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GPU recommendation to replace GTX-1060, dual 4k monitors

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PHXAZCRAIG

PHXAZCRAIG

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My fiance's PC needs a better graphics card, so the plan is to put my GTX-1060 (3GB RAM) in her PC and put a new card in mine.

I need a card that supports two 4k monitors via DisplayPort. Don't care about gaming performance as the only computer game I still play is from 1995. (Total Annihilation)

I'm thinking mid-range, maybe a 2060? Sound level is very important.

By the way, I've been running Folding@Home for a few months now (covid-19 project), and it really hits the GPU. Fan is always running, and my 1-year-old 750w power supply failed last month.
 
PHXAZCRAIG said:
My fiance's PC needs a better graphics card, so the plan is to put my GTX-1060 (3GB RAM) in her PC and put a new card in mine.

I need a card that supports two 4k monitors via DisplayPort. Don't care about gaming performance as the only computer game I still play is from 1995. (Total Annihilation)

I'm thinking mid-range, maybe a 2060? Sound level is very important.
Click to expand...
Getting the quietest possible card isn't easy; different review websites have different measurement methods, and the quality of the cards' heatsinks and fans varies widely. You may be able to find a tech website that's done a comparison of multiple suitable cards.

Not needing to game will be a big help--the fans on my GTX 1080Ti don't even start if the card is idling, but I only have a single 4k monitor.
PHXAZCRAIG said:
By the way, I've been running Folding@Home for a few months now (covid-19 project), and it really hits the GPU. Fan is always running, and my 1-year-old 750w power supply failed last month.
Click to expand...
For a heavy sustained load, it might be worth getting a high-end PSU like a Seasonic Prime or one that's similarly well reviewed.
 
PHXAZCRAIG said:
My fiance's PC needs a better graphics card, so the plan is to put my GTX-1060 (3GB RAM) in her PC and put a new card in mine.

I need a card that supports two 4k monitors via DisplayPort. Don't care about gaming performance as the only computer game I still play is from 1995. (Total Annihilation)
Click to expand...
The GTX 1060 supports multiple high-res monitors according to specs, but maybe you need more GPU memory for adequate performance?

https://www.nvidia.com/en-in/geforce/products/10series/geforce-gtx-1060/
PHXAZCRAIG said:
I'm thinking mid-range, maybe a 2060? Sound level is very important.
Click to expand...
The RTX 2060 Super has almost double the performance of your 1060.

https://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu_value.html

Forum participants have complained about two-high cards that don't fit into their PC tower, however 2060 looks single height in the product photos. Possibly some third party integrates the 2060 with a quieter fan.
PHXAZCRAIG said:
By the way, I've been running Folding@Home for a few months now (covid-19 project), and it really hits the GPU. Fan is always running, and my 1-year-old 750w power supply failed last month.
Click to expand...
Good for you! Seems like a good effort. We power down our laptops when not in use.
 
Last edited:
PHXAZCRAIG said:
My fiance's PC needs a better graphics card, so the plan is to put my GTX-1060 (3GB RAM) in her PC and put a new card in mine.

I need a card that supports two 4k monitors via DisplayPort. Don't care about gaming performance as the only computer game I still play is from 1995. (Total Annihilation)
Click to expand...
If you don't really need more GPU power than your GTX 1060, why upgrade? Just get a new mid-ranger for your fiance. 1650 Super or RX 580.
PHXAZCRAIG said:
I'm thinking mid-range, maybe a 2060? Sound level is very important.

By the way, I've been running Folding@Home for a few months now (covid-19 project), and it really hits the GPU. Fan is always running, and my 1-year-old 750w power supply failed last month.
Click to expand...
Fan is going to run high on any card when you tax the GPU. More fans is usually better as they can each run slower.
 
Last edited:
tkbslc said:
PHXAZCRAIG said:
My fiance's PC needs a better graphics card, so the plan is to put my GTX-1060 (3GB RAM) in her PC and put a new card in mine.

