Recommended upgrades for my PC?

[TotalerKrieger]

There shouldn't be a huge issue with scalpers for the RX 480 as the supply will be fairly large.

http://wccftech.com/amd-rx-480-shipments-hit-us-stores/

The GTX 1070/80 underwent a prolonged paper launch due to very limited supply, which lead to the some ridiculous prices. AIBs are ramping up production so the price for Pascal should fall pretty soon.

4GB vs. 8GB? Good Question. If you are playing on a 1080p monitor and are not planning to upgrade your CPU any time soon, I would go for the cheaper 4GB version. I question whether a FX 4300 could drive graphics processing that uses up more than 4GB of VRAM. If you are considering doing a major overhaul of your PC (like a new CPU/Mobo) sometime during the lifetime of the RX 480, spending a little more for a 8GB non-reference card might be the better decision.

 

[DarklordKyo]

There shouldn't be a huge issue with scalpers for the RX 480 as the supply will be fairly large.

http://wccftech.com/amd-rx-480-shipments-hit-us-stores/

The GTX 1070/80 underwent a prolonged paper launch due to very limited supply, which lead to the some ridiculous prices. AIBs are ramping up production so the price for Pascal should fall pretty soon.

4GB vs. 8GB? Good Question. If you are playing on a 1080p monitor and are not planning to upgrade your CPU any time soon, I would go for the cheaper 4GB version. I question whether a FX 4300 could drive graphics processing that uses up more than 4GB of VRAM. If you are considering doing a major overhaul of your PC (like a new CPU/Mobo) sometime during the lifetime of the RX 480, spending a little more for a 8GB non-reference card might be the better decision.

What about future proofing?, still a negatory if that's a reason? Also, my bottlenecking question still stands.

 

[TotalerKrieger]

Well, we won't know how much better the RX 480 8GB performs compared to the 4GB version until the NDA lifts on Wednesday and reviews are posted. Games are already starting to use more than 4GB of VRAM but more video memory doesn't necessarily mean better performance. For example, the R9 390X has 8GB of VRAM but it often performs slightly slower than the GTX 980 which only has 4GB of VRAM. However, in games that use a lot of video memory like Shadow of Mordor, the 390X will generally edge out the 980 by a small margin.

If held back by a slow CPU, the 8GB and 4GB versions will probably perform exactly the same. The 8GB version may have a higher potential performance threshold than the 4GB version, but the CPU will likely hold them both down to the same level. Either version will be compatible with your PC. Ideally, you want a GPU bottleneck, where the GPU will reach 100% usage but the CPU never reaches 100% usage. Unfortunately, the FX 4300 will easily reach 100% usage in recent games creating a mild CPU bottleneck (ie. a powerful GPU may not be able to reach 100% usage).

The fact that AMD is releasing a 4GB version at all suggests to me that 8GB isn't going to be hugely beneficial for 1080p gaming. 8GB version seems like it may geared towards people who want to crossfire two cards. In this case, 8GBs of VRAM will be needed for the 1440p and 4K resolution.

 

[DarklordKyo]

Well, we won't know how much better the RX 480 8GB performs compared to the 4GB version until the NDA lifts on Wednesday and reviews are posted. Games are already starting to use more than 4GB of VRAM but more video memory doesn't necessarily mean better performance. For example, the R9 390X has 8GB of VRAM but it often performs slightly slower than the GTX 980 which only has 4GB of VRAM. However, in games that use a lot of video memory like Shadow of Mordor, the 390X will generally edge out the 980 by a small margin.

If held back by a slow CPU, the 8GB and 4GB versions will probably perform exactly the same. The 8GB version may have a higher potential performance threshold than the 4GB version, but the CPU will likely hold them both down to the same level. Either version will be compatible with your PC. Ideally, you want a GPU bottleneck, where the GPU will reach 100% usage but the CPU never reaches 100% usage. Unfortunately, the FX 4300 will easily reach 100% usage in recent games creating a mild CPU bottleneck (ie. a powerful GPU may not be able to reach 100% usage).

