GPU Upgrade w. 750w + crossfire only MB

[GT_Alex74]

Hey guys, long story short, my current build was originally based on free parts that were given to me which I then upgraded when stuff broke basically. Here's what I have today :

- Motherboard : Gigabyte GA-H170-HD3
- CPU : Intel I5-6500 with stock cooler
- GPU : Asus GTX 560 Ti
- RAM : 8 GB (2x4 Corsair) DDR4 2133 MHz
- SSD : Samsung 850 EVO 120 GB
- HDD : 2x Western Digital Raptor 10.000 RPM 150 Go
- PSU : Cooler Master G750M
- Case : Zalman Z11 Neo with currently 4x 120mm fans (one front, one rear, one top and one bottom) and 2x 80mm fans (front), plus two free 120mm spots (front and top).


I'm playing 1080p single 23" screen (don't have room for more screens now as I have to fit my whole setup in a 90cm wide space). Managed to run GTA V pretty smoothly at nearly minimal graphic settings (I focused on getting the view range at max to improve gameplay), now I'm really wanting to finally get Assetto Corsa on my own (and probably things like The Witcher 3 and RPGs in general), and I want it to look a bit less like a bunch of staircases.

Only stuff that is still pretty old in my build now are the GPU and the HDDs. Got Windows 8.1 and my softwares on the SSD, one HDD basically dedicated to game storing and the other dedicated to documents and files I want to keep ready at hand at all times or ongoing projects. For storage, I have an external 1 To USB 3 HDD. So I'm pretty fine with my disks right now.

So GPU is the obvious bottleneck and I want to take care of that. Looking at the used market for good deals. GTX 970 definitely look like a safe choice, and seem widely available on the used market (the MSI Gaming one being the most popular by a fair amount), but since my motherboard only supports Crossfire and not SLI, I thought of going towards an AMD GPU, which could give me the opportunity to upgrade more easily in the future, instead of having to sell an nVidia GPU to get its big brother. Problem is the AMD range is pretty messy with the 290, 390, non X, X and Tri-X series, and while the 750W PSU is more than safe for nVidia cards, it seems it would be barely sufficient for some AMD Crossfire setups. But I have hard times figuring out the power consumption of those, since looking on multiple sites gave me contradictory informations about them. Basically I wonder what Crossfire setup I could run with my current PSU, and if it would be worth dealing the dual GPU complexity issues (right now I have a non-overclocked build staying easily at low temps and I like the idea of my components not burning off).

So, my questions right now :

- I wonder if the prices can drop more on new and used markets with the nVidia Pascal and AMD Polaris GPUs coming real soon.
- Short term, what would be the best bang to buck ratio.
- Mid / long term, what would be the best bet : going AMD Crossfire (and changing my PSU once getting a 2nd card if required), going nVidia 970 and swap the GPU for a 980 or Pascal GPU later on, or go nVidia 970 and change motherboard for a Z170 supporting SLI later on.


Thanks in advance for all the inputs.

 

[Lain]

Well, going forward with DX12's multi adapter capabilities, Crossfire and SLI will become less relevant. Games will be able to take advantage of multi-GPU configurations, even if they're not in Crossfire or SLI... or even if they're not the same type of card or from the same manufacturer, for that matter.

But that generally only applies to games coming out in the future, and it remains to be seen just how reliably effective it will be.

For now I'd probably recommend getting an AMD card since they generally yield better FPS gains with DX12. If you need to run multiple GPUs in the future, you might have to bump up your PSU if running two of the same cards in Crossfire looks like the best option, but that's no different from potentially needing to buy a new mobo down the road for SLI. And if the multi adapter functionality of DX12 pans out nicely, you could potentially not need to upgrade either. Polaris is supposed to be all about performance/watt, so it's likely to be less power-hungry than Pascal. The total performance might not be there, but being able to run a new Polaris card simultaneously with whatever AMD gpu you get now would probably be enough to offset it in most scenarios while saving you $$$.

That being said, you could also potentially combine a 970 with a Polaris GPU down the line.

TL;DR: I dunno, but I like AMD despite the fact I'm rocking two 780 Ti's in SLI.

