I'm thinking about picking up my friend's old PC setup, which includes an ASUS Prime Z390-A motherboard, an i7-9700K CPU running at 3.6GHz, a Cooler Master Hyper 212 cooler, and 48GB of DDR4 RAM. He's keeping his GeForce RTX 3080 and power supply for his new build, so I'm in the market for a GPU that won't break the bank. Ideally, I'd like to stay under $500 CAD and just want to make sure I can run CS2 well without needing the highest graphics settings. Any suggestions on a good GPU to pair with this setup?
2 Answers
You might want to consider options like the RX 6800 XT, RX 7700 XT, or RX 7800 XT, along with the RTX 3080 or RTX 3070 Ti. Personally, I'd recommend the RX 7800 XT since I have one and it pairs nicely with older CPUs. A stronger card might not make a huge difference with your CPU's age though.
If you're okay with buying a used card, checking out the 3070 Ti or 3080 for around $300-$400 could be a solid choice. The RX 6700 or 6800 XT would also fit nicely. Just a heads up, avoid any Intel GPUs since the 9th Gen Intel CPUs don’t support Resizable Bar, which limits their performance.
I'll definitely try looking at some used options nearby, that's a good idea. Good to know about the Intel GPUs, thanks!
The 7800 XT seems solid, I feel like it may be worth spending slightly extra on it for longevity. If I were to eventually upgrade my CPU to a 7800X3D or 9800X3D, do you think the 7800 XT would still hold up for less demanding games?