I need a card that supports two 4k monitors via DisplayPort. Don't care about gaming performance as the only computer game I still play is from 1995. (Total Annihilation)
Click to expand...
If you don't really need more GPU power than your GTX 1060, why upgrade? Just get a new mid-ranger for your fiance. 1650 Super or RX 580.
Click to expand...
He has a good excuse for a fine new upgrade, and you're spoiling it. :-D
tkbslc said:
tkbslc said:
I'm thinking mid-range, maybe a 2060? Sound level is very important.

By the way, I've been running Folding@Home for a few months now (covid-19 project), and it really hits the GPU. Fan is always running, and my 1-year-old 750w power supply failed last month.
Click to expand...
Fan is going to run high on any card when you tax the GPU. More fans is usually better as they can each run slower.
Click to expand...
Right, and larger fans can spin slower than small ones to move the same air. Also, larger heatsinks can outperform smaller ones, but can increase cost and weight a bit. I looked long and hard at various models' reviews before buying my current graphics card, but it was time well spent.
 
Austinian said:
tkbslc said:
PHXAZCRAIG said:
My fiance's PC needs a better graphics card, so the plan is to put my GTX-1060 (3GB RAM) in her PC and put a new card in mine.

I need a card that supports two 4k monitors via DisplayPort. Don't care about gaming performance as the only computer game I still play is from 1995. (Total Annihilation)
Click to expand...
If you don't really need more GPU power than your GTX 1060, why upgrade? Just get a new mid-ranger for your fiance. 1650 Super or RX 580.
Click to expand...
He has a good excuse for a fine new upgrade, and you're spoiling it. :-D
Click to expand...
It's not an upgrade if you don't need the extra power. Results will be exactly the same if current card is not being taxed.
 
The bar for running two 4k monitors without a sweat is very low so get whatever suits your fantasy. An AMD 570 would do.

If you don't play games the higher up the food chain you go the more money you flush down the heat sink because the GPU will make no difference for still image processing much past the lowest SKU.

If sound levels are important that is something reviews cover. However if you do not have a case that dampens sound and you don't have a quiet cpu cooler that will be a source of more noise than the GPU for non-gaming loads.
 
tkbslc said:
Austinian said:
tkbslc said:
PHXAZCRAIG said:
My fiance's PC needs a better graphics card, so the plan is to put my GTX-1060 (3GB RAM) in her PC and put a new card in mine.

I need a card that supports two 4k monitors via DisplayPort. Don't care about gaming performance as the only computer game I still play is from 1995. (Total Annihilation)
Click to expand...
If you don't really need more GPU power than your GTX 1060, why upgrade? Just get a new mid-ranger for your fiance. 1650 Super or RX 580.
Click to expand...
He has a good excuse for a fine new upgrade, and you're spoiling it. :-D
Click to expand...
It's not an upgrade if you don't need the extra power. Results will be exactly the same if current card is not being taxed.
Click to expand...
Perhaps you missed this:

"By the way, I've been running Folding@Home for a few months now (covid-19 project), and it really hits the GPU."
 
tkbslc said:
tkbslc said:
He has a good excuse for a fine new upgrade, and you're spoiling it. :-D
Click to expand...
It's not an upgrade if you don't need the extra power. Results will be exactly the same if current card is not being taxed.
Click to expand...
My fiance seems to have a sometimes-problem with her video card. I could indeed buy her a cheaper card, but where's the fun in that?

As for extra power, this is where I am unsure what I am buying as all the reviews I can find are hyping 4k gaming. I need 4k Lightroom, dual monitors, and very low noise. And perhaps one day I might even try a new video game, but I never ended up finishing my old games (Doom...). For sure though, that folding@home app would speed up.

Money isn't all that much of an object right now, but the 2080 stuff just seems a total waste for my purposes.

Apps that matter to me:

Lightroom, Photo Mechanic, some of the Nikon software, potentially some Lightroom replacement that includes a good DAM feature. I'm processing D850 stills, hardly any video, but I also generate slide shows and the like which can be very intensive.

