Question Asking for a Mid-Tier GPU Upgrade Help

Diogrus

Junior Member
Oct 9, 2022
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Hey everyone, I'm looking for some advice on a (short-to-mid-term) GPU upgrade.

Right now, the main use of this PC is for audio recording/mixing, eventually rendering videos, and only sparingly playing games (but I do play them). So, I took advantage of the Black Friday sales and recently managed to upgrade my CPU (from a Ryzen 5 3500X to a Ryzen 7 5700X) and my PSU (from a Deepcool DA500 to a Corsair CX650F), thinking to extend the PC's longevity a little longer.

I know that now the bottleneck of my PC relies in its GPU (an Asus TUF 1650 Super OC). It still play some games, but not in a superb quality (I must give up some graphics quality to have a fluid gameplay in some titles). However, I must say I'm not a very avid gamer, and I don't play competitive or multiplayer games, prefering single player games with story mode (Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Tomb Raider trilogy, Control, Horizon Dawn Zero...).

So, having all that info, which GPU would you buy for your PC, thinking about a nice graphic quality, and without needing an update for some time, without sacrifice a good cost/benefit ratio?

I thought about getting a 3060TI or a 6700XT, but don't know if they'd be overkill for what I'm looking for. And, talking about the 6700XT specifically, I got a good deal in a PowerColor Red Devil, but it's said in its official site that it requires a 700W PSU (where other 6700XT I'm seeing requires a 650W PSU), and I don't know if the CX650F would handle it satisfactorily.

Current PC Specs:
AsRock B450M Steel Legend | AMD Ryzen 7 5700X | Noctua UH-12S Redux (Dual Fan) | Team Group T-Force Delta RGB TUF Gaming 32GB (4x 8GB DDR4 3200Mhz 16-18-18-38) | Asus GTX 1650 Super TUF Gaming OC | Team Group T-Force Cardea II M.2 NVMe 512GB | WD Red SA500 NAS M.2 SATA 500GB | Seagate Barracuda 2TB | Corsair CX650F 80 Plus Bronze | Pichau Gadit X RTB | Scythe Kaze Flex PWM 120mm 1200RPM (intake) (x3) | DeepCool RF120 120mm (exhale) (x3) | Pichau Ultraview Full HD IPS 5ms 75Hz 21" | Redragon Tiger II M709 | Logitech K120 ABNT2 | Logitech F310 | Kingston HyperX Wrist Rest | Glorious Slim Mini Wirst Pad | AKG K92 | JBL One Series 104 | Presonus Eris Sub8 | Ragtech One-UP Nitro 2000VA UPS

Any thoughts? Thanks in advance!
 
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Tech Junky

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Jan 27, 2022
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That's more of a recommendation based on the highest potential total system power draw while engaging the GPU. Typically if you take your base system and add 300W you're covered for a GPU as most of them don't go above that currently.

Now, if you take your system specs and throw them into pcpartpicker.com and leave off the PSU it should give you a reasonable ballpark on what kind of power the complete system would need.

As to picking a GPU it's a personal preference and what you'll be playing on it. I would start by filtering anything with less than 8GB on it though as that's about the starting line at this point if you're doing to do anything. From there it's a matter of picking from NV / AMD and then narrowing things down from there based on the price / reviews.

In my laptop I went from a GTX1650 to RTX3060 and it was a huge leap. Going higher than 3060 for me didn't make sense from a money perspective vs the performance gains. I compared the specs of the 1650 with the options available on the laptop models I was looking at and the 3050 was about equal and for ~$100 more bumping to the 3060 made sense. Going higher though was a much steeper price jump

3070TI - +$560
3080 TI- +$1300 (3060 model was only $1300 shipped)

So, it depends on how bad you want it and how much you want to spend. You can get whatever you desire there's just a price to pay to get it.
 