 

[Nexus]

I'd personally go for a 390 once the prices drop, as @Lain said AMD's cards are seeing large performance improvements with DX12. The articles bellow are in German, but you can scroll down and see the results of the benchmarks.
Ashes of the Singularity benchmarks
Quantum Break benchmarks
Hitman 2016 benchmarks

 

[GT_Alex74]

Well, going forward with DX12's multi adapter capabilities, Crossfire and SLI will become less relevant. Games will be able to take advantage of multi-GPU configurations, even if they're not in Crossfire or SLI... or even if they're not the same type of card or from the same manufacturer, for that matter.

Never heard of that before, that's very interesting even if it only concerns future games, as a single 970 or 390 will certainly satisfy my needs for current or soon to come games. Still have to see how successful this feature proves to be though.

 

[Saidur_Ali]

Personally I would go with a Pascal or Polaris based GPU due to the major advancements in power efficiency. Price on used and new market hasn't changed much for GTX 970 since it launched nearly two years ago, given sometimes game offers with new cards then I think it is better to go with new card. Maybe something like the GTX 1060 Ti will be faster than the 970 or even 980 while consuming a lot less power, having more memory and maybe similar in price. Soon will find out though.

 

[RX-7_FD3S]

I would wait for Pascal and see how it goes. Personnaly used 970 are still too pricy for me. People are talking about 1060 TI but that could be a while to get out. We know the 1080 and 1070 should be here around end of june but no word on lower tier card atm. I've read somewhere that maybe Nvidia gonna unveil their cards a bit earlier on friday with the DICE BF5 presentation.

 

[GT_Alex74]

I feel you on that, that's what I was thinking anyway, not buying anything until june to see how things go - but not longer, otherwise I'd still be waiting in 2018 with my 560 . Since it seems the production of Maxwell GPUs has stopped already, if the new Pascal retails in the same price range, we'll certainly see lots of sales to get rid of the stocks, so the used market will have to follow. And as you said, a new 1060 could be interesting depending on performances. That is again assuming price will remain similar to those of a current 960 (and most 970 on the used market), which is a bit more than I'd like to invest initially, but then if it offers similar or better performance than a 970 with better power efficiency, I could jump the gap. But that's a lot of speculation there so I'm not counting too much on that. We'll see that pretty soon. Same about Polaris, although we're sure AMD is going to begin with lower / mid range stuff.

As for bundles with games, it's usually games I'm not really interested in, so that's not a buying criteria for me.

 

[Saidur_Ali]

Well regarding Polaris, the new PS4 Neo should have a faster and much more efficient GPU than the GTX 970 while probably being priced at only $399 for the whole console. Doesn't make much sense to me to buy the older generation given the advancements. You have the latest generation Intel CPU already too so would make a really power efficient and cool running gaming PC.

 

[Darren.]

I'd wait out on getting a GPU until the Nvidia Pascal cards are released, which are presumably going to be unveiled this friday. If they still have a really good performance to price ratio, the GTX 1070 could be a real winner in the next generation of GPU's. I really hope to see a repeat of the 900 series, where the 970 ended up being the best bang for the buck card (until the emergence of the R9 390). So yeah, my advise is just stick around a bit longer - new GPU's are on their way.

 

[GT_Alex74]

Still have to keep budget in mind though. Originally planned to spend 200 €, since I also have to buy stuff to build a rig and car parts hence why looking for used ones. I'll go up a bit for the new gen though, but over 250 - 300 will need me to wait even more. Hope we have a nice summer in that case

 

[RX-7_FD3S]

Still have to keep budget in mind though. Originally planned to spend 200 €, since I also have to buy stuff to build a rig and car parts hence why looking for used ones. I'll go up a bit for the new gen though, but over 250 - 300 will need me to wait even more. Hope we have a nice summer in that case

Price will definitely drop down on the current gen. You could probably get a used 970 for 200 euro when the new cards will be out. I know I'll sell one of my 970 for 200-250 chf which is about 190-230 euro. The other one will go on in my work pc to replace the 670 I have currently.

When the 980 TI went out you could buy used 980 for much cheaper than you can find now.

People that will switch generation will want their old GPU to go asap, at least a part of the people so yeah, good plan.

