE-FIFTH · 17 Aug 2017 at 13:44

I wouldn't buy a GTX1060 3GB now for close to £200 delivered(for most people),since most people I know who buy such cards will keep them for two to three years at least. People keep making the same mistakes - the 8800GT 256MB didn't really do as well longterm as even a slower 9600GT 512MB. The fact is I would rather wait for a cheaper GTX1060 6GB or RX580 8GB. I have seen the latter drop down on pre-order deals to as low as £220ish now.

opethdisciple · 17 Aug 2017 at 13:56

Second hand 980ti at a good price.

Or brand new a GTX 1060 6Gb edition

Psycho Sonny · 17 Aug 2017 at 14:08

CAT-THE-FIFTH said:
I wouldn't buy a GTX1060 3GB now for close to £200 delivered(for most people),since most people I know who buy such cards will keep them for two to three years at least. People keep making the same mistakes - the 8800GT 256MB didn't really do as well longterm as even a slower 9600GT 512MB. The fact is I would rather wait for a cheaper GTX1060 6GB or RX580 8GB. I have seen the latter drop down on pre-order deals to as low as £220ish now.

i got mine off the mm a month or so ago for £165 delivered. 2-3 months old.

it is what it is. a very good cheap card. i'll use it for a year. sell it for £120 ish and then buy something else. cost to me for 1 years use is £45. whereas a 6gb version would end up costing a lot more for very little improvement.

3GB of RAM is also fine IMO for 1080p. higher res's then for sure get the 6GB. i don't think people who spend <£200 on a card expect it to last 3+ years either. buy cheap and buy regularly is my motto when it comes to tech.

CAT-THE-FIFTH · 17 Aug 2017 at 15:03

Psycho Sonny said:
i got mine off the mm a month or so ago for £165 delivered. 2-3 months old.

it is what it is. a very good cheap card. i'll use it for a year. sell it for £120 ish and then buy something else. cost to me for 1 years use is £45. whereas a 6gb version would end up costing a lot more for very little improvement.

3GB of RAM is also fine IMO for 1080p. higher res's then for sure get the 6GB. i don't think people who spend <£200 on a card expect it to last 3+ years either. buy cheap and buy regularly is my motto when it comes to tech.

Almost everyone I know who buys those kind of cards keeps them for two to three years,since many of them are gamers not really enthusiasts and a number of newer games showed the 3GB model having issues too. The fact this is seen on Steam most cards either have 2GB or 4GB,so 3GB is neither here nor there sadly. For a lot of people spending £150 to £250 IS a decent amount,especially when a console can be had for £200 to £300 alone.

Its not a bad card - a number of Blizzard titles don't really use massive amounts of VRAM,so its plenty but sadly more and more titles seem to be use too much of it which really does not help. ROTR is one of them where a GTX970 could end up having better minimums than the GTX1060 3GB despite the slower core.

My Powercolor RX470 4GB Devil cost me £158 late last year,and looking at some of the newer reviews,it does seem the RX570 4GB due to the VRAM increase is getting some more recent boosts.

Its the same with the GTX780 3GB - a fast core but as time progressed the extra VRAM on the R9 290 helped it.

The issue is for most people even the cheapest GTX1060 3GB is close to £200 delivered. There have been deals(if you are patient) for the RX580 8GB and GTX1060 6GB for not much more. Both those latter cards will also hold their value more even if they cost more.

It does not even help with games like FO4 and Skyrim which have huge modding communities and mods can eat up RAM,so I would rather go the cheap route and get a secondhand GTX970/980(if possible) if given the choice and a hard £200 limit.