What GPU to buy?

[singingsonging]

I am hoping for some help on getting a graphics card. I didn't get one when my PC was built, as I didn't need one at the time, and to save some money. I am a complete unknown when it comes to this. I have been looking at two, as they're incredibly priced and one was recommended to me awhile back. They are..

ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 3060 Ti AMP White Edition LHR

and

ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 3060 Ti GDDR6X Twin Edge White Edition

The main uses for the GPU is some light gaming, multi monitor set up for music production, and the hdmi out to my TV for streaming movies.

My question is, what is the difference and which one is theoretically better? I'll add my PC specs below. Any help would be greatly appreciated.


Case
CORSAIR iCUE 4000X RGB Tempered Glass Mid-Tower ATX Case
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 14-Core Processor i5-13600K (3.5GHz) 24MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX Z690-A GAMING WIFI D4 (LGA1700, USB 3.2, PCIe 5.0) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
INTEGRATED GRAPHICS ACCELERATOR (GPU)
Graphics Card Support Bracket
PCS ARGB GRAPHICS CARD SUPPORT BRACKET
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 530 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 7300MB/R, 6000MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
Corsair iCUE H115i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
LED Lighting
2x 50cm ARGB LED Strip
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]

 

[Martinr36]

What monitor do you have, make and model or resolution and refresh rate, we need to know this as its the main determining factor in choosing a GPU

 

[sck451]

Of those two particular GPUs, I doubt there is any significant functional difference whatsoever. Maybe there is a minor difference in clock speed or cooling or power delivery somewhere, but I very much doubt it is remotely discernible when using the cards.

Any 3060 Ti will be pretty much the same, except for tiny ones that sacrifice cooling potential to fit in a small form factor.

The more important point is to get an appropriate match between your display and your graphics card.

 

[singingsonging]

What monitor do you have, make and model or resolution and refresh rate, we need to know this as its the main determining factor in choosing a GPU

I currently have a Dell S2721DGFA, it's 2560x1440 and 165hz.

I am also looking at a LG 27GN800-B as my second monitor. Which is 2560x1440 but 144hz.

 

[BlessedSquirrel]

I currently have a Dell S2721DGFA, it's 2560x1440 and 165hz.

I am also looking at a LG 27GN800-B as my second monitor. Which is 2560x1440 but 144hz.

There's no point upgrading a 1440p monitor at 165Hz to a 1440p monitor at 144Hz, it's not going to gain you anything, and if thinking of using them both at the same time, they wouldn't both be used at high refresh during gameplay, so there's no benefit to having high refresh as the secondary monitor.

If you're just wanting a secondary monitor to display chat windows or stuff like that, then get a basic 4k monitor.

If you're looking for an actual upgrade, then check out Ultrawide, or step up to 4k 144Hz, but 1440p to 1440p makes no sense.

 

[singingsonging]

There's no point upgrading a 1440p monitor at 165Hz to a 1440p monitor at 144Hz, it's not going to gain you anything, and if thinking of using them both at the same time, they wouldn't both be used at high refresh during gameplay, so there's no benefit to having high refresh as the secondary monitor.

If you're just wanting a secondary monitor to display chat windows or stuff like that, then get a basic 4k monitor.

If you're looking for an actual upgrade, then check out Ultrawide, or step up to 4k 144Hz, but 1440p to 1440p makes no sense.

The second monitor isn't really for gaming. I'd say everything is more geared toward the music production side of things, my thinking is having similar monitors for that, and the Dell seems to be out of stock everywhere. That's why I am getting the graphics card to allow to use more monitors with the production software. Spread out everything I'll need, but not lose visual quality with them. If that makes sense.

When I game it'll just be for myself on the one monitor.

 

[BlessedSquirrel]

The second monitor isn't really for gaming. I'd say everything is more geared toward the music production side of things, my thinking is having similar monitors for that, and the Dell seems to be out of stock everywhere. That's why I am getting the graphics card to allow to use more monitors with the production software. Spread out everything I'll need, but not lose visual quality with them. If that makes sense.

When I game it'll just be for myself on the one monitor.

Yeah, zero point in a gaming monitor for that.

A 4k monitor is the equivalent of 4 x 1080p windows, one snapped to each corner.

It's far more valuable in real estate terms than 1440p 144Hz, the 144Hz is totally pointless, will never be used and that's most of the money going to that. And 1440p is only just over 1080p in real estate terms

 

[singingsonging]

Yeah, zero point in a gaming monitor for that.

A 4k monitor is the equivalent of 4 x 1080p windows, one snapped to each corner.

It's far more valuable in real estate terms than 1440p 144Hz, the 144Hz is totally pointless, will never be used and that's most of the money going to that. And 1440p is only just over 1080p in real estate terms

View attachment 35756

Ahhh okay. That is a great explanation. Thank you for that! All this computer stuff is like Klingon to me hahah

Thanks everyone for your help. I feel I've been set on a good path!

 

[BlessedSquirrel]

Ahhh okay. That is a great explanation. Thank you for that! All this computer stuff is like Klingon to me hahah

Thanks everyone for your help. I feel I've been set on a good path!

Just so you know, you also don't need a dedicated GPU for multi monitor, your current motherboard will support 2 x 4k displays quite happily