Best Value Graphics Card for ~€350

Generic Dreadhead

Hi all,

I'm currently using a GTX 670 and a a 27" monitor @ 1920 x 1080
It's starting to struggle a bit more nowadays with games on higher graphical settings.
I don't have a lot of budget to replace this, but I'd like to get the best value for money.
I'm aware graphics cards can have diminishing returns after a certain price point so don't want to break the bank and would rather spend €300 realistically.
But maybe an ABSOLUTE max of €400 if it presents a drastically better value proposition.
I don't Overclock at the moment and am not really fussed by doing it

I'm using:

• Current GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 FTW Signature 2 https://www.evga.com/Products/Specs/GPU.aspx?pn=ADD55097-8B5A-48C6-9CF6-743CF6917D59
• Monitor: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00TF0XQNO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
• CPU: Intel 3rd Gen Core i5-3570K CPU (4x 3.40GHz Turbo) processor
• RAM: 1x 8GB
• Mobo: ASUS P8Z77-V PRO https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/P8Z77V_PRO/
• PSU: Seasonic X-650, 650 Watt, 80PLUS Gold
• OS: Windows 10 64bit

I'd like to be able to run the below games @60+ FPS on High/Ultra settings if feasible:

1. Warhammer Total War 1 & 2
2. Overwatch
3. Starcraft 2
4. Civ 6
5. X-Com 2 (& DLC)

Redfox25

Hi, I know you said your were not madly fussed to OC but it might be worth while giving it a try. It isnt hard and you might get 10% more performance from your current card for no expenditure apart from some time.

A GTX 1060 or RX 580 might be a good fit for what your doing either.

Here is a Sapphire nitro for 265 stg https://www.amazon.co.uk/SAPPHIRE-Radeon-NITRO-2xHDMI-Graphics/dp/B071CFN75H/ref=sr_1_2?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1506593948&sr=1-2&keywords=rx+580

Or a mini 960 for 240 stg https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zotac-NVIDIA-GeForce-GDDR5-Graphics/dp/B01IA9FEOO/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1506594018&sr=1-1&keywords=gtx+1060+6gb

Lots of choices and you dont need a 1070 or a vega for what your doing at that resolution and proposed FPS.

Try out the OC option first then look at a new card.

K.O.Kiki

I spotted 5x GTX 980 Ti's on Adverts; with a bit of haggling I'm sure you can get one for €350 or less.

GTX 980 Ti is about equal to a GTX 1070 (€400+ new) & has lots of room for overclocking in the future.

Generic Dreadhead

Redfox25 wrote: »

Or a mini 960 for 240 stg https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zotac-NVIDIA-GeForce-GDDR5-Graphics/dp/B01IA9FEOO/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1506594018&sr=1-1&keywords=gtx+1060+6gb

I assume thats a typo 960 for 1060 :P

But honestly, that seems like a really great value proportion

Would it be worthwhile shelling out the extra £22 for the 2x Fan full size version (better for Overclocking correct?)? Or is there a specific reason you liked the mini one (noticed it has a £90.00 discount so is apparently, normally £329.99)?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zotac-NVIDIA-GeForce-GDDR5-Graphics/dp/B01I5O5AP2/ref=sr_1_3?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1506600182&sr=1-3&keywords=gtx%2B1060%2B6gb&th=1

Just checked where it came in compared to my existing card:
http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-GTX-670-vs-Nvidia-GTX-1060-6GB/2181vs3639

I'd like to get a new one personally, just never really felt comfortable buying anything electronic 2nd hand

Xenoronin

Note that a lot of the games you have listed (SC2 and TW:W 1+2) are CPU bound once the GPU is strong enough. It might be worth looking into the i7 3770K as a future upgrade after this GPU upgrade, or following some guides to overclock the **** out of the i5 .

Remouad

I was looking at the the 1060 and the 480 when I was building my machine and went with the 480 because I got a very good deal on the MSI gaming version.

However The 1060 does seem to have more consistency across the different card vendors and is still neck and neck with the more recently released 580

Comparison of the 1060 and 580 (jump to 7:40 for Total War: Warhammer)

Would it be worthwhile shelling out the extra £22 for the 2x Fan full size version (better for Overclocking correct?)? Or is there a specific reason you liked the mini one (noticed it has a £90.00 discount so is apparently, normally £329.99)?

Better cooling and generally quieter on the 2 fan version
Looks like that one is coming from amazon US so you'll have to add UK delivery and parcel motel charges to the displayed price.
Still be the one I'd go for.

BloodBath

You should overclock your 3570k as well as getting a new card. Those things do 4.3 - 4.5Ghz on all cores easily with a semi decent cooler.

Most of your games are RTS/TBS which love cpu power.

