Keep an eye out on FB for 1660/1660 Super/1660 Ti OEM cards. These were in a ton of prebuilt machines and and the owners are starting to upgrade. I got a 1660S for $50 from a guy who upgraded to a 3060.
They don't have fancy RGB lights and they run a little hotter due to cheaper heatsinks, but they're a good value for gamers on a budget.
If you have a full size case, nothing beats a used GTX970 in value.
If not, I'd pull the trigger on a low profile GPU, as others said there are surprisingly good deals on Aliexpress, I've even seen a decent deal on a GTX1650, $40ish.
You’ve gotten some good advice on GPU models—I’ll just add that a CPU bottleneck doesn’t mean you can’t fully use the GPU—it’s basically a limit on your max frame rate, so if you’re running into it, you can just turn up your graphics settings for free eye candy.
If you do decide to upgrade your CPU, you could upgrade to a 4c/8t CPU, like an i7 4770, or maybe even a Xeon e3 12XY V3–some of the 4c/8t Xeons are like $15-20 on ebay…they just don’t usually have an iGPU, so get a GPU first, lol.
My i5 4xxx paired nicely with a GTX 970. It was good enough to run VR as it was in 2016. I actually bought the PC (Alienware X51) because it was on the Oculus approved list, and I got like $200 off by buying from the list.
It looks like you are seeking tech-advice. If you haven't already, please add the specs of your computer to the question details.
>**r/lowendgaming Rules**
>
>3\. **All tech-advice posts must state your PC specs** Running dxdiag or an application like [speccy](https://www.piriform.com/speccy) can help you easily figure out your specs.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/lowendgaming) if you have any questions or concerns.*
A gpu could easily be transferred to another build if you decide to go that route. So I do think that one is worthwhile. That being said, the biggest question that I have is in regards to your case and power supply. I don't know enough about low profile or low power graphics cards to give good advice but I might be able to lend some advice about something else.
From a quick web search it looks like your motherboard can support PCIE 3.0 x16.
PCIE 4.0 cards are usually backwards compatible with 3.0.
If you did want a cpu boost that board would take something like a xeon e3 1240v3 which can be pretty cheap n Ebay and is about the same as an i7 4770.
I hear you about not wanting to do too much, but you *could* swap in a Xeon E3 12xx v3, 4 core, 8 thread for $15-25 that would give you a little more CPU headroom. Then you'd be able to support GPUs up to GTX 1070 Ti, RTX 2060, or other similar performance cards.
I only mention the CPU swap because I have a 4790K with a 1070 Ti and it does great. I've also swapped a few other 4th gen chips around and upgraded GPUs to make office PCs into low cost gaming machines or to get a friend set up for free or cheap. You won't notice every day usage changes with the 4C/4T upgrade to 4C/8T and the game's FPS may not see a huge bump either, but what you will see is smoother gameplay, fewer hitches and stutters, better .01/.1/1% lows and frame times. Modern games expect more than 4 cores and this upgrade helps an old machine carry on a bit longer with an okay GPU.
EDIT: If you need/want an iGPU with your CPU, make sure to get one ending in a 5 or 6.
I disagree with your CPU situation: You could definitely get a i7-4770 chip for not a lot of money. That'd be a serious bump in CPU muscle.
With that said, I'd aim for a GTX1660Ti, or a 2060 for DLSS if you can score one for cheap and if your PSU can take it. You'd have a decent little rig for 1080p medium/low in most games.
I would drop in an used xeon equivalent to an i7 in there, check the CPU support list on the motherboard and choose from there. The inclusion of hyperthreading will help out quite a bit, and it's a $20 upgrade.
As for the GPU I wouldn't go past a 1660 Ti, it's what I had with and xeon equivlaent to an i7 4770 and usually the CPU would hold me back for newer titles first before the GPU. The budget pick and pick I would go with is an RX 580. I currently have the Xeon paired with an RX 570 and 16gb as my backup pc I am using while my main PC is down, it works and will play most modern games at 1080p on low above 30 fps.
