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Gaming PC Builder, or GPCB, is a blog by and for gamers who take great pleasure in building their own PCs. We work hard every day to create new content that helps builders succeed with their builds, regardless of budget or previous experience. Our regularly updated articles cover a wide range of topics, including but not limited to graphics cards (GPUs), motherboards, processors (CPUs), hard drives, cases and other PC gaming essentials. We also publish the occasional software roundup and not least: performance tuning guides for popular games. Also check out our YouTube and Facebook channels, where we regularly publish interesting stuff about hardware and tweaks that will increase the frame rates in your games. See you there!
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Fix Apex Legends DXGI ErrorThe post Fix Apex Legends DXGI Error appeared first on Gaming PC Builder.
The post Fix Apex Legends DXGI Error appeared first on Gaming PC Builder.
Free Games You Can Get This Week June 07
Rainbow Six Siege is free to play starting now through Sunday, June 09, 8PM UTC (12PM PST) on Uplay and Steam. During this time until June 11, you can get 50% off on Rainbow Six Siege Regular, Ultimate, and Gold Editions, and 60% off on Deluxe Edition. DLCs are also on sale up to 50% […] The post Free Games You Can Get This Week June 07 appeared first on Gaming PC...
Rainbow Six Siege is free to play starting now through Sunday, June 09, 8PM UTC (12PM PST) on Uplay and Steam. During this time until June 11, you can get 50% off on Rainbow Six Siege Regular, Ultimate, and Gold Editions, and 60% off on Deluxe Edition. DLCs are also on sale up to 50% off. Previous Rainbow Six games are also on sale for 66% off.
Meanwhile, in Epic Store, Kingdom New Lands is free until June 13.
And on June 10 at 10:30 AM PT (1:30 PM ET), you can get Rayman Origins for free by watching at least 30 minutes of Twitch live stream of Rayman 2 speedrun hosted by Ubisoft. Just make sure that your Twitch account is connected to your Uplay account and you will get the game via Twitch Drops. Click here to connect your Twitch account to your Uplay account.
The post Free Games You Can Get This Week June 07 appeared first on Gaming PC Builder.
Best Graphics Cards Under $200 – 2019 Edition
If you are building a mid-range gaming PC on a budget, the graphics card best suited for that build is in a $160 – $200 price range – and now is a great time to buy one. Nvidia has just released the mid-range cards with the new Turing architecture, thus improving the price/performance ratio for […] The post Best Graphics Cards Under $200 – 2019 Edition appeared first on Gaming PC...
If you are building a mid-range gaming PC on a budget, the graphics card best suited for that build is in a $160 – $200 price range – and now is a great time to buy one.
Nvidia has just released the mid-range cards with the new Turing architecture, thus improving the price/performance ratio for the latest cards and reducing the price tags on the still-competent GeForce GTX 1000 series. Meanwhile, in the red corner, AMD has adjusted the prices for the Radeon RX 580 and RX 570 GPUs to remain competitive, not least compared to its own RX 590.
And with that, we collected the best graphics card under $200, or close to that mark (GPU prices constantly fluctuate). To make sure you get the most value for your money, we’ve also added some considerably less costly (RX 570) as well as the slightly more expensive (GTX 1660), both of which offer amazing value at the moment.
Table of Contents:
AMD Vs Nvidia
Fastest GPU under 200: AMD Radeon RX 580 4GB
Best value: AMD Radeon RX 570
Best Nvidia: GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB
No PCIe power: GeForce GTX 1650
Step up AMD: Radeon RX 580 8GB
Step up Nvidia: GeForce GTX 1660
Summary and notes
AMD Vs. Nvidia in the $200 bracket
Radeon or GeForce? Gamers have asked this question since the 90s when Radeon was still an ATI brand. The answer has nearly always been “it depends”. As of 2019, Nvidia has been in the performance and efficiency lead for years – long enough that the prices on GeForce cards are now inflated, at least in the high-end market. However, AMD is still a very strong challenger in the mid-range segment, which is what we’re looking at here.
With a bit of luck, you can find a card with either the Radeon RX 580 or the GeForce GTX 1060 (3 GB) GPU for around $200. In early 2019, these are without a doubt the best GPUs below this price limit from AMD and Nvidia, respectively. However, adding around $20 may get you the much-improved GTX 1660.
From just looking at the numbers, it’s clear that the RX 580 is a much more powerful GPU than the 3 GB GTX 1060. It usually is in actual games as well, but the difference is small. In certain Nvidia-optimized games, like Fortnite and GTA V, the GTX 1060 is slightly faster. Here’s another quick look at relative performance, using data from Futuremark’s popular DirectX 12 benchmark 3DMark Time Spy:
These are averages from a cross-section of different systems running the above GPUs. It corresponds reasonably well to actual gaming performance.
Bottom line: The ‘performance per dollar’ equation changes constantly, but on days when an RX 570 card drops to around $150 it’s a winner. The GTX 1660 is, however, a close second and it’s much more recent.
Fastest below $200: Radeon RX 580 4GB
So first, we give you the Radeon RX 580 4GB, which can frequently be found around $200 these days. And if the price is right, this is the fastest GPU below our price limit. This card rivals or surpasses the GeForce GTX 1060 on almost every AAA title out there. 60fps is easy at 1080p and it also provides acceptable frame rates at 1440p with high or even maximum quality. And if you are playing Vulkan-based or DX12 games like DOOM, Battlefield V, or Hitman, this card still gives you 60fps at 1440p. Pair it with FreeSync monitor, you’ll get the best gaming experience and value of your money. Plus, it has a backplate which improves the card’s cooling. Last but not least, like all RX 580s, it’s also VR Ready and will play well with your Oculus Rift or HTC Vive.
