New Pc - Decent GPU or New Monitor and lower spec GPU
Discussion
I'm doing a Pc for my son, it's a reasonable spec, build around the AMD Rayzen 9 3900x (12 core), 32gb etc.
GPU would have been Nvida RTX 3070 or 3080, like most others struggling to get one.
I had planned to use his existing monitor, it's only a few months old, Standard AOC 24" IPS, 60mhz, 4ms paid about £120.00 for it.
So my options are:
1.0 Wait until 3070/3080 turns up and use old monitor as planned (approx £600/£700 for the GPU)
2.0 Buy in stock lower spec GPU ie Nvidia GTX 1660 super or 1660TI and buy him a new 32" gaming monitor, could get both for £600 - £700
I'm assuming the actually gaming experience would be better with a bigger monitor but would the 16xx be powerful enough? Concerned a large gaming monitor may not be suitable for general school work, I'm thinking aspect ration, general sharpness etc. I'm not up on gaming, he normally plays on a PS4, typical Fortnight, Racing games etc, he's not a mad gamer, average 13 old, any advice on which option would be better?
GPU would have been Nvida RTX 3070 or 3080, like most others struggling to get one.
I had planned to use his existing monitor, it's only a few months old, Standard AOC 24" IPS, 60mhz, 4ms paid about £120.00 for it.
So my options are:
1.0 Wait until 3070/3080 turns up and use old monitor as planned (approx £600/£700 for the GPU)
2.0 Buy in stock lower spec GPU ie Nvidia GTX 1660 super or 1660TI and buy him a new 32" gaming monitor, could get both for £600 - £700
I'm assuming the actually gaming experience would be better with a bigger monitor but would the 16xx be powerful enough? Concerned a large gaming monitor may not be suitable for general school work, I'm thinking aspect ration, general sharpness etc. I'm not up on gaming, he normally plays on a PS4, typical Fortnight, Racing games etc, he's not a mad gamer, average 13 old, any advice on which option would be better?
I'm sure someone will come along with a morew tech answer.
big monitor will be fine for school work - what is your concern?
Gaming monitor needs to be fast refresh and probably 4k - is your existing one suitable.
but to run fast refresh at 4k you will need better GPU - so you need to balance that.
Distance from the screen may be a limiting factor on the size for gaming.
What I'm saying is basically, assuming its not "money no object " its a balance between GPU, refresh, pixels and screen size, and future proofing?
Look at the game specs he's playing and make sure you are not at the limit with the GPU you are looking at cos you can never recover what you lose earlier in the process. You can have the biggest and best screen in the world and it will be irrelevant if the GPU is maxed. If the GPU is better than the monitor can handle you can throttle until you can get the better screen...............................unless you outgrow the GPU while waiting
big monitor will be fine for school work - what is your concern?
Gaming monitor needs to be fast refresh and probably 4k - is your existing one suitable.
but to run fast refresh at 4k you will need better GPU - so you need to balance that.
Distance from the screen may be a limiting factor on the size for gaming.
What I'm saying is basically, assuming its not "money no object " its a balance between GPU, refresh, pixels and screen size, and future proofing?
Look at the game specs he's playing and make sure you are not at the limit with the GPU you are looking at cos you can never recover what you lose earlier in the process. You can have the biggest and best screen in the world and it will be irrelevant if the GPU is maxed. If the GPU is better than the monitor can handle you can throttle until you can get the better screen...............................unless you outgrow the GPU while waiting
sparkyhx said:
I'm sure someone will come along with a morew tech answer.
big monitor will be fine for school work - what is your concern?
Gaming monitor needs to be fast refresh and probably 4k - is your existing one suitable.
but to run fast refresh at 4k you will need better GPU - so you need to balance that.
Distance from the screen may be a limiting factor on the size for gaming.
What I'm saying is basically, assuming its not "money no object " its a balance between GPU, refresh, pixels and screen size, and future proofing?
