New Video Card Advice

[Phanerothyme 12]

So I have an old i5-4670K, 8gb Ram, with a GTX 1050ti - and I'd like to get an ultrawide monitor (something like MSI Optix MAG341CQ) to replace my Dell 23" HD (which is fine but feeling  a bit cramped).

Do I need a new video card  to get reasonable performance on an ultrawide (QHD) monitor with a game like Satisfactory?

Any recommendations?

[zach 234]

I remember my daughter saying she had issues on a wide monitor with a GTX970, not tried on a 1050ti but it is what it is. It's not a bad card but start throwing high resolutions at it, and it might show. You could upgrade the card but without a budget idea, it's dificult to know.

 

The 4th gen i5 and 8GB of RAM could also be a bottleneck in performance. I have a test machine with near on the same spec (16GB RAM) It's OK at fairly low settings but take it up to 1440 etc and it starts to crawl. The CPU and GPU are at 100% and the RAM is high.

 

A better card could take some of the load but it might be time to think of other parts too.

 

Budget?

[Ghozer 112]

With a decent card the higher resolution you go, the less work the CPU generally does... in gaming at least!

2nd hand 1080Ti  for "lower end" or 3060 Ti for new / higher end

[Phanerothyme 12]

Thanks!

My budget is probably in the range of £300. TBH Although this 1050ti is capable, it's a cheaper, short card with few outputs, so a better equipped card with an improvement in performance, even if it couldnt do QHD gaming convincingly, would be good. Looking at the prices of cards at the moment, the market doesn't seem terribly sensible.

 

Might consider splurging on a new box, and demoting this one to server duties as a dedicate Plex unit...

Edited December 31, 2020 by Phanerothyme

[Ghozer 112]

with a £300 budget, a 2nd hand 1080 is well within budget...

Or, you would be looking at something like a 1660 Super if buying new..

Although the 1080 will have around 20-25% better performance compared to the 1660...

 

[Phanerothyme 12]

Ah that's exactly the sort of thing I needed to know! ^ Thanks again. Any particular brands to avoid or seek out? Just browsing ebay at the moment -

 

 

Edited December 31, 2020 by Phanerothyme

[zach 234]

It's always quite expensive to build anything good from scratch. The big question needs to be asked...do you keep spending on old tech? No problem with a newer GPU but most of your other parts would have to be re-purposed. The system you have now would be a decent Plex server but I'd be trying a newer/faster GPU first.

 

I use ASUS, EVGA, Gigabyte and Palit GPUs, all have been good up to now. Like most companies, all the ones mentioned have budget lines. I try to avoid the cheap ones if I can. Used parts can go for silly money, compare used to new and post links if you want to. I don't have anything at the moment but I'll ask around.

[Phanerothyme 12]

I think I'll follow Ghozer's lead with the 1080ti.  Miners have pushed prices of GPUs to the point where it seems to be worth scalping. This way I know I can get some more output ports, a stab at ultrawide gaming and a stable desktop experience with QHD display.

I can then bring a new box with new GPU to the table when funds allow, or needs must.

Thanks for your advice, much appreciated.

[Waldo 96]

15 hours ago, Phanerothyme said:

Miners have pushed prices of GPUs to the point where it seems to be worth scalping.

People are still using GPUs for mining? I thought they were considered way too slow (and not viable considering energy costs of running etc), even a couple of years back, and everyone was switching to ASIC mining hardware?

 

Anyhow, best of luck with the new rig, and a happy new year to you and your family.

[Waldo 96]

9 hours ago, Waldo said:

People are still using GPUs for mining? I thought they were considered way too slow (and not viable considering energy costs of running etc), even a couple of years back, and everyone was switching to ASIC mining hardware?

I could very well be wrong though!

 

https://www.noypigeeks.com/tech-news/mining-rig-78-rtx-3080-php6-million

 

Anyone looked at the economies of mining using current GPU cards? I was convinced there's no mileage in it? Costs of hardware and electric etc; not compensated by value of mined coins? Thoughts?

[andysm 17]

Bitcoin prices are at a historic high right now, more than £23,200 per bitcoin (I paid £30 for 0.1 BTC a few year ago, then lost it when I upgraded to a new laptop :(  ).

[Waldo 96]

7 hours ago, andysm said:

Bitcoin prices are at a historic high right now, more than £23,200 per bitcoin (I paid £30 for 0.1 BTC a few year ago, then lost it when I upgraded to a new laptop ).

Ouch! Did you now write down your recovery phrase anywhere? Still, at least you're not the guy who bought pizza with 20,000 of them! I think they peaked a little over £25k in the last week?