Old PC gamer lured back in by Half Life Alyx…

[Rapt0rUK]

The last PC game I probably played was Half Life 2, since then I’ve been in the dark world of Xbox but news of a new Half Life title (in VR!) means I want back in…

It’s been a long time since I’ve looked at PC components so have done days of reading but need some help!!

Here’s where I’m at… I have a Dell XPS 15 9560, I7-7700HQ CPU @ 2.8ghz, 16GB DDR4 RAM which is pretty punchy but let down by the GPU (GTX 1050) which falls under the recommended spec for VR on the steam VR test.

So, my plan, is to run a eGPU (which I didn’t even know existed until 2 days ago!) and have already pulled the trigger on a Razer Core X box (arrived today)…

Side note: I know there is an issue with the TB3 ports on the XPS (not all 4 lanes so only 20gbps) but don’t need to use the internal (laptop) display so have read it should be OK.

My dilemma is all the potential options for GPU… I want to get something with some headroom that allows me to play with decent quality settings (med/high) and give me some future proofing for the next gen of VR titles that follow and think I’ve narrowed it down to 2 options…

1. A new RTX 2070 (have found for £378)

2. Pre-owned GTX 1080ti (found for £390-£400)

I’m ruling out the base GTX 1080 as they’re seemingly outperformed by the RTX 2070 for similar money so reluctant to buy used with similar price/performance.

The question is, is it better to have a new RTX2070 (with 3 year warranty) or an old (potentially abused) but more powerful GTX 1080ti.

What’s the lifespan on a graphics card… is it sensible buying what could be a 4 year old card with no warranty, will the RTX 2070 give me enough power to rule out the need?

If it helps, I’ll likely run VR on a 1080p projector (as second display) but I do also own a 4k screen and do video editing (often 4k) so having something that can help with that would be a bonus.

In terms of VR unit, right now I’m planning on going all out and getting the Valve Index, so something that can run the higher refresh rates (120Hz) on offer would also be preferable… not sure if the RTX 2070 can handle that??

Any help would be much appreciated, then I’ll take my place at the back of the long queue for an Index setup!

Thanks in advance!

 

[Rapt0rUK]

**Edited out**

Sorry folks!

Thanks for the replies, it does seem on paper that the 1080ti is quite a bit more powerful, on benchmarks for Half-Life it is happily running in Ultra settings vs High for the RTX 2070 but I'm inclined to agree... A 3 year warranty is appealing and the reported visual difference between and High and Ultra is pretty minimal...

Good point about the ray tracing side of things as well...will check out the OC store for RTX 2070's!

 

[Rapt0rUK]

Prices pushed up? That's the opposite of what i'd have expected so interesting to know! I assumed if a new line was coming out, they drop the price of the old one to clear stock in the channel and make way for the new stuff...how it works in my industry anyway so good to know... based on that it might be an idea to not hang around too long deliberating...

I have looked at the Super but the prices jump up fairly significantly (for new)... you're looking upwards of £500 vs £380 for the standard... When you say vanilla, i guess it's all relative...the RTX 2070 is still appears pretty capable... It's mentioned here as a good option for Half Life so assuming it will do a decent job...? https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/half-life-alyx-best-gpu-best-headset/ but having read the article again, it is a bit mis-leading, it mentions RTX 2070 throughout but then looks like the card on test was actually a Super...

If I'm trying to get as close to the £350 mark as possible, would you still back the standard 2070 new vs an old 1080ti?

 

[Rapt0rUK]

Thanks for the info

I was actually basing a lot of my assumptions on that article... in particular this table (below), i know it's frame rate so not the only thing to consider but i thought it was a sensible shortcut to help the decision making process!

Like you say it doesn't mention the base 2070 (only the Super) but you'd guess it must sit somewhere between the RTX 2060 Super and the GTX 1080ti. With the RTX 2060 Super rated OK for High settings, you'd assume the 2070 will be good to go too... From what I've read about the game, I don't think i need to be pushing to reach Ultra settings... for what you'd have to invest in better GPU to get there, it sounds like minimal gains.

So on that basis, i'm starting to lean more and more towards a new RX2070 vs a used 1080ti or anything else for that matter.

Would you agree?