Help on selecting a Graphics Card

[jimx]

I am looking to get my kid a Graphics Card for x-miss and I am confused.

He has a decent setup and a nice curved 32" monitor. We put it together from recommendations made here last year but at the time Graphics Cards were too $. He uses it for gaming.

I figured I would narrow it down to an 8 GB Gigabyte. But (to me) the specs look about the same and are priced from $300 to over $900.

https://www.amazon.com/s/s/ref=sr_nr_p_89_3?fst=as%3Aoff&rh=n%3A172282%2Cn%3A541966%2Cn%3A193870011%2Cn%3A17923671011%2Cn%3A284822%2Ck%3Avideo+card%2Cp_n_feature_four_browse-bin%3A6066318011%2Cp_89%3AGigabyte&keywords=video+card&ie=UTF8&qid=1543684218&rnid=2528832011

All the Graphics Ram Type is gddr5 or 5x or 6 but sometimes the 6 is less exspencive than the 5.

The Graphics Coprocessor's are often different but sometimes use names that mean nothing to me, e.g. AMD Radeon RX & Nvidia GeForce.
The other Coprocessor's have #'s - GeForce GTX 1070 & GeForce RTX 2070. IS the 2070 that much better than the 1070? Important or trivial?

As an example of my confusion (ignorance) look at thease two that are about the same price
Graphics Ram Size:8 GB
Graphics Coprocessor:GeForce GTX 1070
Graphics Ram Type:gddr5
Graphics Card Interface: pci e
Memory Bus Width:256 bits
&
Graphics Ram Size:8 GB
Graphics Coprocessor:GeForce RTX 2070
Graphics Ram Type:gddr6
Graphics Card Interface: pci e
Memory Bus Width:256 bits
The second one has a bad review and claims the 2070 has known issues.

Any advice is welcome. Looking to spend +- 500 so if there is something else I should be looking at let me know.

[incredablehefey]

Im out of the loop but i do know the GTX series have been great to me.

https://www.pcgamer.com/the-best-graphics-cards/

[Mute]

I never buy first gen graphics cards. Let the bugs get worked out on the GeForce 20xx series for now. Stick with the 10XX series of cards. You can find some deals on GTX 1080 cards that will pretty much play any title at 1080p ultra settings. If you want to play at 1440 or 4k with ultra settings then you'll want a 1080ti, but the prices have gone through the roof on these since the release of the RTX cards. They're currently priced almost the same as a 2080ti.

Performance for a 2070 appear to be on par with a 1080 and priced similarly, so it's your call. However, drivers for the 1080 are more mature and less likely to cause you headaches.

[vintagearms]

1070 or 1080. Data miners are keeping prices higher than MSRP which is already ridiculous.

[67Cuda]

I'm still rocking a GTX 780.

You can get it at Newegg for $120 factory refurbished.
I did 5 years ago and it still plays whatever I want.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487014

[MrFancyPants]

I'm still rocking a GTX 780.

You can get it at Newegg for $120 factory refurbished.
I did 5 years ago and it still plays whatever I want.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...82E16814487014

Yeah but that's not going to play many modern games decently, especially if OPs son has a 1440 res monitor, which sounds like it if it's a 32" curved. That's a few generations back.

If you can find a good deal on a 1080ti that would be the way to go. You MIGHT be able to find one on sale for between $600-$650 or so. The performance improvement over a 1080 is significant. If that's not an option and the cost difference between a 1080 and 2070 is negligible, I'd get a 2070. Yeah it's a new platform but nvidia is very good about updating their drivers regularly and any issues which might arise will most likely get resolved with a driver update.

Stay away from AMD cards. I like them as a company and their CPUs are not bad, but their GPUs and drivers can't hold a candle to nvidia.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

[CaliforniaCowboy]

Go register at the forums at overclock3d.net and ask there. Post exactly what your current rig consists of parts wise, and your budget. Really smart PC geeks there.

Sent from my Z982 using Tapatalk

[jimx]

If you can find a good deal on a 1080ti that would be the way to go. You MIGHT be able to find one on sale for between $600-$650 or so.

Thank you everyone for your input...

I just got totally hammered by sticker shock! The cheapest 1080 TI I could find is in the 800 to $900 range. Unfortunately, all those turned out to be used. The least expensive new TI I can find is around $1,200. That's not going to happen.

I guess I'll probably end up getting a 1080 in the five or $600 range. being that his current graphics card is 4 years old I'm sure it'll be quite the Improvement either way.

[MrFancyPants]

I just got totally hammered by sticker shock! The cheapest 1080 TI I could find is in the 800 to $900 range. Unfortunately, all those turned out to be used. The least expensive new TI I can find is around $1,200. That's not going to happen.

Wow, I didn't realize they jumped that much in price! A couple weeks ago you could get a new one for half that. Yeah that's stupid to pay that much for a 1080ti. You could get 2 1080s and use them in SLI for less than that and performance would destroy a 1080ti.

A 1080 isn't a bad choice, but just so you're aware a 2070 does perform better and is more future proof, and they're about the same price. Something to consider.

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[WoodTurner]

You can find a GTX 1080 new on eBay for around 5-600. I would probably go that route if budget allows.
A 1060 or 1070 would still be a fine choice and can be had for much cheaper. Will play new games though not always on max settings.

[RIPtastic]

Get a used 1070 on eBay for around $250. Best bang for your buck right now
EVGA FTW or SC.

[castgold]

What game(s) does he play? Does his monitor run 4k resolution?

[Daze]

This ^

I think the 1070 and 1080's are your best bet ATM. I run a 1070 and it has been a great card for games requiring serious graphics power. I am not running a VR setup, but these cards do support it.

Get a used 1070 on eBay for around $250. Best bang for your buck right now
EVGA FTW or SC.

[jimx]

What game(s) does he play? Does his monitor run 4k resolution?

I'm not sure which games, the res is 1440. I don't think it can go to 4k?


[QUOTE=MrFancyPants;22398034You could get 2 1080s and use them in SLI for less than that and performance would destroy a 1080ti.

[/QUOTE]

Just looked up SLI. I can get him a 1080 or 2070 now and for an upgrade can go with a sli and another card. Can you mix cards? A 1090 with a 2070?

[castgold]

I'm not sure which games, the res is 1440. I don't think it can go to 4k?

You probably won't need to go with the higher dollar cards then. I went with a -ti card to run on a 55" in 4K and it makes a difference if the monitor can handle the resolution, but the display will define the point of limiting returns on the card. Without knowing what games he plays, it's hard to definitively advise, but the above suggestions are very reasonable. Don't forget to use a good quality HDMI cord, in the shortest length that will connect the ports.