This is how one of our favorites, the Sapphire Nitro+ Radeon RX 580 4GB, matches up against the other Radeon RX 580 4GB cards.
| XFX GTS XXX OC+ Edition Radeon RX 580 | ASUS Dual-Fan OC Edition Radeon RX 580 | Sapphire Nitro+ Radeon RX 580 | Gigabyte Gaming Radeon RX 580 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product Link | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon |
| Image |  |  |  |  |
| Stream Processors | 2304 | 2304 | 2304 | 2304 |
| Boost Clock / Max OC Clock | 1366 MHz / 1386 MHz | 1360 MHz / 1380 MHz | 1340 MHz / 1411 MHz | 1340 MHz / 1355 MHz |
| FP32 Theoretical Performance | 6,295 GFLOPS | 6,267 GFLOPS | 6,502 GFLOPS | 6,175 GFLOPS |
| Max Memory Clock | 7 GHz / 7.1 GHz | 7 GHz | 7 GHz | 7 GHz |
| Memory Size | 4 GB | 4 GB | 4 GB | 4 GB |
| Memory Bandwidth | 227.2 GB/s | 224.0 GB/s | 224.0 GB/s | 224.0 GB/s |
| Recommended Power Supply | 500 Watt | 500 Watt | 500 Watt | 500 Watt |
| Price from* | Currently out of stock | from $191.94 | $205.56 | $234.94 |
*Prices are updated automatically every few hours but are subject to change between updates. See ‘Last update’ information at bottom of the page.
The Sapphire Nitro+ Radeon RX 580 4GB leads the rest in theoretical performance with 6,502 GFLOPS. Though the XFX GTS XXX Edition leads in memory bandwidth, the FP32 performance is the closest metric on how the card will perform, meaning the higher the GFLOPS, the better the performance. So, for being the best performer without any user overclocking, we recommend it. With its dual-fan setup, it should also have sufficient thermal management to allow some further tweaking (though this goes for most of the competitors, too).
Best Value: Asus ROG Strix RX 570 4GB
If you’re really on a budget – or simply want the maximum amount of frames per second as a return on your investment – then the graphics cards based on the Radeon RX 570 GPU is your best option. These cards are only about 10% slower RX 580-based cards, but often more than 10% cheaper.
And you can still play most AAA titles at 1080p/60fps, as well as 1440p with reduced quality settings. In other words, the cards are way faster than similarly-priced or even pricier GeForce GTX 1050 Ti boards, and even some lesser RX 560 alternatives. It’s simply the best value for your money in this price range.
Our favorite here is the Asus ROG Strix Radeon RX 570 Gaming OC 4GB. Strix is Asus’ premium gaming product brand, where usually nothing has been spared in terms of quality and, in the case of GPUs, cooling capability.
This is how the Strix RX 570 4GB matches up against the others based on the same chip:
| ASUS ROG Strix Radeon RX 570 OC | Sapphire Nitro+ Radeon RX 570 | PowerColor Red Devil Radeon RX 570 | Gigabyte Radeon RX 570 Gaming | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image |  |  |  |  |
| Memory Size | 4 GB | 4 GB | 4 GB | 4 GB |
| FP32 Theoretical Performance | 5,325 GFLOPS | 5,489 GFLOPS | 5,407 GFLOPS | 5,095 GFLOPS |
| Max Memory Clock | 7 GHz | 7 GHz | 7 GHz | 7 GHz |
| Memory Bandwidth | 224.0 GB/s | 224.0 GB/s | 224.0 GB/s | 224.0 GB/s |
| Recommended Power Supply | 500 Watt | 500 Watt | 500 Watt | 500 Watt |
| Core Clock / Boost Clock | 1168 MHz / 1300 MHz | 1168 MHz / 1340 MHz | 1270 MHz / 1320 MHz | 1168 MHz / 1244 MHz |
| Stream Processors | 2048 | 2048 | 2048 | 2048 |
| Price from* | from $192.94 | $218.60 | $142.05 | from $143.98 |
| Product Link | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon |
*Prices are updated automatically every few hours but are subject to change between updates. See ‘Last update’ information at bottom of the page.
Thanks to its slightly higher clocks, the Sapphire Nitro+ Radeon RX 570 4GB leads in terms of theoretical performance with 5,489 GFLOPS, closely followed by the PowerColor Red Devil Radeon RX 570 4GB with 5,407 GFLOPS. It’s a close race between these cards, but we’d still pick the thermally capable Strix card if the prices don’t differ too much.
Best Nvidia: GeForce GTX 1060 (3GB)
GPU prices fluctuate a lot, but among the Nvidia cards sometimes found below $200 mark right now, the best ones are based on the 3GB GeForce GTX 1060 GPU. Compared to the 6GB variant, the 3GB cards not only have half the VRAM but also fewer shaders activated (1152 vs. 1280). Regardless, these cards are a great option for an affordable Nvidia build for 1080p gaming. However, if you don’t mind moving slightly higher in price, the GTX 1660 likely offers better value.
On average, a 3GB GeForce 1060 is slower than AMD cards in the corresponding price bracket but has the advantage of a lower power draw. The 1060’s TDP is 120W, so normally only one 6-pin PCIe power connector is needed.
