New vid card recommendations

[flatlandsman]

Guys

This is my machine spec sheet from Steam, decent ish for average gaming (do not want or need high end anything) machine but yonk old video card, never bothered me before as i play a lot of older games, but the last few newer ones I have tried have suffered from the card being so old. Plus old machine was not using all the card properly so eked out a couple of years with it!!

With this spec what would anyone recommend and praps some decent places to buy, plus are they easy to install as never dont a vid card before!!


Computer Information:
Manufacturer: ASUS
Model: System Product Name
Form Factor: Desktop
No Touch Input Detected
Processor Information:
CPU Vendor: AuthenticAMD
CPU Brand: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 6-Core Processor
CPU Family: 0x19
CPU Model: 0x21
CPU Stepping: 0x2
CPU Type: 0x0
Speed: 3693 MHz
12 logical processors
6 physical processors
Hyper-threading: Supported
FCMOV: Supported
SSE2: Supported
SSE3: Supported
SSSE3: Supported
SSE4a: Supported
SSE41: Supported
SSE42: Supported
AES: Supported
AVX: Supported
AVX2: Supported
AVX512F: Unsupported
AVX512PF: Unsupported
AVX512ER: Unsupported
AVX512CD: Unsupported
AVX512VNNI: Unsupported
SHA: Supported
CMPXCHG16B: Supported
LAHF/SAHF: Supported
PrefetchW: Unsupported
Operating System Version:
Windows 10 (64 bit)
NTFS: Supported
Crypto Provider Codes: Supported 311 0x0 0x0 0x0
Video Card:
Driver: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti
DirectX Driver Name: nvldumd.dll
Driver Version: 31.0.15.3179
DirectX Driver Version: 31.0.15.3179
Driver Date: 4 25 2023
OpenGL Version: 4.6
Desktop Color Depth: 32 bits per pixel
Monitor Refresh Rate: 60 Hz
DirectX Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti
VendorID: 0x10de
DeviceID: 0x1c82
Revision: 0xa1
Number of Monitors: 1
Number of Logical Video Cards: 1
No SLI or Crossfire Detected
Primary Display Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Desktop Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Primary Display Size: 18.90" x 10.63" (21.65" diag), 48.0cm x 27.0cm (55.0cm diag)
Primary Bus: PCI Express 16x
Primary VRAM: 4095 MB
Supported MSAA Modes: 2x 4x 8x
Sound card:
Audio device: Speakers (High Definition Audio
Memory:
RAM: 32654 Mb
VR Hardware:
VR Headset: None detected
Miscellaneous:
UI Language: English
Media Type: Undetermined
Total Hard Disk Space Available: 1430236 MB
Largest Free Hard Disk Block: 786473 MB
OS Install Date: Jun 19 2022
Game Controller: Logitech G25 Racing Wheel USB detected
MAC Address hash: 23af5c6eb08dd009cd5e9159fda965f2dd7b972c
Storage:
Disk serial number hash: 3480112b
Number of SSDs: 2
SSD sizes: 1000G,500G
Number of HDDs: 0
Number of removable drives: 0

[V12GT]

Plugging in a new card is easy, but be aware of electric shocks. Power down your machine, disconnect ALL cables from the back of the machine, then press the power button again - this will discharge most of the capacitors in the machine, significantly lessening, but not eliminating, the risk.

Then just open the case, find the GPU and there will be a power cable into the side of it, a screw (or two) at the back of the case and it is held into the motherboard by a clip (push to release). Reverse the process for installation.

As for replacements, what is your budget?

£150 gets you a 1650 card, one generation newer than your existing one, but still pretty old
£300 gets you a 4060 card, one step up from your current on the hierarchy, but the current generation and £400 buys the "Ti" higher spec 4060.
£500+ for a 4070 and then you are into the higher end GPUs that you probably don't need.

