Tom's Hardware of Finland

King of Posters
#1916

We’re not making this easy enough for a normal consumer that isn’t a PC-nerd.


So the Easy-to-understand consumer advice-version as of now is:
  • If you are insane or think you have too much money, go for the VEGA64.
  • If you are somewhat sane, and do have some $$$ to get rid off, go for the VEGA56.
  • If you are sensible, you get the recommended Nvidia 1070. GTX if you can spare the $$$
  • Felix approved solution is the 970 GTX, but beware of future titles forcing you to go below 1080/60fps.

Something forgotten?
Maybe someone should post such a bulletpoint-list in the top post?

1 Like
#1917

while I don’t hate the 970 (Maxwell was good for a reason), if you want that level of performance, there are still new 570s on the market for hilariously cheap prices that are new and thus come with actual warranties

even though I will admit that the last two GPUs I bought were used, I would err on the side of caution and go for something that can be sourced new/retail, explaining my hesitation towards the 970 and, to an extent, the 1070

also, the 1660/1660ti

ALL THAT SAID, if you want a cheap Nvidia card, EVGA puts up B-stock every Wednesday morning and there’s always, always one ridiculous deal (I think the last one was 980tis for 100 bucks)

2 Likes
#1918

where are these sales hosted? newegg?

#1919

right on their website, in their store, they have a section that’s labeled “B-Stock”

or this link

1 Like
#1920

bless u

when looking at gpus which specs are most important? clock speed? ram? memory speed?

(I realize there isn’t a simple answer so pls feel free to get real nerdy about this; I want to learn!)

#1921

it’s impossible to compare clock speed or memory speed apples to apples unless you’re really getting anal about comparing same-generation models

you should just look at total memory + FP32 TFLOPS unless you have really specific questions

1 Like
#1922

VRAM is going to be a limiter here soon, and Nvidia are fuckers about making their midrange cards have less than their AMD comparator.

This anandtech tool is a good way to just play around with different models for a general idea of what to expect.

I think @felix has said this before somewhere but I can’t find the quote to pull: it’s usually better to get the higher-end similar-performing older part than the new part, e.g. you’re better off with a 980 than a 1050 Ti, better off with a 1080 Ti than a 2070, etc.

1 Like
#1923

Oh, and I would actually encourage you to consider cards that are advertised as used for mining. Mining means they have lots of uptime, but the user had every incentive to run them at their most power efficient, so to the extent that GPUs show wear they may even be in better shape than the same card running 4k skyrim with clean faces and swinging dong mods.

I think a 980 is probably good for just about anything 1080p now but the 8GB of VRAM on a 1070 will help you ride out the consoles coming out with Zen 2 and Navi (new AMD parts). I got a 1070 off of OfferUp for $200 recently and that’s a much better deal than either AMD or Nvidia’s current new cards at that price. (The 1660/1660 Ti are a big fuck you.)

2 Likes
#1924

I have no mouth and must tell everyone about the folly of comparing theoretical throughput between AMD and Nvidia cards

unless you’re doing something involving not-game (in which case you should probably check the software for CUDA support and buy an Nvidia card and not think about it), scour benchmarks and buy the best deal

#1925

unless, of course, you needed a kiln for pottery or glassblowing, in which case I would recommend an AMD card

4 Likes
#1926

OK I should’ve said compare Nvidia FP32 TFLOPS vs. (AMD FP32 TFLOPS - 25%)

#1927

I don’t even get why I’m burning (heh, burn) AMD so much for temps when I also own a Fermi card

1 Like
#1928

oh, right, the reference leafblower

2 Likes
#1929

it’s pretty telling that the current suite of AMD drivers has a utility built in that will automatically find a safe undervolt for your card

2 Likes
#1930

but you’ll never experience having that fuzzy warm feeling of owning an AMD card, right before getting rid of your sweater because you realize it’s getting warm in general, not just around your heart.

2 Likes
#1931

also, bragging rights for obliterating 245-250W at peak, without even thinking about overclocking.

#1932

Do y’all buy AMD cards just to be good samaritans? I mean, the game bundles are great now that they’re Capcom (Toups don’t read this)

2 Likes
#1933

I should probably take temperature into account since my case is already packed pretty tight.

Doing this build really makes me yearn for a larger/easier to get into case. I like mine a lot aesthetically but putting it together is an enormous not fun puzzle

#1934

oh no

no no no

the air won’t stay inside your case

2 Likes
#1935

Yeah I went with just plain ol’ ATX for my most recent computer after uncovering an old evaluation that said I’m dyspraxic as fuck. You can definitely get an mATX case that’s roomy and kind to your hands.

ITX is like a rotary engine, cool but in part because it’s intense.

1 Like