HELP: card compatibility and choices

[dnut_00]

Hello, guys.

I hope this isn't against the rules (as I didn't see anything on that), but I need help.

My video card (and PSU) died the other day, and while the PSU (Seasonic 750W) was at the very end of its 5-year warranty period (Seasonic is awesome) and was replaced, the card was not.

This is what it used to be (abridged for relevancy, but please do tell if more info is helpful/needed/worth adding):

Intel - Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor
Gigabyte - GA-Z87X-UD3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
MSI - GeForce GTX 780 3GB TWIN FROZR Video Card
2 x Dell 24" U2412M IPS screens (1920x1200 IIRC) both were connected via DVI...

The PSU was/is: SeaSonic - 750W 80+ Gold Certified Modular ATX Power Supply (wild overkill, was on sale back then I think...)

It is nearly 5 years old at that point, but so far was perfect for everything and then some...

My usage is:

1. Development work (not VC-related)
2. Office/internet/some Netflix (may be 4K, but not a deal breaker)
3. Light gaming (specifically Path Of Exile, which ran excellently on Frozr on almost everything maxxed, and probably more, before its demise)

My questions are:

1. Are the CPU/MB still good to hold the upgraded VC? Should VC support DX12-capable? DX11.x support still?
2. What kind of VC should I get, considering mid-to-high-budget (hard to tell more precisely, as I am not in a USD/EU country, so there is quite a markup on imported parts)?
3. What should I consider to moderately future-proof all of this for the next 2 - 3 years (new ARPG game title, 4K streaming etc), if at all possible?

Thank you guys in advance.

 

[UsandThem]

1. Are the CPU/MB still good to hold the upgraded VC? Should VC support DX12-capable? DX11.x support still?

That CPU is still good enough for what you describe your PC usage as. Most newer cards support both DX12 and DX11.

2. What kind of VC should I get, considering mid-to-high-budget (hard to tell more precisely, as I am not in a USD/EU country, so there is quite a markup on imported parts)?

I'd say maybe a card like the GTX 1070 or GTX 1080 would be more than enough for you. You might even be happy with a GTX 1060 or RX580 if you're just gaming on a 1080p monitor.

3. What should I consider to moderately future-proof all of this for the next 2 - 3 years (new ARPG game title, 4K streaming etc), if at all possible?

Not too much with that system. You are better off if you just keep using your PC for the next 2-3 years, and look at building a new one when the time comes. It's likely that most CPUs by that time will be 8 core, so you can look at what is out at when the time comes to build.

 

[dnut_00]

Thank you for your response.

I'd say 1070 and 1080 are definitely more than what I had in mind...

I was thinking MSI Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 ARMOR 6G OCV1 6GB GDDR5

I like what I read, but two things bother me a bit:

1. People whine (hehe) about coil whine / fan noise

Should I treat this a the regular complaining, especially since coil whine is always a lottery? Specifically OCV1 version... Or is there an actual trend with a specific version/revision of the card?

2. The card is quite big, as I understand, so some talk about it warping / ripping MB out of place and such...

Is there some kind of measure (and I am not the one doing installation) that can be taken?

 

[UsandThem]

A GTX 1060 isn't really that heavy of a card, so I wouldn't worry about that. The Armour cards are OK budget cards, and the cooling they provide should be plenty for a card like the GTX 1060 / 1070. I wouldn't buy that series on a high-end card like a GTX 1080 / 1080ti however.

For video cards, you will just want to look at the specs of the card, and see how long it is so you can measure inside your case to make sure it will fit.

 

[dnut_00]

I have a case similar to yours -- FD R4, so there should be plenty of space, as far as I can tell.

Perhaps another question, if you'd be so kind...

These are the ones I have the option to actually get, and they are priced very close to one another:

1. MSI Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 ARMOR 6G OCV1 6GB GDDR5
2. Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1060 WINDFORCE OC 6G 6GB GDDR5 GV-N1060WF2OC-6GD
3. Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1060 G1 Gaming 6G 6GB GDDR5 GV-N1060G1 GAMING-6GD
4. Asus Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 PH-GTX1060-6G 6GB GDDR5
5. Asus Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 DUAL-GTX1060-O6G 6GB GDDR5

And these being around $80 - $100 (yeah...) more expensive

1. Asus Nvidia GeForce ROG STRIX-GTX1060-6G-GAMING 6GB GDDR5
2. Asus Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 ROG STRIX-GTX1060-O6G-GAMING 6GB GDDR5
3. Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1070 Mini ITX OC 8GB GDDR5 GV-N1070IXOC-8GD

What would you recommend (no strings attached )?

 

[UsandThem]

I wouldn't pay an extra $80 - $100 for a better GTX 1060, so out of those, I'd personally go with one of the Gigabyte cards, with the G1 Gaming being my first choice.

 

[dnut_00]

That was, indeed, my second choice, but I was put off a little by a trend of those coli-whine complaints that seemed pretty consistent to me. Especially since there are 2 revisions (we have rev. 1 I think) very little time apart (usually not a great sign for reliability).

Any particular reason that you can share?

 

[UsandThem]

That was, indeed, my second choice, but I was put off a little by a trend of those coli-whine complaints that seemed pretty consistent to me. Especially since there are 2 revisions (we have rev. 1 I think) very little time apart (usually not a great sign for reliability).

Any particular reason that you can share?

Not really any particular reason, but out the units you can buy, they are the best choice as far as quality. The Armour isn't a great card, and neither are the single fan models. The dual fan Asus is so-so, and is their budget version. The Asus Strix cards are nice, but they're not worth another $80 - $100, and that single-fan GTX 1070 isn't a great card either.

Anyways, a lot of times coil whine has to do with the quality of the PSU, and the EMI it emits. Finally, having different revisions on PC components is quite common.

 

[dnut_00]

Giving this a bit more reading, I may be leaning a bit toward Windforce one (simply because it's $10 cheaper, but that's really not a factor), and as I understand the two cards (Gaming and Windforce) are nearly identical and most see them as the same card.

Am I wrong?

In any case, thank you very much for your help!

P.S.

and now we are back... to G1...

 

[UsandThem]

They will be similar in performance as the GTX 1060 is not a hot or demanding GPU. The G1 will just have a little better cooler on it as it has two heatpipes that contact the GPU, whereas the Windforce has just one. However, it's not a huge issue for this GPU.