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You can only enjoy your PC with a graphics card. In the case of many notebooks and PCs with integrated Intel processors (CPUs) and graphics processors (GPUs), of course, this only applies when it comes to complex 3D games. On most PCs with AMD CPUs, however, a separate card must be inserted. Because as fast as Ryzen computers, most AM4 processors lack an integrated graphics unit.
If it’s just the graphical user interface of the operating system, if you want to display modern video codecs efficiently and smoothly thanks to dedicated hardware decoders, if you want a (simple) 3D game in between or if your PC is the base of a well-oiled game -Machine?
Depending on the answer to this question, you can be there for less than 50 euros or, in extreme cases, a four-figure amount. We have therefore equipped our construction proposal with an all-round PC based on the six-core Ryzen 5 3600, which we explain in the current “c’t”, with an inexpensive Radeon RX 550 for around 80 euros.
It relieves the processor with its modern video decoders and encoders, for example when watching Netflix, and also provides 4K displays with ergonomic 60 Hertz. Thanks to its 4GB graphics memory, it’s enough for frugal users for a game in between. The »Flight Simulator 2020« (»FS2020«) runs at 1080p (1920 x 1080 pixels) even in low details at just under 20 frames per second (fps) and is therefore jerky.
Real gamers want to get 60 frames per second in more complex titles and a Full HD resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels and turn off as little detail as possible. We recommend a Radeon RX 5500 XT with 8 gigabytes (GB) of graphics memory so that there are no bottlenecks in the near future. The “Metro Exodus” shooter, for example, runs in Full HD and “Normal” level of detail with almost 70 fps – a marked jump from the RX 550’s 21 fps. In the action adventure “Assassin’s Creed Odyssey” it is also around 70 with high details fps, in WQHD resolution (2560 × 1440) still over 50 fps. With the »FS2020«, more than 30 fps in Full HD resolution with high details are still possible and even in WQHD there are almost 25 frames per second left.
If you want to make the most of it, you can still use the GeForce RTX 2070 Super, which costs around 490 euros. Most games, including the FS2020, run smoothly in WQHD resolution in maximum detail and often Ultra HD (3840 × 2160) is still possible too. In “Assassin’s Creed Odyssey” and “Metro Exodus” there are still 40 fps playable in the benchmark register. Ray tracing is accelerated using hardware drives, but it costs a lot in terms of performance. If the image optimizer is used, you should expect smoother gameplay with full HD resolution in the long run.
The GeForce RTX 3070 and AMD Radeon RX 6800, which have just appeared but are sadly not available, are discussed separately at the end of the article.
Intel plans to sell the first dedicated graphics cards based on the Xe architecture by the end of 2020 and the first samples will be tested by OEMs. The first models, called DG1, shouldn’t be aimed at hardcore gamers, but score with advanced video and display technology. Hardware decoders also lighten processors with the new AV1 codec. But only the upcoming expansion phase of Xe HPG should offer a lot of 3D performance and at the same time integrate support for ray tracing.
When it comes to powerful cards for gamers, there’s no getting around AMD or Nvidia. Nvidia’s GeForce family currently consists of remnants of the RTX-2000 series, the newly available RTX 3000 series, and the inexpensive (re) n GTX-1600 series. At AMD Radeon, the RX 5000 is currently widespread and the RX 6800 is on its way, sales of the RX 500 series promise a cheap entry.
Entry-level graphics cards with very low 3D performance are available from around 70 euros. These are interesting, for example, if the old graphics card can’t control the new ergonomic 60 Hertz 4K display. For around 140 euros there are previous generation playing cards that still have enough power for most titles in Full HD resolution. Current technology in the form of the RX 5500 or GTX 1660 (Super) costs just under $ 200, as long as you plan at least 6GB of graphics memory to have some cushion for the next few years.
Significantly more reserves cost a lot more. If you aim for WQHD resolution with 2560 × 1440 pixels for 27-inch devices and frame rates consistently above 60 fps, you need to invest over 300 euros. If you can do without some details in current successful titles such as the action adventure »Control«, the RX 5600 XT is also sufficient for around 250 euros.
If you want to play in Ultra HD, with ray tracing effects activated or with particularly high frame rates, you have to budget at least 400 euros for an RTX 2070 Super or RTX 3070 graphics card. The combination of all three requirements in some titles even outperforms current high-end cards – currently only technologies like Nvidia’s AI-based DLSS on RTX cards help. Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) lowers the rendering resolution and thus saves computing power; at the same time, a neural network running on the otherwise underused graphics chip’s tensor cores tries to reconstruct lost details.
