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Card upgrade but will it fit?

spud959

spud959

spud959

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Joined
11 Nov 2015
Posts
67
So I have a new monitor and have found out from a forum member I'll need a new card to get G-Sync to work. I have a MSI Geforce GTX 970 and need over a 10 series.

I'm looking to get a MSI GTX1650 Ventus XS 4GB card.

The irony is with the help and parts from this forum I built this computer myself however I can't remember how things were compatible.
Looking at my device manager it's an ACPI x64 based pc if that's any use.
Would the new card fit is my question? I don't want to have to buy a whole new computer to run a poxy monitor.

Thanks.
 
You shouldn't have any issues. A 1650 has lower power consumption and should be no larger than a 970 physically. Do keep in mind it's going to be a slight downgrade from a 970 performance-wise though.

I assume your old monitor had a G-Sync module, which would allow anything from the 600 series up to use G-Sync. Most newer ones don't have a module any more and run through the VESA adaptive sync spec, which requires DisplayPort 1.2a (which 900 series cards don't have).
 
Aretak said:
You shouldn't have any issues. A 1650 has lower power consumption and should be no larger than a 970 physically. Do keep in mind it's going to be a slight downgrade from a 970 performance-wise though.

I assume your old monitor had a G-Sync module, which would allow anything from the 600 series up to use G-Sync. Most newer ones don't have a module any more and run through the VESA adaptive sync spec, which requires DisplayPort 1.2a (which 900 series cards don't have).
Click to expand...
Yes I did notice that and was going to ask. I would have thought it was a better card. What would be the 970 equivalent or slightly better then?
No idea about the module it was a Dell and just worked and gave me the option in the nvidia pane.
 
spud959 said:
So I have a new monitor and have found out from a forum member I'll need a new card to get G-Sync to work. I have a MSI Geforce GTX 970 and need over a 10 series.

I'm looking to get a MSI GTX1650 Ventus XS 4GB card.

The irony is with the help and parts from this forum I built this computer myself however I can't remember how things were compatible.
Looking at my device manager it's an ACPI x64 based pc if that's any use.
Would the new card fit is my question? I don't want to have to buy a whole new computer to run a poxy monitor.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Might be best to list the monitor.

If its g-sync compatible the GTX 970 wont identify it as g-sync.
If it is a proper g-sync monitor the GTX 970 will work fine.
If it also is a freesync monitor then you can also consider an AMD card.
 
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spud959 said:
Yes I did notice that and was going to ask. I would have thought it was a better card. What would be the 970 equivalent or slightly better then?
No idea about the module it was a Dell and just worked and gave me the option in the nvidia pane.
Click to expand...
The 1650 Super or 1660 are a little faster than a 970. Obviously the 1660 Super and 1660 Ti are a further step up. If you're considering the used market, a 1070 is also around on par performance-wise with the latter two, with a 2060 a little faster still.

You also have FreeSync support, assuming your new monitor is the G27Q based on the other thread, so you could consider AMD. An RX 580 is slightly faster than a 970 there, or potentially a 5600 (XT)/6600 (XT) if you could find one in your price range. The 6500 XT is a poor card and best avoided however.
 
There seems to be no graphics cards available but I've found this.

https://www.******.com/919160-msi-g...g-x-6gb-graphics-card-gtx-1660-super-gaming-x

Will it be ok? I have 550w supply and a Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI motherboard. Aren't those clear side cases useful. :D
 
Ur forum mate is wrong about needing new gpu for g sync. 970 should be fine unless its not got dp or something and new monitor is dp only?

Not sure why anyone is recommending cards for u. Unless ur new mon is 4k and u want to game at 4k.
 
SkeeterUK said:
Ur forum mate is wrong about needing new gpu for g sync. 970 should be fine unless its not got dp or something and new monitor is dp only?

Not sure why anyone is recommending cards for u. Unless ur new mon is 4k and u want to game at 4k.
Click to expand...
It's my new monitor that needs the GPU. Apparantly the old monitor had gsync module built in but my new one only has freesync.
 
