Upgrade from 3100 & 1030GT?

romperstomper

I built a 3100 & 1030GT (on a B550 mobo) for about 500e when the pandemic started that I mostly use for Elite Dangerous & Overwatch & Hell Let Loose. The first two still play well but HLL is dropping frames even on the lowest settings. I had hoped GPUs would have reduced in price but that doesn't seem to be happening.

What options do I have to get some better performance? Is the answer just to wait 6 months until the next generation of GFX cards result in more availability and thus lower prices? Ideally I'd lke to buy a 3060/6600 for about 200e (which is the top end of my budget) but the prices are still sky high

Jon Doe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058268662/upgrade-from-3100-1030gt

You CPU is a 4c/8t machine so it's not too bad, but the card was low end when you bought it... My advice is keep checking this link

https://geizhals.eu/?cat=gra16_512&bpmax=220&sort=-p

especially on the week preceding Black Friday (+- a month from now). Also, how much RAM do you have? Depending on quantity and speed that may interfere in your FPS.

K.O.Kiki

You can get a GTX 1070 from CEX for 200, or a slightly faster 5600 XT for 220. All GPUs from CEX have 2 years warranty with them, too.

Even something as basic as a GTX 1050 Ti (110 eur) would have 2.5x the performance of the GT 1030.

Hell, you could simply change the CPU for a 6-core/12-thread Ryzen 5 5600G and sell the 3100 + GT 1030 - the iGPU is faster.

Not a hope of seeing RTX 3060/RX 6600 at your budget for a year or 2 yet.

Homelander

Just buy a 2nd hand card. The 3100 is a basic enough CPU but it's fine for the games you've mentioned, that GT1030 is an awful gaming card. It's about the same power as a GTX750Ti, which was a budget card in 2014.

Your CPU by comparison is closer to an i7-7700, which was a fairly top-end gaming CPU in 2017.

The GTX1070 8GB from CEX posted above is a solid bet. Prices are still crap, but for €200 that's still a decent GPU and you get a full 2 year warranty from CEX as well.

If you just want a stop-gap, people on Adverts are selling RX580/GTX1060 class cards for around €100. These are significantly more powerful than that GT1030, probably close to triple the speed.

romperstomper

"sell the 3100 + GT 1030 - the iGPU is faster."

when i looked at the 5600g review from gamers nexus today Steve said that the gfx performance of the 5600g is much of a muchness with the 1030gt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KycNI1FxIPc&ab_channel=GamersNexus

For 220e is this 1650 better value (considering Amazon's no quibble 2 year warranty) over the 1070 in CEX?

https://www.amazon.de/dp/B07QPVNL74?tag=haggle-web-de-21&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1&language=en_GB

Homelander

No. It's much slower and has half the vram, though it's fine if you have a weak power supply that won't support the GTX1070 and still a big upgrade on a GT1030.

I wouldn't buy one though at that price. A GTX1060 6GB at 100-120 2nd hand is still a decently better card.

romperstomper

Thank you for pointing me to the 1070. it seems like the best bang for buck at the moment and I like the idea of the CEX warranty (and likely trade-in value down the road).

Is my 3100 up to the task of 1080p gaming with High detail on modern games? I ask because I see the 5800X is currently on sale on amazon.de from €404.07 to €259

https://www.amazon.de/-/en/AMD-Ryzen-5800X-Box-Processor/dp/B0815XFSGK/ref=sr_1_9?keywords=5800x3d&qid=1666792735&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIyLjUxIiwicXNhIjoiMC44MCIsInFzcCI6IjAuNjQifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=5800%2Caps%2C119&sr=8-9&th=1

Homelander

It depends on what you're playing. It's not a stellar CPU but it's pretty serviceable for the majority of games at 60fps. You might find a few dips playing something like Battlefield 2042 128-player multiplayer, or maybe in something like Cyberpunk 2077, or similar.

As of now though, the majority of games will be OK.

I would normally say the 5800X might be overkill with your setup but for 260 that's a no brainer, amazing bargain.

romperstomper

According to ETA Prime we should be able to pick up a 1080 for about $130 but sadly that is in the US

Here in the EU, the 1080 is 220e. So if I pair the 1080 with the 5800X I linked above am I OK for 1080p High 60fps?

romperstomper

Also tempted by ps5 for 500e!

Homelander

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119797930#Comment_119797930

Yes, you definitely would be. The 5800X is a much better CPU than the 1080 is a GPU at this point, but for 1080P, it's a solid combo and will be for a while. You can always upgrade the GPU down the line, the CPU will last the best part of a decade.

Jon Doe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119797930#Comment_119797930

What do you mean by "pick up a 1080"? You want to improve gaming performance. Your priority is the GPU. Spend 200~300€ on a GPU. Then, if you are still not happy with the result, upgrade the CPU. You don't have to upgrade everything at once. You have a B550, so you can afford to buy one part at the time.

romperstomper

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119798433#Comment_119798433

By pick up a 1080 I mean order one on ebay

Jon Doe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119798463#Comment_119798463

Ah ok. Upgrade the GPU only. Once AM5 prices come down (mem+mobo) upgrade to a 7300 or better (be sure to check the reviews before you buy :) ).

romperstomper

5700xt can be got for 250e delivered from ebay. 2 Q:

Worth the extra over the 1080?

Should I just presume that every high end gpu on ebay has been mined on?

Coyler

You are getting close to a brand new 6600 for that money. Very similar performace and you've get a warrenty for the 6600. And it's better to just assume that cards on ebay are ex-mining cards. That in of itself isn't a bad thing but buyer beware.

I suspect you might not see the full benefit of a 5800x for quite a while but it will last you for quite a bit. You can pick up a 5600 for €100 cheaper and I suspect for 1080p60 you'll will see almost no difference from a 5800x for years as well so keep that in mind.

For the GPU Either get for a 1060 6G/1070 or 580/590 from CEX or buy a new 6600. And be aware of overspending in areas where you see diminishing returns. It's a lesson we are learn at some point. Your sound, monitor, keyboard and mouse setup are an often overlooked parts of a lot of PC setups. Does't have to be crazy money either to get substantial benefits to the overall quality of the experience. There are a million excellent qaulity office chairs on adverts going for a song for example.

K.O.Kiki

RX 5700 XT is faster than 6600/6600XT.

romperstomper

got a 1660 Super for 150e. couldn't justify the 250-300e for "old" tech and didn't want to wait another 9 months for 4060. presume I can sell the 1660 super next summer and still get 80-90e for it

Jon Doe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119830483#Comment_119830483

Good idea. Keep the rest of the money in the wallet and keep accumulating until you got enough to buy the stuff you'd like, not the stuff you can. It's supposed to be a computer, not an army... :)