 

[Sanji Himura]

I'd wait out on getting a GPU until the Nvidia Pascal cards are released, which are presumably going to be unveiled this friday. If they still have a really good performance to price ratio, the GTX 1070 could be a real winner in the next generation of GPU's. I really hope to see a repeat of the 900 series, where the 970 ended up being the best bang for the buck card (until the emergence of the R9 390). So yeah, my advise is just stick around a bit longer - new GPU's are on their way.

More information (as they were unveiled yesterday)

This is my best option since I am upgrading from a GTX 650, and I want to future-proof my machine. For your rig, you have an under-powered GPU for the specs, and I would **** the budget at this point if you want any form of longevity for your rig. I know that I am doing the same come November.

 

[GT_Alex74]

I followed that stuff already, and as much as the 1070 looks interesting, I'm afraid it's too much above my current budget to a point I can't physically expand it, and means I would have to wait until the end of the year, which I do not want since I'm already waiting for quite some time already.

I'm waiting for the Computex conf to see if there's a release date for the 1060 before late june / early july. If not, then there's a mate who said was going to sell his 970 for the 1070 : very much sufficient for Assetto in 1080p, which is the main point currently.

Of course, I'm still waiting on release date and prices announcements for Polaris GPUs as well, as AMD is rumored to offer 970 / 980 performance for under 300$ and low TDP, which would be perfect for me since I could buy one now and Crossfire easily later.

In any case, I'll either have a 970 / 1060 which should last long enough at respectable performances until I need to upgrade, at which point the Pascal lineup should offer more options and maybe even more efficiency, with Vega cards also available, or get a Crossfire which should potentially rival higher end single Pascal and Vega GPUs.

 

[suv139]

Two cards like the R9 390 in your build would draw around 700 watts you would definitely want a bigger psu for them . For AMD cards the X means it better than its non X counter part. For the Tri X, that is a model of a R9 390/390x/290x/290 made by Sapphire. The R9 390 is a refreshed R9 290 that out performs the R9 290X during gaming.

I personally would go for a R9 390, it tends to out perform the GTX 970 in the majority of the titles and you can do crossfire later on provided you get a new and bigger psu which is easier/less of a hassle to replace than a motherboard.

 

[Sanji Himura]

I followed that stuff already, and as much as the 1070 looks interesting, I'm afraid it's too much above my current budget to a point I can't physically expand it, and means I would have to wait until the end of the year, which I do not want since I'm already waiting for quite some time already.

I'm waiting for the Computex conf to see if there's a release date for the 1060 before late june / early july. If not, then there's a mate who said was going to sell his 970 for the 1070 : very much sufficient for Assetto in 1080p, which is the main point currently.

Of course, I'm still waiting on release date and prices announcements for Polaris GPUs as well, as AMD is rumored to offer 970 / 980 performance for under 300$ and low TDP, which would be perfect for me since I could buy one now and Crossfire easily later.

In any case, I'll either have a 970 / 1060 which should last long enough at respectable performances until I need to upgrade, at which point the Pascal lineup should offer more options and maybe even more efficiency, with Vega cards also available, or get a Crossfire which should potentially rival higher end single Pascal and Vega GPUs.

I don't know if they offer services in your country, but research Cutting Edge Gamer. If you got enough money for 13 months worth of payments (12 months standard lease term and one month buy out option), then getting one of the Pascal cards should be affordable on a monthly budget.

 

[GT_Alex74]

I HATE any form of bank credit This kind is always particularly expensive in the end, GPU is not high enough in my priorities list to justify that. Looked at the 970 GTX lease, the difference is worth two tires for me to burn

 

[Darren.]

Yup, 1070 is set to be the best bang for the buck card again. Titan X level performance for £300~? Coming from my 960 (which replaced my dead 760), that's one heck of a leap. If OP can afford to save a bit longer, the 1070 is his best bet. Not to mention the power consumption will likely be very low. 1080 only uses 180W under load, and 500W PSU is recommended.

 

[Sanji Himura]

Yup, 1070 is set to be the best bang for the buck card again. Titan X level performance for £300~? Coming from my 960 (which replaced my dead 760), that's one heck of a leap. If OP can afford to save a bit longer, the 1070 is his best bet. Not to mention the power consumption will likely be very low. 1080 only uses 180W under load, and 500W PSU is recommended.

According to this article, the 1070 will debut for $379 USD. Using current exchange rates, it will be about £263, so about £300 is right.