Develop module Will upgrading my GPU from an old GTX to a newer RTX improve develop module performance?

[paulgerrard99]

Lightroom Version Number

13.5.1

Operating System

1. Windows 11

Hi All

I've a reasonably well spec'd PC I built three years ago but I did carry over some components from my previous build, one of them being my GTX 1660 Super GPU which is now five years old. Like many users I'm finding Lightroom a bit sluggish at times and I'm wondering whether I would see an improvement in performance if I upgraded to a newer RTX GPU - I'm thinking maybe a 4060 as I'd get away with using my current 650w power supply. A 4070 would probably necessitate a PSU upgrade too!

I've seen others saying that this makes a huge difference to the denoise function - processing will apparently go from minutes to seconds. But I don't actually use denoise so I'm not too pushed about that! And similarly I'm not too bothered about the time to run batch operations like importing and exporting - I'm not working to any deadlines so if something is going to take 45 minutes I go do something else and come back when it's done!

Where I really want to see an improvement in performance though is in the develop module. I'm a bit useless in Photoshop so I do almost everything in Lightroom - my edits tend to have lots of masks, spot fixes etc. and I regularly experience the user interface becoming sluggish, especially when working with large TIFF files that have come back from a round trip to Photoshop. For example when I'm zoomed in and trying to use spot healing it often lags behind the mouse as I'm drawing. Switching between images is slower than I would like also.

I've put my system specs below for reference. My operating system is on a fast M2 SSD and I have my Lightroom catalog, cache and all RAW / TIFF files for current projects on a separate M2 SSD.

I'd love to hear from anyone who has upgraded from GTX 1660 Super to a more modern RTX GPU - has it made a real difference to user interface responsiveness or not? Those GPUs aren't cheap so I don't want to go spending money unless it's going to be worth it




Lightroom Classic version: 13.5.1 [ 202408271704-d15d09cd ]
License: Creative Cloud
Language setting: en
Operating system: Windows 11 - Business Edition
Version: 11.0.22631
Application architecture: x64
System architecture: x64
Logical processor count: 16
Processor speed: 4.2GHz
SqLite Version: 3.36.0
CPU Utilisation: 1.0%
Power Source: Plugged In
Built-in memory: 32681.2 MB
Dedicated GPU memory used by Lightroom: 2464.5MB / 5966.0MB (41%)
Real memory available to Lightroom: 32681.2 MB
Real memory used by Lightroom: 2532.6 MB (7.7%)
Virtual memory used by Lightroom: 5592.3 MB
GDI objects count: 761
USER objects count: 2631
Process handles count: 2575
Memory cache size: 717.8MB
Internal Camera Raw version: 16.5 [ 1954 ]
Maximum thread count used by Camera Raw: 5
Camera Raw SIMD optimization: SSE2,AVX,AVX2
Camera Raw virtual memory: 689MB / 16340MB (4%)
Camera Raw real memory: 329MB / 32681MB (1%)

Cache1:
Final1- RAM:37.0MB, VRAM:0.0MB, 73192596-9AF3-4A3D-A636-D2707B304EA5.dng
Final2- RAM:37.0MB, VRAM:0.0MB, DB276BA3-DB6C-43AC-A753-CDBCF4A357EC.dng
Final3- RAM:37.0MB, VRAM:0.0MB, B55CBC49-0F50-44D2-B5C8-379EC67A0A8E.dng
Final4- RAM:37.0MB, VRAM:0.0MB, C4C7F6D1-CBCD-4C34-A802-B4F091EE841F.dng
Final5- RAM:145.0MB, VRAM:1324.0MB, 3B8AA585-F051-4961-9BD8-66DCA9883F94.dng
Final6- RAM:37.0MB, VRAM:0.0MB, FAAB3FBF-4587-4ECA-AE5D-65D38D2E7452.dng
Final7- RAM:37.0MB, VRAM:0.0MB, BFE5B666-15AD-4B86-8F32-342F78BA85EE.dng
Final8- RAM:37.0MB, VRAM:0.0MB, 09ACDDFB-4C23-4190-BB9A-8400F63C6CD1.dng
Final9- RAM:37.0MB, VRAM:0.0MB, D69A6176-BE96-48CB-A875-92BC4B691982.dng
NT- RAM:441.0MB, VRAM:1324.0MB, Combined:1765.0MB