Look at the game specs he's playing and make sure you are not at the limit with the GPU you are looking at cos you can never recover what you lose earlier in the process. You can have the biggest and best screen in the world and it will be irrelevant if the GPU is maxed. If the GPU is better than the monitor can handle you can throttle until you can get the better screen...............................unless you outgrow the GPU while waiting
I saw some of the Ultra wide 21:9 and thought that might not be the best for school/Office work, sometimes the screen can just get too big, but bigger screen for gaming would be better, I suppose you get used to quickly, also most are curved. big monitor will be fine for school work - what is your concern?
Gaming monitor needs to be fast refresh and probably 4k - is your existing one suitable.
but to run fast refresh at 4k you will need better GPU - so you need to balance that.
Distance from the screen may be a limiting factor on the size for gaming.
What I'm saying is basically, assuming its not "money no object " its a balance between GPU, refresh, pixels and screen size, and future proofing?
Look at the game specs he's playing and make sure you are not at the limit with the GPU you are looking at cos you can never recover what you lose earlier in the process. You can have the biggest and best screen in the world and it will be irrelevant if the GPU is maxed. If the GPU is better than the monitor can handle you can throttle until you can get the better screen...............................unless you outgrow the GPU while waiting
His current monitor is 24" 1080p, so not anywhere near 4k, my understanding was that 1440p was good enough for gaming, a 1600 series card should run that, its the balance I'm trying to get. Budget wise I've got about £600/£650 to spend, that's either the whole lot on a 3070 or £250 on say 1660 Super and £350 on the monitor.
joshleb said:
What games will he be playing too?
Minecraft, Fortnite, Warzone, Assassins Creed etc
Do you want high FPS, decent resolution or both?
I'm not really a gamer but what you've listed I'd say is typical and I've certainly heard them mentioned. I'd want something that plays games well, doesn't have to be top end, but still good for general video and office work, it won't be a dedicated games Pc. Minecraft, Fortnite, Warzone, Assassins Creed etc
Do you want high FPS, decent resolution or both?
I'm after general opinions, I understand there is no right or wring answer. I'd initially priced in for the 3070 but as it's so hard to get them I started thinking that maybe he'd get a more immersive gaming experience with the bigger monitor and spend the money on that, he's not a pro gamer so I doubt he'll appreciate all the features of the higher spec card, Ray tracing etc. The resale value seems quite good on 1600 series card, even if lost £70 £80 in a few months and ebayed it, the price of 3070 might come down to near the RRP or wait for something like the 3060ti. Ideally want to give as a Xmas present, I'm not happy giving extra to ebay sellers even though I could get one from there.
Can’t help on the monitor / GPU balance, but I am in the market for a 1660 super also and from what I am seeing it looks as though the supply shortage is affecting these lower end cards too, presumably combination of manufacturers concentrating on the new stuff given the fuss over it, no space for container ships etc. None available on scan, CCL last time I looked (~hourly of late!) and where they are available there doesn’t seem to be any decent deals. So a bad time to be buying it seems to me, unless you want to go second hand maybe.
On 3070s, CCL has one available earlier today, I just happened to be checking at the right time (12pm FYI). Had to double take but had gone in 10mins.
/ramble
On 3070s, CCL has one available earlier today, I just happened to be checking at the right time (12pm FYI). Had to double take but had gone in 10mins.
/ramble
Yes, all stock seems low, more stock of 1660 Ti though, little more expensive for similar performance. 2060 would be a good buy if had for about £300.
I did get a notification from CCL last week but was too late, OC uk have them rarely, seen them twice but the charge about £100 over RRP.
I think I’m going to wait for the 3070, look at the monitor maybe later.
I did get a notification from CCL last week but was too late, OC uk have them rarely, seen them twice but the charge about £100 over RRP.
I think I’m going to wait for the 3070, look at the monitor maybe later.
