GPU's... suggestions?

[Smart_Guy]

It is best to invest in highest possible video card. I honestly think the GTX 1060 will be outdated soon. Even my old GTX 680 4GB SLI setup compares to a GTX 1060 6GB.

But yeah, the budget is the judge here. Good luck man.

 

[Cortb]

not sure what the second hand market looks like in south africa, but in my area, i could get a gtx 980 for about 325-350. just something to think about if you don't mind used parts.

 

[xxoperatorxx]

2nd market not good. lacking variety. Dont mind using 2nd hand as long as source is legit and can be trusted.

Other option is going sli with my current GTX760 2GB. Will cost 160 USD for another 760 and has similar performance to gtx960 4gb card which costs about 50 usd more, if i am not mistaken. Will use a lot more power than a single card and i have a 650 watt gold SuperFlower PSU. So power might be an issue.
However i have a Gigabyte 550 watt 80+ PSU and a 620 watt antec High current gamer 80+ bronze PSU. both in great condition. So i could use one of them to be a dedicated SLI PSU. not sure if that is possible with current rig and how easy it is to set up to be load balancing but going sli with additional PSU the best option cost wise

 

[Smart_Guy]

Unfortunately that SLI plat won't be practical with today's games. That GTX 760 is 2GB and VRAM does not stack, it mirrors the VRAM of the other card. When I got my GTX 680 I made sure it was the 4GB version for that purpose and I was right. I always monitor the resources when I play and found that games like Doom, GTA5 and Dark Souls 3 use around 3GB depending on the settings. One setting in Doom refuses to run and gives a message that at least 5GB of VRAM is required for it. Gears of War 4 even uses close to 4GB on ultra settings and causes stutter between areas specially in the beginning of the map so I had to lower a couple of texture settings.

If you're okay with reduced settings and/or occasional stuttering then it could be practical. Also make sure you get matching specs as much as possible. My second differently clocked GTX 680 gave me enough grief (crashes) and I had to underclock until crashes stopped (hopefully).

 

[AMD_man]

You should try avoiding SLI as much as possible. Also, like SG said, you'll want at least 4Gb of VRAM for 1080p. My usage is about 3.5Gb (I haven't tested in a while), and that's only gonna go up. I'll test right now and let you know.

 

[xxoperatorxx]

thanks for all the advice. Avoiding the SLI route. 1070 my goal, some cash needs to be made first tho.