GPU for Star Wars Squadrons PC upgrades

Crom · July 2020

Hello all!
after the trailer drop for squadrons I decided it was finally time to gear up for VR. And I’ve been scouring the web and cooked up a few part lists. I’ll post what I came up with on my own, as well as a “Rev 2” build list based on input. One aspect I’m totally, utterly lost on is GPU, and the back and forth between what’s specified on the games website and what users are saying about their GPU’s with VR.
for reference, the games system requirements. Shooting for “Recommended” category in VR.
https://www.ea.com/games/starwars/squadrons/overview/pc-system-requirements

Current Box:
Cyber Power Gamer Ultra from 2016.
thermaltake case (I like the case, super ventilated and will be re-using for this build).
Am3+ socket Mobo by gigabyte (mATX size). Since new processors have a different socket, I realized pretty much immediately I’d need a new Mobo and thus this project began. So this is Not getting re-used).
AMD FX-4300 quad core
GeForce GTX 950
ATNG 600w PSU - mentioning this because I’ve heard some less than stellar things about these. All forum chatter mind you. So looking to replace for system safety. I’m trying to hit a budget of $600+ PSU (but still don’t want to spend a ton here, 125ish? If possible).
build 1
ROG Strix B-450 F
AMD Ryzen 7 2700x
AMD RX 570
16GB Corsair RAM
based on input from people, I’ve also got
build 2:
Auros Pro B550M
Ryzen 5 3600
EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 Super
T-Force Vulcan 16GB ram
Replacement PSU for both builds
Fractal Design ION+ 560w Platinum

Build 2 seems to accomplish more for less, but I’m really stuck on what GPU to go for to see High settings at launch and for VR butter smooth even if it’s on low. Thanks for any thoughts input suggestions and advice, and for also taking the time to read all this.
cheers
(I’m stoked for this game in case you couldn’t tell, and I haven’t dabbled in PC upgrades in over a decade, so I’m trying to learn as I go).

PowerSpec_MichaelB · July 2020

BubbleMax said:

Build 2 sounds lovely just maybe go up to a 650 psu just to be safe cause the super series of GTX's sometimes can be power hungry. With PSU's its often best to treat them like what is suggested for Ram go a bit over and not under. A little bit of head room is always nice ya never know if some bad driver update suddenly makes a card draw more power or not. Can always if you can save up money also go up to a 2060 GTX. >.>.

The super series is mostly a marketing term to reference a slight difference in core counts/VRAM/clock speed on these cards. The 1660 Super doesn't pull much more power than the original 1660: https://www.anandtech.com/show/15010/the-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1660-super-review-feat-evga/15.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6031942/uploads/editor/pm/fyiqv8l5es49.png

Keep in mind this is total system power consumption, not power consumption from the card itself.

A 560W PSU is plenty of power for this card, you could even run it on a 400W PSU with no issues assuming you paired it with a lower end CPU (sub 100W).

When you factor in power consumption of graphics cards, there are a few things to keep in mind. A 6 pin connector on a GPU is normally wired to handle 75W. An 8 pin is wired to handle 150W (ignoring wire gauge). If you have a GPU with a single 6 pin connector, it can only pull 150W at most if it adheres to the ATX/PCI-SIG specifications, as the PCIe slot itself will provide up to 75W of power. With that in mind, you can safely assume your 6 pin GPU will not pull more than 150W under worse case scenarios. If you have a card with two 8 pin connections, then 375W is the max the card could potentially pull, though you'd be hard pressed to reach that power consumption without shunt mods or VBIOS power limit modifications.

TL:DR: Unless he is pairing this GPU with an Intel X299 processor or AMD Threadripper, he should be fine.

