Best 'bang for buck' GPU at the moment?

Peace Maker on 08/04/2017 - 12:09

My 2010 i5-750 build is finally starting to give up the ghost after being kept on life support with upgrades over the years.

For my new build I don't want to overspend on something I don't need for my GPU but still want good value for money and some longevity.

I don't need a VR quality GPU but want decent performance for casual gaming. I'm playing GTAV at the moment and some other FPS like battlefield.

I was considering a 6GB 1060 for around $360.

Want do you guys recommend as best 'bang for buck' in the GPU market at the moment?

Computing

Comments

  • KitchenSink on 08/04/2017 - 12:37
    -1

    GTX 1060 or RX480. Both are relatively good performers. The 1060 is better for sure, but more expensive of the two.

    • Jikx on 08/04/2017 - 20:40
      +2

      That information is a bit out of date… at "launch" the 1060 > 480, however with all the new drivers, the gap is now pretty much closed with Rx480 2% slower on average: http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-review…

      RX480 can be had cheaper, so it's the pick unless you have a game that favours the 1060 exclusively (you have to be careful you don't look at reviews from launch because they're all out of date now).

      Best bang for buck for price:
      Any thing less than $250 I wouldn't bother and would look to get second hand cards eg GTX970.
      RX470 (forget the 3GB 1060 - it will / is starting to choke with that limited ram)
      RX480 (equivalent to 1060 but cheaper, little more power, less able to overclock)
      1070 (no AMD equivalent, literally, so if you can afford it - buy it!)
      1080 (no AMD equivalent, literally, so if you can afford it - buy it!)

    • srhardy on 09/04/2017 - 08:54
      +1

      I expect the RX 480's to get cheaper with the launch of the RX 5XX series (4XX series with better clocks)

      If you game at or under 1080P and want 60FPS with high in game settings get the 1060 (buy from newegg/amazon and save $$$) or the RX480 but look for a good deal for the latter. The upside of the AMD RX series is its DX12 is better than nVidia's offerings for now. AMD also put in a lot of effort in drivers and optimisations.

      Whatever yo do, get a dual/Tri cooler setup, as they do run HOT ~ Good cooling lets you game longer at high frame rates!

      Dont touch the 1050/470 or cheaper offerings, they are not worth it IMO. The best Bang4buck price point is $300ish (-/+$50) and you will get 3 years worth of use and VR out of it.

  • psyren89 on 08/04/2017 - 13:27
    +2

    Your i5 could last a little longer with some overclocking - the only upgrade you'd really need is a graphics card. A completely new build might be overkill if you're not looking to spend a lot of money.

    For us to give accurate recommendations, you'll need to tell us more about your gaming setup, namely resolution and target FPS.

    Assuming you just want 1080p60, the 1060 is indeed a pretty good choice, but a 480 would also be a good choice (the 4GB model would be sufficient, as 1080p won't use a lot of VRAM).

    • Peace Maker on 08/04/2017 - 14:02

      Yep, 1080 @ 60 fps sounds like a good point of reference. Umart only have the RX480 8GB for $359. Is it likely to be a better performer that the 1060 6GB?

      • psyren89 on 08/04/2017 - 14:28
        +1

        tl;dr, if you can stretch your budget, go for a 6GB 1060, otherwise get a 480.

        It depends - there's a lot of factors to do with the kind of games you play (DX11/12, Vulkan, etc.).
        I've had a quick look at benchmarks and comparisons out there and can't find a straight answer about benchmarks - everyone's accusing each other of favouritism.

        This reddit post finds that

        Essentially, the only time a 480 beats a 1060 is when AMD helps develop a title.

        Putting it at a price perspective:
        A 6GB 1060 card will be typically >$400 (since 3GB is getting into slightly uncomfortably low VRAM range, particularly if you turn on things like AA and AF). PLE sells a Galax one for <$350, though, so there's that. Note that if that card is anything like the Galax 1070 I have, it'll have very loud coil whine.
        A 4GB 480 is barely >$300 (8GB cards are still <$400), plus they typically use less power (if you care about that).

        • srhardy on 09/04/2017 - 08:55

          Buy from newegg/bestbuy/amazon and save more. My 1060 cost me $350 an RX480 $300 delivered to OZ

      • KitchenSink on 08/04/2017 - 14:30
        +1

        both will handle 1080p at 60fps for sure. Both can even handle 4K at medium settings for certain titles.