Cache2:
m:717.8MB, n:333.0MB

U-main: 115.0MB

System DPI setting: 144 DPI (high DPI mode)
Desktop composition enabled: Yes
Standard Preview Size: 3840 pixels
Displays: 1) 3840x2160
Input types: Multitouch: No, Integrated touch: No, Integrated pen: No, External touch: No, External pen: No, Keyboard: No

Graphics Processor Info:
DirectX: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER (32.0.15.6070)
Init State: GPU for Image Processing supported by default
User Preference: Auto
Enable HDR in Library: OFF

Application folder: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Lightroom Classic
Library Path: L:\Lightroom Catalog\Lightroom Catalog-2-2-v13-3.lrcat
Settings Folder: C:\Users\paulg\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Lightroom

Installed Plugins:
1) AdobeStock
2) ColorChecker Camera Calibration
3) Flickr
4) HDR Efex Pro 2
5) Luminar AI
6) Negative Lab Pro v3
7) Nikon Tether Plugin

Config.lua flags:

Adapter #1: Vendor : 10de
Device : 21c4
Subsystem : 40131458
Revision : a1
Video Memory : 5966
Adapter #2: Vendor : 1414
Device : 8c
Subsystem : 0
Revision : 0
Video Memory : 0
AudioDeviceIOBlockSize: 1024
AudioDeviceName: $$$/dvaaudiodevice/SystemDefaultAndEffectiveDeviceName=System Default - Realtek Digital Output (Realtek(R) Audio)#{comment}DVAAU-4201250: Open the audio hardware preferences page.
AudioDeviceNumberOfChannels: 2
AudioDeviceSampleRate: 48000
Build: LR5x120
Direct2DEnabled: false
GL_ACCUM_ALPHA_BITS: 16
GL_ACCUM_BLUE_BITS: 16
GL_ACCUM_GREEN_BITS: 16
GL_ACCUM_RED_BITS: 16
GL_ALPHA_BITS: 0
GL_BLUE_BITS: 8
GL_DEPTH_BITS: 24
GL_GREEN_BITS: 8
GL_MAX_3D_TEXTURE_SIZE: 16384
GL_MAX_TEXTURE_SIZE: 32768
GL_MAX_TEXTURE_UNITS: 4
GL_MAX_VIEWPORT_DIMS: 32768,32768
GL_RED_BITS: 8
GL_RENDERER: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER/PCIe/SSE2
GL_SHADING_LANGUAGE_VERSION: 4.60 NVIDIA
GL_STENCIL_BITS: 8
GL_VENDOR: NVIDIA Corporation
GL_VERSION: 4.6.0 NVIDIA 560.70
GPUDeviceEnabled: false
OGLEnabled: true
GL_EXTENSIONS: GL_AMD_multi_draw_indirect GL_AMD_seamless_cubemap_per_texture GL_AMD_vertex_shader_viewport_index GL_AMD_vertex_shader_layer GL_ARB_arrays_of_arrays GL_ARB_base_instance GL_ARB_bindless_texture GL_ARB_blend_func_extended GL_ARB_buffer_storage GL_ARB_clear_buffer_object GL_ARB_clear_texture GL_ARB_clip_control GL_ARB_color_buffer_float GL_ARB_compatibility GL_ARB_compressed_texture_pixel_storage GL_ARB_conservative_depth GL_ARB_compute_shader GL_ARB_compute_variable_group_size GL_ARB_conditional_render_inverted GL_ARB_copy_buffer GL_ARB_copy_image GL_ARB_cull_distance GL_ARB_debug_output GL_ARB_depth_buffer_float GL_ARB_depth_clamp GL_ARB_depth_texture GL_ARB_derivative_control GL_ARB_direct_state_access GL_ARB_draw_buffers GL_ARB_draw_buffers_blend GL_ARB_draw_indirect GL_ARB_draw_elements_base_vertex GL_ARB_draw_instanced GL_ARB_enhanced_layouts GL_ARB_ES2_compatibility GL_ARB_ES3_compatibility GL_ARB_ES3_1_compatibility GL_ARB_ES3_2_compatibility GL_ARB_explicit_attrib_location GL_ARB_explicit_uniform_location GL_ARB_fragment_coord_conventions GL_ARB_fragment_layer_viewport GL_ARB_fragment_program