Budget Graphics Card Choice

[jacob247891]

Hey guys, i have built a budget gaming pc but i am still in need of a gpu. I have found an rx 550 and a gt 1030 but the rx 550 is $25 more expensive. Is it worth the price difference. Here are the links to the gpu's:

-https://www.gigabyte.com/Graphics-Card/GV-RX550D5-2GD-rev-10-11#kf

-https://www.gigabyte.com/Graphics-Card/GV-N1030D5-2GL#kf

Is the rx 550 worth it for freesync as my monitor allows for it?
Thank you in advance

 

[Aeacus]

RX 550 is better than GT 1030 and i'd go with that one,
comparison: http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/AMD-RX-550-vs-Nvidia-GT-1030/3925vsm283726

 

[jacob247891]

thanks for that, so is it really worth the price difference?
Becuase i SHOULD be able to get it but there aren't that many selling around my area.

 

[cryoburner]

In most reviews I've seen, the two GPUs performed at a roughly similar level in actual games. The RX 550 tends to perform better in some newer games that utilize technologies like DX12 and Vulcan, but the GT 1030 tends to perform similar or in some cases better in many others. Personally, I'm not sure it would be worth paying $25 more for the RX 550 based on performance. At the price level of these cards, that's a relatively large cost difference, but it doesn't translate to significantly better performance in the majority of titles.

Also, keep in mind that some RX 550s have 4GBs of VRAM, which doesn't usually make much of an actual difference in games at the settings these cards can run, but might potentially skew the results a bit on a site like UserBench. That particular RX 550 has 2GBs of VRAM, just like the GT 1030.

Freesync is one feature that could potentially be nice to have if you have a FreeSync monitor though, particularly if you're not exceeding your monitor's refresh rate, which will likely be the case with these cards. What model of monitor do you have? Do you know the effective range of frame rates where FreeSync is active in on that screen?

 

[jacob247891]

All i know about my monitor is that its model is the "LGMP59HT 24" gaming monitor" which has freesync.
I just got an update on the cheapest rx 550 in my area and it is now $125 and the gt 1030 is $85. So would it not be worth the even bigger price difference for freesync?

If the gt 1030 would be better in this scenario, what is the fastest brand, is it the gigabyte model or maybe the galax exoc white?

 

[Aeacus]

While both GPUs perform similar, RX 550 gives you a Freesync option that can be beneficial over V-Sync. Having option to choose between Freesync and V-Sync is better than just having V-Sync (when going with GT 1030).
Further reading about Freesync, V-Sync and etc technologies: https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/4p0q7a/lets_talk_about_vsync_freesync_gsync_adaptivesync/

$40 is a bit much to pay for similar performing GPU. If money is scarce, go with GT 1030 and use $40 do improve your rig on some other aspect (e.g LED fans/strips).

 

[dontlistentome]

They are both sub entry level, with the 560 and 1050 being entry level. So in raw performance they are for practical purposes the same. You will be limited to esports games for 1080p, or AAA games at 720p no matter which one you choose.

As a budget gamer, I don't spend money on anything except performance. So I wouldn't pay extra for freesync. However, you bought a freesync monitor so it must be something you're interested in. Therefore if I were in your position I'd buy the 550. Unless you didn't buy that monitor for freesync, then get the 1030. For gaming get a card with a fan, even if it's small. Games will cause the card to heat up and a passive heatsink could use a bit of help.

 

[jacob247891]

okay then, thanks for that, i'll probably get the gt 1030 this weekend then. thx

 

[jacob247891]

by the way, i got the monitor as it was biggish, has good features (for the future, 1ms response time) and for a reasonable price. Thx

 

[cryoburner]

To add to that, many of the big hardware sites didn't review the GT 1030, since it's a lower end model, but here's one video review from Hardware Unboxed that I thought did a good job of comparing it to the RX 550 in a variety of games...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhxbnUj03ek

As you can see, depending on the game, each card can perform better than the other, but they trade blows back and forth, so it's hard to say that one is better overall, unless it happens to be better in the games you are most interested in playing. The GT 1030 is arguably better in terms of its overall price to performance ratio though, but again, the RX 550 does have FreeSync, which you might consider worthwhile. For a $40 price premium, I'd say probably not though.

Tom's Hardware tested the GT 1030 as well, although their selection of tested games was more limited, and the only recent games they tested utilized DX12 and Vulcan, which isn't really all that representative of most recent titles...
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/nvidia-geforce-gt-1030-2gb,5110.html

 

[jacob247891]

Yeah thanks for that, i'm now final on my decision on the gt 1030 as that is what my budget allows for. I might even be able to get another 4gb of ram as i only have 4 gb.