The fact that AMD is releasing a 4GB version at all suggests to me that 8GB isn't going to be hugely beneficial for 1080p gaming. 8GB version seems like it may geared towards people who want to crossfire two cards. In this case, 8GBs of VRAM will be needed for the 1440p and 4K resolution.

So it's not worth spending the extra $20 huh?

 

[TotalerKrieger]

I am just guessing about this, but we will find out for sure on Wednesday. $200 to $229 is a 12.6% increase in price...I really doubt the 8GB version will be 12.6% faster.

If you factor in the fact that your CPU will bottleneck a RX 480 to some extent, spending more on extra VRAM that might not make much difference at 1080p anyways only makes sense if you are planning to upgrade your CPU and motherboard sometime in the next 2-3 years. If you were going to do such an upgrade within that timeframe, then the 8GB version might be the better choice as it will probably perform somewhat better across a wider range of games released in the next couple of years.

 

[TotalerKrieger]

Here is a decent review of the RX 480:
http://www.pcgamer.com/radeon-rx-480-review/

A much more comprehensive review:
http://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/amd-radeon-r9-rx-480-8gb-review,1.html

Across 15 games, it only beat out the GTX 970 in performance rather than the GTX 980 that many were predicting. All the reviews feature the 8GB version while the 4GB doesn't seem to be available yet due to some inability to source enough memory chips. The reference cards are the only ones available at the moment - the cooler sucks and their ability to overclock does too. The board partners (MSI, ASUS, etc) are boasting much higher overclocking ability on their custom cards (1.6Ghz, which might actually be faster than a stock 980), so I would personally wait and see how they perform as well as how well the 4GB version compares to the 8GB at 1080p.

http://wccftech.com/amd-rx-480-asus-strix-msi-gaming/

Nvidia's GTX 1060 is also coming out sometime in July and is priced at $250. They will probably only have the dreadfully overpriced "Founder's Edition" for the first month however. If you can stand waiting until late July-early August it might be worth seeing how the the custom AIB boards for the 1060 and 480 compare in terms of price/performance.

http://wccftech.com/nvidia-gtx-1060-special-launch-event-july/

 

[DarklordKyo]

Here is a decent review of the RX 480:
http://www.pcgamer.com/radeon-rx-480-review/

A much more comprehensive review:
http://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/amd-radeon-r9-rx-480-8gb-review,1.html

Across 15 games, it only beat out the GTX 970 in performance rather than the GTX 980 that many were predicting. All the reviews feature the 8GB version while the 4GB doesn't seem to be available yet due to some inability to source enough memory chips. The reference cards are the only ones available at the moment - the cooler sucks and their ability to overclock does too. The board partners (MSI, ASUS, etc) are boasting much higher overclocking ability on their custom cards (1.6Ghz, which might actually be faster than a stock 980), so I would personally wait and see how they perform as well as how well the 4GB version compares to the 8GB at 1080p.

http://wccftech.com/amd-rx-480-asus-strix-msi-gaming/

Nvidia's GTX 1060 is also coming out sometime in July and is priced at $250. They will probably only have the dreadfully overpriced "Founder's Edition" for the first month however. If you can stand waiting until late July-early August it might be worth seeing how the the custom AIB boards for the 1060 and 480 compare in terms of price/performance.

http://wccftech.com/nvidia-gtx-1060-special-launch-event-july/

Well, since I didn't get the job, saving has been pretty slow, so I was kinda expecting waiting for a couple of months. Thanks for the suggestion either way.

