I'm looking to upgrade my GPU from a 2060 Super to either a 5060 Ti or a 9060 XT 16GB. My current setup involves a Ryzen 7 5700X with a Mortar Max B450M motherboard. Do I need to replace the motherboard for this upgrade, or can I continue using it? I'm saving for a complete new build, but if this upgrade is feasible, I may save up for a more powerful setup. My PC is used for casual gaming and primarily for digital art, especially in Photoshop. Also, could you advise whether NVIDIA or AMD is better for rendering and productivity tasks? Thanks!
3 Answers
The motherboard will definitely work with the new GPU, but you'll face a small performance drop due to the PCIe 3. AMD graphics cards usually focus more on gaming performance, so they're solid value for gaming, but if you need versatility, NVIDIA is where it's at. Nvidia has a greater range of uses outside gaming, which is why they lead the market.
If you're focused on rendering and other productivity work, NVIDIA cards are generally the better choice. You won't need to swap out any parts to upgrade to the 5060 Ti, your current motherboard will support it just fine!
Thanks so much for the help! I'm still learning about all this, so your info makes a big difference!
Your current motherboard is perfectly fine for this upgrade! Just keep in mind that you might experience a slight performance hit because of using PCIe 3 instead of the newer PCIe 4/5, but it should still run smoothly for your needs.
Thanks for clarifying! So the performance loss with PCIe 3 isn't too serious?
Got it, thanks! So it sounds like for my Photoshop work, NVIDIA is the way to go?