Question Old I7-3770K box, best graphics card?

[jeffshead]

I have an old box that has just been collecting dust for years. Below are the current specs. Would I benefit from upgrading the graphics card with something newer? If so, what model would be top choice? I'd like something that doesn't run too hot.

• Asus Sabertooth Z77 MB
• i7-3770K
• 32GB RAM
• MSI GTX 1060 3GB

I know it's an old, outdated box... Just trying to max it out with a better, used card if it would be of any benefit

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

Welcome to the forum

PSU wattage make and model matters.

Depending on that something like an RTX 2060 or a GTX 1080 would be about the maximum level I'd be looking at with that chip. Its really old but still decently capable of playing most games, maybe not for too much longer with AAA though. A 1070, 1660Super/TI should be less money but still a good upgrade.

I've no idea on 2nd hand pricing where you are, but make sure you dont spend too close to the price of a new RX 6600.

 

[jeffshead]

@Kaamos_Llama Thanks!

Since you mentioned pricing of the RX 6600, does that mean it will also work with my current system? If so, would it perform or outperform the other cards that you mentioned? I'm assuming the RX 6600 card is PCIv4 whereas my system is PCIv3. Would that make the RX 6600 be less performant than the others?

I'm looking at this RX 6600 on Amazon.

I'm just thinking that maybe it would make more sense to go with a new card vs a used card since a lot of the used ones have been used in mining rigs but then again maybe the newer cards use cheaper components and may not last as long as the old ones??? I'm just thinking out loud...

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

No problem

It will work fine on PCI-E 3.0 its fully backwards compatible. Theres some testing of the scaling on various versions here. This is the XT version which is faster so the standard 6600 should have even less variation.

AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT PCI-Express Scaling

When the Radeon RX 6600 XT launched with an interface limited to PCI-Express 4.0 x8, lots of discussion emerged about how AMD crippled the bandwidth, and how much it affects the gaming experience. In this article, we're taking a close look at exactly that, comparing 22 titles running at PCIe...

www.techpowerup.com

You wont lose any performance because of that. It also uses almost exactly the amount of power as your old card so should slot right in. Performance wise its a little faster than a 2060 and a GTX 1080.

I have no idea whether it will last any longer or not than an old card, I doubt it will be less durable. Mining cards I would think are mostly gone by now, but as I said I dont follow the second hand market really.

Just a standard reminder that if you have a very old PSU of low quality theres always a chance it will pop sooner or later and possibly damage other components when it does. I know youre trying to give an old system a last bump up, but go into it knowing that theres always a chance of that happening if you leave things as is.

 

[jeffshead]

Thanks again!

I'm an old fart and not a gamer so please bare with me

I'd like to get the RX 6600 but I've seen some posts (recent post) that it may not work well with older games. I'd like to be able to play some newer games and older ones such as the original Half-Life, Dungeon Siege, Diablo (DX 8,9). Is this even possible with one system without a bunch of tweaking? I was hoping I could just throw in a newer card that would still fare well in a newer system later down the road.

 

[Colif]

how old is PSU and what is it?

if its same age as PC, you might want to get as new one.

Dungeon siege should work - https://steamcommunity.com/app/39190/discussions/0/1733216261962246060/
Diablo 1 - can download off GOG - https://www.makeuseof.com/how-to-play-original-diablo/
I expect HL 1 is the same, they even made an RT mod for it.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

Thanks again!

I'm an old fart and not a gamer so please bare with me

I'd like to get the RX 6600 but I've seen some posts (recent post) that it may not work well with older games. I'd like to be able to play some newer games and older ones such as the original Half-Life, Dungeon Siege, Diablo (DX 8,9). Is this even possible with one system without a bunch of tweaking? I was hoping I could just throw in a newer card that would still fare well in a newer system later down the road.

Don't worry, most of us round here are at least half way to being old farts if not past that already.

Ahh OCN, place is a bit of a shell these days but makes me a bit nostalgic.

Quote from that guys complaint:

In some less CPU intensive areas I actually get more than double the fps compared to 6750XT. Literally maxing out GTX 680 in this old game with like 400 - 500 fps. While 6750XT can't even run stable 250 fps and shows single CPU core as maxed out.

Most new monitors not made for Esports max out around 165hz so can only display 165 FPS. If your monitor is an older one its probably 60hz.

I have an AMD 5700XT and have played older stuff like Baldurs Gate 1, Planescape Torment no problem. The games you mention dont need a million FPS, that only makes a difference for high level competitive online shooters/Esports.

Get games on GOG as Colif suggests, and they'll probably be fixed for modern systems without having to mod them or otherwise wrangle them to work. The problems will be modern Windows more than a newer GPU I think.

Decent cheaper PSU option.

https://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Bronze-Certified-Non-Modular-CP-9020121-NA/dp/B01MRW2K79/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Corsair%2BCX&qid=1694282737&refinements=p_36%3A1253505011&rnid=172282&s=electronics&sr=1-1&th=1

 

[jeffshead]

My PSU is a Thermaltake Smart M 850 watt. I can't remember if it's the same age as the rest of the components. Probably so. Actually, this box has been unused for at least a couple of years and before that, it was used as a file server and on occation, video encoding. I have old monitors. Primary one is an old Dell 2408WFP.

I see I can get a PowerColor AMD Radeon RX 6600 Fighter from Micro Center for $189 or a XFX Speedster SWFT 210 Radeon RX 6600 CORE from Amazon for $210. Locally, I can get used OEM 1660 Ti, 1660 OC, 1070 SC for $100-150 or EVGA GeForce RTX 2060 KO Ultra for $180.

It seems the RX 6600 is the sweet spot, price wise. Is the XFX is worth the extra change? Just going by the pics, it looks like the cooling would be better on the PowerColor but what do I know?

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

I'd get a 6600, probably the Powercolor. Any brand or model 6600 is going to perform about the same, the difference is usually in the noise produced by the cooler.

In this case it looks like the Fighter is decent noise wise. This from a review from a Finnish site thats pretty good.

You have a 1080p 16:10 monitor, itll be a good match for that card as well.

 

[jeffshead]

Thanks everyone!

I went with the PowerColor 6600. It plays all of my old titles and Baldur's Gate 3 with max settings. It's definitely an improvement on the 1060 3GB. I haven't played much with it but it seems to stay under 60 degrees.