GL_ARB_fragment_program_shadow GL_ARB_fragment_shader GL_ARB_fragment_shader_interlock GL_ARB_framebuffer_no_attachments GL_ARB_framebuffer_object GL_ARB_framebuffer_sRGB GL_ARB_geometry_shader4 GL_ARB_get_program_binary GL_ARB_get_texture_sub_image GL_ARB_gl_spirv GL_ARB_gpu_shader5 GL_ARB_gpu_shader_fp64 GL_ARB_gpu_shader_int64 GL_ARB_half_float_pixel GL_ARB_half_float_vertex GL_ARB_imaging GL_ARB_indirect_parameters GL_ARB_instanced_arrays GL_ARB_internalformat_query GL_ARB_internalformat_query2 GL_ARB_invalidate_subdata GL_ARB_map_buffer_alignment GL_ARB_map_buffer_range GL_ARB_multi_bind GL_ARB_multi_draw_indirect GL_ARB_multisample GL_ARB_multitexture GL_ARB_occlusion_query GL_ARB_occlusion_query2 GL_ARB_parallel_shader_compile GL_ARB_pipeline_statistics_query GL_ARB_pixel_buffer_object GL_ARB_point_parameters GL_ARB_point_sprite GL_ARB_polygon_offset_clamp GL_ARB_post_depth_coverage GL_ARB_program_interface_query GL_ARB_provoking_vertex GL_ARB_query_buffer_object GL_ARB_robust_buffer_access_behavior GL_ARB_robustness GL_ARB_sample_locations GL_ARB_sample_shading GL_ARB_sampler_objects GL_ARB_seamless_cube_map GL_ARB_seamless_cubemap_per_texture GL_ARB_separate_shader_objects GL_ARB_shader_atomic_counter_ops GL_ARB_shader_atomic_counters GL_ARB_shader_ballot GL_ARB_shader_bit_encoding GL_ARB_shader_clock GL_ARB_shader_draw_parameters GL_ARB_shader_group_vote GL_ARB_shader_image_load_store GL_ARB_shader_image_size GL_ARB_shader_objects GL_ARB_shader_precision GL_ARB_shader_storage_buffer_object GL_ARB_shader_subroutine GL_ARB_shader_texture_image_samples GL_ARB_shader_texture_lod GL_ARB_shading_language_100 GL_ARB_shader_viewport_layer_array GL_ARB_shading_language_420pack GL_ARB_shading_language_include GL_ARB_shading_language_packing GL_ARB_shadow GL_ARB_sparse_buffer GL_ARB_sparse_texture GL_ARB_sparse_texture2 GL_ARB_sparse_texture_clamp GL_ARB_spirv_extensions GL_ARB_stencil_texturing GL_ARB_sync GL_ARB_tessellation_shader GL_ARB_texture_barrier GL_ARB_texture_border_clamp GL_ARB_texture_buffer_object GL_ARB_texture_buffer_object_rgb32 GL_ARB_texture_buffer_range GL_ARB_texture_compression GL_ARB_texture_compression_bptc GL_ARB_texture_compression_rgtc GL_ARB_texture_cube_map GL_ARB_texture_cube_map_array GL_ARB_texture_env_add GL_ARB_texture_env_combine GL_ARB_texture_env_crossbar GL_ARB_texture_env_dot3 GL_ARB_texture_filter_anisotropic GL_ARB_texture_filter_minmax GL_ARB_texture_float GL_ARB_texture_gather GL_ARB_texture_mirror_clamp_to_edge GL_ARB_texture_mirrored_repeat GL_ARB_texture_multisample GL_ARB_texture_non_power_of_two GL_ARB_texture_query_levels GL_ARB_texture_query_lod GL_ARB_texture_rectangle GL_ARB_texture_rg GL_ARB_texture_rgb10_a2ui GL_ARB_texture_stencil8 GL_ARB_texture_storage GL_ARB_texture_storage_multisample GL_ARB_texture_swizzle GL_ARB_texture_view GL_ARB_timer_query GL_ARB_transform_feedback2 GL_ARB_transform_feedback3 GL_ARB_transform_feedback_instanced GL_ARB_transform_feedback_overflow_query GL_ARB_transpose_matrix GL_ARB_uniform_buffer_object GL_ARB_vertex_array_bgra GL_ARB_vertex_array_object