CPU is i7-9700K, 32GB RAM, NVME storage.
 
PHXAZCRAIG said:
PHXAZCRAIG said:
PHXAZCRAIG said:
He has a good excuse for a fine new upgrade, and you're spoiling it. :-D
Click to expand...
It's not an upgrade if you don't need the extra power. Results will be exactly the same if current card is not being taxed.
Click to expand...
My fiance seems to have a sometimes-problem with her video card. I could indeed buy her a cheaper card, but where's the fun in that?
Click to expand...
:-)
PHXAZCRAIG said:
As for extra power, this is where I am unsure what I am buying as all the reviews I can find are hyping 4k gaming. I need 4k Lightroom, dual monitors, and very low noise. And perhaps one day I might even try a new video game, but I never ended up finishing my old games (Doom...). For sure though, that folding@home app would speed up.

Money isn't all that much of an object right now, but the 2080 stuff just seems a total waste for my purposes.
Click to expand...
Also, the faster GPUs are going to consume more power and produce more heat. My small computer room gets warm in the summer after playing a demanding game at 4K.
PHXAZCRAIG said:
Apps that matter to me:

Lightroom, Photo Mechanic, some of the Nikon software, potentially some Lightroom replacement that includes a good DAM feature. I'm processing D850 stills, hardly any video, but I also generate slide shows and the like which can be very intensive.

CPU is i7-9700K, 32GB RAM, NVME storage.
Click to expand...
I think the RTX 2060 would be a good midrange choice, and from looking on Amazon it appears you'd have a wider choice of models than the RTX 2080s. I have no recent experience with AMD GPUs, so I'll leave their comparable model suggestions to others.
 
PHXAZCRAIG said:
PHXAZCRAIG said:
PHXAZCRAIG said:
He has a good excuse for a fine new upgrade, and you're spoiling it. :-D
Click to expand...
It's not an upgrade if you don't need the extra power. Results will be exactly the same if current card is not being taxed.
Click to expand...
My fiance seems to have a sometimes-problem with her video card. I could indeed buy her a cheaper card, but where's the fun in that?

As for extra power, this is where I am unsure what I am buying as all the reviews I can find are hyping 4k gaming. I need 4k Lightroom, dual monitors, and very low noise. And perhaps one day I might even try a new video game, but I never ended up finishing my old games (Doom...). For sure though, that folding@home app would speed up.

Money isn't all that much of an object right now, but the 2080 stuff just seems a total waste for my purposes.

Apps that matter to me:

Lightroom, Photo Mechanic, some of the Nikon software, potentially some Lightroom replacement that includes a good DAM feature. I'm processing D850 stills, hardly any video, but I also generate slide shows and the like which can be very intensive.

CPU is i7-9700K, 32GB RAM, NVME storage.
Click to expand...
Lightroom is the only app in your list that actually uses gpu acceleration (calculations beyond accelerated screen redraw). With lightroom only the primary monitor uses the full acceleration - the second only uses accelerated screen redraw.
With two 4K screen there will be no noticable difference from your 1060 if it was the 6gb version and a highend 2080ti. But since it is the 3gb model you will notice a slight boost in some library and editing situations.

there’s no need for anything above a 1660ti - what matters is the gpu clock and vram, not cuda core count. So yes, a 1660ti or 2060 super is your best solution.
 
DerKeyser said:
PHXAZCRAIG said:
Lightroom, Photo Mechanic, some of the Nikon software, potentially some Lightroom replacement that includes a good DAM feature. I'm processing D850 stills, hardly any video, but I also generate slide shows and the like which can be very intensive.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Does Lightroom use the GPU for noise reduction? Darktable does, and is my slowest operation. With a D850 perhaps you don't get noise. :-)
DerKeyser said:
there’s no need for anything above a 1660ti - what matters is the gpu clock and vram, not cuda core count. So yes, a 1660ti or 2060 super is your best solution.
Click to expand...
Why 1660 Ti? The 1660 Super has nearly the same performance and costs $100 less. (Amazon)
 
Austinian said:
tkbslc said:
Austinian said:
tkbslc said:
PHXAZCRAIG said:
My fiance's PC needs a better graphics card, so the plan is to put my GTX-1060 (3GB RAM) in her PC and put a new card in mine.