        I'd go for the Rx480 simply because it can run better at DX12 titles, thus "future" proofing, but you can't go wrong with either unless you're nitpicking. BUT if you can wait a few weeks/months, AMD will be releasing their new GPUs (Vega) soon and prices of the current line should drop.

      • klaw81 on 13/04/2017 - 08:59

        If you're patient, you can get some killer deals on these GPUs. I picked up a 1060 6GB for $255 via an eBay sale a few months back. Runs everything I've tried so far at 1440p at ~60fps and very high-ultra settings no worries.

        • jazattack on 17/04/2017 - 21:25

          Thread is a bit old, but how did you manage that? Was it second hand?

  • KitchenSink on 08/04/2017 - 13:49
    +1

    some "expert" advice for difference price ranges in USD
    https://youtu.be/3fcmSMk8iKk
    good ol' linus tech tips. Prices may have gone down since the date of publish. :)

  • Diji1 on 08/04/2017 - 14:42
    +2

    Here's Tom's March 2017 Best Graphic Cards (for the money).

    http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-gpus,4380.html

    The GTX 1060 has been dropped completely and they now recommend the 1050 Ti for "Good" 1920x1080 performance and the RX 480 4GB as "Best" at that resolution.

    • Peace Maker on 08/04/2017 - 15:06

      And the 1050Ti all seem to be around the $250 mark. It is bloody confusing unless you are real enthusiast.

      Edit: according to static ice there seem to be some 4GB Rx480 for around $280 around so this might be the sweet spot.

    • scrimshaw on 08/04/2017 - 17:56
      +2

      Though keep in mind: Tom's HW uses american pricing, and the RRP for cards here in Australia can be all over the frikin' place. So what might be a great deal there may not be in Australia.

      e.g MSY price for GTX 1050 is $229 for Phoenix brand
      GTX 1060 3GB is $269 for Galax ($40 more)

      If we use GTX 1050Ti as baseline, the $40 dollar difference equates to -16% (saving) but it equates a sacrifice of around 40% performance in most games. Which is totally not worthwhile with current pricing.

      Once again, lets compare Aussie pricing vs US pricing

      AUD -MSY
      $229 vs $269 = 16 percent difference

      USD - AMAZON
      $139 vs $195 = 33.53 percent difference.

      See how we get gouged, and it totally makes no sense to buy the GTX 1050Ti…

      We're going off topic now but the Kitchen and Psyren's advice given is sound

      • KitchenSink on 08/04/2017 - 19:22
        -1

        Sorry but your numbers are a bit off. Yes we do get gouged on certain products but its not that much of a difference

        US prices don't factor in GST, ours do.

        if we factor in the same 10% GST on the Amazon Price (i'm just using round numbers)
        $139 + $14 GST = $153 USD

        • shipping costs $10 USD

        total is 163 USD = 217 AUD (difference is roughly $12 AUD)

        • MrBear on 09/04/2017 - 10:45
          -1

          Amazon only includes the cost of sales tax in a few states in the US (usually where the tax rate is fixed).

          Most states do no not have taxes included by Amazon (it is a complicated beast) and you are meant to declare it in your tax return (as if anyone does this (except one weird person I know)).

  • niknah on 08/04/2017 - 19:42

    You can sort this list by the "Video card value" column…
    http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu_list.php

  • AlienC on 08/04/2017 - 21:33
    +1

    An android tablet.. saves you plenty on electricity prices and you can even play in bed. Checkmate atheists.

  • fishychair on 09/04/2017 - 08:14
    +3

    The Rx 480 is slightly faster than the GTX 1060 with the new drivers. I grabbed an 8gb Rx 480 off Amazon for $306. To about a week to arrive. Not too shabby, huge upgrade from my HD 7850

    • Peace Maker on 09/04/2017 - 08:36

      Nice. I'm on a 7850 at the moment as well.

      • srhardy on 09/04/2017 - 09:02
        +1

        I have a 7950 that does 1080P at 30-60FPS; shes an oldie but a goodie but the 1060 blows it away with double the fire power!

        Both cost me around $350 when I bought them, the 1060 came from AMAZON as did the 7950 from memory too (I hate GST)

  • kpyam2000 on 10/04/2017 - 06:50

    Another good site = http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/ (sort by value, prices are in USD though)

    • fickre on 13/04/2017 - 07:13

      I'm pretty sure GTX 1080 Ti is not the best value. At least for the non-1%er like me. Don't know why it stands the first there.

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