GL_ARB_vertex_attrib_64bit GL_ARB_vertex_attrib_binding GL_ARB_vertex_buffer_object GL_ARB_vertex_program GL_ARB_vertex_shader GL_ARB_vertex_type_10f_11f_11f_rev GL_ARB_vertex_type_2_10_10_10_rev GL_ARB_viewport_array GL_ARB_window_pos GL_ATI_draw_buffers GL_ATI_texture_float GL_ATI_texture_mirror_once GL_S3_s3tc GL_EXT_texture_env_add GL_EXT_abgr GL_EXT_bgra GL_EXT_bindable_uniform GL_EXT_blend_color GL_EXT_blend_equation_separate GL_EXT_blend_func_separate GL_EXT_blend_minmax GL_EXT_blend_subtract GL_EXT_compiled_vertex_array GL_EXT_Cg_shader GL_EXT_depth_bounds_test GL_EXT_direct_state_access GL_EXT_draw_buffers2 GL_EXT_draw_instanced GL_EXT_draw_range_elements GL_EXT_fog_coord GL_EXT_framebuffer_blit GL_EXT_framebuffer_multisample GL_EXTX_framebuffer_mixed_formats GL_EXT_framebuffer_multisample_blit_scaled GL_EXT_framebuffer_object GL_EXT_framebuffer_sRGB GL_EXT_geometry_shader4 GL_EXT_gpu_program_parameters GL_EXT_gpu_shader4 GL_EXT_multi_draw_arrays GL_EXT_multiview_texture_multisample GL_EXT_multiview_timer_query GL_EXT_packed_depth_stencil GL_EXT_packed_float GL_EXT_packed_pixels GL_EXT_pixel_buffer_object GL_EXT_point_parameters GL_EXT_polygon_offset_clamp GL_EXT_post_depth_coverage GL_EXT_provoking_vertex GL_EXT_raster_multisample GL_EXT_rescale_normal GL_EXT_secondary_color GL_EXT_separate_shader_objects GL_EXT_separate_specular_color GL_EXT_shader_image_load_formatted GL_EXT_shader_image_load_store GL_EXT_shader_integer_mix GL_EXT_shadow_funcs GL_EXT_sparse_texture2 GL_EXT_stencil_two_side GL_EXT_stencil_wrap GL_EXT_texture3D GL_EXT_texture_array GL_EXT_texture_buffer_object GL_EXT_texture_compression_dxt1 GL_EXT_texture_compression_latc GL_EXT_texture_compression_rgtc GL_EXT_texture_compression_s3tc GL_EXT_texture_cube_map GL_EXT_texture_edge_clamp GL_EXT_texture_env_combine GL_EXT_texture_env_dot3 GL_EXT_texture_filter_anisotropic GL_EXT_texture_filter_minmax GL_EXT_texture_integer GL_EXT_texture_lod GL_EXT_texture_lod_bias GL_EXT_texture_mirror_clamp GL_EXT_texture_object GL_EXT_texture_shadow_lod GL_EXT_texture_shared_exponent GL_EXT_texture_sRGB GL_EXT_texture_sRGB_R8 GL_EXT_texture_sRGB_decode GL_EXT_texture_storage GL_EXT_texture_swizzle GL_EXT_timer_query GL_EXT_transform_feedback2 GL_EXT_vertex_array GL_EXT_vertex_array_bgra GL_EXT_vertex_attrib_64bit GL_EXT_window_rectangles GL_EXT_import_sync_object GL_IBM_rasterpos_clip GL_IBM_texture_mirrored_repeat GL_KHR_context_flush_control GL_KHR_debug GL_EXT_memory_object GL_EXT_memory_object_win32 GL_NV_memory_object_sparse GL_EXT_win32_keyed_mutex GL_KHR_parallel_shader_compile GL_KHR_no_error GL_KHR_robust_buffer_access_behavior GL_KHR_robustness GL_EXT_semaphore GL_EXT_semaphore_win32 GL_NV_timeline_semaphore GL_KHR_shader_subgroup GL_KTX_buffer_region GL_NV_alpha_to_coverage_dither_control GL_NV_bindless_multi_draw_indirect GL_NV_bindless_multi_draw_indirect_count GL_NV_bindless_texture GL_NV_blend_equation_advanced GL_NV_blend_equation_advanced_coherent GL_NVX_blend_equation_advanced_multi_draw_buffers GL_NV_blend_minmax_factor GL_NV_blend_square GL_NV_clip_space_w_scaling GL_NV_command_list