I need a card that supports two 4k monitors via DisplayPort. Don't care about gaming performance as the only computer game I still play is from 1995. (Total Annihilation)
Click to expand...
If you don't really need more GPU power than your GTX 1060, why upgrade? Just get a new mid-ranger for your fiance. 1650 Super or RX 580.
Click to expand...
He has a good excuse for a fine new upgrade, and you're spoiling it. :-D
Click to expand...
It's not an upgrade if you don't need the extra power. Results will be exactly the same if current card is not being taxed.
Click to expand...
Perhaps you missed this:

"By the way, I've been running Folding@Home for a few months now (covid-19 project), and it really hits the GPU."
Click to expand...
That didn't sound like you were saying you wanted more GPU for that. If so, I'd get a 5700XT over an RTX 2060. It has 35% higher computer (teraflops) vs the 2060 Super at same MSRP.
 
CAcreeks said:
DerKeyser said:
PHXAZCRAIG said:
Lightroom, Photo Mechanic, some of the Nikon software, potentially some Lightroom replacement that includes a good DAM feature. I'm processing D850 stills, hardly any video, but I also generate slide shows and the like which can be very intensive.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Does Lightroom use the GPU for noise reduction? Darktable does, and is my slowest operation. With a D850 perhaps you don't get noise. :-)
Click to expand...
it does yes, but it’s a very simple algorithm that takes no time and all regardless of GPU. Nothing like topas noise ai or DXO noise reduction.
CAcreeks said:
CAcreeks said:
there’s no need for anything above a 1660ti - what matters is the gpu clock and vram, not cuda core count. So yes, a 1660ti or 2060 super is your best solution.
Click to expand...
Why 1660 Ti? The 1660 Super has nearly the same performance and costs $100 less. (Amazon
Click to expand...
that was actually my bad, I meant the 1660 super (which is faster than the 1660ti)

the 1660 super is the most bang for your bucks in nvidia space right now

--
Happy Nikon Shooter :-)
See my articles and galleries at: https://wolffmadsen.dk
 
Last edited:
DerKeyser said:
CAcreeks said:
DerKeyser said:
PHXAZCRAIG said:
Lightroom, Photo Mechanic, some of the Nikon software, potentially some Lightroom replacement that includes a good DAM feature. I'm processing D850 stills, hardly any video, but I also generate slide shows and the like which can be very intensive.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Does Lightroom use the GPU for noise reduction? Darktable does, and is my slowest operation. With a D850 perhaps you don't get noise. :-)
Click to expand...
it does yes, but it’s a very simple algorithm that takes no time and all regardless of GPU. Nothing like topas noise ai or DXO noise reduction.
DerKeyser said:
DerKeyser said:
there’s no need for anything above a 1660ti - what matters is the gpu clock and vram, not cuda core count. So yes, a 1660ti or 2060 super is your best solution.
Click to expand...
Why 1660 Ti? The 1660 Super has nearly the same performance and costs $100 less. (Amazon
Click to expand...
that was actually my bad, I meant the 1660 super (which is faster than the 1660ti)
Click to expand...
1660 Super is not faster than the 1660Ti. Most benchmarks give the Ti a 2-3% lead, and I can't find a single one that shows the super to win.

Now obviously I'd pick the Super any day at current pricing with a performance gap that close, but it's not true that it is faster than the Ti.
 
