Questions on my planned GPU upgrades, GTX 1060 or GTX 970 for 1080p gaming?

[DanBS_]

Motherboard - ASUSTeK P8H61-MX, Intel Sandy Bridge chipset

I've recently bought a i5 2500 CPU and am just waiting for my Thermal Paste to be delivered.
I actually have 2 questions, firstly for 1080p gaming should I consider upgrading to a GTX 1060 or stick with my plan of upgrading to a GTX 970 4GB. Just to put it out there I've got no interest in going above 1080p gaming for the next 5 years or games are designed around higher resolutions. Secondly will my motherboard be able to handle the upgrade in GPU, at the moment I'm running with a 5 year old GTX 650Ti.

Also if you were interested, when purchasing a new GPU I'll also be buying a new PSU as mine at the moment is NovaTech /: as well as a more suitable case.

Thanks in advance for your help!

-Dan

Edit: I guess it would also help if you knew what games I plan to play, most AAA titles such as Battlefield 1, The Witcher 3, Fallout 4 and Overwatch just to name a few.

 

[iyzik]

I would vote GTX 1060. It outperforms the GTX 970 and RX 480 in Overwatch and Witcher 3 and is a great 1080p card.

 

[Barty1884]

Both a 1060 (6GB) and a 970 (4GB) are around $250 new - so the 1060 is a no brainer to me.

It's the better performer (~GTX 980 territory) and will last you longer.

If you found a used 970 in the $100-$150 range, that might make a more compelling argument for the 970 but when looking at two new cards, there is absolutely no reason to select a 970 over a 1060.

 

[DanBS_]

I did some research around a month ago on prices and the 1060 was priced at £290 and it still is now, but the 970 has fluctuated greatly, going from £180 now up to £270, so yeah that does seem like a stupid move going for a 970 over a 1060. Alright thanks guys.

If you could also help me out on my other question as to whether my motherboard will be able to handle the newer card.

Thanks again guys

 

[Barty1884]

A quick google search doesn't bring up anybody reporting compatibility issues, so that's a good sign!

Usually it's down to BIOS support. A lot of pre-builts/off the shelf builds with custom issued motherboard lack BIOS updates/support - but you have a mainstream board, that was receiving BIOS updates between launch in 2011 and mid-2013.

There's no guarantees, so you'd need to try it out - but I wouldn't expect any issues.

 

[DanBS_]

That's exactly the news I wanted to hear, seeing as Amazon have such amazing returns policy I don't think I'll have any trouble, thanks for you help!