Newbie looking for a GPU

[D_Harris]

I'm trying to put together my first gaming rig, and thanks to the huge number of opinions on the internet, deciding which Graphics card to get has become an arduous task.

I have an LG 27GK750F-B 1080p 240Hz FreeSync Gaming Monitor: https://www.displayninja.com/lg-27gk750f-review/

And a Dell 9020 Optiplex, 3.6GHz, i7-4790, 16GB ram, 1TB Hard Drive, & Radeon R5240 GPU.

I need to upgrade the PSU and get an SSD, but I'm not sure about the ram.

The intended use of this system will be streaming and gaming.

To what extent?

1) I want to be able to use a live four camera set-up. I'll not be streaming games directly. But I have 1/2 dozen full size coin-op video arcade games, and a couple of the cameras will be pointed at the screens.

2) Alternatively, as far as gaming itself, I'm only interested in Space shooters.

I'm aiming for a GPU that will not be wasted on this system, but at the same time just enough to get the most out of the hardware that I have, which I assume means that the bottleneck will just barely be the CPU.

I semms as though whenever I settle on a card, I read something that makes me hesitant. And at the moment I've settled on the GTX 1060 6GB, GTX 1070 8GB, or GTX 1080 8GB. But would the GTX 1650 Super 4GB or GTX 1660 Super 6GB be better, or are they over-kill?

Thanks.

 

[CANTIKSATU]

GTX 1070 8GB, or GTX 1080 8GB

 

[D_Harris]

GTX 1070 8GB, or GTX 1080 8GB

Thanks.

This is my dilemma. I've searched the internet for several more hours, reading personal experiences with these cards and though there is no unanimous consensus, I think I've narrowed things down as much as I can.

It seems as though the GTX 10XX GPUs are not great for streaming, but are stronger gaming cards than the GTX 16XX series. In contrast, the GTX 16XX series, which have the Turing micro-architecture, are much better for streaming than the GTX 10XX series, which use the Pascal micro-architecture.

So it seems that the "GTX 1650 Super" may be the only real option for me if I want the best chance at hitting that sweet spot whhere I don't experience any dropped frames at 1080P using the highest settings. If I can't get that, then the card I'm searching for may not exist. (As I mentioned, I won't be streaming gameplay directly. Only through four cameras).

 

[Lutfij]

Mind sharing the SKU for your Dell OptiPlex? There are a number of form factors in said prebuilts from Dell's portfolio.

 

[D_Harris]

Mind sharing the SKU for your Dell OptiPlex? There are a number of form factors in said prebuilts from Dell's portfolio.

There are two rectangular stickers on the top with "Product keys" and a lot of other numbers/letters on them. (One blue/green/yellow/white, and the other one red/silver). But nothing that says "SKU".

personally identifying information, redacted

 

[Brian Boru]

nothing that says "SKU"

He's looking for a link to your machine, at the retailer's site.

 

[Lutfij]

Could you please stop posting personally identifying information as your post's footnote? We know who you are on the forums.

Since this is a Dell device, you should be seeing what's labelled as a Service Tag on your computer/prebuilt. The other sticker should be a label with your OS license key. The latter is of no use to us. You could also follow this guide courtesy of Dell. If you parse a screenshot of what you're seeing on Dell's Support Assistant app, then blur out the serial number.

 

[D_Harris]

I have no idea what info you'd be able to gather. Nevertheless, the PC is still in the box. In fact, this is it: https://www.ebay.com/itm/133909858944

D_Harris

 

[Lutfij]

So you have what's known as the Dell OptiPlex 9020 MT. The reason I asked that was to find out what form factor/design/version of a motherboard you had to work with. OptiPlex's are notorious for having proprietary connectors on the board and the PSU ends, meaning higher spec'd parts/replacements are hard or impossible to come by unless you're staying within the original specs of the prebuilt.

Why does that matter? You plan to drop in a GPU into your prebuilt, it's not exactly new and if I was to assume that the PSU wasn't replaced, it's as old as the processor, meaning about a decade old at this point. Even if the PSU was brand new, from the factory, there's no way in any multiverse that the measly 290W PSU can power your entire system with a discrete GTX1080 or below in there, not without replacing the PSU with a reliably built unit that can provide 550W~650W(higher for the GTX1080) to the entire system.

That out of the way, the chances of you getting a brand new GTX1000 series card in 2021 is near impossible. The one's that you will find will have been subjected to mining for sure. If you plan on using the system to stream alone(not gaming), then you're going to get by with the GTX1650, with a 450W reliably built PSU for the entire system.

You're going to need this adapter to work with an aftermarket PSU off the shelf. I hope the breakaway power cable has enough leads on it to add storage(or replace them as you want). If not, get this as well.

 

[D_Harris]

Yes, I know all this. The mini tower is the best option for upgrading, which is why I snagged it. I lucked out and got it cheap.

The plan is to decide on a GPU first, so I can figure out what PSU I'll need.

The GTX 1080 had been my first choice, but I figure it'll result in dropped frames at 1080P. And if I understand things correctly, the GTX 10XX series GPUs are not good for streaming anyway.

I know that due to system variability bottlenecking can be somewhat arbitrary, but on the following pages it gives an "Average bottleneck percentage" for different CPU/GPU combinations.

Core i7-4790 and GeForce GTX 1650 build in General Tasks | Bottleneck calculation | PC Builds

Bottleneck calculation for Intel Core i7-4790 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 for General Tasks. Containing solutions how to resolve bottleneck.

pc-builds.com

Core i7-4790 and GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER build in General Tasks | Bottleneck calculation | PC Builds

Bottleneck calculation for Intel Core i7-4790 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER for General Tasks. Containing solutions how to resolve bottleneck.

pc-builds.com

Core i7-4790 and GeForce GTX 1660 build in General Tasks | Bottleneck calculation | PC Builds

Bottleneck calculation for Intel Core i7-4790 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 for General Tasks. Containing solutions how to resolve bottleneck.

pc-builds.com

No GPU on this page will give an absolute zero percentage: https://www.cgdirector.com/nvidia-graphics-cards-order-performance/

So does that mean they will all bottleneck occasionally, and that there is no ideal GPU for 1080P gaming at high settings for the i7-4790?

Thanks.

D_Harris

 

[D_Harris]

Ok, I guess I'll have to wait anyway until the prices come down.

It'll probably be at least a year before they return to normal.

It's a good thing I have other hobbies to keep me occupied.

D_Harris