Sorry if this is considered derailing, but I thought it was relevant to the discussion because it wouldn't just be useful for myself, but also for the OP and others.
I'm currently trying to decide on a custom 8GB RX 480 (like the Sapphire Nitro which seems to be the best of that category) or a custom Nvidia GTX 1060 (one with good silent cooling, like can anyone vouch for say MSI's Armor or Gaming series of custom cards?).
There are a number of factors that I've spent hours and hours deliberating over now. It's honestly been taking so much of my thoughts and distracting me so much that I worry it is going to negatively affect my grades in the summer Linear Algebra course I'm taking.
1. Is 6GB and a reduced memory bandwith on the 1060 going to bottleneck that card compared to the 480's 8GB and higher bandwith? Does anyone think that 2GB and a little less speed will become a concern in the next 3, 4 or 5 years with texture size increases and the growing rise of 1440p and 4k?
2. It appears that the majority of DX12 and Vulkan supporting games perform better on the RX 480 in those modes than on the 1060, apparently because the 480 has better/more asynchronous processors and perhaps better drivers for those two APIs? Does it seem like the 1060 can "catch up" with the 480 with better software support, or will the 480 keep it's lead in these two APIs due to unchangeable hardware advantages?
3. I have heard that the Kepler series has performed worse over time (there was a thread on it that I think used DOOM as an example?) and that this may be due to Nvidia being more focused on supporting only the latest and greatest GPUs, while failing to give as much software attention to slightly older cards as soon as they are maybe 2 years old and out of the public eye. Is this true? Is the 1060 likely to start performing worse than it "should" because of a decreased software support over time?
4. The AMD RX 470 and 460 are coming up in August. Is it likely that the 470 will reach an even lower average dollar-to-frame level than the 1060 and 480? I wasn't planning to upgrade until I decided Deus Ex Mankind Divided deserves to be played on PC, so I am torn between paying just enough to run that well next month, and future-proofing my computer for a few more years before probably building an entirely new one. The 470 is therefore something I'm keeping my eyes on, but it seems like it might be just a bit too weak, 10% would be an acceptable power difference from the 480 IMO.
5. I've heard that PCI-E 3.0 cards runs almost exactly the same on PCI-E 2.0. I have an Asus motherboard with support for Sandy and Ivy Bridge (I have an Intel i5 2500k, so Sandy), and it apparently supports PCI 3.0 if I had an Ivy processor. I'd rather not upgrade since that would be a large expenditure and the 2500k still seems to be an excellent CPU. Will it be fine to use either of these new cards with a CPU that only supports PCI 2.0?
6. Am I right to assume AMD FreeSync is only a tiny bit worse than G-Sync and the price differential between the two options is definitely worth opting for FreeSync because it is nearly as good but much cheaper? Isn't FreeSync an open standard, that Nvidia just refuses to even support their own cards to use, simply because they want to sell their own monitors equipped with the G-Sync module and locking their cards into that achieves that goal? Are TVs (as opposed to computer monitors) going to support either standard anytime soon? I game using a wireless mouse and keyboard with my computer plugged into the family TV, so I thought I'd ask if there is any indication of TV manufacturers adopting this standard. If not, what is the biggest PC monitor that would for a reasonable price?
7. Lastly, and this is kind of a smaller question, is a graphics card backplate necessary? It seems like some say it is important to have in order to protect the PCB from dust and potential scrapes and cuffs, and while that may be true, wouldn't dusting the top of the exposed PCB also be fine? Would the PCB be so vulnerable that dusting with a feather duster or blowing air into the computer would carry the risk of damaging the card? Does dust collecting onto an exposed PCB damage a card over time? Some also say it is important to prevent graphics card "sag", while others would say that isn't really something to be concerned about or it doesn't happen anyways.
Sorry for the huge load of questions, I just have been thinking about these concerns on my own for hours now and I thought GAF could help me out! One other concern for me in regards to upgrading my graphics card is that Newegg has a coupon going on for $25 off from a $200+ purchase and that expires on (or just before?) August 1st, so I'm eager to jump onto one of the two approaching trains.
(I hope people don't mind if I also post this on the 1060 and 480 review threads.)
Edit:
One last question, the power cords/ports for GPUs haven't changed or anything since 2011, right? I built my computer back then but don't have the money to make any upgrades on really anything but the GPU, so I'm just checking that as long as I have the GPU power cords necessary for an AMD 6950 (what I got back then), there will be no problem using those on whatever GPU I upgrade to.
Thank you!