Right now the small and compact, single-fan GTX 1060’s tend to be the most affordable. If you have room for a video card with two (or even three) fans, this is usually a better option. But the GTX 1060 is more power-efficient than its AMD competitors, so it’s not as critical.
| EVGA GTX 1060 3GB SC GAMING ACX 2.0 | ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1060 Mini | MSI GeForce GTX 1060 Gaming 3GB | ASUS GeForce GTX 1060 3GB Dual OC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image |  |  |  |  |
| Memory Size | 3 GB | 3 GB | 4 GB | 4 GB |
| FP32 Theoretical Performance | 4,228 GFLOPS | 3,935 GFLOPS | 4,053 GFLOPS | 4,113 GFLOPS |
| Max Memory Clock | 8008 MHz | 8008 MHz | 8008 MHz | 8008 MHz |
| Memory Bandwidth | 192.2 GB/s | 192.2 GB/s | 192.2 GB/s | 192.2 GB/s |
| Recommended Power Supply | 400 Watt | 400 Watt | 400 Watt | 400 Watt |
| Core Clock / Boost Clock | 1607 MHz / 1835 MHz | 1506 MHz / 1708 MHz | 1544 MHz / 1759 MHz | 1570 MHz / 1785 MHz |
| Stream Processors | 1152 | 1152 | 1152 | 1152 |
| Price from* | $224.99 | from $234.14 | from $269.99 | from $243.77 |
| Product Link | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon |
*Prices are updated automatically every few hours but are subject to change between updates. See ‘Last update’ information at bottom of the page.
It’s interesting that the single-fan EVGA 1060 comes with some of the most aggressive factory tunings for any GTX 1060-based card. That said – and all other things being equal – dual-fan solutions are better equipped for overclocking.
No PCIe Power: GeForce GTX 1650
If for some reason you can’t get the RX 580 or RX 570 – and you want an Nvidia-based card that’s more affordable than the GTX 1060 or 1660 – the GeForce GTX 1650 is now your best option. It replaces the 1050 Ti and offers better performance at roughly the same price. This card will go nicely with your G-Sync monitor and produce good frame rates in eSports titles at 1080p. It can’t compete with AMD cards in the same price range, but it is a competent and highly efficient chip that we expect will be part of many an entry-level gaming build in the near future.
Among the 1650 cards, we consider the MSI GeForce GTX 1650 Gaming X 4G a good buy, mainly because it comes with a considerable factory overclock and uses a tried-and-tested, dual-fan design. It will let you play all the latest AAA titles at acceptable frame rates. You will have to aim for lower settings to reach 60 fps in more demanding titles such as Metro Exodus, while e.g. Fortnite will easily run at 60FPS/1080p.
A major advantage of any 1650 card is that they are bus-powered and don’t require a separate PCIe power connector. That means you don’t have to upgrade your power supply if you were to buy this card as an upgrade for your previous, entry-level build.
Let’s compare this card to other GeForce GTX 1650-based alternatives.
| MSI GeForce GTX 1650 Gaming X | ASUS ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1650 OC | Zotac Gaming GeForce GTX 1650 OC | Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1650 Windforce OC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image |  |  |  |  |
| CUDA Cores | 896 | 896 | 896 | 896 |
| Core Clock / Boost Clock | 1485 MHz / 1860 MHz | 1485 MHz / 1830 MHz | 1485 MHz / 1695 MHz | 1485 MHz / 1785 MHz |
| FP32 Theoretical Performance | 3,333 GFLOPS | 3,279 GFLOPS | 3,037 GFLOPS | 3,199 GFLOPS |
| Memory Clock (Effective) | 8 GHz | 8 GHz | 8 GHz | 8 GHz |
| Memory Size | 4 GB | 4 GB | 4 GB | 4 GB |
| Memory Bandwidth | 128.0 GB/s | 128.0 GB/s | 128.0 GB/s | 128.0 GB/s |
| Required PSU | 300 Watt | 300 Watt | 300 Watt | 300 Watt |
| Price from* | $179.99 | $179.99 | $145.77 | $159.99 |
| Product Link | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon |
*Prices are updated automatically every few hours but are subject to change between updates. See ‘Last update’ information at bottom of the page.
MSI’s card has one of the highest factory overclocks on the market but is closely followed by Asus’ popular Strix model (OC version). Unless you’re building in a micro-ATX or mini-ITX case with limited space, dual-fan options are usually better.
Add ~$20 – AMD
GPU prices constantly fluctuate, but often for just a bit more than the above, you can get an RX 580-based graphics card with 8 GB of video memory (VRAM) instead of the 4 GB model. The difference between 4GB and 8GB models of the RX 580 (or other video cards) depends a great deal on the individual game. In some games, there is no difference whatsoever, but in others, the extra memory can change a game from unplayable to playable – particularly at higher settings and resolutions (e.g. 2560×1440). This video sums up the performance in actual games:
What’s more, newer AAA titles tend to make better use of additional VRAM, so a card with more memory should be somewhat more ‘future-proof’. In most games and benchmarks, an 8 GB RX 580 will surpass a 6 GB GTX 1060. So again, AMD provides more performance for the money in this segment, and an RX 580 8 GB should easily get you through both 2019 and 2020 with decent framerates. Here’s a roundup and comparison of said cards.
| XFX Radeon RX 580 GTS XXX Edition (8GB) | Sapphire Radeon Pulse RX 580 8GB | PowerColor Red Devil RX 580 OC | Gigabyte Gaming Radeon RX 580 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image |  |  |  |  |
| Stream Processors | 2304 | 2304 | 2304 | 2304 |
| Boost Clock / Max OC Clock | 1257 MHz / 1366 MHz | 1257 MHz / 1366 MHz | 1355 MHz / 1380 MHz | 1257 MHz / 1366 MHz |
| FP32 Theoretical Performance | 6,295 GFLOPS | 6,295 GFLOPS | 6,359 GFLOPS | 6,295 GFLOPS |
| Max Memory Clock | 8 GHz | 8 GHz | 8 GHz | 8 GHz |
| Memory Size | 8 GB GDDR5 | 8 GB GDDR5 | 8 GB GDDR5 | 8 GB GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 256 GB/s | 256 GB/s | 256 GB/s | 256 GB/s |
| Recommended Power Supply | 500 Watt | 500 Watt | 500 Watt | 500 Watt |
| Price from* | from $109.99 | $184.99 | $204.99 | $204.91 |
| Product Link | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon |
*Prices are updated automatically every few hours but are subject to change between updates. See ‘Last update’ information at bottom of the page.
