Buying a gfx card now or wait until next gen?

The question is whether it's worth spending around $300/300€ for a mid-level gpu now at the risk of having to upgrade when (1 or 2 years?) the next gen consoles come out, or opt for a "cheaper" package such as Ps4 Pro or Xbox One X?

My computer can play fairly well last gen games and I don't do online gaming at all. The dilemma is what really is the best bang for the buck as of right now between (finally) getting a new console and having access to console exclusive titles and upgrading my gfx card, thus benefitting from Steam sales and a bigger library of older titles as well.

It really depends on two things: when you plan to upgrade to next gen gpu/consoles and if you like or care about consoles/PC exclusives, because either way, you'll have to upgrade sooner or later, so I believe you should add these questions in the equation before making any decisions.

If you like console exclusives, get a PS4, you can play all multiplats and PS4 exclusives.

If you don't like PS4 exclusives or don't care and have the money, get a PC.

The first question has to be, what GPU do you have now?

The second is, what's the make up of the rest of your PC? CPU and RAM mainly.

The third but maybe the most important, what kind of games do you enjoy playing?

Nvidia 560 gtx

8 gb RAM

i5 4570 3.20 Ghz

SSD 250 GB

HDD 1 TB

@aia89: I need to know 2 things;

1. What type of GPU do you have now?
2. What resolution setting are you playing now?

560 gtx

720p/1080p, switching between those to achieve a compromise between FPS and graphics quality. I don't strive for 60+ fps, I'm okay with a decent performance, unless it's FPS or racing/sport games which these latter I rarely play.

a GTX 1060 is enough for 1080p 60fps.

I see. Go with a GTX 1060 3GB (6GB are like $50% high price) and they go from $240-$270 but upgrading from a 560 GTX to a 1060 3GB is a super upgrade. You're other parts are still more than fine.

I'd suggest getting a GTX 1060 3GB. It's a pretty powerful card for it's current price.

@aia89:

Coming from a GTX 560 to the 1000 series will be a massive upgrade, We have no real idea when these new cards will be coming out. And I can tell you that the prices will be higher they what 1080 and 1070/1060 launched and what they are now. If your only looking at 2 years on high at 1080p then a GTX 1060 6gb or RX 580 8gb would be solid choices.

When it comes to exclusives, I generally prefer console exclusive games, but the amount of exclusives this gen seems to be a bit scarce when not considering Nintendo. So I end up playing multiplats mostly.

My fear is that upgrading to a mid-range card now would quickly make it obsolete with the arrival of new consoles in 2019/2020 or so. If prices for gpus weren't that costly, then I'd not care, but investing 300 euros to upgrade makes me wonder whether I should just get a PS4 now and wait for the next gen, so to get a suitable GPU for next gen's specs.

Yes, I thought of upgrading to a 1060 6 GB, as the one at 3GB may be a bit limiting in terms of ram.

The 1060 3GB was my first choice, good price, but then I read that 3GB are a bit too limiting, as some games seem to use up over 3GB of memory.

Yea your better off going 6gb over 3gb

Some of the 6GB versions are almost to $300 just barely but yeah, 6GB do range around $290 but in my opinion, for a 1060 6GB, my price range would be limited to $320 at most.

TC, just upgrade you're PC for now, wait for PS5 at the very least.

@aia89: It’s true that a mid-level GPU will, with almost 100% certainty, be outdated with the arrival of new gaming consoles. But that is how it always has been.

It sounds to me like you don’t care much about consistent 1080p/60 performance and are more interested in console exclusives than PC exclusives. In that case, I think the choice is pretty clear that you should use the $300 towards a base PS4 rather than a graphics card. Just my take.

(That said, I also like the idea of upgrading your graphics card now, enjoying 1080p/60 in this gens’ titles, then getting a PS5 in 2020 instead of upgrading your graphics card again).

Just wait til the fall. Nvidia should be coming out with their new cards then.

But they will be bought up by bitcoin scroungers

You should save up for a 1070 or wait for 1070 performance out of the next Nvidia cards. The 1060 is a good value now, but will quickly fall off with the new cards, where the 1070 whoops the 1060 now and will have longer legs.

If you want to get the same amount of life you got out of your 560, you will need to aim a little higher.

You could get a ps4 now, since it's approaching the end of its life cycle and it has now a fair amount of exclusive games, with more to come. Xbox One S is a valid alternative if you don't care about Sony exclusives, you can find it bundled with a game at 199 euros.

I'd not buy a mid-level GPU now if you want to be set for next gen, as it's uncertain what kind of specs next gen consoles will sport, so you may have to upgrade yet again in a year or so, making your recent and pricey purchase obsolete quite soon, hence it'll be quite a waste of money in my opinion. At this point in time a 1060 6GB should be priced much less than 300 euros, but cryptocurrency and a bit of speculation inflated the price way too much. It's ridiculous. If that wasn't the case and you could find a 1060 6GB for say 150 euros, I'd say upgrade your GPU and get a console down the line when they're cheap enough and can enjoy their exclusive library at lower prices as well.

Apparently, there's a 20% drop in GPU prices predicted for this month. It would be a good time to grab one at the end of this month, no doubt.

Also, Nvidia postponed their next GPU launch.

https://www.thinkcomputers.org/graphics-cards-prices-to-decline-20-in-july-nvidia-postponing-next-gen-launch/

Sticking at 1080p, a 1060will serve you well. I rock a 1070@1080p and get max settings and 60fps for 99%+ of games.

Agreed but if you can squeeze for the 6Gb card then do that.