The current monitor seems perfectly fine. 24" is the sweet spot for gaming I think. If you get bigger real estate, I find you start having to move head.
The 1600 series are a great match for a 1080p monitor. Obviously depends on what you play, but most games can be played at max or very high settings.
I'd consider the top end cards for 4k and VR gaming, but then you need a 4k monitor etc. So a whole new level of cost.
The 1600 series are a great match for a 1080p monitor. Obviously depends on what you play, but most games can be played at max or very high settings.
I'd consider the top end cards for 4k and VR gaming, but then you need a 4k monitor etc. So a whole new level of cost.
Casa1862 said:
sparkyhx said:
I'm sure someone will come along with a morew tech answer.
big monitor will be fine for school work - what is your concern?
Gaming monitor needs to be fast refresh and probably 4k - is your existing one suitable.
but to run fast refresh at 4k you will need better GPU - so you need to balance that.
Distance from the screen may be a limiting factor on the size for gaming.
What I'm saying is basically, assuming its not "money no object " its a balance between GPU, refresh, pixels and screen size, and future proofing?
Look at the game specs he's playing and make sure you are not at the limit with the GPU you are looking at cos you can never recover what you lose earlier in the process. You can have the biggest and best screen in the world and it will be irrelevant if the GPU is maxed. If the GPU is better than the monitor can handle you can throttle until you can get the better screen...............................unless you outgrow the GPU while waiting
I saw some of the Ultra wide 21:9 and thought that might not be the best for school/Office work, sometimes the screen can just get too big, but bigger screen for gaming would be better, I suppose you get used to quickly, also most are curved. big monitor will be fine for school work - what is your concern?
Gaming monitor needs to be fast refresh and probably 4k - is your existing one suitable.
but to run fast refresh at 4k you will need better GPU - so you need to balance that.
Distance from the screen may be a limiting factor on the size for gaming.
What I'm saying is basically, assuming its not "money no object " its a balance between GPU, refresh, pixels and screen size, and future proofing?
Look at the game specs he's playing and make sure you are not at the limit with the GPU you are looking at cos you can never recover what you lose earlier in the process. You can have the biggest and best screen in the world and it will be irrelevant if the GPU is maxed. If the GPU is better than the monitor can handle you can throttle until you can get the better screen...............................unless you outgrow the GPU while waiting
His current monitor is 24" 1080p, so not anywhere near 4k, my understanding was that 1440p was good enough for gaming, a 1600 series card should run that, its the balance I'm trying to get. Budget wise I've got about £600/£650 to spend, that's either the whole lot on a 3070 or £250 on say 1660 Super and £350 on the monitor.
Any 30x card is massive overkill for 1080p gaming. Seriously wasting your money there unless you also budget for a new 4K monitor.
Personally I'd put £300 into a 2060 and keep what you've got. Then next year when demand eases you can decide whether it's worth spending a grand on a top-end GPU and new monitor.
Personally I'd put £300 into a 2060 and keep what you've got. Then next year when demand eases you can decide whether it's worth spending a grand on a top-end GPU and new monitor.
Cheers, problem is 2060 are priced well over rrp and anything in stock is crazy price, £450 ish, I don’t really want to pay that for it, if I can get one of the cheaper 3070 cards for £550 ish I’d rather pay the extra £100 and have the option to upgrade to 4K later.
There is a 3070 gigabyte card on CCL now but priced at £649.00, £90 over rrp.
Not seeing many 4K monitors with a decent refresh rate for gaming, most seen to be 60hz, well not for a reasonable amount.
There is a 3070 gigabyte card on CCL now but priced at £649.00, £90 over rrp.
Not seeing many 4K monitors with a decent refresh rate for gaming, most seen to be 60hz, well not for a reasonable amount.
You don't need that high-end Zen 2 Ryzen 3900 either - unless you're doing video something that requires multi-thread power. Then you can use the savings from the CPU to use towards a GPU or monitor.