As you can see, there is not much difference between these cards individually. The only one that stands out is the overclocked model from PowerColor. At the time of writing, we found the best price/performance ratio by far with the XFX Radeon RX 580 GTS XXX Edition.
Add ~$20 – Nvidia
Another, brand new alternative as of March 2019 is the Turing-based Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660, which can be seen as a direct successor to the GTX 1060. GTX 1660 prices have yet to drop below the $200 mark, but they’re only marginally above. At this writing, the more affordable 1660 cards probably have the best FPS/$ ratio in the Nvidia camp – in close competition with the 1660 Ti. The GPU is about 25% faster than the GTX 1060 and more power-efficient as well.
| ZOTAC Gaming GeForce GTX 1660 | MSI GeForce GTX 1660 Ventus XS | ASUS GeForce GTX 1660 Phoenix | Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 OC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image |  |  |  |  |
| Memory Size | 6 GB GDDR5 | 6 GB GDDR5 | 6 GB GDDR5 | 6 GB GDDR5 |
| FP32 Theoretical Performance | 5,027 GFLOPS | 5,153 GFLOPS | 5,027 GFLOPS | 5,153 GFLOPS |
| Memory Clock | 2000 MHz | 2000 MHz | 2000 MHz | 2000 MHz |
| Memory Bandwidth | 192.1 GB/s | 192.1 GB/s | 192.1 GB/s | 192.1 GB/s |
| Recommended Power Supply | 500 Watt | 500 Watt | 500 Watt | 500 Watt |
| Core Clock / Boost Clock | 1530 MHz / 1785 MHz | 1530 MHz / 1830 MHz | 1530 MHz / 1785 MHz | 1530 MHz / 1785 MHz |
| Stream Processors | 1408 | 1408 | 1408 | 1408 |
| Price from* | $219.99 | $227.99 | $224.99 | $219.99 |
| Product Link | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon |
*Prices are updated automatically every few hours but are subject to change between updates. See ‘Last update’ information at bottom of the page.
Compared to the AMD alternatives, the GTX 1660 is often faster than the RX 580 or even the RX 590, although both of these AMD GPUs offer better theoretical performance. In other words, it offers great performance for the money.
Summary
These are the best graphics cards close to or below $200. Whatever your budget is and your preferred games, these cards offer great price-to-performance value. If you want the best possible value as of Q2 2019, we suggest you pick one based on the Radeon RX 570 (depending on today’s price difference). However, if you can spend a bit more, a video card based on the RX 580 is a great choice. Nvidia-based cards are more power-efficient, but not as competitive in terms of cost/performance.
Nevertheless, if you want an Nvidia GPU below $200, a 3GB GeForce GTX 1060 might be your best bet, but be aware that you are likely to get more value buying a GTX 1660 – is much more powerful and only slightly more expensive. If you have no choice but to use a PCIe slot-powered card, the GTX 1650 now offers much better value than the old GTX 1050 Ti, but it’s not as powerful as AMD cards in the same price range. Also, remember to check for current deals, mail-in rebates, and other cost-cutting promotions.
A potential downside of the mid-range Nvidia cards is that they don’t support dual-card setups, i.e. SLI. The RX 570 and RX 580, on the other hand, support AMD’s counterpart CrossFire. It’s also worth mentioning that the 4 GB RX 580 is not the same kind of trade-off versus the 8 GB RX 580, as the 3 GB 1060 is versus the 6 GB 1060. The 3GB version of the GTX 1060 not only has less memory but also fewer shaders.
AMD cards are not without flaws either. They are a lot less efficient, meaning that you will need a bigger power supply unit (PSU) and often an additional PCIe cable to power them. In the case of the RX 580 Nitro+, for example, you need one 8-pin and one 6-pin auxiliary (PCIe) power connector, whereas no GTX 1060 uses more than a single 6-pin connector.
A side note, but a topic worth mentioning, is factory overclocking. Several of the above graphics cards come with slightly higher clock rates compared to the reference models, which is often – but not always – also reflected in the price tag. It doesn’t necessarily have an impact on how much the card can be overclocked by the user. Each and every GPU chip is unique quality-wise and therefore the chips’ overclocking capability varies. Unfortunately, you never know exactly how capable it is before you buy (this is why it’s called the “silicon lottery”). The main difference is that a factory-overclocked card is guaranteed to work at the specified clock rates, which is not the case otherwise. In some cases, pricier and factory-overclocked cards also have better cooling solutions than budget GPUs.
On another side note, we’re glad that the mining craze is over and prices have normalized. This should have been the pricing all year long.
About System and PSU Requirements
You certainly don’t need a monster gaming rig to power mid-range graphics cards around the $200 price range. The most important thing is to ensure that your power supply unit (PSU) is up to the task. The most demanding of the cards we’ve been looking at here are the ones based on the Radeon RX 580 GPU. AMD recommends a 500 Watt PSU for the entire system. However, this will, of course, depend on how power-efficient the rest of your system is. Typical board power is 185 Watts for the reference design RX 580, but overclocked cards will use considerably more.