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+50W shouldn't break your Corsair PSU. Go with the Red Devil 6700XT and only overclock it years later when you are close to getting a new PC anyway. If you play AAA single player titles only, Intel ARC A770 16GB could fit the bill for you. They have optimized their drivers for the top selling/top ranked games and they will add more of them as time goes by. Just be aware that if there are any DirectX 11 or older games you still play a lot, they may not work very well on the ARC GPU coz Intel is currently focusing mainly on DX12 titles. One advantage the ARC may have over 6700 XT is raytracing. If that appeals to you, ARC or 3060 12GB should be the one to get. You should try to avoid 8 GB cards. They have almost become the new 4 GB cards and pretty soon, their performance will tank hard in anything above Full HD resolution. Remember, current consoles have more than 8 GB so most AAA games being ported over from consoles to PC will work best with more than 8 GB VRAM.
 
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Stuka87

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Your 650W PSU will be fine with a 6700XT. If you are really concerned, just play with vsync on with a cap of 60fps. And if you are even concerned after that, you can undervolt the GPU and use even less power.

I have a 5800X3D with a 5700 XT (similar power usage) with a 650W PSU, its never gotten close to even hitting 80% usage.
 

Diogrus

Junior Member
Oct 9, 2022
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41
That's more of a recommendation based on the highest potential total system power draw while engaging the GPU. Typically if you take your base system and add 300W you're covered for a GPU as most of them don't go above that currently.

Now, if you take your system specs and throw them into pcpartpicker.com and leave off the PSU it should give you a reasonable ballpark on what kind of power the complete system would need.
(...)
Good points you made here and I didn't pay attention earlier, especially regarding the power usage. And about it, I was used to the OuterVision Power Supply Calculator site, which already gave me initial point to research (and where I exagerated some things to try to make the PC even more "hunger"), but not the PCPartPicker site. Thanks for the tip about it.
OuterVision (using as reference a generic 6700XT): 577W
PCPartPicker (using PowerColor Red Devil 6700XT): 433W

About picking a GPU, yeah, I know it's a personal preference. I've always been more leaned towards NVidia, even before reading about some driver issues happening with some Radeon boards.

But, as incredible as it may seem, the cost-benefit ratio of Radeon here in Brazil seems to be much more interesting than in NVidia. I can be worng, but I can get a 6650XT at the same price as a 2060 Super or 3060, and a 6700XT at a price between a 3060 and a 3060TI. And I don't feel that comfortable going for the secondary market, especially due to the issues with mining and people wanting to get rid of their mining GPUs.

For my studio usage, I'm planning to jump from my 21" FHD monitor to a 27" QHD monitor, so I think a GPU that good do moderate to good graphics in 1440p will be more than enough (don't need to play with everything max'ed, but some quality helps the playing imertion).
 
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Diogrus

Junior Member
Oct 9, 2022
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+50W shouldn't break your Corsair PSU. Go with the Red Devil 6700XT and only overclock it years later when you are close to getting a new PC anyway. If you play AAA single player titles only, Intel ARC A770 16GB could fit the bill for you. They have optimized their drivers for the top selling/top ranked games and they will add more of them as time goes by. Just be aware that if there are any DirectX 11 or older games you still play a lot, they may not work very well on the ARC GPU coz Intel is currently focusing mainly on DX12 titles. One advantage the ARC may have over 6700 XT is raytracing. If that appeals to you, ARC or 3060 12GB should be the one to get. You should try to avoid 8 GB cards. They have almost become the new 4 GB cards and pretty soon, their performance will tank hard in anything above Full HD resolution. Remember, current consoles have more than 8 GB so most AAA games being ported over from consoles to PC will work best with more than 8 GB VRAM.
I'll need to check the availability of ARC GPUs here in Brazil. Last time I looked, I only found one model for the 750 and one model for the 770, both from AsRock. And I still have some older games that I was waiting for a decent PC to play, and since I don't play that much, I'm taking them off the shelf slowly.

