I have been thinking about getting a new PC for some time, and if I do get one I would also get a new monitor, and so on.
The reason I am unsure is that I am far behind on games that are demanding. I still have not gotten to play Nier: Automata, Sekiro, Terminator: Resistance, Outer Worlds, Marvel's GotG, to name some that I plan to play at some point.
I have a 1070 now, which has been more, than enough to handle anything so far.
Even though prices have been going down, and might go down even further, the 30XX cards are still pretty expensive, and I don't see that I would really need one.
RTX also does not look like it's worth spending so much on a VGA.
So I could stick with what I have, as there are still many games for me to get to that runs just fine on the 1070, or maybe get a 2070 for example. With 40XX coming out and 30XX cards going down in price the 2070 might not be a worthwhile investment, even if I keep every other part of the PC.
Any thoughts?
GoTG
Outer Worlds
Nier: Automata
Played all of them with a 1060, was plenty enough
True, but also maybe having such an old card also pushes me more towards falling behind more, than I would, with a more powerful one.
PC games are just shitty consoles ports now. There's no reason to buy an expensive video card.
I have two reasons at the moment.
Also rampant cheating on Multiplayer which makes some games unplayable.
As a general rule buy whatever the best tested/reviewed card is in the $200-300 range. This is far more efficient than buying some $500+ card, since they lose value just as quickly.
Radeon RX 6600 at $235 is the best value card right now.
Fair points, and thanks for the recommendation on an exact model.
Exactly the path I just took last fall when building a new workstation/gaming rig. Exactly the strategy I've used since the early '00s. Never spend more than $300 on a video card unless you're using it (somehow) to make money.
Only "top-end" 3d card I've ever purchased was a Voodoo 5 5500. Learned that lesson early.
My 2060 super still does a solid job holding 75FPS at 2560 × 1440 with most games. Plus it was easy to find a good price for one at the time.
The only game I recall it struggling slightly with recently was Elden Ring. Oh and Cyberpunk 2077 with raytracing on still murders it, with ray tracing off it's fine though.
That said if you keep your eyes open I saw some big discounts on 3060s in January. So if you're patient you might be able to catch a bargain.
If it's possible to upgrade more than one generation at a time without going to premium prices I generally always try to do so, and now's a decent time to hunt out a 30XX card bargain.
[Edit] Also, you could think of buying a more expensive GPU as an investment against rampant inflation, especially if Taiwan gets invaded and chip supply is decimated in the near future /s-but-not-s
This is probably a CPU issue related to their anti-cheat software. I got my hands on a 3080ti, and I noticed framerate issues in several games. For Elden Ring, once I disabled the Anti-Cheat it was golden.
This is why I have asked, as buying a 20XX, when 40XX cards are coming out does not sound like a good idea. But then I will have contend with spending quite a bit more.
However, the point you have edited in is also worth considering.
I played nier atomato well on my old 980ti, 1070 is about the same, it'll be fine. But then the PC port was trash without that community mod, that's one for the console if ya can (needs console controllers really too).
2070s is what im running now yeah, and it handles my vr stuff just fine, I've yet to see the need to go further. But that doesn't mean I'd buy it again today
Buying old tech isn't always the best thing ya know, oh yeah sure my old 980ti is roughly equivalent to a 1070, but they do have important differences and it got to the point where even though I was meeting the specs a couple of things technically, the hardware just wasn't supported and the card wasn't able to do work for stuff that needed 'pascal', which is the 1000 series onwards, the old 900 series with maxwell simply couldn't run it. Just cause it meets the specs technically doesn't mean it'll still work, so I'm hesitant to buy 2 generation old stuff now.
"I'm hesitant to buy 2 generation old stuff now" - exactly why I have asked, does not feel like a smart move, even if it would be a lot cheaper.
Fair enough. And I agree, I ran into those issues about when the 3000 series came out on my 980ti. Older gens has unlisted drawbacks even if they technically meet the specs. And ure already sat on a 1070 too, I'd be hesitant to only go one generation newer. I think leapfrogging to the 3000 series is the best option now that prices aren't quite as insane, and the 4000 series is making them cheaper
I usually jump 2-3 generations too, especially with being years behind on anything demanding.
I’ve got a 3060 I’m pretty happy with, thinking about going up to a 70 or 80ti eventually, but I can’t really justify it. If all you care about is 1080p 60fps like me then you really don’t need to break the bank on a graphics card, the vast majority of people on Steam still use 1060s.
As others in this thread have said ports have been so shittily optimized lately that you’re gonna have problems no matter what. My friend has a 4080 and Wo Long ran just as shitty on his rig as it dis on mine. Idk what your budget looks look like but If you want a little future-proofing than I think a 30- might be a good idea, they’re only gonna go down in price. Springing for a 40 definitely isn’t worth it right now.
If I go for a 30XX at all, I will probably get the 3070, and will get an 5070 or 6070 when those are years old.
I'm running a Radeon 7870 from 11 years ago because I'm broke and I can't even play half my steam library. You're probably fine for a little bit longer.
RX 6650 XT on sale. Then wait for a 4000 series sale.
Outer Worlds is garbage.
Wouldn't it be better to just use PC Game Pass streaming? Most of those games are on there.