GL_NV_compute_program5 GL_NV_compute_shader_derivatives GL_NV_conditional_render GL_NV_conservative_raster GL_NV_conservative_raster_dilate GL_NV_conservative_raster_pre_snap GL_NV_conservative_raster_pre_snap_triangles GL_NV_conservative_raster_underestimation GL_NV_copy_depth_to_color GL_NV_copy_image GL_NV_depth_buffer_float GL_NV_depth_clamp GL_NV_draw_texture GL_NV_draw_vulkan_image GL_NV_ES1_1_compatibility GL_NV_ES3_1_compatibility GL_NV_explicit_multisample GL_NV_feature_query GL_NV_fence GL_NV_fill_rectangle GL_NV_float_buffer GL_NV_fog_distance GL_NV_fragment_coverage_to_color GL_NV_fragment_program GL_NV_fragment_program_option GL_NV_fragment_program2 GL_NV_fragment_shader_barycentric GL_NV_fragment_shader_interlock GL_NV_framebuffer_mixed_samples GL_NV_framebuffer_multisample_coverage GL_NV_geometry_shader4 GL_NV_geometry_shader_passthrough GL_NV_gpu_program4 GL_NV_internalformat_sample_query GL_NV_gpu_program4_1 GL_NV_gpu_program5 GL_NV_gpu_program5_mem_extended GL_NV_gpu_program_fp64 GL_NV_gpu_program_multiview GL_NV_gpu_shader5 GL_NV_half_float GL_NV_light_max_exponent GL_NV_memory_attachment GL_NV_mesh_shader GL_NV_multisample_coverage GL_NV_multisample_filter_hint GL_NV_occlusion_query GL_NV_packed_depth_stencil GL_NV_parameter_buffer_object GL_NV_parameter_buffer_object2 GL_NV_path_rendering GL_NV_path_rendering_shared_edge GL_NV_pixel_data_range GL_NV_point_sprite GL_NV_primitive_restart GL_NV_query_resource GL_NV_query_resource_tag GL_NV_register_combiners GL_NV_register_combiners2 GL_NV_representative_fragment_test GL_NV_sample_locations GL_NV_sample_mask_override_coverage GL_NV_scissor_exclusive GL_NV_shader_atomic_counters GL_NV_shader_atomic_float GL_NV_shader_atomic_float64 GL_NV_shader_atomic_fp16_vector GL_NV_shader_atomic_int64 GL_NV_shader_buffer_load GL_NV_shader_storage_buffer_object GL_NV_shader_subgroup_partitioned GL_NV_shader_texture_footprint GL_NV_shading_rate_image GL_NV_stereo_view_rendering GL_NV_texgen_reflection GL_NV_texture_barrier GL_NV_texture_compression_vtc GL_NV_texture_env_combine4 GL_NV_texture_multisample GL_NV_texture_rectangle GL_NV_texture_rectangle_compressed GL_NV_texture_shader GL_NV_texture_shader2 GL_NV_texture_shader3 GL_NV_transform_feedback GL_NV_transform_feedback2 GL_NV_uniform_buffer_unified_memory GL_NV_uniform_buffer_std430_layout GL_NV_vertex_array_range GL_NV_vertex_array_range2 GL_NV_vertex_attrib_integer_64bit GL_NV_vertex_buffer_unified_memory GL_NV_vertex_program GL_NV_vertex_program1_1 GL_NV_vertex_program2 GL_NV_vertex_program2_option GL_NV_vertex_program3 GL_NV_viewport_array2 GL_NV_viewport_swizzle GL_NVX_conditional_render GL_NVX_linked_gpu_multicast GL_NV_gpu_multicast GL_NVX_gpu_multicast2 GL_NVX_progress_fence GL_NVX_gpu_memory_info GL_NVX_multigpu_info GL_NVX_nvenc_interop GL_NV_shader_thread_group GL_NV_shader_thread_shuffle GL_KHR_blend_equation_advanced GL_KHR_blend_equation_advanced_coherent GL_OVR_multiview GL_OVR_multiview2 GL_SGIS_generate_mipmap GL_SGIS_texture_lod GL_SGIX_depth_texture GL_SGIX_shadow GL_SUN_slice_accum GL_WIN_swap_hint WGL_EXT_swap_control