It will consequently need at least one 8pin PCIe power connector, or in some cases one 8pin and one 6pin connector coming from the PSU. If your power supply does not have any auxiliary PCIe power connectors – and for some reason, you can’t upgrade it (such as in a custom, small form-factor PC) – then your best option from the above are the GeForce GTX 1650s. These cards only draw power straight from the motherboard.
Other than the PSU, your other PC components should preferably at least be fairly recent. The processor (CPU) does affect what frame rates you’ll be getting to some extent, but the difference will be quite small if you’re using any AMD Ryzen or Core i5 from the past few years. Older AMD CPUs in general and some older Intel Core i3 CPUs, in particular, may have a more severe negative effect on game frame rates.
VR compatibility: If you are looking to power a VR headset such as the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive, then the minimum GPU recommendation is either an AMD Radeon RX 580 or an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060.
The post Best Graphics Cards Under $200 – 2019 Edition appeared first on Gaming PC Builder.
How To Unhide Hidden Folders In Windows 10, 8, 7, and Vista
In Windows 10 and 8 1. Double-click on “This PC” icon, or press the Windows key and E simultaneously to open the File Explorer. 2. Click the “View” tab, then click to check the “Hidden Items” options. In Windows 7 and Vista 1.Click on the Start icon in the taskbar (bottom-left corner of the […] The post How To Unhide Hidden Folders In Windows 10, 8, 7, and Vista appeared first on Gaming PC...
In Windows 10 and 8
1. Double-click on “This PC” icon, or press the Windows key and E simultaneously to open the File Explorer.
2. Click the “View” tab, then click to check the “Hidden Items” options.
In Windows 7 and Vista
1.Click on the Start icon in the taskbar (bottom-left corner of the screen) then search or type “folder options” and click the “File Explorer Options”.
2. File Explorer Options window will appear. Click the “View” tab then click the “Show hidden files, folders, or drives” and finally click Apply and OK.
Here is what it looks like after
The post How To Unhide Hidden Folders In Windows 10, 8, 7, and Vista appeared first on Gaming PC Builder.
Best Upcoming AMD X570 Motherboards For Ryzen 3000
AMD had a couple of big announcements at Computex 2019. Most importantly, the company announced the AMD Ryzen 3000 series CPUs that support PCIe 4.0. If you are interested in getting these new Ryzen CPUs, then you are going to need a compatible motherboard. Fortunately for (some) existing Ryzen owners, many previous-gen boards will be […] The post Best Upcoming AMD X570 Motherboards For Ryzen 3000 appeared first on Gaming PC...
AMD had a couple of big announcements at Computex 2019. Most importantly, the company announced the AMD Ryzen 3000 series CPUs that support PCIe 4.0. If you are interested in getting these new Ryzen CPUs, then you are going to need a compatible motherboard. Fortunately for (some) existing Ryzen owners, many previous-gen boards will be able to house the upcoming Ryzen 3000s. If you’re going to build a new system, on the other hand – or just want to get the most out of your new CPU – an AMD X570 motherboard will be the best option for high-end builds. Here we are going to look into some of the most exciting AMD X570 motherboards that you can get your hands on soon.
High-End AMD X570 Motherboards From Asus, MSI, Gigabyte Etc
Motherboard manufacturers have announced a variety of AMD X570 motherboards and Asus alone has 30 variants that will be available soon. The AMD Ryzen 3000 series chips are going to release in July so you can expect these motherboards to be available at the same time.
While the socket is the same and AMD claims that you can use any motherboard with the AMD Ryzen CPUs, support is left up to the motherboard manufacturer. MSI, for example, does not recommend using a first generation motherboard with the new AMD Ryzen CPUs. Asus claims that their motherboards support all the Ryzen generations so this is something that you will need to confirm. At the very least, a BIOS update will be required.
The high-end chips such as the new AMD Ryzen 3900X that comes with 12 cores and 24 threads will need more power. You should go for a high-end motherboard in order to take full advantage of the powerful chip. The following are some of the top AMD X570 motherboards that have been announced so far. Their predecessors were good, so we’re expecting a lot from these boards.
X570 AORUS Xtreme
The X570 AORUS Xtreme is a premium motherboard from Gigabyte. It not only supports the upcoming AMD Ryzen 3000 series CPUs but the 2000 series as well. The motherboards support Dual Channel ECC/ Non-ECC unbuffered DDR4. There are 4 RAM slots for you to populate.
This is a high-end motherboard so it comes with direct 16 Phases Infineon Digital VRM Solution with 70A PowIRstage (no it’s not a typo, that’s actually what they call it). This should be more than enough even for the top-of-the-line 3900X. The motherboard features three Ultra-Fast NVMe PCIe 4.0/3.0 x4 M.2 for highspeed storage. All of these come with thermal guards to keep the temperature in check.
The X570 AORUS Xtreme also comes with WiFi 6 802.11ax 2T2R & BT 5. RGB is a common trend in 2019 and you have plenty of RGB options on this motherboard. You can add RGB components of your choice to sync with the motherboard and the rest of the hardware and peripherals. If you are looking for a high-end motherboard for you next AMD Ryzen build then this is probably a safe bet.
Asus ROG Strix X570-E Gaming
This list would be incomplete without Asus so next, we have the Asus ROG Strix X570-E Gaming motherboard. While the Crosshair has the premium features, this is a mainstream motherboard that has most of the features that a gamer needs. You still have great performance and the ability to overclock so you are not missing out on much.
The Asus ROG Strix X570-E Gaming is developed for the latest generation of AMD Ryzen CPUs. You can take advantage of the ATX form factor but there are models that are smaller. Like all the other motherboards that we have looked into, this one comes with RGB lighting as well. the logo and cybertext light up and you can plug in additional RGB fans and lighting strips.