Also what's your storage setup? Do you have an SSD yet?

Generic Dreadhead

Awesome, I'll look into that too.
Only real set back now is my MOBO has 2 RAM slots but one of them was DOA so I'm stuck with 1x working slot.
So if I wanted to go 2x8GB instead, I can't, would have to go 1x16GB

Also, edited main post to outline my PSU as thats relevant too: Seasonic X-650, 650 Watt, 80PLUS Gold

Generic Dreadhead

Generic Dreadhead wrote: »

Awesome, I'll look into that too.
Only real set back now is my MOBO has 2 RAM slots but one of them was DOA so I'm stuck with 1x working slot.
So if I wanted to go 2x8GB instead, I can't, would have to go 1x16GB

Also, edited main post to outline my PSU as thats relevant too: Seasonic X-650, 650 Watt, 80PLUS Gold

probably cheaper to get a new motherboard then.
16gb is becoming standard these days.

Generic Dreadhead

glasso wrote: »

probably cheaper to get a new motherboard then.

Is the motherboard really an issue? I don't wanna upgrade for upgrades sake. And, I don't have the money

Was thinking GPU upgrade + Overclock CPU + Maybe swap 8GB of ram for 16GB and that would be more than sufficient for a few years (at least with the kinds of games I'm playing)

Lu Tze

Generic Dreadhead wrote: »

Is the motherboard really an issue? I don't wanna upgrade for upgrades sake. And, I don't have the money

Was thinking GPU upgrade + Overclock CPU + Maybe swap 8GB of ram for 16GB and that would be more than sufficient for a few years (at least with the kinds of games I'm playing)

Check your motherboard manual as well for ram support, I have a B75 chipset (same socket 1155) and it only supports max 8GB modules

Remouad

Generic Dreadhead wrote: »

Is the motherboard really an issue? I don't wanna upgrade for upgrades sake. And, I don't have the money

Was thinking GPU upgrade + Overclock CPU + Maybe swap 8GB of ram for 16GB and that would be more than sufficient for a few years (at least with the kinds of games I'm playing)

Which would also mean changing the CPU and probably ram type so best avoided for now.
Unless you can pick a used one cheap.

PSU is still good. 1060 and 580 are very power efficient.
If you were going for a vega card it might be different. I've heard they're very power hungry.

Redfox25

Before you spend any money, OC your GPU and CPU and see how they are performing.

Wont cost you any money, then if its still lacking get a new GPU and see how its going.

Generic Dreadhead

Generic Dreadhead wrote: »

Is the motherboard really an issue? I don't wanna upgrade for upgrades sake. And, I don't have the money

Was thinking GPU upgrade + Overclock CPU + Maybe swap 8GB of ram for 16GB and that would be more than sufficient for a few years (at least with the kinds of games I'm playing)

1 x 16gb is expensive.
I mean that it would be cheaper to get a motherboard with 2 working ram slots (as only one of your slots works) and buy 1 more 1 x 8gb than buying a 1 x 16 gb

Generic Dreadhead

glasso wrote: »

1 x 16gb is expensive.

Just had a look there. You were not joking :eek:

EDIT: also, having done some research, am I really gonna ever feel the benefit of 6GB VRAM over 3gGB VRAM in the games I listed (@60fps in 1920 x 1080)?

well some games are coming out recommending over 8gb ram these days.
otherwise you may have the use of ramdisk occuring which would slow things down.
if possible would go to 16gb these days imo.

Generic Dreadhead

Yeah, might look into those other components in the new year. For now I'm mainly focusing on replacing my 670 though

Generic Dreadhead

Ended up hedging my bets on being more future proof by going with the 6GB of VRAM. The fact it dropped £10 sealed the deal.

Zotac NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB Mini

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01IA9FEOO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thank you to you all for your help, should be here in a few days

Redfox25

Enjoy the new card!

Billy86

Generic Dreadhead wrote: »

Just had a look there. You were not joking :eek:

EDIT: also, having done some research, am I really gonna ever feel the benefit of 6GB VRAM over 3gGB VRAM in the games I listed (@60fps in 1920 x 1080)?

Yes, definitely. I have a 4GB 970 (very similar performance to a 1060 or 480/580) and have noticed that the types of games you listed specifically take up the most VRAM (probably due to having to many moving parts/units/etc all going on at the same time) - Civ VI on the largest map type and highest settings can cause issues for me, and a mod that gives even bigger maps again has a warning that it won't run without 6GB at the minimum. I got X-Com 2 recently there, and it also seems to swallow a fair bit, and finally got the first Warhammer Total War last week and it's constantly telling me I'm right at the capacity too. Then you've got games like DOOM and Forza Horizon 3 showing other genres very regularly pushing above 3GB as well.