 

[James Waghorn]

I upgraded from a GTX1050TI to and RTX 3060TI and (in addition to vastly quicker Denoise AI) it made a huge difference with using brushes and masks and overall makes for a much smoother and faster experience in the develop module. Also with the new AI features with the remove tool, having a modern well specified GPU is essential.

 

[Replytoken]

I would not necessarily rule out 4070 series GPUs as I believe they may be more power efficient than their predecessors. You may want to look at the 4070 Super.

--Ken

 

[BobT]

I highly recommend the upgrade. You'll need to download a PSU calculator to see if you have the power but be aware that power rating is just one factor. A top tier PSU is quite a different animal to an el cheapo of the same power rating. The 4000 series GPUs are significantly more energy efficient than the earlier 3000 series. The "Ti" models provide a boost at the expense of power consumption, but benefits gaming much more than imaging.

 

[PhilBurton]

A top tier PSU is quite a different animal to an el cheapo of the same power rating. T

Most companies that sell power supplies actually relabel power supplies made by an actual power supply manufacturer. If you buy from the actual PSU manufacturer, you know what quality to expect. My two PSU manufacturers are Seasonic and Super Flower. Spend the extra money. It's worth it for a reliable system for the long term.

 

[James Waghorn]

Nvidia is expected to be releasing the 5000 series of GPUs soon, so it would worth waiting to see what these are like in terms of performance. It will also likely lead to 4000 series cards being reduced in price by retailers clearing old stock.

 

[paulgerrard99]

I highly recommend the upgrade. You'll need to download a PSU calculator to see if you have the power but be aware that power rating is just one factor. A top tier PSU is quite a different animal to an el cheapo of the same power rating. The 4000 series GPUs are significantly more energy efficient than the earlier 3000 series. The "Ti" models provide a boost at the expense of power consumption, but benefits gaming much more than imaging.

Well I have checked with one of those PSU calculators and the 4070 is probably pushing me beyond my current 650W. I've got four hard drives and three SSDs in the box too. So with a new PSU included and the 4070 being considerably more expensive than a 4060 I'd be getting into quite an expensive upgrade! Swapping the PSU in a PC isn't a trivial task either - it basically means taking everything out and putting it back in again.

 

[paulgerrard99]

Nvidia is expected to be releasing the 5000 series of GPUs soon, so it would worth waiting to see what these are like in terms of performance. It will also likely lead to 4000 series cards being reduced in price by retailers clearing old stock.

