GPU Choice - Memory Capacity or Type?

[ArchieB]

Hi,

I have been continuing to research hardware components for a potential new budget PC build and have come up with this so far....

i5-9600K @ 3.7GHz (I would look to overclock this), MSI Z390 Gaming Plus MOBO, Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x 8GB) 3000 MHz RAM, Corsair H60 Liquid cooling (to assist with the overclock), and it is just the GPU that I need to decide on.

I've looked at the bottleneck calculator on pc-builds.com and see the i5-9600K matches well with the GTX 1070 Ti, GTX 1070, GTX 1660 and GTX 1660 Ti. I am leaning towards the GTX 1070 at the moment due to my fairly tight budget. This has 8GB GDDR5 RAM whereas the 1660 and 1660 Ti have less RAM, 6GB but GDDR6 type. Would anybody be able to shed some light on which GPU would perform best with the setup I am looking at? Is the 8GB GDDR5 RAM better than 6GB GDDR6?

Many Thanks,

Archie.

[downscc]

I cannot help with the specific products you mention, but I can say that 8GB is better than 6GB if you want to use higher resolution terrain textures. Keep in mind that 2GB is the minimum so if your budget means you get 6GB then you are still get to use P3D but 8GB is the recommended.

I am using very high resolution scenery and the latest products, such as Orbx Honolulu, are too much for my 11GB cards so no matter how much money you throw at it there will still be cases where the hardware is behind. Budget is important so stick to what you feel comfortable with.

[ArchieB]

Hi Dan,

Thanks very much for your reply. I think I am going to get the 1660 Ti with 6GB GDDR6 RAM:)

Regards,
Archie.

[JorgenSA]

Hi Archie, you should definitely overclock your CPU, but before you do that, you should make sure your motherboard's BIOS is up to the latest and greatest level.

Jorgen

[ArchieB]

Hi Jorgen,

Okay I think I will consider overclocking the CPU, depending on the FPS I get with stock speed. I think I will get an Z390 Gaming Plus motherboard which should be capable of a decent overclock.

Cheers,
Archie.

[CplDaniel]

You would be better off financially by getting a 9900k
I'm not insane, hear me out. Except for use in a budget flight sim machine, the i5 is almost worthless as a value proposition TODAY. In a few years, it won't be worth the sand that went into the Silicon chip it came from. But the i9 9900k is the fastest and best processor that WILL EVER BE MADE for all the Z-390 motherboards out there, and ALL THOSE PEOPLE looking to upgrade from today's i7 8700k, i5 9400, i5 9600, and i7 9700 in a few years will PAY YOU A HUGE PREMIUM ($250-$400) to get the better faster processor experience without having to buy any additional new components like RAM ($100-$200), Motherboard ($150-$300), & Windows License ($115-$200).

Three years from now, today's i5 & i7 buyer will pay a thousand dollars just to upgrade to an 8c/16th processor, or they can buy your 8c/16th i9-9900k for $350 and keep their current RAM/Z390/WindowsLicense.

An i5 has no value in three years. But today's i5 buyer will buy your i9 9900k from you in three years, and will pay a pretty penny to get it.

[CplDaniel]

On buying an i5, you don't want your girlfriend to react like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClsLuAjRgaE&t=8137s