Damn it! 8GB being almost the floor for good performance is brutal!
 
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Mopetar

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6600XT would be fine for your needs and there's no worries about the PSU (not that I'd worry too much even with a 6700XT) and they're probably the best value card on the market at the moment as far as the midrange is concerned.
 
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Diogrus

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Oct 9, 2022
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Yeah! I can low a bit my budget and get a 6650XT Red Devil too, it's at a moderately price now (a bit better than Sapphire Pulse - I'd like to get the Nitro, it got low during BF, I couldn't grab it, and now it's out of stock here in Brazil).
 

Tech Junky

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@Diogrus

PCP has been pretty accurate for my builds over the last 5ish years. Even had one build I stuck a couple of GPUs into to mine for a bit and didn't have any power issues with the scope from there. Power budgets vary from one site to another and when in doubt for most systems a 850W PSU will suffice. It tends to leave enough room for growth and transitions over time as you change out components. The price difference is usually minimal and with a decent model you get a 10 yr warranty on it which for me outlasts any particular build.

If AMD works for you then it shouldn't make too much difference in Windows. The bigger issue usually comes with Linux when it comes to GPU driver issues. Sometimes you have to hack your way through making them work properly and then lock down updates from happening.

As to the ARC GPU's they're readily available here in the US for $350 w/ 16GB on them. Maybe do a drop ship / redirect to BZ?
 
Jul 27, 2020
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For my studio usage, I'm planning to jump from my 21" FHD monitor to a 27" QHD monitor, so I think a GPU that good do moderate to good graphics in 1440p will be more than enough (don't need to play with everything max'ed, but some quality helps the playing imertion).
ARC A770 makes better sense for you. Lots of VRAM with the 16GB version and it actually performs better at higher resolutions than lower resolutions. But if you can get 6700 XT or 6700 10GB, that would be still be much better than any 8GB card.
 
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Diogrus

Junior Member
Oct 9, 2022
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@Diogrus

PCP has been pretty accurate for my builds over the last 5ish years. Even had one build I stuck a couple of GPUs into to mine for a bit and didn't have any power issues with the scope from there. Power budgets vary from one site to another and when in doubt for most systems a 850W PSU will suffice. It tends to leave enough room for growth and transitions over time as you change out components. The price difference is usually minimal and with a decent model you get a 10 yr warranty on it which for me outlasts any particular build.

If AMD works for you then it shouldn't make too much difference in Windows. The bigger issue usually comes with Linux when it comes to GPU driver issues. Sometimes you have to hack your way through making them work properly and then lock down updates from happening.

As to the ARC GPU's they're readily available here in the US for $350 w/ 16GB on them. Maybe do a drop ship / redirect to BZ?
Yep! Still can't find another A770 here besides the AsRock Intel Arc A770 Phantom Gaming D 8GB OC. But... the drop ship idea may be a solution. I'll investigate it further.
 

SteveGrabowski

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Oct 20, 2014
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I'm running that specific Powercolor Red Devil RX 6700 XT on a 450W power supply (Bitfenix Formua 450 Gold) and it's no problem with 100% gpu load right now, though I do think it'll be too close for comfort when it starts getting hot here in Texas in April and the PSU is running hotter, so I grabbed a Corsair RM750x (2021) that'll be coming in next week. But 650W should be fine for a 6700 XT.
 

SteveGrabowski

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ARC A770 makes better sense for you. Lots of VRAM with the 16GB version and it actually performs better at higher resolutions than lower resolutions. But if you can get 6700 XT or 6700 10GB, that would be still be much better than any 8GB card.

A770 still feels like an unfinished product. I hate to buy something on potential, especially when the A770 isn't exactly cheap.
 
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It's getting better and better.

1672199103508.png

Just released game is at least playable on it at 4K, which would have been unthinkable considering how bad their drivers were out of the gate.
 