Last edited:
tkbslc said:
DerKeyser said:
CAcreeks said:
DerKeyser said:
PHXAZCRAIG said:
Lightroom, Photo Mechanic, some of the Nikon software, potentially some Lightroom replacement that includes a good DAM feature. I'm processing D850 stills, hardly any video, but I also generate slide shows and the like which can be very intensive.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Does Lightroom use the GPU for noise reduction? Darktable does, and is my slowest operation. With a D850 perhaps you don't get noise. :-)
Click to expand...
it does yes, but it’s a very simple algorithm that takes no time and all regardless of GPU. Nothing like topas noise ai or DXO noise reduction.
tkbslc said:
tkbslc said:
there’s no need for anything above a 1660ti - what matters is the gpu clock and vram, not cuda core count. So yes, a 1660ti or 2060 super is your best solution.
Click to expand...
Why 1660 Ti? The 1660 Super has nearly the same performance and costs $100 less. (Amazon
Click to expand...
that was actually my bad, I meant the 1660 super (which is faster than the 1660ti)
Click to expand...
1660 Super is not faster than the 1660Ti. Most benchmarks give the Ti a 2-3% lead, and I can't find a single one that shows the super to win.

Now obviously I'd pick the Super any day at current pricing with a performance gap that close, but it's not true that it is faster than the Ti.
Click to expand...
Well depends on if you go overclocked or not and if you look at gaming performance (cuda core count).
The super is slightly higher clocked and with somewhat faster memory than the ti, so for lightroom that makes it faster regardless of slightly less cuda cores (which matters in games)
 
tkbslc said:
Austinian said:
tkbslc said:
Austinian said:
tkbslc said:
PHXAZCRAIG said:
My fiance's PC needs a better graphics card, so the plan is to put my GTX-1060 (3GB RAM) in her PC and put a new card in mine.

I need a card that supports two 4k monitors via DisplayPort. Don't care about gaming performance as the only computer game I still play is from 1995. (Total Annihilation)
Click to expand...
If you don't really need more GPU power than your GTX 1060, why upgrade? Just get a new mid-ranger for your fiance. 1650 Super or RX 580.
Click to expand...
He has a good excuse for a fine new upgrade, and you're spoiling it. :-D
Click to expand...
It's not an upgrade if you don't need the extra power. Results will be exactly the same if current card is not being taxed.
Click to expand...
Perhaps you missed this:

"By the way, I've been running Folding@Home for a few months now (covid-19 project), and it really hits the GPU."
Click to expand...
That didn't sound like you were saying you wanted more GPU for that. If so, I'd get a 5700XT over an RTX 2060. It has 35% higher computer (teraflops) vs the 2060 Super at same MSRP.
Click to expand...
No, just pointing out something I'm currently running that has a massive effect. I built this system just over a year ago, and until F@H the fans never came on - loudest sound was from having a DVD in the drive. Now it's a constant fan noise, though not bad. And the room is definitely warmer too.

But it is not a pacing item here at all. Just a sidenote. If I can get a GPU that actually improves my Lightroom (or ProShow Producer) applications, I can start justifying spending some money on it. Otherwise a modest step up from what I've got now is fine. I'm sort of in the $300-400 range?
 
PHXAZCRAIG said:
My fiance's PC needs a better graphics card, so the plan is to put my GTX-1060 (3GB RAM) in her PC and put a new card in mine.

I need a card that supports two 4k monitors via DisplayPort. Don't care about gaming performance as the only computer game I still play is from 1995. (Total Annihilation)

I'm thinking mid-range, maybe a 2060? Sound level is very important.

By the way, I've been running Folding@Home for a few months now (covid-19 project), and it really hits the GPU. Fan is always running, and my 1-year-old 750w power supply failed last month.
Click to expand...
I can recommend Sapphire Vega 64 (I'm using one). Older card and cheaper, but the performance is no slouch. Current prices is reasonable and also good for folding at home. Slightly more expensive ones have better cooling config.
 
Last edited:
Is it pretty quiet, especially when not under load?

By the way, what do you (and anyone else here) think about the 2-fan versus 3-fan GPU's in terms of sound levels for a non-gamer? I'm of the opinion that bg slow fans are the way to go, an opinion based on years of having 'screamers' in my offices. (I'm in IT, and at various times have had to share a home office with up to 10 PC's running as servers. I've heard a lot of high-pitched tiny fans running at a zillion RP.)
 
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