One minor complexity might be around the power cable (the one into the side of the GPU) as newer GPUs sometimes need a different cable. Look at the power cables in your machine and photos of the new GPU you are selecting to ensure compatability.

[flatlandsman]

OK thanks for the guidance

Are you saying I might need a plug for the new card? ie an extra power plug? makes sense as they are basically a computer on their own!

[V12GT]

flatlandsman said:

OK thanks for the guidance

Are you saying I might need a plug for the new card? ie an extra power plug? makes sense as they are basically a computer on their own!

No - your power supply will have a bunch of cables coming out of the back of it in the machine and these power the mother board, the GPU and other components (e.g. the drives). Many of the cables aren’t used in a typical machine as there are different fittings for different uses.

My point is that your GPU will use a 6 or 8 pin plug (and rarely a 12 pin for the newest, highest power ones). These are sometimes combined (so 6+2 = 8 pin). Look at your current supply to the GPU when you have the case open and compare this to a picture of any new GPU that you are considering.

This link might help: https://www.nicehash.com/blog/post/how-to-correctl...

[flatlandsman]

Am presuming also you are talking exclusively about Nvidia stuff there, I get your point about the cables now. Thanks again chap, very helpful, I hoped it would not be silly to do and I was told by the builder there might b eminor complications to upgrading, but again, it sounds relatively simple.

[Digger]

Depending on what GPU is chosen you may also need a beefier PSU (power supply unit).

Check the specs of the current PSU & the power requirements for the new GPU.

[V12GT]

flatlandsman said:

Am presuming also you are talking exclusively about Nvidia stuff there, I get your point about the cables now. Thanks again chap, very helpful, I hoped it would not be silly to do and I was told by the builder there might b eminor complications to upgrading, but again, it sounds relatively simple.

I've built 4 PCs since 2007 and I'm not particularly practical. If I can do it, I think almost anyone can!

The hardest part I've found in the past was ensuring compatability, but these days https://uk.pcpartpicker.com helps: put your components into there and it checks compatability.

[Monsterlime]

What is wrong with AMD GPU's? Better value for money, energy consumption etc this generation.

[flatlandsman]

One other questions

In markets like ebuyer I type in Nvid 4060ti and see all sorts of people other than nvidia manufacturing them, like Asus, gigabyte etc? what is this all about, surely if I want Nvid I should get it, are they making their tech available to multiple companies to produce the same cards?

[mmm-five]

flatlandsman said:

One other questions

In markets like ebuyer I type in Nvid 4060ti and see all sorts of people other than nvidia manufacturing them, like Asus, gigabyte etc? what is this all about, surely if I want Nvid I should get it, are they making their tech available to multiple companies to produce the same cards?

The CHIP in the GPU is the Nvidia part...everything else (to a degree) is customisable.

If you want one completely made by Nvidia or AMD, then they are available too.

All the other stuff, like circuit board, fans, shroud, etc. are made to whatever the AIB partner wants...and where they believe they can add value (or add no value but charge more). Sometimes it's purely cosmetic, other times they'll increase/replace the electronic components with higher quality components.

This happens whether it's an Nvidia or AMD GPU.

[maffski]

It's likely your current GPU doesn't have a power connector as the 1050ti was designed to just run with motherboard power.

However have a look at your power supply as it might have a rats nest of unused cables and it's likely there is a GPU power cable in there somewhere.

It you want to keep the costs down the 1650 isn't good value, and won't feel much faster than your current GPU - Youtube comparison of 1050ti vs 1650

At the budget end (about £200) an AMD RX6600 would be my choice - 1050ti vs RX6600

[rodericb]

Think of how much you'd like to spend, research which from AMD or NVidia have technologies to suit the games you play and check that your computer power supply has enough capacity (it probably does). Probably a 4060 (nvidia) or a 6700 (AMD). The nvidia 4xxx series cards use a fair bit less power than the previous generation 3xxx series. If you want to spend more, go up to the ti version (nvidia) or xt (AMD).