PCIe

[DaveJ-UK]

I haven't upgraded my desktop for 5 or 6 years. Currently have a Gigabyte Z68X-UD3 motherboard with an i5-2500K and a Gigabyte GTX 560 Ti OC.

My ~10 year old Dell 2560x1600 LCD is on its way out so I bought a new Samsung U28E590DS 4K monitor.

However being the genius I am, I didn't think to check that my GTX 560 Ti is capable of 3840x2160 output - and it isn't. So now I need a new graphics card but my motherboard only has PCIe 2.0 slots and all current graphics card are 3.0.

Would a GTX 760 be a good choice bearing in mind that my main concern is 2D performance with a bit of Starcraft II (at 4K?) or Far Cry 4 thrown in for good measure?

Thanks

 

[David Bisset]

They'll be backwards compatible so you can get a PCIe 3.0 card

 

[DaveJ-UK]

Sure - I am aware that it will physically fit and that it will function.

I mean, would I be totally wasting my money buying a GTX 760 over a GTX 660 for example? Or will I get zero extra performance because both cards are choked off by PCIe 2.0?

 

[VincentHanna]

Not at all

Infact the difference between a GPU running in PCIe 2.0 and 3.0 mode is negligible.

 

[arby1]

Go for a 1070 if you want. It'll still work at 99% of its PCIe 3 potential.

 

[Kaapstad]

Not at all

Infact the difference between a GPU running in PCIe 2.0 and 3.0 mode is negligible.

This^

In the link below is a pair of Pascal Titans running PCI-E 2.0 and 3.0 X8/X8 on Time Spy Extreme which is a 4k benchmark.

PCI-E 3.0 is only a tiny fraction better.

https://www.3dmark.com/compare/spy/2742533/spy/2742488#

 

[DaveJ-UK]

Thanks guys; that's exactly what I was looking for.

So what do you think would be a sensible graphics card upgrade to avoid being bottle necked too much by my ageing CPU/motherboard combo?

 

[Minibiker]

What sort of budget will you be looking at ideally

 

[DaveJ-UK]

Around £100 mark. Second hand is fine.

 

[BongoHunter]

A GTX 1060 3gb might be worth a look

 

[Minibiker]

A 1050Ti or 1050 is a good card around the £100 mark.. Second hand you may be lucky to find a GTX970

Around £100 mark. Second hand is fine.

 

[arc@css]

Try and nab a second-hand R9 290/290X or equivalent.

 

[DaveJ-UK]

Thanks guys - just picked up the following (used) card for £155 shipped.

ASUS NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 (4096 MB) (STRIX-GTX970-DC2OC-4GD5)

 

[nashathedog]

Sure - I am aware that it will physically fit and that it will function.

I mean, would I be totally wasting my money buying a GTX 760 over a GTX 660 for example? Or will I get zero extra performance because both cards are choked off by PCIe 2.0?

What are you using it for? Gaming or just lightweight stuff?

Whoops, Too late

 

[subbytna]

Thanks guys - just picked up the following (used) card for £155 shipped.

ASUS NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 (4096 MB) (STRIX-GTX970-DC2OC-4GD5)

Quite expensive for a 970 but it's a good card, had two of them back in the day.

 

[DaveJ-UK]

Quite expensive for a 970 but it's a good card, had two of them back in the day.

Expensive? I thought I got a good deal!

 

[ubersonic]

Try and nab a second-hand R9 290/290X or equivalent.

Agree, you could grab one for a decent price plus buying a Freesync monitor then buying an Nvidia card to go with it is essentially throwing money away.

 

[subbytna]

Expensive? I thought I got a good deal!

You probably paid £25 more than you should have but it's all relative, if you're happy then it's a good investment

 

[Shiari]

You probably paid £25 more than you should have but it's all relative, if you're happy then it's a good investment

Funny thing is that that's never the response in these forums when people say they bought a Vega card. Would be nice if that was always the response from everyone

 

[varkanoid]

Expensive? I thought I got a good deal!

I've seen 970's going for £130. Like above its relative there is always somewhere else cheaper it just depends whether you want to spend a week searching.