This is not Asus’ top-of-the-line model, so you can save some money but still get the features that you need. You have two M.2 slots for high-speed PCIe 4.0 memory and you have 4 RAM slots to populate as well. You also get plenty of PCI slots to use. The motherboard comes with highspeed Wi-Fi and an integrated I/O shield for easy installation.
If you are looking for a mainstream X570 motherboard for gaming then the Asus ROG Strix X570-E Gaming is a great option to consider. Asus is known for making some of the best motherboards on the market and the Asus ROG Strix X570-E Gaming is likely going to be a great example.
MSI PRESTIGE X570 CREATION
The MSI PRESTIGE X570 CREATION supports the 3rd generation and 2nd generation AMD Ryzen chips. It has 4 RAM slots and supports dual channel DDR4 memory. It also features Dual LAN with 10G Super LAN and WI-FI 6. Take advantage of 64GB/s bandwidth transfer speeds with the latest Gen4 PCI-E and M.2 solution and these new AMD X570 motherboards have to offer.
The Frozr Heatsink on the motherboard is there to keep the thermals in check even when under load. This is something that we have noticed on these new motherboards, the high-end models come with fans on them to monitor cooling and provide additional airflow. The MSI PRESTIGE X570 CREATION also comes with an integrated I/O shield that will allow you to install the motherboard in your case easily.
Dual 8-pin power supply and IR digital power design provide the power needed to run the AMD Ryzen CPUs with additional cores and threads compared to the competition. Audio Boost 4 provides high-quality audio when gaming or consuming content.
If you are looking for an AMD X570 motherboard that does it all then this is another option that we can recommend.
ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming X
The ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming X supports the AMD Ryzen 3000 and 2000 series chips. It comes with Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax (2.4Gbps) + BT 5.0. You also get Phantom Gaming 2.5 Gigabit LAN. The motherboard has 4 RAM slots and you can overclock the ram to over 3466MHz. This is something that you should look into if you are interested in fast RAM speeds. AMD Ryzen CPUs like faster RAM and this is something that AMD recommends for better performance.
ASRock’s X570 Phantom Gaming X offers 3 PCIe 4.0 x16, 2 PCIe 4.0 x1 for Nvidia SLI or AMD CrossFireX. While both Nvidia and AMD recommend a single graphics card instead of SLI the option is still there is you need to use it. 7.1 CH HD Audio provides immersive audio when gaming or consuming content and the motherboard supports Creative Sound Blaster Cinema 5 as well.
When it comes to storage support the motherboard comes with 8 SATA3, 2 Hyper M.2 (PCIe Gen4 x4 & SATA3), 1 Hyper M.2 (PCIe Gen4 x4). The integrated I/O shield will allow you to install the motherboard in your case easily.
RGB is another feature that you can take advantage of with this motherboard. Not only do parts of the board light up but you can connect different lighting strips and RGB fans via ASRock Polychrome SYNC in order to customize your system according to your personal preferences.
Asus ROG Crosshair VIII Formula
While the ROG Strix X570-E Gaming might be a mainstream motherboard from Asus, there is nothing mainstream about the Asus ROG Crosshair VIII Formula. This is a premium motherboard for enthusiasts. The motherboard is liquid-cooling ready and comes wrapped in armor. You also get RGB lighting like the rest of the motherboards that we have recommended here.
The Asus ROG Crosshair VIII Formula is a decidedly premium motherboard. It has a fan on to cool the board other than the liquid cooling option. There is armor on the back as well to provide additional support and cooling. In addition, there is a small LED display that will show information and code if needed.
The motherboard has a 6+4 pin power design for the CPU and Asus claims that it can handle even more cores and threads than what AMD has announced at Computex 2019 which might mean that AMD is planning to release a 16 core CPU later this year. Other motherboards in the Crosshair series include ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Hero (Wi-Fi), ASUS ROG Crosshair VII Hero—ATX and ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Impact.
If you are looking for a motherboard that is targetted at enthusiasts and has all the bells and whistles then the Asus ROG Crosshair VIII Formula is a great option to consider.
X570 AORUS Master
The X570 AORUS Master is another high-end motherboard from Gigabyte. The mobo comes with 3 M.2 slots for high-speed data transfers that leverage the new PCIe 4.0 standard. The motherboard has a clean Black and Silver theme which should blend in well with the rest of your build.
The PCI slots have shields to protect your graphics card and provide better support. The M.2 slots have shields as well for better SSD cooling. The board has RGB lighting and has a small display that will show you important information such as error codes and system temperature.
The board supports the 3rd and 2nd generation AMD Ryzen chips. It comes with 4 RAM slots and features Direct 14 Phases Infineon Digital VRM Solution with PowIRstage, so the power delivery is not going to be an issue even with high-end AMD Ryzen CPUs such as the 3900X.
An integrated USB TurboCharger can be used to charge devices that support fast charging. The integrated I/O shield is going to make installing the motherboard much easier compared to motherboards that do not come with this feature.
MSI MEG X570 GODLIKE
Here we have another motherboard from MSI. The board is designed for the latest AMD Ryzen 3000 series CPUs. It features a 14+14+1 digital power design that does not compromise on performance. You can expect the motherboard to provide ample power to the CPU even when overclocking.
The motherboard comes with the M.2 Shield Frozr for keeping the temperature in check and allowing your storage to perform as it should. PCIe 4.0 is the major highlight of this motherboard like all the other variants that we have looked into.
There is a double bearing Frozr heatsink on the motherboard as well. The MSI MEG X570 GODLIKE also comes with a display that highlights important information and errors that you should know about. You can also customize it to display visuals that you would like to see.
