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Graphics card upgrades & install

James_HJames_H Posts: 1,046
in The Commons

I have had a 1080Ti for some time, and have hesitated over upgrading because of costs and uncertainties. I can see RTX 3060s which would offer comparable RAM, or significantly more expensive 3090s that would offer more. More would seem to be good for resource-hungry textures and scenes. Any thoughts on the value added by these two upgrades (3060 v 3090) for Daz? And also, do these require the same power connectors as a 1080 Ti or do I need something different?

I'd really like to upgrade the PC, but that seems a very steep step.

Comments

  • kyoto kidkyoto kid Posts: 41,212

    ...I was looking at something of a compromise, the RTX A4000 that had 16 GB of VRAM. as the Pro cards were not suffering the extreme markup that the gaming ones were (I was seeing 3060s selling for as much as 950$ or more).  Then EVGA sent me an email informing me they had a 3060 for a very reasonable price, still slightly above MSRP, but compared to what I was seeing in the Net so I grabbed it.(I was on their wait list since the 30xx series was released).  

  • jmtbankjmtbank Posts: 175
    edited March 2022

    When I had the 3060, the 1gb difference over my previous 1080ti felt far larger due to the then poor memory handling of pre-rtx cards of Iray.   Since then they have introduced a 'Ray Tracing Low Memory' option in render settings.  My understanding is that it still doesn't fully compensate?  But I've no experience using that.

    Performance wise the 3060 wasn't quite double the 1080ti whilst using 2/3 the power.  A massive increase. The 3090 rendering performance is in line with its cuda core increase.  Ie over double the 3060.  See that benchmarkming thread for more details. You will realistically need more than 32gb system memory to make use of the full 24gb.

    A lot of people might find the 3060 enough of a card for their needs, but strangely doesn't seem to get move love on these forums.

    Post edited by jmtbank on
  • kyoto kidkyoto kid Posts: 41,212

    ...I would suggest at least 64 GB minimum to support a 3090 and ideally 128, the latter particularly if you are going to be creating "heavyweight" scenes.  I am in the process of upgrading my system and going with 64 GB of memory even though I have the 3060. 

  • James_HJames_H Posts: 1,046

    Thanks for this. It sounds like the cheaper card may be a worthwhile upgrade.

    Any thoughts about power reuirements/connectors? I upgraded from a 970 to 1080 Ti which was striaghtforward; but have things changed in the last few years`?

  • nicsttnicstt Posts: 11,715

    I went from a 980ti to a 3090 and didn't have any issues; i got rid of a 970, put the 980ti in the 970 slot and the 3090 in the 989ti's previous slot.

    I already had a decent system, if one that is getting a little old now; first gen Threadripper.

    I just upgraded nvidia drivers.

  • TorquinoxTorquinox Posts: 3,590

    It's worth noting that a 3060 is a 2-slot, ~170 watt card while a 3090 is a 3-slot ~350 watt card, and aftermarket versions may draw a bit more power. 

  • TorquinoxTorquinox Posts: 3,590

    Also, I've noticed marked up cards remain readily available, but you're definitely paying extra to get the cards. Going by Newegg - Sold by Newegg and in stock - A 3060 is going for ~$530+, a 3080 10gb seems not available. 3080 12 gbs are going for about ~$1350+ and 3080tis are going for ~$1550+. 3090s are still over $2100. I almost bought a Gigabyte Gaming 3080 ti, but I got cold feet on the totals.

     

    Right now, I think the 3060s are too expensive for what they are. I am choking on the price tag of the 3080 ti, but it's a bargain compared to a 12gb 3080 and a 3090 is out of reach. Common sense still intrudes on hardware dreams. I signed up for Newegg Shuffle. Maybe I can get lucky? Or maybe we're at the point where GC prices have to finally break? Nah. That will be the day after I buy something.

     

    I'm playing the waiting game for now, but I'm getting tired of waiting. YMMV.

  • James_HJames_H Posts: 1,046

    So my best plan is to wait for you to crack first, Torquinox? 

    As I'm in the UK, my mileage will definitely vary!

    A 3060 should help me keep going with my aging machine, and I can keep dreaming of that super machine always just out of reach (or after the dog's second cruciate repair, so completely out of reach that I may as well abandon all hope).

  • TorquinoxTorquinox Posts: 3,590

    Sure! Wait for me to crack first. cheeky

     

    UK. Pricing will vary, I think. You'll have to contend with VAT and I have no idea where you shop for components where you are. surprise

     

    If 3060 works, that's what you get! yes

  • frank0314frank0314 Posts: 14,263

    If I'm gonna spend $1000 on a new card I'd rather just build a new system instead of putting an expensive card into a box of used parts, but that just me. My computer was built in 2012 so it is well overdue to getting replaced. It's a pretty decent size rig so still can handle big scenes and such but I only have 4GB of VRAM in my card. I bought the card when the first version of Iray was introduced and when you only needed 4GB, but I just can't justify putting that expensive of a card into a 10 yr old computer. God knows it would even work. I'm still pricing new systems and different configurations to get the best performance for the price. I also like to build computers that will last me 10 years without needed major upgrades which is why this computer has lasted so long. The only thing I've had to do is upgrade the GPU due to Iray and add and swap out more hard drives. I am however dying to get my hands on a 3000 series card.

  • Matt_BrownMatt_Brown Posts: 177

    I upgraded to a 3060 this year. It is a excelent card for the money and I highly recomend it. It also is not power hungry.

  • James_HJames_H Posts: 1,046

    Does LHR make any difference for Daz and iRay?

  • TorquinoxTorquinox Posts: 3,590

    frank0314 said:

    If I'm gonna spend $1000 on a new card I'd rather just build a new system instead of putting an expensive card into a box of used parts, but that just me. My computer was built in 2012 so it is well overdue to getting replaced. It's a pretty decent size rig so still can handle big scenes and such but I only have 4GB of VRAM in my card. I bought the card when the first version of Iray was introduced and when you only needed 4GB, but I just can't justify putting that expensive of a card into a 10 yr old computer. God knows it would even work. I'm still pricing new systems and different configurations to get the best performance for the price. I also like to build computers that will last me 10 years without needed major upgrades which is why this computer has lasted so long. The only thing I've had to do is upgrade the GPU due to Iray and add and swap out more hard drives. I am however dying to get my hands on a 3000 series card.

    I agree with you! But even with current awful pricing, 3060s are well under $1k.

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