nicked on 2/6/2018 at 17:54
Recently my graphics card has started developing problems - nasty screen artefacts, display driver crashes and pc shutdowns. It's about four years old so I can't complain too much, it's had a good innings. I have narrowed it down to the graphics card being the fault - with no card in, it runs fine. But of course can't run much in the way of modern gaming.
I'm about 20 yrs out of the loop for what to even look for when purchasing a graphics card, so I'm hoping to just get a bit of advice on what to look for.
My existing card is an nvidia GeForce GTX 770 (4095Mb memory). I don't really need a new one to be much more powerful than the old one. As long as it can handle any modern games i buy on mid settings, I'll be happy. Just want something that works, and that I don't have to fret too much about hitting minimum requirements if I buy a game.
Any suggestions, either for specific cards, or just what to look for, what I don't need etc. would be appreciated. Thanks!
Vae on 2/6/2018 at 18:22
I recommend that you wait a few months until the Geforce 1160 becomes available.
voodoo47 on 2/6/2018 at 18:25
it's pretty much just picking either nvidia or amd, and throwing whatever budget you have at the nearest shop. can't really screw up these days.
don't go below GTX1060 or RX560, make sure the card has a power connector (may be necessary as older motherboards might not be able to supply enough power just via the pcie slot), and you're good.
nicked on 2/6/2018 at 18:37
Thanks for the tips! Glad to know it's hard to mess it up. The one you linked Renzatic looks pretty good, just about within what I'd consider a reasonable budget too. I'm in no huge rush - if the 1160 ones are gonna be worth waiting for. Or at least bump the price down on the older ones perhaps.
Renzatic on 2/6/2018 at 19:13
I think Vae's advice might be the best here. If the 1160 comes out at the same price, you've got a potentially more powerful card for almost no extra cost. If it's more, then you can at least expect the new cards to drive the prices on the 10 series down a tiny bit.
The new Geforce cards are rumored to come out either this month or next, so you won't have to wait too long to see which way you go.
voodoo47 on 2/6/2018 at 19:31
just don't get stuck in the waiting cycle for half eternity - the new batch of gpus is kind of always around the next corner.
Sulphur on 2/6/2018 at 19:48
According to the grapveine, we're likely to see the new cards around August/September with nvidia first launching the high-end 1180 first in the next two months. Couple of things to note: cryptocurrency mining is still driving up prices way beyond what they should be, so waiting too long after these launch might see you having to buy them at a beyond-ridiculous markup. However, if you're okay with vanilla reference designs, nvidia sells them on their website at the standard MRP as and when they're in stock. That's how I got a new GPU last month at not-insane prices. Something to file away for future use if you start seeing supply and demand issues.
PigLick on 3/6/2018 at 09:38
FWIW my card died last year and I was poor, so could only afford low end stuff, ended up getting a 1050 quite cheap, and was pleasantly suprised at the performance increase. Well enough to play stuff like Witcher 3 at high settings(this was coming from a Radeon 6950). I cant see myself needing a new card for at least another year or 2, plus the 1050 doesnt need a power connector, so as long as your motherboard is new enough it uses barely any power at all.
voodoo47 on 3/6/2018 at 10:33
as mentioned, be wary of those fairly fast cards with no power connectors, some of them are really pushing the pci-e to the limit power-wise, and older slots might not be enough. I specifically went for a model with a power connector when I was buying a rx560 last year (right before the prices started to go nuts, so 99euro yaay) because of this (works fine in my ancient motherboard).