It also features Wi-Fi 6 for fast internet and gaming. If you are looking for a new motherboard that has the latest features and looks great too then the MSI MEG X570 GODLIKE is an option that you should look into.
Strix X570-I Gaming
This is another board that supports PCIe 4.0 but it is smaller as compared to the other boards that we have looked into. Asus claims that the Strix X570-I Gaming is proof that the best things do come in small packages.” The Strix X570-I is a mini-ITX board for people that are looking to build a small form factor build.
The motherboard features 8+2 power stages and features a heatsink that has its own fan. This allows you to overclock your CPU while keeping the temperature in check. The motherboard does come with an AIO header with the hybrid fan header if you are interested in liquid cooling your CPU.
It also has diagnostic LEDs that let you know what went wrong when an overclock crashes your system. There are only has 2 RAM slots, but that is not an issue for most users, as you can get 16 GB DIMMs and get 64 GB of RAM in total.
Other features include HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4, Intel Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth 5.0. The RGB lighting is a staple for Asus products and you get that in this small motherboard a well. Not only does the logo light up but you get headers for connecting fans and lights. You can sync the lighting of the motherboard with other hardware components and peripherals that support it.
If you are looking to build a mini-ITX gaming PC that does not compromise on performance then the Strix X570-I Gaming will be a great place to start.
Summing Up
The new AMD X570 motherboards support the AMD Ryzen 3000 series chips that are based on the 7nm process. All of them offer support for the key feature of this generation – PCIe 4.0 – and an X570 mainboard is going to be the best way to access this feature from day one. A great thing about PCIe 4.0 is that it’s backward compatible with legacy hardware, but PCIe 4.0 gear that utilizes the doubled bandwidth of the new standard is underway.
Here we have looked into some of what will likely be the best AMD X570 motherboards that you can buy in 2019. If you are looking for a premium motherboard that is designed for enthusiasts then the Asus ROG Crosshair VIII Formula is a great option to consider. If you need something that is a bit mainstream then you should check out the ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming X. If you are building a small form factor build that does not compromise on performance then you should look into the Strix X570-I.
Let us know what you think about these AMD X570 motherboards and whether or not you are interested in buying one for your next build or system upgrade!
The post Best Upcoming AMD X570 Motherboards For Ryzen 3000 appeared first on Gaming PC Builder.
Best RX 590 Card Roundup
AMD didn’t pick the best possible time to launch its upper mid-range Radeon RX 590 GPU. Now it has to compete with Nvidia’s more efficient GeForce GTX 1660 Ti in a similar price range, on top of the now-discounted Radeon RX 580 cards, which aren’t that much slower. On the plus side, this segment is […] The post Best RX 590 Card Roundup appeared first on Gaming PC...
AMD didn’t pick the best possible time to launch its upper mid-range Radeon RX 590 GPU. Now it has to compete with Nvidia’s more efficient GeForce GTX 1660 Ti in a similar price range, on top of the now-discounted Radeon RX 580 cards, which aren’t that much slower. On the plus side, this segment is really the buyer’s market right now. The strong competition has driven down prices across the board. It’s already possible to find this card at prices that undercut the GTX 1660 Ti by a fair margin.
And there’s no question that the RX 590 is an attractive GPU. Although it’s based on the same Polaris architecture as the RX 580, the 590 is more than just a simple rebadge with a slight clock increase. It is manufactured with a smaller (12 nm) production process, which has allowed AMD to increase the default boost clock by more than 200 MHz.
Theoretical performance (FP32 float.) is up from 6,175 GFLOPS (RX 580) to 7,119 GFLOPS (RX 590). In comparison, the reference GTX 1660 Ti churns out 5,437 GFLOPS. The bad news is that this isn’t necessarily reflected in actual games. Also, power-efficiency in the Radeon lineup is still far behind the latest Nvidia cards. However, it’s a relatively close competitor as measured in frames per second – and if the price is right it’s still a great choice for both 1080p and 1440p gaming. It gets better still combined with a FreeSync monitor.
The 7 Best-Rated RX 590 Graphics Cards
So let’s move on to the top cards in the category. Actually, this is about half of the total number of cards with this GPU available at the time of writing. We’ve sorted them based on opinions from both professional and users reviews, as well as our own experience with similar cards. Click through to our database entries of the different models to find links to reviews and other information.
Sapphire Radeon Nitro+ RX 590 Special Edition
Sapphire’s Nitro+ series is the manufacturer’s premium graphics card lineup, with the most advanced cooling solution and often a liberal amount of factory overclocking. The Nitro+ is no exception – even the card’s 8 GB of memory (VRAM) is boosted out of the box, making this card a rarity in the segment (possibly unique).
Compared to the reference model, the Nitro+ GPU boost clock is up from 1545 MHz to 1560 MHz. The VRAM clock is increased from 2000 MHz to 2100 MHz, resulting in an effective 8400 MHz instead of 8000 MHz.
Like other Nitro+ cards, this one also an efficient cooling solution with replaceable fans. It also takes up no more than two PCI slots, whereas most competitors use triple-slot options.
Professional reviews of the Nitro+ are mostly in agreement that it’s one of the best cards, if not the best.
- Efficient cooling solution
- Compact, dual-slot design
- Factory-overclocked GPU and VRAM
- Power-hungry
- Only available in blue
XFX Radeon RX 590 Fatboy OC+
XFX’s Fatboy is one of the best-selling variants of the card, and not without reason.
Like the aforementioned Sapphire card, the Fatboy is factory overclocked. While the memory clock is untouched, the GPU boost clock is actually a bit higher still, at 1580 MHz. This gives you an extra 2% worth of GPU core performance out of the box.
