GPU prices... What's my options?

[googz]

Looking to build a new rig, but these prices have me second guessing myself. My current computer is very outdated, but still performs well. Biggest problem is we're now down to just the one and my wife is wanting to play some D2R together.

I don't need the latest and greatest as the titles we generally play aren't crazy new. It seems however that even older gpus are expensive from what I've seen over the last couple days. This is at least from what I can tell. Honestly the nvidia generation naming has me confused as well. Go from 1xxx to 2xxx then back to 16xx and now 3xxx? Is this correct? I really don't like anything amd due to past experiences, but maybe this is a route I should consider? I have absolutely no idea about their generation naming and got completely lost looking at them.

[unbound]

TBH, I'm not sure there are any great options.

If you are trying to avoid the extreme prices, the best is to search around and see when local store stock drops happen. You will probably have to line up outside the store many hours before it opens to get a chance at one.

Otherwise, you may just have to live with an older card if you still have it. I've been running on my old 1070 since last September, and I'll probably have to keep using it for at least another year.

If you don't have a card you can use, and don't want to wait, you are going to pay through the nose no matter what...maybe should aim for something like 3060ti which probably runs around $1k.

[LordVargK]

Iirc gtx 1660 is rtx 2060 without raytracing. So a mid tier graphics card by now. It's not better than the 2xxx series. AMD has some comparable products, but they are generally inferior, but not by a lot. Still, ATM no Graphics card is worth the price imo, if you don't absolutely need one, wait.

Crypto is at an all time high.
Nvidia super series is around the corner (although will probably have a higher MSRP, NVIDIA doesn't resellers to make all the money).
AMD is rumored to have a powerful GPU in the works, but that will probably take more time than the Super cards.

Honestly, for D2R even older Graphics cards should do. If you absolutely can't run it a gtx 970 should do without breaking your bank.

[Self Inflicted Wounds]

Everything I am reading is that the best option is either:

A) pull off a truck heist

or

B) be rich

or

C) buy a prebuilt from one of the reputable companies. Some of them don't markup too bad.

[OrangeJuice]

Looking to build a new rig, but these prices have me second guessing myself. My current computer is very outdated, but still performs well. Biggest problem is we're now down to just the one and my wife is wanting to play some D2R together.

I don't need the latest and greatest as the titles we generally play aren't crazy new. It seems however that even older gpus are expensive from what I've seen over the last couple days. This is at least from what I can tell. Honestly the nvidia generation naming has me confused as well. Go from 1xxx to 2xxx then back to 16xx and now 3xxx? Is this correct? I really don't like anything amd due to past experiences, but maybe this is a route I should consider? I have absolutely no idea about their generation naming and got completely lost looking at them.

Nvidia has 2 families - Ray tracing (RTX xxxx) and non ray tracing (GTX xxxx). Ray tracing is a new technology that makes shadows form from light sources. Older cards don't have the tech, so they renamed their card lines from GTX to RTX and started their count over. Everything is overpriced because they're used for crypto mining.

RTX series
3090 (most current)
3080
3070
3060

2080
2070
2060

GTX series:
1660
1080
1070
1060
-----
anything older than 1060 isn't worth your money. the GTX 1660 is about the same as the RTX 2060, the 2 cards are almost identical in terms of FPS except the 2060 has ray tracing. If you need a cheap card for general gaming the 1660 or 2060 are good choices.

[Temp name]

Looking to build a new rig, but these prices have me second guessing myself. My current computer is very outdated, but still performs well. Biggest problem is we're now down to just the one and my wife is wanting to play some D2R together.

I don't need the latest and greatest as the titles we generally play aren't crazy new. It seems however that even older gpus are expensive from what I've seen over the last couple days. This is at least from what I can tell. Honestly the nvidia generation naming has me confused as well. Go from 1xxx to 2xxx then back to 16xx and now 3xxx? Is this correct? I really don't like anything amd due to past experiences, but maybe this is a route I should consider? I have absolutely no idea about their generation naming and got completely lost looking at them.

Last 3 gens are:
10x0
16x0+20x0
30x0

[Ange]

the GTX 1660 is about the same as the RTX 2060, the 2 cards are almost identical in terms of FPS except the 2060 has ray tracing. If you need a cheap card for general gaming the 1660 or 2060 are good choices.

* "deep learning super sampling (DLSS) is a machine-learning and temporal image upscaling technology developed by Nvidia and exclusive to its graphics cards for real-time use in select video games."

Is supported in some games and low end systems benefit a lot from it. It makes the 2060 a much better choice as any 16xx variant.

To get as much gaming performance as possible, that includes DLSS, my entry point would be a 2060 non-super. (might get a refresh 12GB VRAM variant next year).

[Temp name]

* "deep learning super sampling (DLSS) is a machine-learning and temporal image upscaling technology developed by Nvidia and exclusive to its graphics cards for real-time use in select video games."

Is supported in some games and low end systems benefit a lot from it. It makes the 2060 a much better choice as any 16xx variant.

To get as much gaming performance as possible, that includes DLSS, my entry point would be a 2060 non-super. (might get a refresh 12GB VRAM variant next year).

A 2060 doesn't have enough power to need 12gb VRAM. It literally cannot crunch the numbers fast enough to need it.
If you need a GPU and there are no others available it's fine, but.. It's not a good purchase specifically. Either you need 2060 power, or 12gb VRAM, but you don't need both

[OrangeJuice]

* "deep learning super sampling (DLSS) is a machine-learning and temporal image upscaling technology developed by Nvidia and exclusive to its graphics cards for real-time use in select video games."

Is supported in some games and low end systems benefit a lot from it. It makes the 2060 a much better choice as any 16xx variant.

To get as much gaming performance as possible, that includes DLSS, my entry point would be a 2060 non-super. (might get a refresh 12GB VRAM variant next year).

I've used both the 1660 and 2060 and they're really only good for 1080/144hz. At least in WoW, I could put settings on 8 or 9 and get 144 fps. If you turn off AA you can get away with full max settings in instances. I don't think they're good cards for 2k or beyond, making DLSS useless. Maybe if you have a G sync monitor. Definitely good entry cards though, I agree with you there.

[Temp name]

I've used both the 1660 and 2060 and they're really only good for 1080/144hz. At least in WoW, I could put settings on 8 or 9 and get 144 fps. If you turn off AA you can get away with full max settings in instances. I don't think they're good cards for 2k or beyond, making DLSS useless. Maybe if you have a G sync monitor. Definitely good entry cards though, I agree with you there.

2k is 2048x1080

[KrayZ33]

I'm certainly no expert, but I'm pretty sure at least that pre-built PCs are currently cheaper to buy than the card itself... at least if you want to upgrade some other parts.

I got the MSI Creator P100X(?) at around christmas last year for 1,900€ with a 2080 TI / i9-10900K / 64GB DDR4 Ram / 1TB SSD 2TB HDD and even though I bought it on impulse I'm pretty happy.

When I look at how much cards cost now, I got my PC for the price of the graphics card basically...

[Zuul]

This guy has a great information channel. Talks about the latest trends and breaks thing down so that anyone can understand. Looking for a GPU? He explains it all.

[Onikaroshi]

I got super lucky with EVGA's waitlist, it's shut now, but I got a 3070ti for MSRP through there.

Other than that it's just watching for stock drops honestly.