I'm planning to upgrade from my 4GB 970 maybe in 2019 for this reason, which is why I just don't think a 1060 3GB is a worthwhile card personally.

EDIT: I really should read to the bottom of threads before replying - you made the right choice though!

Generic Dreadhead

It just just arrived today
It actually dropped another £11 in price before it shipped so I was able to get it at the lower price of £218.99
Glad i spent the little bit extra tbh

Remouad

Generic Dreadhead wrote: »

It just just arrived today
It actually dropped another £11 in price before it shipped so I was able to get it at the lower price of £218.99
Glad i spent the little bit extra tbh

You should do some comparison screenshots with your old card.

DigBipper

Sorry for hogging your post dude. Just in the process of buying myself. In terms of Future proofing, where does the 1060 6gb fall. I am torn between this 1070 & 1080 and don't know if I am throwing money away going with the latter. The monitors needed go up exponentially with the 1080 that's for sure.

BloodBath

The 1070ti is on the way which will be around €400-450. It's basically a 1080 with locked boost clocks. There may be ways around this though.

What resolution and refresh rate is your monitor?

Billy86

A lot would depend on your resolution and frame-rate; if it's 1080p 60fps you're after -and others will know with more certainty than me- but a 580 8GB might be your best bet in terms of value. They were impossible to get for the last 6-7 months because they're insanely popular for bitcoin mining but if you keep an eye out you can get them for £250ish (usually requires buying a week or two before they're released, Amazon especially can do big discounts building up to release) which would be about the same as a 1060 6GB.

Here is one currently available for £270, so just a tick over €300 - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B071Y7XJY4/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new , if you get it pay in GBP, Amazon's prices are great but if you pay in Euro they bend you over on the exchange rate by about 5c or so.

TerrorFirmer

It also depends on how long you usually go between replacing cards. A GTX1070 isn't overkill for a 1080p 60hz monitor if you plan keeping the card for 5 or 6 years, which many people do.

Sometimes I feel jealous of those people.....that rush from upgrading from something like an old GTX570 to a GTX1060 must be better than heroin.

K.O.Kiki

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

It also depends on how long you usually go between replacing cards. A GTX1070 isn't overkill for a 1080p 60hz monitor if you plan keeping the card for 5 or 6 years, which many people do.

Sometimes I feel jealous of those people.....that rush from upgrading from something like an old GTX570 to a GTX1060 must be better than heroin.

860m -> (PS3) -> GTX 970
Now I'm on 980 Ti & I nearly bought a 1080 earlier this year.

Joeface

I went from a 570 to 980 earlier this year....yes Terrorfirmer it is like heroin.. ...i can only assume 1060 would have be like adding sprinkles on top.

DigBipper

BloodBath. I don't have a monitor either, I will be getting the lot together. I had 'settled' on a pre built with a gtx 1080 but when I went looking at 1440p ips monitors the cost put me off it. Can't justify paying near €800 for a monitor that people have issues with, regardless of model.

That's why I'm thinking 1060/1070 card with a 1080p monitor. Cheaper and easier to handle the obvious flaws (costs considerably less money)that seem apparent with gaming monitors in general.

Currently have a PS4 not pro... this will be my first gaming PC, is the jump really that big?

TerrorFirmer

Well, you can just get a GTX1070 and a regular 1440p 60hz monitor. They're pretty reasonable. €800 for a monitor would be 1440p 144hz G-Sync. A standard 1440p60hz monitor is perfectly fine and a GTX1070 would be a great card for that resolution for a fair few years at ultra settings.

The jump from a PS4 Pro would be a big one, yes. Particularly in very CPU heavy games like Battlefield 1 and Fallout 4, you won't have just much better visual quality, but also your framerate will be doubled and far more stable.

Billy86

Here's a 1070 and 27" 60fps 1440p monitor for £565/€635 combined:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00U2ZZX5A/?tag=pcp0f-21
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01LLAJ8PU/?tag=pcp0f-21

Or a 1080 and 27" 144hz 1440p monitor (no GSync) for £840/€945:
https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/palit-dual-geforce-gtx-1080-8gb-gddr5x-oc-graphics-card-neb1080u15p2-1045d/version.asp?tduid=3ead6dd1aa2387a3ca9af0854bbb289f&utm_source=Skinflint+UK_1615483&utm_medium=tradedoubler
https://www.ebuyer.com/700242-acer-predator-xg270hu-27-free-sync-monitor-um-hg0ee-001

Or with GSync for £150/€170ish more, so around €1,100 for this and the 1080 above:
https://www.ebuyer.com/700242-acer-predator-xg270hu-27-free-sync-monitor-um-hg0ee-001