Looking for a new graphic card for an old PC

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fiastarta

Commendable
Nov 6, 2016
2
0
1,510
Hello,

I'm looking for a replacement for a GTX 560 Ti in a rather old, but still ok PC, from 2011, with an i7-2600K. Even the graphic card is still fast enough for most games, however it's its 1GB onboard that's now really not enough for recent games.

I figured out that my best option would be a GTX 1060, instead of a GTX 970, for a similar price.
My questions are:

-would that graphic card be compatible with any motherboard from 2011, or are there pitfalls I should be aware of?
As for the wattage, I assume that if it was ok for the GTX 560, it should be ok for the 1060.

-I'm still using 2 monitors, an LCD plugged through DVI, and a CRT plugged through RGB (I can't imagine gaming on anything else).
Because there doesn't seem to be much, if any, cards with 2 DVI's on them, should I be buying one of those cheap, yet "active" DP-to-RGB converters? Or perhaps use the single DVI (on most cards) to RGB with a converter for the CRT, and a DP-to-DVI converter for the LCD?

Any suggestion on the card's brand itself? Why do some have 1 single fan?

Thanks!
 
Solution
Natsukage
Yes, that's exactly it. It will have little to no difference in performance with PCI-E 2.0.

To know your motherboard version, either read the version inside the casing, on the motherboard directly, or use Speccy.

But, that's besides the point. The i7-2600k does not support PCI-E 3.0, so even if your board does, it will work at 2.0.
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Justiceinacan

Justiceinacan

Admirable
Jul 19, 2016
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The single "reference/blower" fan style is a different way of cooling. I'd get the dual or triple axial fan models if they're available. Asus Dual/Strix, MSi Gaming X, EVGA ACX, etc. EVGA ACX is the best to go with at a lower end but if you're into GPU overclocking MSI Gaming X is cool and quiet.

I'd get a GTX 1060. Most have 1x HDMI, 3x Displayport, and 1x DVI I believe, so make sure whatever connections you have work.

As far as I know, PCIe 3.0 has been around for a while, even if your board is 2.0 it should work I believe.

As far as bottlenecking, I believe improvements between 2nd gen and now is mostly power based with some performance increases. But they have similar features otherwise. You're missing out on something like 20% at stock speed comparisons I believe...
 
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captaincharisma

captaincharisma

Glorious
Oct 13, 2004
10,963
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PCI-E is backward compatible so it doesn't matter if you have a PCI-e 1.0 or 2.0 slot it will still be compatible

 
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Natsukage

Natsukage

Estimable
Oct 28, 2016
1,264
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Hello.

Basically, you can fit a video card (such as 1060) in any computer from 2007 onwards...as long as there is a PCI Express x16 port (V2.0), and a sufficient power supply. Of course, your CPU and Mobo will limit (bottleneck) a GTX 1060, as you're probably aware of.

If your mobo was okay for a 560, then you will have no problems with a GTX 1060. Just plug it right in, install the drivers, and you're ready to go.

But, as you've said yourself, the problem with new cards is the lack of a VGA output. You will need an "active" VGA converter. I suggest buying a card with a DVI port, connecting your DVI monitor with this, then connecting your VGA monitor using an active HDMI to VGA converter.

AS for the brand, most are recommended brands. Take anything from a well known company and good reviews. ^^ A single fan model is usually made for a smaller pc, and have limited power compared to a bigger model.

Ideally, choose one that fits your casing, has the right price, and has a good warranty.

Hope this cleared a few things. ^^
 
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F

fiastarta

Commendable
Nov 6, 2016
2
0
1,510
Thanks, quick answers there!

So do I take it that if my motherboard doesn't support PCI-E 3, it will still work, possibly less well?
Edit: from what I'm reading, there's little-to-no performance loss using a PCI-E 2 over 3?

My motherboard is a GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3, and the problem is that PCI-E3 seems to be available in its rev 1.3, and I don't really know which of the 1.0 or 1.3 version I own.
 
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Justiceinacan

Justiceinacan

Admirable
Jul 19, 2016
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It's still usable.
 
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