Yeah I've been thinking it might be worth sitting it out until the mid range 5000 series appear - they could be of interest in terms of performance and power efficiency but if they're not at the right price to tempt me there will certainly be some good deals on the last of the 4000 series!

 

[BobT]

Well I have checked with one of those PSU calculators and the 4070 is probably pushing me beyond my current 650W. I've got four hard drives and three SSDs in the box too. So with a new PSU included and the 4070 being considerably more expensive than a 4060 I'd be getting into quite an expensive upgrade! Swapping the PSU in a PC isn't a trivial task either - it basically means taking everything out and putting it back in again.

I beg to differ about the difficulty of changing out the PSU, particularly if you are handy with screwdriver. However, whatever you do, you MUST use the cables that come with that particular PSU. The plugs are standard but the cables aren't. Of course, they aren't cheap but you do somewhat future proof your rig. This table might help in your selection: https://cultists.network/140/psu-tier-list/
However, as James said above, the price of the 4060 might come down shortly.

 

[Anthony.Ralph]

You may find this YouTube video of interest. Jay talks about the cost of main components and the upcoming 5000 series.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_ihY7eHpTg

Anthony

 

[paulgerrard99]

I beg to differ about the difficulty of changing out the PSU, particularly if you are handy with screwdriver. However, whatever you do, you MUST use the cables that come with that particular PSU. The plugs are standard but the cables aren't. Of course, they aren't cheap but you do somewhat future proof your rig. This table might help in your However, as James said above, the price of the 4060 might come down shortly

Ah no I know how to do it and I've done it before a couple of times. It's just one of those pain in the a$$ tasks that I try to avoid for as long as possible!

 

[paulgerrard99]

You may find this YouTube video of interest. Jay talks about the cost of main components and the upcoming 5000 series.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_ihY7eHpTg

Anthony

Interesting alright!

 

[Gnits]

I bought a modern Corsair 850 GPU.... then had a disaster installing an RTX4070TI. I used the cables supplied with the GPU.

Full story here. Long post. Read Post #1 and if interested post #20 and #30.
https://www.lightroomqueen.com/comm...e-nvidia-rtx-4070-ti-12gb.47572/#post-1315023


My summary... lots of power supplies built and in stock around the world before GPU's became so power hungry. These power supplies may have power ports not geared for modern gpus. Cables are the poor relation ... and be careful of what is supplied and what you might find in your own drawer.

 

[PhilBurton]

Ah no I know how to do it and I've done it before a couple of times. It's just one of those pain in the a$$ tasks that I try to avoid for as long as possible!

Yes, upgrading can be a pain. Make things easier on yourself by getting a PSU with modular cables to minimize cable clutter. I build all my own desktops to be sure of getting quality components, not to save money, because I don't compared with HP or Dell. But I don't know about their component selection process.

 

[paulgerrard99]

Yeah I w

Yes, upgrading can be a pain. Make things easier on yourself by getting a PSU with modular cables to minimize cable clutter. I build all my own desktops to be sure of getting quality components, not to save money, because I don't compared with HP or Dell. But I don't know about their component selection process.

Yeah I went with a good modular PSU the last time - I've had my FSP Aurum 650W since 2013 and it's still going strong. As mentioned up above I built my current system three years ago but was able to retain a few components from my previous build which began life in 2010! It was the end of the road for my original motherboard, CPU and RAM but I'd managed to keep them going for over ten years by upgrading everything else around them and overclocking. So when I did my current build I only had to buy motherboard, CPU, RAM and M2 SSD - I carried over the PSU, GPU, cooling, hard drives and SATA SSD.

That's what I like about building desktop PCs rather than buying a notebook or a Mac - not only is it cheaper in the long run but it's possible to have decent performance upgrades during the lifespan of each motherboard. A new GPU is the next obvious upgrade for me but I can still make further gains if I need to by getting more RAM or even a better AM4 processor.