 

[DarklordKyo]

Here is a decent review of the RX 480:
http://www.pcgamer.com/radeon-rx-480-review/

A much more comprehensive review:
http://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/amd-radeon-r9-rx-480-8gb-review,1.html

Across 15 games, it only beat out the GTX 970 in performance rather than the GTX 980 that many were predicting. All the reviews feature the 8GB version while the 4GB doesn't seem to be available yet due to some inability to source enough memory chips. The reference cards are the only ones available at the moment - the cooler sucks and their ability to overclock does too. The board partners (MSI, ASUS, etc) are boasting much higher overclocking ability on their custom cards (1.6Ghz, which might actually be faster than a stock 980), so I would personally wait and see how they perform as well as how well the 4GB version compares to the 8GB at 1080p.

http://wccftech.com/amd-rx-480-asus-strix-msi-gaming/

Nvidia's GTX 1060 is also coming out sometime in July and is priced at $250. They will probably only have the dreadfully overpriced "Founder's Edition" for the first month however. If you can stand waiting until late July-early August it might be worth seeing how the the custom AIB boards for the 1060 and 480 compare in terms of price/performance.

http://wccftech.com/nvidia-gtx-1060-special-launch-event-july/

Quick question, just out of curiosity, how much would a GTX 1070 bottleneck my machine?

 

[TotalerKrieger]

Well, in this video, the FX 6300 is preventing the GTX 1070 from reaching more than 40-60% usage. The guy is getting 30-40 FPS in GTA 5 when he should be getting 90-100+ FPS on average with ultra settings. He concludes that the bottlenecked GTX 1070 is performing about as fast as a GTX 960. With a FX 4300, the bottleneck would be slightly worse. Not a disastrous purchase if you were going to upgrade your CPU/Mobo fairly soon, but would be a fairly large waste of money otherwise.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWUOQvFFs7A

If GTX 960 level performance is about the limit of what a FX 4300 can keep up with, then even the RX 480 is going to be held back from its peak performance as it is faster than a GTX 970. Still at $200, it is difficult to recommend something slower. The GTX 960 and R9 380 probably wouldn't cause a bottleneck and should play the Witcher 3 perfectly fine at around 45-50 FPS/high settings (still much nicer than visuals and performance than on a XB1 or PS4).

Here's a video of how well a FX4300 + GTX 960 will run W3:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAYMQoBhHsk

R9 380 4GB at $184 is an OK buy:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121978&cm_re=r9_380-_-14-121-978-_-Product

GTX 960 4GB also at $184 is also a decent buy:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125802&cm_re=gtx_960-_-14-125-802-_-Product

Still, when the RX 480 is only $20 more....

BTW, you probably shouldn't get a reference RX 480. Their is an unconfirmed rumor going around that they draw too much power from the PCI-E slots (more than 75W), which may cause damage to the motherboard (very risky with a lower quality motherboard). The board partners should be able to fix the issue by replacing the current 6-pin power connector with a 8-pin one, and AMD may even be able to fix the reference cards with a driver or BIOS update.

Nvidia is also boasting that their GTX 1060 is faster than the RX 480 so that is something else to consider.

 

[DarklordKyo]

Well, in this video, the FX 6300 is preventing the GTX 1070 from reaching more than 40-60% usage. The guy is getting 30-40 FPS in GTA 5 when he should be getting 90-100+ FPS on average with ultra settings. He concludes that the bottlenecked GTX 1070 is performing about as fast as a GTX 960. With a FX 4300, the bottleneck would be slightly worse. Not a disastrous purchase if you were going to upgrade your CPU/Mobo fairly soon, but would be a fairly large waste of money otherwise.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWUOQvFFs7A

If GTX 960 level performance is about the limit of what a FX 4300 can keep up with, then even the RX 480 is going to be held back from its peak performance as it is faster than a GTX 970. Still at $200, it is difficult to recommend something slower. The GTX 960 and R9 380 probably wouldn't cause a bottleneck and should play the Witcher 3 perfectly fine at around 45-50 FPS/high settings (still much nicer than visuals and performance than on a XB1 or PS4).

Here's a video of how well a FX4300 + GTX 960 will run W3:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAYMQoBhHsk

R9 380 4GB at $184 is an OK buy:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121978&cm_re=r9_380-_-14-121-978-_-Product

GTX 960 4GB also at $184 is also a decent buy:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125802&cm_re=gtx_960-_-14-125-802-_-Product

Still, when the RX 480 is only $20 more....