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Thunder 57

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6600XT would be fine for your needs and there's no worries about the PSU (not that I'd worry too much even with a 6700XT) and they're probably the best value card on the market at the moment as far as the midrange is concerned.

I was going to suggest a 660XT until OP said 6700XT. I think a 6700(XT) would be a great choice, depending on how much the cost difference is between them.

Heck, I was playing the updated Witcher 3 today with my 5700XT (8GB), and ran out of VRAM at 1440P. The fact that there are faster GPU's with 8GB is going to result in them aging poorly.

It's incredible! It wasn't long ago 8GB was only on the top end (other than the 1080 Ti) cards. I don't know how NVIDIA (or AMD should they try) expect to sell cards like the 4060 Ti with only 8GB. I'm glad it's not my problem. The latest AAA games I play are years old at this point.

I'd also add I wouldn't bother with ARC. Intel does seem to be committed to it but I would not want to have to deal with trying to get help from Intel/Internet if something wasn't working right when they have plenty of other stuff I'm sure they are working on. We also don't know how long Intel will support older hardware with drivers. With AMD/NVIDIA, we generally have a good idea. If Intel treats drivers like sockets,

youre-gonna-to-have-a-bad-time.jpg


I doubt they would do that though especially when trying gain market share.
 
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Diogrus

Junior Member
Oct 9, 2022
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I was going to suggest a 660XT until OP said 6700XT. I think a 6700(XT) would be a great choice, depending on how much the cost difference is between them.



It's incredible! It wasn't long ago 8GB was only on the top end (other than the 1080 Ti) cards. I don't know how NVIDIA (or AMD should they try) expect to sell cards like the 4060 Ti with only 8GB. I'm glad it's not my problem. The latest AAA games I play are years old at this point.

I'd also add I wouldn't bother with ARC. Intel does seem to be committed to it but I would not want to have to deal with trying to get help from Intel/Internet if something wasn't working right when they have plenty of other stuff I'm sure they are working on. We also don't know how long Intel will support older hardware with drivers. With AMD/NVIDIA, we generally have a good idea. If Intel treats drivers like sockets,

youre-gonna-to-have-a-bad-time.jpg


I doubt they would do that though especially when trying gain market share.
Good points!

Difference between the 6650XT and the 6700XT is around ~80-100usd (converting from our local currency).
 

SteveGrabowski

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Oct 20, 2014
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It's getting better and better.

View attachment 73522

Just released game is at least playable on it at 4K, which would have been unthinkable considering how bad their drivers were out of the gate.

Is it still a mess on DX11 though? What about emulation like RPCS3, Xenia, Yuzu, Cemu, or even Dolphin? When I buy a gpu for gaming I need it to be a jack of all trades. It's gotta be enough for heavy hitting modern games like Cyberpunk, but I also want to have a really good experience when I want to play an old game I picked up in a Steam sale for $3, if I want to fire Breath of the Wild up in emulation, etc.
 

aigomorla

CPU, Cases&Cooling Mod PC Gaming Mod Elite Member
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6700XT is what i consider the "gaming standard" if there is such a thing, mid-tier.
It can run just about anything you throw at it in 1440p with higher then 120frames @ high-low settings.
It can run with acceptable frame rates @ 4k with medium.
It also has decient VRAM.

The 3060Ti is what i call you pay for the safety net.
Its honestly a bit too overpriced, has too little VRAM, but it has better RTX support.
Nvidia drivers are superior to AMDs, but they aren't problem free, meaning you will have issues with them though out the life of your GPU.

I always recommend the 6700XT if someone says mid tier.
Its a solid mid tier... right on middle of mid tier, with the 6800 (non XT) which i call the unicorn GPU, as you will never find it at MSRP, the upper echilon of mid tier, and the 6800XT at the start of upper tier.

You will need to pull out a 3070ti to get any noticeable improvement over a 6700XT, and well those are still very pricey at the moment and even has less VRAM.