The Fatboy’s dual-fan cooling solution takes up three PCI slots internally. XFX has equipped the card with a Unibody VRM Heatsink, which increases the heat sink surface considerably, according to the manufacturer. The card also has an aluminum backplate to improve rigidity and help with heat dissipation.
XFX has picked up generally favorable reviews of the RX 590 Fatboy.
- Relatively quiet
- A clear improvement on the predecessor
- Factory-overclocked GPU boost clock
- Triple-slot cooler
- Only available in blue
PowerColor Red Devil RX 590 OC
PowerColor’s take on the latest AMD Polaris chip is also overclocked out of the box. The reference model’s 1545 MHz maximum GPU boost clock has been increased to 1576 MHz – higher than the Sapphire Nitro+ but marginally lower than the XFX Fatboy.
Like the XFX model, the PowerColor Red Devil RX 590 OC is equipped with a dual-fan cooling solution that is rather large and occupies three slots. Anyone who enjoys tinkering with their GPUs will be happy to learn that the Red Devil has a dual BIOS setup. A switch on the card lets you toggle between the two presets ‘Ultra Overclocking’ and ‘Silent Overclocking’.
Opinions on the Red Devil are mostly positive, although there are some questions raised regarding how it handles temperatures and power consumption.
- Dual BIOS
- Factory overclocked GPU boost clock
- High power draw
ASUS ROG Strix Radeon RX 590 8G Gaming
Products in the ever-popular ROG Strix lineup from ASUS tend to breathe quality and come with premium features, but also a price tag to match. The Strix checks all of these boxes including the last one, which is why we’re not rating it higher. As a mid-range card based on the Polaris 30 GPU, the ASUS model is simply not competitive at MSRP.
That said, it’s almost certainly a great card. Like its RX 580 predecessor, the Strix 590 is very rare in that it comes in a full-length format with triple-fan cooling
ASUS has also applied a slight overclock of the GPU boost clock, from 1545 MHz to 1565 MHz, but the VRAM is untouched. Considering the extra fan compared to the other models, there’s a potential for more headroom for a user overclock – to squeeze even more performance out of the card.
However, the main selling point for most potential buyers of this expensive card is probably the Aura Sync feature. If you’re building an ASUS ROG-based gaming rig, the RGB lighting scheme will make this one hard to pass up on.
We haven’t seen many reviews of the card, but most users are positive.
- Great cooling
- Aura Sync feature looks great
- Factory-overclocked GPU
- Expensive
ASRock Phantom Gaming X Radeon RX 590
If you don’t want to tinker with the GPU yourself and want the highest possible factory overclocking instead, the ASRock Phantom Gaming X Radeon RX 590 is an attractive option. ASRock has been very generous with the GPU boost clock, and as an added bonus it’s a dual-slot card.
Compared to the reference model, ASRock has pushed the GPU boost clock from 1545 MHz to 1591 MHz in the Phantom Gaming X, in ‘OC Mode’. This also increases the card’s VRAM very slightly, from 8000 MHz (effective clock) to 8032 MHz.
Cooling is handled by two fans in a compact dual-slot solution that doesn’t take up unnecessary space. On the downside, this has also made the card quite loud according to some tester.
- Dual-slot design
- High factory overclock
- Loud fans
Gigabyte Radeon RX 590 Gaming 8G
Gigabyte has used this exact same Windforce cooling solution on several GPUs in the past – and why change a winning formula? The 590 Gaming 8G was late to the party and we’ve found no professional reviews of the card yet. But since it’s practically identical to the RX 580 Gaming we have in the basement, we’ll vouch for it anyway.
In OC mode, the GPU boost clock is increased to 1560 MHz, or 1% compared to the reference design.
Like the card’s predecessors and the ASRock and Sapphire alternatives mentioned above, it’s a comparatively compact, dual-slot card suitable for similarly compact gaming PC builds.
- Dual-slot card
- Very competent cooler for its size
- RGB LED on top
- Not an overly exciting design
MSI Radeon RX 590 Armor 8G OC
Much like Gigabyte’s model, MSI has reused an existing board design and cooler for the 590 Armor. This one is also a relatively simple dual-fan solution in a dual-slot form factor. It’s available in both a factory overclocked model (OC) and without the overclock.
The difference in the OC version is that MSI has increased the GPU boost clock to 1565 MHz, or just over 1% compared to the standard variant.
On the whole, it’s a no-frills card based on a tried-and-tested design from a reputable manufacturer, so there should be few surprises here.
Undervolting the RX 590
Ever since the RX 480, which used the first and less efficient version of the same Polaris chip, undervolting has been a topic of much discussion. A problem with Polaris – especially when compared to Nvidia’s lineup – is poor power-efficiency. Although this is the best version so far, it is still less efficient than the GTX 1060 and even more so than the GTX 1660 (Ti).
Therefore, reducing the voltage to improve the efficiency of the chip used to be a popular tactic among crypto miners. But it’s also useful for gamers. It will keep the temps to a minimum and reduce power draw, often without reducing performance. If you’re interested, take a look at this walkthrough from Wccftech that explains the process.
Summary
The RX 590 may have been launched at a bad time, but it may still be a great choice for a mid-range build. Prices are already down significantly since launch, so it’s still competitive with the Nvidia alternatives. However, the price tag should determine whether it’s the best choice at any given time.
Factory-overclocked cards are generally not worth a premium based on the higher clocks alone, but may have other advantages such as better cooling. If this card is not in your price range at the moment, also have a look at our roundup of the best AMD and Nvidia cards below $200.
The post Best RX 590 Card Roundup appeared first on Gaming PC Builder.
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