Integrated graphics
Most computers use processor integrated circuits for graphics display, hence the name “Integrated Graphics Processor” (IGP). With most Intel processors for LGA1151v2 and LGA1200 versions, as well as AMD’s G models such as Ryzen 5 Pro 4650G, Ryzen 5 3400G or Athlon 3000G, an expensive graphics card is superfluous if you can do without opulent high-resolution games . The 3D performance of PGIs, on the other hand, is manageable. Older games with low resolutions and detail levels are the domain of integrated graphics, so a little game in between is absolutely possible. The latest hits in all their glory must be postponed.
Current IGPs control up to three 4K displays with ergonomic 60 Hertz and are fast enough not to attract negative attention in everyday office life. They also cut a good figure with almost all current video codecs and relieve the CPU cores of most tasks involved in video playback, which also helps to reduce power consumption. IGPs are powerful enough for daily image or video editing, only a few complex filters such as liquefaction or effect-rich crossfading in video editing are greatly accelerated by an expensive GeForce or Radeon.
Alternatives
If you are not satisfied with our recommendations from the build proposal, you can use other graphics cards as well. Especially between the Radeon RX 5500 and the GeForce RTX 2070 Super there is still a lot of air in terms of price. If you want it to be even faster, you need to pay attention to the power supply connections as well. The Seasonic Core GM 500 selected with 500 watts is sufficient for the construction proposal, but must fit thicker graphics cards that require three 8-pin plugs for power.
A GeForce GTX 1660 Super is as fast as the RX 5500, but only has 6GB instead of 8GB of memory. This isn’t an issue in this performance class yet, but it may soon become too poor as the new Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X gaming consoles are just around the corner. Games ported from consoles often require the amount of memory available. Even if you subtract a few gigabytes for the operating system and game data, which are served by the same memory pool on the graphics consoles, 6 or even 4GB of graphics memory is very little in the medium term. When in doubt, however, it is always possible to reduce the level of detail, as experience shows that there is little optical loss between the highest level and the second highest.
Anyone who can spend a little more will end up with the question of ray tracing or not. The cheaper GeForce RTX cards change hands for just under 270 euros. They compete directly with the Radeon RX 5600 XT, which is a bit faster in 3DMark, but doesn’t have any ray tracing hardware. The two don’t differ in terms of memory and they both have 6GB. The 8 GB country in which the RX 5700 and RTX 2060 Super are at home is over 300 euros. While the RX 5700 has a bit more power than the 5600 XT and it’s better to use the RX 5700 XT, which is just a little bit more expensive, the jump between the RTX 2060 and 2060 Super is clear. Nvidia not only donates 8GB instead of 6GB to the updated graphics card, but a different and more powerful graphics chip is also used, so that the card is almost like an RTX 2070.
We currently advise against RTX-2000 graphics cards, which are significantly more expensive than 500 euros. They are currently being replaced by their successors in the form of the still available and therefore too expensive RTX 3000, which is however much faster. Speaking of advise against: not all old graphics cards are the real deal. Prices in online stores often increase significantly after their peak.
From the fresh food counter: RTX 3070 and RX Radeon 6800
Shortly before the release of “c’t 24/2020”, Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3070 and AMD’s Radeon RX 6800 / 6800XT were also officially released. At least at manufacturer prices of 500, 570 and 650 euros, they were hardly available at press time.
The RTX 3070 usually matches the performance of the much more expensive RTX 2080 Ti, but only has 8GB of graphics memory. AMD’s RX 6800 is almost always significantly faster in conventional games, the RX 6800 XT often even beats the RTX 3080. If the nice reflections, soft shadows and harmonious lighting with ray tracing are active, the image is usually reversed even though the RX -6800 cards also have ray tracing hardware, Big Navi cards work in a lower class than older RTX-20 cards.
But the ray tracing leaks haven’t been sucked in yet because current games are mostly optimized for Nvidia’s ray tracing approach. You have to wait for Radeon performance in some additional ported console games. The ray tracing beta of “Dirt 5” gives cause for hope.
In the latest issue of »c’t« you will find a detailed table with the test results of the various graphics cards and the aforementioned proposal to build a self-built PC.
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