The 1660 super should be OK power and motherboard wise, but you'd be better off with an AMD RX6600 at the same price - you may need to update your motherboard BIOS though, worth confirming this (and whether a new enough BIOS exists!) beforehand .

It'll be 25-40% faster in most games and your new monitor is Freesync ultimate certified.

I can't link the product as we're not allowed to link to competitors to OCUK, but you should be able to find it without too much trouble ;)
 
SkeeterUK said:
but do u need gsync/freesync, i think u said u just play old quake. Vsync probs do for u or try fast sync in drivers?
Click to expand...
I'm not sure tbh but I know gsync works so want to use that level of tech again.
TrojanWhore said:
The 1660 super should be OK power and motherboard wise, but you'd be better off with an AMD RX6600 at the same price - you may need to update your motherboard BIOS though, worth confirming this (and whether a new enough BIOS exists!) beforehand .

It'll be 25-40% faster in most games and your new monitor is Freesync ultimate certified.

I can't link the product as we're not allowed to link to competitors to OCUK, but you should be able to find it without too much trouble ;)
Click to expand...
Ok thanks, can you let me know more about the bios and what I need to look for?
I assume freesync gives exactly the same effect as Gsync?
 
spud959 said:
It's my new monitor that needs the GPU. Apparantly the old monitor had gsync module built in but my new one only has freesync.
Click to expand...

In that case any fairly modern card will work and you'd probably be better off with an AMD card as they're generally better at the lower end (which is clearly what you're looking at if you're considering a 1650). Maybe an Radeon RX6600. They're relatively cheap and relatively decent performance. Better than you could get from nvidia at the same price point. 6600XT if you want to go a bit higher. 6650XT (a warmed up version of 6600XT) depending on what price you can get them for. It's mostly about pricing at the moment, which is unstable.

Bit of background:

Gsync was owned by nvidia and restricted to nvidia and required specific hardware in the monitor. Gysnc monitors were generally significantly more expensive. And gysnc required an nvidia card that supported it.
AMD came up with freesync, which was open to anyone and far cheaper to implement in the monitor. It did the same thing as gsync. Earlier versions couldn't vary the refresh rate as much as gsync, but even they could vary it enough to work well.
Freesync became increasingly popular. So much so that nvidia had to start supporting it with their cards and drivers. Since freesync was invented by AMD, nvidia refused to use the word "freesync" despite using freesync. Instead, they called it "gsync compatible". Which is freesync.
 
spud959 said:
Ok thanks, can you let me know more about the bios and what I need to look for?
I assume freesync gives exactly the same effect as Gsync?
Click to expand...
Yes. Your new monitor will be using 'FreeSync' either way, which is just AMD's marketing term for VESA's adaptive sync standard that all brands have now settled on, bar a few super high end G-Sync monitors that still have a module.

As for the motherboard BIOS, determine what exact model you have, the easiest way probably being to download CPU-Z and look at the 'mainboard' tab, then type that into Google. You should find the manufacturer's page with BIOS updates for download (if there are any).
 
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Ok so the guys above have filled in some blanks while I was typing this :) but yes in essence Freesync and Gsync do very similar things - modulate the refresh rate of the monitor to match as closely as possible to the output framerate to prevent tearing. V-sync is the older way of doing it, which will lock the framerate to the refresh of the monitor, which will introduce some, often fairly minimal, input lag. You could also just lock the max framerate, but then you may still get some tearing when below the max refresh of the screen.

BIOS- DISCLAIMER: If you try to flash an incompatible BIOS to your board you could completely brick it, proceed at own risk or get someone more experienced to help! - I'd hope that most boards would detect that it was incompatible and stop you, but as they're all named the same on the site I'd be cautious

Really you'd be far better off if possible just borrowing a newer card from someone and testing if it works with your board, not sure if that's an option for you.....In the event that you decide to flash the BIOS I've detailed the process in as much as I can describe, in the below spoiler (also included links to the download pages for your board!)

