Just got a new monitor with Freesync, should I get an AMD GPU to take advantage?

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hobnailspenguin

Jul 28, 2018
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Hello everyone, I'm a pretty dedicated gamer, but I have been considering getting my first AMD CPU (Ryzen 7 2700x w/ 2x8 3200ram MSI Gaming + mobo) because I may stream in the future and I'd like to support their company. I just realized my new Insignia 27" 1440p 144hz monitor has Freesync, and I have heard it can be visually stunning. However, from what I have researched the GTX 1080 seems to beat it out for power, and I can get the 1080 for $450 right now, maybe cheaper when they announce/release 1180/2080, and I'd be hard pressed to find a Vega for anywhere near that price. Is it worth it to hold out for a cheap AMD GPU with good specs? Could the new Nvidia card make AMD lower their prices too? I know none of us have crystal balls, but I have no experience with the wonders of Freesync or the power of AMD GPU's, so any advice would be deeply appreciated.
 
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Get an RX Vega 56 or 64. Freesync makes a huge difference. You'll be able to play at 60fps or 75fps smoothly and efficiently. Nvidia's Adaptive V Sync is garbage and G-Sync is overpriced and will eventually be killed since Intel also announced support for Freesync. With Nvidia you'll need to run significantly higher frame rates thus consuming more power and still not yielding better results than an AMD GPU with Freesync. If you do anything else other than gaming then the Vega is a clear winner. The AMD drivers have also vastly improved and better in comparison. AMD will also have a better resale value once you decide to upgrade to 7nm GPUs next year.
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renz496

renz496

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Jun 16, 2009
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Freesync (or adaptive refresh rates) show it's most benefit when you have lower frame rate (especially below 60). That's why those have Gsync panel if the said game already outputting more than 80 or 90 FPS they will disable Gsync function and turned on ULMB instead.

About AMD pricing i think they will most definitely cut their price once nvidia launch their GPU. I think that pretty much guaranteed all the time. They might not cut them right away but in the end tjey will do it anyway (in few weeks). Right now AMD try to convince people to buy their GPU by offering three free games (all new one including Assassin Creed Oddessy). In my opinion the one that the most frightening for AMD will not going to be the next flagship but the next mid range. Nvidia for years has consistently making their x60 part to be as fast as their previous gen x80 part.

Fermi GTX460 ($229)= GTX285
Kepler GTX 660 ($249)= GTX580
Maxwell GTX 960 ($199)= GTX680
Pascal GTX 1060 ($249, $299 for founders edition )= GTX980

So the next 1160 was expected to cost between $250-$300 while having 1080 performance. If that's the case then it can be a serious blow to Vega.

 
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hobnailspenguin

Jul 28, 2018
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Ahh, that makes sense, I haven't heard of those higher tiered programs you mentioned, but I'll check them out. I'm going to try for higher FPS than it seems Freesync would be able to help me with. I guess from what you've said and the news I've been reading that it will be worth it to wait for Aug 20/31st to see how GPU prices/power shakes up. It's torture waiting to upgrade with this beautiful monitor though, and I've already bought the ram (Ripjaws V 3200) and power unit (Seasonic Gold 650 watt) in flash sales. Thanks for the fantastic information renz496.
 
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volkgren

volkgren

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Aug 13, 2017
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You skipped the GTX 700 series, where the GTX 960 was only slightly faster than the GTX 760. So the x60 equaling the previous x80 is not always true. And Nvidia said the GTX 1060 equals GTX 980, but it actually equals an overclocked GTX 970. Tom'sHardware put the GTX 980 in a higher tier than the GTX 1060 in their 2018 GPU Heirarchy. https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gpu-hierarchy,4388.html

But nonetheless I would still expect Nvidia to remain faster than AMD. I would be anxious to see if AMD lowered their prices on RX Vega, but I wouldn't hold my breath on it.
 
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renz496

renz496

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Jun 16, 2009
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I skip them because they were based on the same architecture. For example both 660 and 760 is based on Kepler architecture. Nvidia used to comes out with new series every year but will use one architecture for every two years. Meaning one architecture will end being slit into two series. But nvidia stop doing this starting from maxwell v2. My point is more about performance jump between architecture (first iteration vs first iteration) instead of from one series to the next.

And yes the 980 actually stronger than 1060 6GB. though they sre quite close in performance. In case of 1160 some said it will be as fast as 1070 but personally i think it will be a lot closer to 1080 than 1070.
 
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shabbo

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Nov 29, 2011
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Get an RX Vega 56 or 64. Freesync makes a huge difference. You'll be able to play at 60fps or 75fps smoothly and efficiently. Nvidia's Adaptive V Sync is garbage and G-Sync is overpriced and will eventually be killed since Intel also announced support for Freesync. With Nvidia you'll need to run significantly higher frame rates thus consuming more power and still not yielding better results than an AMD GPU with Freesync. If you do anything else other than gaming then the Vega is a clear winner. The AMD drivers have also vastly improved and better in comparison. AMD will also have a better resale value once you decide to upgrade to 7nm GPUs next year.
 
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hobnailspenguin

Jul 28, 2018
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I found a Powercolor 64 Vega on sale for $500 with three videogames on Newegg, so I decided to follow your advice Shabbo. I did some research and found out the Vega has a bit more muscle than I thought, and I'm looking forward to taking advantage of freesync. I nearly preordered an Rtx 2080 which will probably be stronger, but I've saved quite a bit this way, and I may follow your advice further and resell this card in the next few years for a better one. Hopefully the Navi/650 will knock it out of the park, but we don't know what we're getting with those cards yet.
 
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