BTW, you probably shouldn't get a reference RX 480. Their is an unconfirmed rumor going around that they draw too much power from the PCI-E slots (more than 75W), which may cause damage to the motherboard (very risky with a lower quality motherboard). The board partners should be able to fix the issue by replacing the current 6-pin power connector with a 8-pin one, and AMD may even be able to fix the reference cards with a driver or BIOS update.

Nvidia is also boasting that their GTX 1060 is faster than the RX 480 so that is something else to consider.

I wasn't really planning to anyways because of the massive, present price hikes, but gotcha.

On that note, if I upgrade to a 1070, does that mean that I'd have to replace nearly my entire computer? (MoBo, CPU, & RAM on top of the card), assuming the ZEN processors aren't really up to snuff that is (and, considering the RX 480 is below predicted specs, a safe assumption until further notice).

 

[TotalerKrieger]

For the GTX 1070 to be worth the money that you payed for it - yes, the CPU, Mobo and RAM would need to be upgraded. If you didn't upgrade the other components, you would be paying $350-400 for a GPU and getting a $180-200 level of performance, doesn't make sense.

I think you will have to replace your mobo for Zen processors anyways. Zen will use the new AM4 socket, you got a mobo with a AM3+ socket. It may be another year before Zen is on the market too.

In my mind, the only GPU purchases that make any sense with a FX 4300 are the RX 480 4GB for $200, GTX 960 or R9 380 for significantly less than $200, or maybe the GTX 1060 if you can find a really good deal.

I am thinking that the 8GB version of the RX 480 won't be much better than the 4GB at 1080p - primarily because Nvidia has decided to launch the GTX 1060 with either 3GB or 6GB of VRAM. 8GB just isn't needed yet for that resolution.

 

[DarklordKyo]

For the GTX 1070 to be worth the money that you payed for it - yes, the CPU, Mobo and RAM would need to be upgraded. If you didn't upgrade the other components, you would be paying $350-400 for a GPU and getting a $180-200 level of performance, doesn't make sense.

I think you will have to replace your mobo for Zen processors anyways. Zen will use the new AM4 socket, you got a mobo with a AM3+ socket. It may be another year before Zen is on the market too.

In my mind, the only GPU purchases that make any sense with a FX 4300 are the RX 480 4GB for $200, GTX 960 or R9 380 for significantly less than $200, or maybe the GTX 1060 if you can find a really good deal.

I am thinking that the 8GB version of the RX 480 won't be much better than the 4GB at 1080p - primarily because Nvidia has decided to launch the GTX 1060 with either 3GB or 6GB of VRAM. 8GB just isn't needed yet for that resolution.

What about a 980?, hasn't the 1060 been leaked to be around a 980?

Also, I know you said that stock fans are enough for non-overclocked rigs, but, just to satiate my curiosity, what type of CPU fans would fit in my rig's Storm Enforcer case? On that note, would any of the higher-end motherboards fit? (or, at the very least, any you recommend if I needed to upgrade the mobo).

 

[TotalerKrieger]

Yea, the 980 is a terribly overpriced card, probably the worst of all last gen. I had wanted to buy one, but couldn't justify the price. The GTX 1060 6GB should be as fast as a 980, will come with more VRAM, and will be a fraction of the price. Some of the AIB RX 480 boards will almost certainly be as fast as a 980, as some people are able to overclock their reference cards to that level already.

That cooler that you picked out earlier, the CM Hyper 212 EVO, is an excellent choice for the price. It will fit your case too.

Any ATX motherboard will fit into your case, they are all standardized regardless of quality. Do you want to keep your FX 4300 rather than upgrade the CPU as well? What would be your budget for a motherboard?

 

[DarklordKyo]

Yea, the 980 is a terribly overpriced card, probably the worst of all last gen. I had wanted to buy one, but couldn't justify the price. The GTX 1060 6GB should be as fast as a 980, will come with more VRAM, and will be a fraction of the price. Some of the AIB RX 480 boards will almost certainly be as fast as a 980, as some people are able to overclock their reference cards to that level already.

