what to do?

  • upgrade computer and go cheap on laptop.

    Votes: 7 87.5%
  • don't upgrade and spend more on laptop.

    Votes: 1 12.5%

  • Total voters
    8

stoneknox920

Junior Member
Sep 5, 2016
2
0
1
I currently have an nvidia geforce gtx 560 in my tower. However I'm thinking of upgrading it. Any suggestions on a good one that isn't over 300 bucks. Also If i decide not to upgrade then I'll spend a little more on the laptop I am going to buy for business (hoping to kill two birds with one stone sort of thing). Should I spend more on the laptop and upgrade my tower later?

My desktops specs are i7-3820 14 gigs of ram. I've just had it since 2011....it's not running bad....but i feel like it should be upgrade time. I'd like to play civilization with no problem and possibly more games within the year.
 
Last edited:

nurturedhate

Golden Member
Aug 27, 2011
1,738
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stoneknox920

Junior Member
Sep 5, 2016
2
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Gikaseixas

Platinum Member
Jul 1, 2004
2,836
218
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You could get GTX 1060 6GB or RX 480 8GB. Check which games you're planning to play as that will let you allow you to pick the right card for your needs. DX11 games and older tend to favour Nvidia and latest DX12 usually favour AMD.

Good Luck
 
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AtenRa

Lifer
Feb 2, 2009
14,000
3,357
136
Wait for Civ VI to release (October 21th), then decide what GPU to get.

But for the budget you have, RX 480 8GB or GTX 1060 6GB will be your choices.

Also, your CPU will be fine especially if you OC a little.

But if you only want the upgrade for the new Civ, i would get an RX 460 4GB card now ($139-145) and spend the rest on the Laptop.
 
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guachi

Senior member
Nov 16, 2010
761
415
136
I'd get the 480 as the performance is about equal to a 1060 but you can get a Freesync monitor for $150-300 less than a Gsync monitor.

I find gaming much better and smoother on my Freesync monitor compared to not having it.

And if you game at 1080 60hz I'd definitely get a 480 (or 470) as most games will be above 60 fps any way and you can buy a Freesync monitor later.

Also, because Freesync monitor are cheaper there are far more choices.
 

Shmee

Memory & Storage, Graphics Cards Mod Elite Member
Super Moderator
Sep 13, 2008
7,381
2,414
146
I agree, if you cannot get a GTX 1070, best to get an RX480 8GB. Also consider a 390(X) if a good price, they will perform similarly, and have 8GB of RAM. They will need a bit more power though.
 

Leyawiin

Diamond Member
Nov 11, 2008
3,204
52
91
GTX 1060 6GB or RX 480 would both be good choices that would be massively better than your GTX 560. The nice thing is that either is maybe $50 more than your GTX 560 was new and is about four times faster. Now that's an upgrade!

Also, to discount the better performing (generally) GTX 1060 6GB in favor of the RX 480 over some vagaries about Freesync monitors which you probably don't have or have any intention of getting doesn't make much sense.
 

ConsoleLover

Member
Aug 28, 2016
137
43
56
Considering $150 won't make much difference for a high end laptop, I'd for for either RX 480 8GB or 1060 6GB. The 1060 is faster in DX11, the 480 is faster in DX12 and Vulkan. So pick which games you play more, do you play more DX12 games, would you be playing the newest games coming out later this year that come in DX12, etc...

Personally for right now and the next 5-6 months the 1060 6GB seems like the better choice, but as more and more DX12 titles come out and MOST of them are AMD sponsored, you'll start to see the RX 480 8GB pulling significantly ahead in DX12.

Personally I'm waiting until December when we see Christmas and New Year's eve deals and on top of the deals the issues with supply of the new cards would be gone by then, which is likely to see prices fall on the new graphics, hopefully most models ending up at the suggested retail price.

At that point its going to also be way more clear which of the 1060 6GB or 480 8GB is the better buy. AMD cards tend to perform significantly better over time. Today even a 290 beats a 970 by 10% to 15% percent in most games.
 

RussianSensation

Elite Member
Sep 5, 2003
19,458
765
126
I would wait until the new Civ game launches. Fury X is $379.99, 980Ti often goes on sale for $359.99, Sapphire Nitro Fury dips to $299.99. Between now and October 21st, it's possible these cards could drop even more. Alternatively, there could be a deal on a GTX1070 for $350. All 4 of the cards above are better than RX 480 or GTX1060.

The 1060 is probably going to be the worst choice for this game in your price range considering it will be a DX12 title + Async Compute:
http://www.guru3d.com/news-story/civilization-vi-will-get-dx12-support-and-asynchronous-compute.html

RX480 beats 1060 in almost all DX12 titles, and in all AMD GE DX12 titles, which is what Civ 6 will be.
 

happy medium

Lifer
Jun 8, 2003
14,387
480
126
up your budget 75$ and get a real card like a gtx1070. You can play every game out there for years to come.just set it and forget it.
 

DamZe

Member
May 18, 2016
187
80
101
up your budget 75$ and get a real card like a gtx1070. You can play every game out there for years to come.just set it and forget it.

But should the OP up his budget just to be able to grab the next best nVIDIA card in the line up? Or are the cards RussianSensation mentioned not a good deal at their current respective price points, and define "real card"?
 

happy medium

Lifer
Jun 8, 2003
14,387
480
126
But should the OP up his budget just to be able to grab the next best nVIDIA card in the line up? Or are the cards RussianSensation mentioned not a good deal at their current respective price points, and define "real card"?
fury cards and the 980ti are old news,I'd buy a 1070 for about 370$ and enjoy.
 
Aug 11, 2008
10,451
642
126
I havent played the newer civ games, but are
But should the OP up his budget just to be able to grab the next best nVIDIA card in the line up? Or are the cards RussianSensation mentioned not a good deal at their current respective price points, and define "real card"?

I would consider only the Fury at 299.00 a "good deal". Both the other cards are within 20 to 50 dollars of a 1070, or even closer if the 1070 can be found on sale. And overall the 1070 is faster and will use less power. Alternately, and cheaper, a 480 or 1060 would also be sufficient for 1080p. I dont think Civ is especially demanding, and for sure doesnt require high framerates. If not overclocked, the OP should also try to do so to the cpu.
 

RussianSensation

Elite Member
Sep 5, 2003
19,458
765
126
fury cards and the 980ti are old news,I'd buy a 1070 for about 370$ and enjoy.

I didn't suggest to purchase the Fury X or 980Ti at $370-380 right now. There is plenty of time between now and October 21st to see if a deal pops up on these cards. It's possible we may see final sales on Fury X or 980Ti for $300-320. I would also try to save up $50 or so and maybe get a 1070 from Jet. Having said that, if you apply $30 off with Jet, it should be possible to get an RX 480 for $230, which is a huge price difference with a $350-360 1070.
 

Headfoot

Diamond Member
Feb 28, 2008
4,444
641
126
It's 100% valid to factor in FreeSync vs Gsync if you're considering replacing your monitor during the life of the card as well. AdaptiveSync tech is awesome. I've used it and I couldn't recommend it more highly.

If you do want to go FreeSync, make sure you're getting a unit with a good refresh range. You want the lower bound to be as low as possible, 30 hz is ideal. Nixeus VUE 24 is a good example of a reasonably priced high frame rate unit with a good freesync range.