 

[BobT]

Yeah I w

Yeah I went with a good modular PSU the last time - I've had my FSP Aurum 650W since 2013 and it's still going strong. As mentioned up above I built my current system three years ago but was able to retain a few components from my previous build which began life in 2010! It was the end of the road for my original motherboard, CPU and RAM but I'd managed to keep them going for over ten years by upgrading everything else around them and overclocking. So when I did my current build I only had to buy motherboard, CPU, RAM and M2 SSD - I carried over the PSU, GPU, cooling, hard drives and SATA SSD.

That's what I like about building desktop PCs rather than buying a notebook or a Mac - not only is it cheaper in the long run but it's possible to have decent performance upgrades during the lifespan of each motherboard. A new GPU is the next obvious upgrade for me but I can still make further gains if I need to by getting more RAM or even a better AM4 processor.

Good job!

 

[Paul_DS256]

FWIW, my son is an Electrical Engineer and put me onto purchasing used Video Cards which he does. He says serious gamers buy the latest and greatest card then sell of their older ones. I've done this twice already, successfully, and save several hundreds of dollars.

 

[PhilBurton]

FWIW, my son is an Electrical Engineer and put me onto purchasing used Video Cards which he does. He says serious gamers buy the latest and greatest card then sell of their older ones. I've done this twice already, successfully, and save several hundreds of dollars.

A caution is that GPU cards may have been used by crypto miners, who tend to destroy or degrade the cards the way they configure and use them,

 

[BobT]

Yes, upgrading can be a pain. Make things easier on yourself by getting a PSU with modular cables to minimize cable clutter. I build all my own desktops to be sure of getting quality components, not to save money, because I don't compared with HP or Dell. But I don't know about their component selection process.

I second the quality bit. With DIY, you get only what you want, no bells and whistles, so you can afford to spend more on quality,

 

[PhilBurton]

I second the quality bit. With DIY, you get only what you want, no bells and whistles, so you can afford to spend more on quality,

Unfortunately some cases and motherboards come with RGB lighting, for which I have no use. My desktop case does not even have a side window. So I'm paying some small amount for these bells and whistled I don't want,

 

[BobT]

Unfortunately some cases and motherboards come with RGB lighting, for which I have no use. My desktop case does not even have a side window. So I'm paying some small amount for these bells and whistled I don't want,

Yes, after much research, the motherboard I chose turned out to be an MSI gamer which of course had RGB. It's just a few LEDs and bit of software. So, I thought, what the heck, I may as well get a case with one glass wall. My grandkids love it.

 

[PhilBurton]

may as well get a case with one glass wall. My grandkids love it.

Gives me an idea for my grandchildren, How old are yours?

 

[BobT]

Gives me an idea for my grandchildren, How old are yours?

Four grandkids ranging from 4 to 14. I have a 24" monitor. The 14-year-old laughed at the size of it. I like it but might have to get a bigger one if it'll fit on the desk. There are some really cool gaming cases about. I wanted one with a DVD slot. Believe it or not, it was hard to find. I guess it's all being streamed these days or done with peripherals.

 

[PhilBurton]

Four grandkids ranging from 4 to 14. I have a 24" monitor. The 14-year-old laughed at the size of it.

Mine are 5 and 3 1/2. They are much more interested in phone and tablets that PCs, because we do weekly Facetime call.

I like it but might have to get a bigger one if it'll fit on the desk.

I am also thinking about a monitor larger thn 24". But I would also like one that is Adobe RGB and supports HDR. If I buy one of those, there won't be anything left over for the grandchildren's birthday presents. LOL!

Oh, and I would also like to get something like an RTX 5070, when it is released, to steer back to the title of this thread.

There are some really cool gaming cases about. I wanted one with a DVD slot. Believe it or not, it was hard to find. I guess it's all being streamed these days or done with peripherals.

I know, practically impossible. I got a Phanteks full tower case because I could install a DVD reader, but I don't like the case overall. Next major upgrade will include a new case.

 

[BobT]

I bought an Adobe RGB monitor. I noticed a sudden price drop and snapped one up. Couldn't believe my luck. Then realised HDR monitors had just come out. Oh well, next time. I like Adobe RGB. The Windows blue screen of death is a much nicer shade of blue