GPU change?

[Rob_J]

Hi folks, not been here in a very very long time so please bear with me.

My system (Specs in sig) is very old by todays standards but it still does what I need it to do... almost . I built it around 7 years ago and the only upgrade from the original GPU (nVidia EVGA 790GTX) was to the EVGA 1660 Super around 6 years ago also recently to a 1TB NVME.

I'm not a gamer by any stretch of the imagination but I do enjoy the occasional hour or so on World of Warships or FS9/10. I think I'm right in assuming that my MOBO is only PCIE 3 compliant which I believe limits my choice of GPUs and I'd prefer to stick with nVidia if possible. The 1660 Super I'm currently using is now showing signs of occasional glitches where the screen will either freeze for a few seconds or just go blank and then back again.

I've tried various drivers from old to the latest for my card but the problems still happen, I've even tried different cables (HDMI, DP even VGA (I know I know)) and also tried 3 different moniters to see if that was the problem, alas no.

My question is, what would be my options for a GPU replacement as I gather a PCIE 4 GPU would be out of the question? Cost is also limited as I'm a pensioner now so please be gentle.

Many thanks, Rob

EDITED to correct build time, I built this in 2018

 

[Rob_J]

Interesting as I read in another thread that "If you don't have pcie 4.0 then cross Nvidia off your list, 5060 Ti = x8 lanes only".

 

[Rob_J]

Many thanks folks, an interestiing read and I appreciate all your comments/suggestions.

Yes I did say I'd prefer nVidia as that is what World of Warships supposedly runs better on but I am open to AMD, I've never had one before so no idea what they're like and no, I don't play AAA games. Going from what I've read onlline, neither WOW or the older FS9/10 use much in the way of VRAM compared to the AAA games of today, though I could be massively wrong on that point.

I did update my BIOS some time last year to the latest F13 version.

So a 3060/3070 12gb or equivalent AMD card would be what I'm looking at? Budget is around £400/450 but less if possible. I must confess I am a little weary about 2nd hand as you don't know how much abuse they've gone through and as I say, funds are tight.

Rob

EDIT to add....

Will my PSU be enough to run the newer card? It's a Corsair AX860

 

[Rob_J]

Your PSU should be fine, no worries there. Sticking with NVidia £450 will get you a brand new 5060Ti 16GB or a used 3080Ti 12GB. The 3080 will be faster, but will use a bit more electricity. Used isn't much of a risk, the shop we're talking about gives a free 5 year warranty with their used cards so you actually get a better warranty than buying new.

WoWS runs fine on AMD, I played it on AMD cards for years without any issues. Buying new on your budget I'd get probably a 9060XT 16GB. Those can be had for about £350 and compete with the 5060Ti on performance.

Edit: just tried out WoWS and on max settings it peaked at 6.4GB vram use. So 8GB cards should be fine for a while, but 12/16GB is obviously better if you're going to be keeping the card for a few years.

Thank you, but now I'm more than a little confused lol (it's an age thing)

Are you saying I could get a 5060Ti 16GB and it would work OK with my old Z390 PCIe 3 mobo? Forgive me for being a whelk here, but my current 1660 runs in a x16 slot but the 5060Ti is a PCIe x8 card whereas the 9060XT is x16... my mobo does have an 8x slot though, again, apologies for being dense.

Rob

 

[Rob_J]

There have been a few posts here on the forums and that I've seen elsewhere, where 5000 series cards didn't boot on Z390/Z490 boards. I'd recommend you dig around a bit, if you decide to go that route.

I can only remember one case of a 9060 XT being used on an 8th/9th gen board, it worked.

Thank you, I'll check around re the 9060 XT

 

[Rob_J]

Thanks to all who've contributed to this thread, I've been having a good look round at my options. I think the 5060Ti 16GB is out of the lineup mainly due to the uncertainty of comparison with my mobo Z390.

The 3060Ti 12GB is an option I can take knowing that it will work OK with my current setup and even if it's only ~40%'ish faster than my 1660, it's still an upgrade, likewise the 3070 12GB as another option.

As for the RTX5070 12GB - it is +/- £200'ish over my budget whereas the RX9060XT 16GB is in budget, but as the post above says, I could wait for it to come on a deal (black friday?).

I do have one question re the RTX5070 12GB, it says you need a 16 pin power connector to run, my PSU PCIE rail has 2 x 8 pin on one rail/cable, would that still work or would it cause stress/problems to the PSU?

Rob

 

[Rob_J]

3060 is 12GB
3060ti and 3070 are both 8GB cards

Apologies, I meant the 3060 not the Ti version,

Well things have progressed a bit, I have had a bit of financial luck which means I'll be able to build a complete new system in late Dec, so this thread can now be closed.

Many thanks to everyone who has contributed to my dumb questions and have offered advice for what I could get. My old Gen3 PC will be retired by the end of the year.

Rob