Tbh in all likelihood it should be supported, however worth confirming if possible as every now and again VGA BIOSs change which can cause problems with older boards, someone may know more than me about the specifics, but it appears @SkeeterUK is running an RX 6700 with an even older CPU without issue!

OK, so to upgrade your BIOS you'd need to get the correct BIOS file from the manufacturer's website. In your case we'll need to confirm the specific revision of your motherboard, as it seems there have been more than one. There are lots of software tools that can give you this information, one of them is CPU-Z (assuming you don't have the box/manual and can't see it written on the board - usually underneath one of the slots.)

Once you've downloaded that (manufactuer branding is not important and I'm almost certain you'll be on x64 if running win7/10/11), run the program and go to the mainboard tab. It should hopefully list the revision there as well as the current BIOS version.

Rev 1.0 BIOS page is here: https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/GA-Z97X-SLI-rev-10/support#support-dl-bios
Rev 1.1: https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/GA-Z97X-SLI-rev-11/support#support-dl-bios
Rev 1.2: https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/GA-Z97X-SLI-rev-12/support#support-dl-bios

however the latest download for any of the revisions is from 2016 (i.e. before the RX6600 came out)

Once you have the correct BIOS, you will need to copy the file to an appropriately sized (ideally 1-2GB or less) and formatted (Fat32) USB stick, then boot in to the BIOS menu (usually done by spamming the DEL key on boot), there should be a menu option to flash BIOS.
Once you've run that your PC should either restart itself (could be several times) or confirm that flashing is complete, after which it should boot in to the new BIOS successfully.

There will also be plenty of youtube vids showing the process, albeit for other models of board, but the steps should be the same

Hope some of that helps and best of luck :)
 
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spud959 said:
Oh Lordy I can see where this is heading. :eek:
Click to expand...
If you mean 'new PC', that's definitely not what we're suggesting! :p tbh I don't even think you need a new card to be able to game on your new monitor and only would if you 'need' freesync to be working!

Could you clarify what you mean about it looking blurred? - trying to understand whether it's tearing or something else.

Have you checked in both the desktop display settings and in the game options that it is running at the screen's native resolution (2560x1440)?
What is the refresh rate showing in your desktop display settings?

Review for your monitor here may have some tips on how best to set it up: https://www.rtings.com/monitor/reviews/gigabyte/g27q
 
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Thanks for bearing with me. Resolution is 144hz on monitor and settings,both running the same resolution.
Just played on old monitor and it's perfectly smooth when looking around everything is sharp even if I move the mouse quickly. This monitor makes me go gozzy almost immediately. When looking around it goes blurry and jittery as if moving in tiny sections. That's the best way I can explain it.
I've tried different settings in the monitor, overdrive and resolution seem to be the only things that would affect it but neither make it smooth or sharp.
 
@spud959

Never heard the term 'gozzy' before :D there's a few definitions on urban dictionary so I assume you mean the first: cross/boss eyed! (where in the country are you from by the way? - just curious!)

when you say it is moving in tiny sections, that makes me think what you're describing is tearing; basically what happens is the GPU gets part way through exporting the image in the frame buffer then the next frame is ready, so it starts loading that one from the same position, this results in it looking like half the frame (or more) looking like it's shifted or offset by a couple of pixels and can be quite jarring!

First thing to try would be v-sync, this is usually available as an option in the game's graphics settings, but if not you can also enforce it in the nvidia control panel - Go to the manage 3d settings page and find the 'vertical sync' option, change this from 'Use the 3d application setting' to 'enabled'

Is this just in quake that you're experiencing this issue? - enabling this may increase input lag but hopefully in that game you'll be on a rock solid 144Hz so shouldn't be too much of an issue, other games it may be more noticeable!

Let us know how you get on :)
 
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