I'm looking to upgrade my 10-year-old PC, which I built back in 2015. Here are my specs:
- CPU: Intel Core i7-6700
- GPU: NVIDIA GTX 980
- Motherboard: ASUS MAXIMUS VIII RANGER
- CPU fan: Noctua NH-D15
- RAM: Crucial Ballistix 16 GB
- PSU: be quiet! Straight Power 10 600W
I want to play some older games from the late 2000s to mid-2010s, heavily modded at 4K resolution with high frame rates and settings maxed out. Currently, I can only manage about 20 FPS in heavily modded games like Mass Effect Legendary Edition at 4K. I'm hoping to play games like Skyrim, Fallout New Vegas, and maybe run Cyberpunk 2077 or Starfield at 1440p.
With a budget of around €300, I'm trying to figure out the best strategy for choosing a GPU. Should I start by picking the oldest generation I'm willing to consider and then find the highest tier within that range, or should I decide on the tier first and then look for the latest generation GPU that fits my budget? What approach makes sense when upgrading from such an old GPU?
2 Answers
You should definitely start by figuring out how much VRAM and performance you really need for the games you're aiming to play. Check out second-hand marketplaces for GPUs that meet your requirements at prices better than eBay. A solid option I’d suggest is the 3060 Ti with 8GB of VRAM. It won't handle modern games at 4K, but it should manage the titles you want to play quite well, especially since it’s not a popular choice, meaning you can get it for a good price.
With your budget, options are limited. The B580 and the 9060XT 16GB are your best bets. The B580 is under budget, while the 9060XT is a bit over your limit but offers a significant performance boost. It can handle Cyberpunk at high settings at 1440p with a modern CPU, but just keep in mind, your older Intel i7 will bottleneck newer GPUs, even at higher resolutions. If you're sticking to 4K for older games, the 9060XT could serve you well.
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