That cooler that you picked out earlier, the CM Hyper 212 EVO, is an excellent choice for the price. It will fit your case too.

Any ATX motherboard will fit into your case, they are all standardized regardless of quality. Do you want to keep your FX 4300 rather than upgrade the CPU as well? What would be your budget for a motherboard?

I'll worry about that after my gpu situation. Either way, do ATX boards take Intel CPUs or AMD CPUs?, or are there different models for each type?

 

[TotalerKrieger]

ATX is just the overall design and size. Each motherboard will have a specific socket that only some CPUs will be compatible with though. Your motherboard has a AM3+ socket so it will only fit AMD FX series CPUs. A motherboard with a LGA 1151 socket will only fit Intel's Skylake CPUs. I've got a motherboard with a LGA 1150 socket so I can only use Intel's Broadwell CPUs. There are some other considerations like CPU power draw as well. For example, your current motherboard is not compatible with the FX 9590 as that CPU draws more power than the board is rated for.

 

[DarklordKyo]

ATX is just the overall design and size. Each motherboard will have a specific socket that only some CPUs will be compatible with though. Your motherboard has a AM3+ socket so it will only fit AMD FX series CPUs. A motherboard with a LGA 1151 socket will only fit Intel's Skylake CPUs. I've got a motherboard with a LGA 1150 socket so I can only use Intel's Broadwell CPUs. There are some other considerations like CPU power draw as well. For example, your current motherboard is not compatible with the FX 9590 as that CPU draws more power than the board is rated for.

Either way, in other news, my best graphics card choices are going to be either a non-reference RX 480 or a non-reference GTX 1060? (as well as a 970 at a cheap price).

On the topic of the 1060, since there's apparently going to be a 3gb and 6gb version, I assume it'll be more like 4=3 & 4 respectively given my rig?, or will the 6gb be more like a 3.5gb for me? (hypothetically, of course).

Also, just out of curiosity, will a brand-spankin-new graphics card come with at least one cable or adapter for each port type?, or will I need to buy a separate DisplayPort cable if my card has a DisplayPort...well....port?

 

[TotalerKrieger]

snip

Yep, those are all good choices. However, the GTX 970 would only be a good choice if it was being sold for significantly less than $200.
The non-reference RX 480 cards might actually perform as fast as a R9 Nano when overclocked, which is faster than a GTX 980 and pretty impressive for the price. I imagine the GTX 1060 will perform similarly, but maybe for a slightly higher price.

http://wccftech.com/amd-rx-480-overclocked-air-water/

GPU performance is more complex than just the amount of VRAM. I don't know how much a FX 4300 will hold back the RX 480 or GTX 1060, but it almost certainly will. The best deciding factor for VRAM would be whether there is a possibility of upgrading your CPU/mobo sometime in the next 2-3 years. If the answer is yes, then buying the 8GB RX 480 or 6 GB GTX 1060 makes a lot more sense.

I know that the AIB RX 480s will have Display Port, HDMI and DVI. GTX 1060 will likely have the same.

 

[DarklordKyo]

I know that the AIB RX 480s will have Display Port, HDMI and DVI. GTX 1060 will likely have the same.

I got that much, but will it actually come with the cables needed to connect them?, or will I need to buy them separate?

 

[TotalerKrieger]

If you don't already have the cables that came with your monitor, yes. What cables do you have now? Older monitors have a DVI cable which may be a bit more difficult to find new. Otherwise, a HDMI cable can be found cheaply in many stores.

 

[DarklordKyo]

If you don't already have the cables that came with your monitor, yes. What cables do you have now? Older monitors have a DVI cable which may be a bit more difficult to find new. Otherwise, a HDMI cable can be found cheaply in many stores.

I'm using an old VGA I recycled from my previous monitor attached through a DVI adapter (it was an old 1024x786 monitor that came with a store bought computer). I'll just splurge for a cheap, short DisplayPort cable if it has a displayport (which, considering the RX 480 has a couple, it probably will).