What GPU should I upgrade to? (Nvidia 970 GTX)

[Andytizer 269]

I am currently running:

i5 4670K
16GB DDR3
ASRock Z87E-ITX
GPU: Asus 970 Strix 4GB
Monitor: Acer XR341CK - 3440x1440 Freesync monitor at 75Hz

So I upgraded my monitor from 1080p to a Freesync 3440x1440 after I built the PC in around 2014 - the 970 card never quite cut it at that new high resolution. Since then I've been thinking about getting a new GPU that's faster and supports Freesync. However I'm not sure which one I should get especially as there's some new Nvidia drivers, and new AMD GPUs too. I'm thinking of spending around £300-400 - I just want something good for 3440x1440 gaming and good value for money. On Amazon I can get a 1070 Ti for £309.99 which seems like a fantastic deal. Or possibly a Vega 56 for £380 new on Amazon too. I was wondering what people thought!

[Guest]

I'd get the 1070Ti. While you'll have to wait until the new drivers are released to use the "FreeSync" part of your FreeSync monitor, GeForce GPUs, in my experience, are more compatible with older games and various third-party plugins (i.e. dgVoodoo2, ENBSeries, etc.) than AMD/ATI's cards. (Furthermore, should you want to try out a game saddled with hardware PhysX/GameWorks features, you'll have plenty of computational power to throw at it.)

[Andytizer 269]

I think you are probably right - the 1070Ti at £309.99 is too good a deal for £ per performance. It’s a shame AMD aren’t competitive in this particular space at the moment.

[Andytizer 269]

Thanks - it saddens me that Nvidia cards have better computational power per £ at the moment, and the 1070Ti is at a great price point. I've just ordered a 1070Ti for £299.99 from Amazon.

However, now that the 2060 GTXs are in the wild for a similar price (lowest at £330 new) I'm in a bit of a bind and not sure whether to refund and switch!

[Andytizer 269]

Just looking at Ray Tracing - doesn't seem worthwhile.

 

[Guest]

At this point, no. As I mentioned to another PCGW regular on Discord, don't focus on the RTX part - focus on the performance, and think of RTX as an added 'bonus'.

[Andytizer 269]

I ended up getting a GTX 1070 Mini from Zotac - I initially purchased for £299.99 but then it dropped down to £249.99 which was incredible value. However it's still not quite driving 3440x1440 as well as I'd liked, in Apex Legends it doesn't quite hold 75FPS on medium settings at 3440x1440. I'm probably expecting too much from a sub-£300 card, and I'm already keeping my eye out for an upgrade! GPU prices are still insanely high though.