Crom said:

Hello all!
after the trailer drop for squadrons I decided it was finally time to gear up for VR. And I’ve been scouring the web and cooked up a few part lists. I’ll post what I came up with on my own, as well as a “Rev 2” build list based on input. One aspect I’m totally, utterly lost on is GPU, and the back and forth between what’s specified on the games website and what users are saying about their GPU’s with VR.
for reference, the games system requirements. Shooting for “Recommended” category in VR.
https://www.ea.com/games/starwars/squadrons/overview/pc-system-requirements

Current Box:
Cyber Power Gamer Ultra from 2016.
thermaltake case (I like the case, super ventilated and will be re-using for this build).
Am3+ socket Mobo by gigabyte (mATX size). Since new processors have a different socket, I realized pretty much immediately I’d need a new Mobo and thus this project began. So this is Not getting re-used).
AMD FX-4300 quad core
GeForce GTX 950
ATNG 600w PSU - mentioning this because I’ve heard some less than stellar things about these. All forum chatter mind you. So looking to replace for system safety. I’m trying to hit a budget of $600+ PSU (but still don’t want to spend a ton here, 125ish? If possible).
build 1
ROG Strix B-450 F
AMD Ryzen 7 2700x
AMD RX 570
16GB Corsair RAM
based on input from people, I’ve also got
build 2:
Auros Pro B550M
Ryzen 5 3600
EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 Super
T-Force Vulcan 16GB ram
Replacement PSU for both builds
Fractal Design ION+ 560w Platinum

Build 2 seems to accomplish more for less, but I’m really stuck on what GPU to go for to see High settings at launch and for VR butter smooth even if it’s on low. Thanks for any thoughts input suggestions and advice, and for also taking the time to read all this.
cheers
(I’m stoked for this game in case you couldn’t tell, and I haven’t dabbled in PC upgrades in over a decade, so I’m trying to learn as I go).

I would personally go with build 2. You get slightly more cores with build 1, but build 2 offers a huge architectural improvement with the Ryzen 3000 series, and you'll absolutely feel the benefits when gaming. I'd go as far to say that even in multi-threaded workloads, the Ryzen 5 3600 would trade blows with the 2700X thanks to the improvement in IPC (Instructions Per Clock) and the improved memory controller. One recommendation would be to pair it with 3600mhz memory if you can, as you'll see a hefty performance boost as it will allow your infinity fabric to run at a 1:1 ratio with an FCLK of 1800.

Get yourself a cheap 1080p 144hz G-Sync compatible monitor, and you have yourself a solid gaming experience on a great budget.

BubbleMax · July 2020

Build 2 sounds lovely just maybe go up to a 650 psu just to be safe cause the super series of GTX's sometimes can be power hungry. With PSU's its often best to treat them like what is suggested for Ram go a bit over and not under. A little bit of head room is always nice ya never know if some bad driver update suddenly makes a card draw more power or not. Can always if you can save up money also go up to a 2060 GTX. >.>.

Crom · July 2020

So I also started looking into the used GPU market. Found some 1070’ti’s used for about the price of the 1660 Super (little less depending on brand). Opinions?
my gut instinct is to be leery of used because who knows what kind of abuses the card may have seen.

PowerSpec_MichaelB · July 2020

Crom said:

So I also started looking into the used GPU market. Found some 1070’ti’s used for about the price of the 1660 Super (little less depending on brand). Opinions?
my gut instinct is to be leery of used because who knows what kind of abuses the card may have seen.

A 1070 Ti would definitely be faster, but there are some things to consider.

First and foremost, understand that the used GPU marketplace is far riskier now with the recent trend with crypto currency mining, so you'll definitely be rolling the dice in that regard. There are things you can do to minimize your risk, like ask for a copy of the original invoice to prove date of purchase, as some companies like EVGA allow the original manufacturer warranty to be transferred to a second party. If it has any warranty remaining, you at least have that extra peace of mind.

If possible, have them send a video of the GPU installed in a system and running a benchmark like 3DMark, Superposition, etc along with a paper displaying their name and date. It's not enough that a card is booting to a desktop, as the 2D clock rate can function fine, but crash when under 3D load. It's also helpful to know that the proof of operation you received is coming from the person you are actually dealing with, not from some random google search online.

Lastly, if you are meeting at their place, see if they are comfortable letting you test the card prior to purchasing. For the most part, GPU's are pretty durable, and as long as they hold their clock speed and don't crash after a few minutes of gaming, you stand a pretty good chance at having a stable card.

You can also check on various manufacturers website, as they sell factory refurbished "B-Stock" cards at a discount all the time. I scored a B-Stock 980 Ti for $120 and it is still alive and kicking after 3 years now.

Do keep in mind that older architecture cards may have less features than newer cards, even if they are technically faster. It's important to factor in different feature support as well as driver longevity when you make long-term component purchases. Hopefully this helps with your decision making process.