I'd go down as far as one of the newer Zen 3 CPUs, with fewer cores...the Ryzen 5 5600X for example.
Make sure the motherboard is decent too...a B500 or X570.
Ensure you have a quick m.2 SSD as the boot drive (a 256GB one @ 5000+MB/s is fine for the OS - such as a Seagate Firecuda 520 or Samsung 970/980), an get a second, larger, but slightly slower one for game/app storage (1TB with 2000+MB/s read/write speeds).
If you need a lot more storage for other stuff (videos, etc.) then a Seagate Barracuda is a relatively cheap way to do so, as you can get a bare 4TB HD for about £80 (or an external one in an eclosure for about the same).
An RTX 3070 will be fine for anything below high FPS 4k ultra full ray tracing. RTX3080 is overkill for high-refresh 1440p - but if you don't mind spending, then why not.
But a 4k curved 240hz gaming monitor will be great...something like a 49" Ultrawide Samsung Odyssey G9
Alternatively, a more traditional, but high quality 240hz 1440p gaming monitor, such as the 32" Odyssey G7:
However, a lot of this will simply come down to what's actually available...I've been waiting 6 weeks for my 3080, and in the meantime upgraded from a 3600XT CPU to a 5600X CPU, and have now also swapped out the RTX3080 for a 6800XT as I ordered it immediately it was available...hoping I'd get it sooner than the RTC3080.
I ignored a lot of my own advice though, as I went for a bargain-priced 27" 1440p 144hz monitor I saw on CurrysPCWorld for about £100 than I could find anywhere else before or since...an LG UltraGear 27GL850-B for £349...which is doubling as my WFH monitor attached to a work laptop for now.
I'd go down as far as one of the newer Zen 3 CPUs, with fewer cores...the Ryzen 5 5600X for example.
Make sure the motherboard is decent too...a B500 or X570.
Ensure you have a quick m.2 SSD as the boot drive (a 256GB one @ 5000+MB/s is fine for the OS - such as a Seagate Firecuda 520 or Samsung 970/980), an get a second, larger, but slightly slower one for game/app storage (1TB with 2000+MB/s read/write speeds).
If you need a lot more storage for other stuff (videos, etc.) then a Seagate Barracuda is a relatively cheap way to do so, as you can get a bare 4TB HD for about £80 (or an external one in an eclosure for about the same).
An RTX 3070 will be fine for anything below high FPS 4k ultra full ray tracing. RTX3080 is overkill for high-refresh 1440p - but if you don't mind spending, then why not.
But a 4k curved 240hz gaming monitor will be great...something like a 49" Ultrawide Samsung Odyssey G9
Alternatively, a more traditional, but high quality 240hz 1440p gaming monitor, such as the 32" Odyssey G7:
However, a lot of this will simply come down to what's actually available...I've been waiting 6 weeks for my 3080, and in the meantime upgraded from a 3600XT CPU to a 5600X CPU, and have now also swapped out the RTX3080 for a 6800XT as I ordered it immediately it was available...hoping I'd get it sooner than the RTC3080.
I ignored a lot of my own advice though, as I went for a bargain-priced 27" 1440p 144hz monitor I saw on CurrysPCWorld for about £100 than I could find anywhere else before or since...an LG UltraGear 27GL850-B for £349...which is doubling as my WFH monitor attached to a work laptop for now.
Edited by mmm-five on Tuesday 24th November 11:24
Graphics wise the 3070 should do more than 1080p at 60fps with everything.
Anything above that is being wasted somewhat.
Is it worth the money you’ll be paying for the card for the limited use you’ll be giving it as its not cheap and once there is more supply they will probably become a bit cheaper.
Anything above that is being wasted somewhat.
Is it worth the money you’ll be paying for the card for the limited use you’ll be giving it as its not cheap and once there is more supply they will probably become a bit cheaper.
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