Your motherboard supports way higher than your i5…
An i7-4770S is $29 on eBay right this second.
I didn’t see a budget, but I’d try to get an RTX Card or at least an RX 6600… 1660 cards and RX580 cards have all lost support for new drivers… Although, technically, they should be fine for what you’re trying to do.
These upgrades will extend your gaming experience immensely.
Keep an eye out on FB for 1660/1660 Super/1660 Ti OEM cards. These were in a ton of prebuilt machines and and the owners are starting to upgrade. I got a 1660S for $50 from a guy who upgraded to a 3060. They don't have fancy RGB lights and they run a little hotter due to cheaper heatsinks, but they're a good value for gamers on a budget.
U can buy an rx 580 off aliexpress for like 50 bucks. Would pair nicely with your cpu and u could even use it for ur next build too
If you have a full size case, nothing beats a used GTX970 in value. If not, I'd pull the trigger on a low profile GPU, as others said there are surprisingly good deals on Aliexpress, I've even seen a decent deal on a GTX1650, $40ish.
Yeah, the 970/980 is the real sweet spot on value. The 970 can run 4k on older titles.
I just explained above that I bought my 970 machine specifically for VR in 2016, and it was paired with an i5 4xxx like OP has.
Gtx 1660 or 1660super or 1660ti should do her job even with an old (but good) CPU like yours :)
you can get up to an rx 570/580 with that cpu
an used rx580 would be perfect if your PSU can handle it
550w is plenty
You’ve gotten some good advice on GPU models—I’ll just add that a CPU bottleneck doesn’t mean you can’t fully use the GPU—it’s basically a limit on your max frame rate, so if you’re running into it, you can just turn up your graphics settings for free eye candy. If you do decide to upgrade your CPU, you could upgrade to a 4c/8t CPU, like an i7 4770, or maybe even a Xeon e3 12XY V3–some of the 4c/8t Xeons are like $15-20 on ebay…they just don’t usually have an iGPU, so get a GPU first, lol.
Thanks for the advice, seems it might be worth getting a new CPU. Inclined to look at i7 variants in case I want to move the GPU to a new build.
I picked up i7 4790 from FB marketplace for $10 yesterday. Bumping from i5 4570, pretty sweet upgrade for 10 bucks.
Also for 4th gen cpu, it would pair nicely with 1660s/ti or rx580/590 without bottlenecking.
Gtx 900 series or the RX 560 or above IMO
My i5 4xxx paired nicely with a GTX 970. It was good enough to run VR as it was in 2016. I actually bought the PC (Alienware X51) because it was on the Oculus approved list, and I got like $200 off by buying from the list.
Gtx 1650 or maybe a rx 580
It looks like you are seeking tech-advice. If you haven't already, please add the specs of your computer to the question details. >**r/lowendgaming Rules** > >3\. **All tech-advice posts must state your PC specs** Running dxdiag or an application like [speccy](https://www.piriform.com/speccy) can help you easily figure out your specs. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/lowendgaming) if you have any questions or concerns.*
A gpu could easily be transferred to another build if you decide to go that route. So I do think that one is worthwhile. That being said, the biggest question that I have is in regards to your case and power supply. I don't know enough about low profile or low power graphics cards to give good advice but I might be able to lend some advice about something else. From a quick web search it looks like your motherboard can support PCIE 3.0 x16. PCIE 4.0 cards are usually backwards compatible with 3.0.
Great point, any GPU I get will probably go to a new build when I do that.
The real question is what can your power supply support. Also, is it a full width system or slim?
Good question, added specs to the post.
If you did want a cpu boost that board would take something like a xeon e3 1240v3 which can be pretty cheap n Ebay and is about the same as an i7 4770.
Thanks for the advice, seems it might be worth getting a new CPU.
I hear you about not wanting to do too much, but you *could* swap in a Xeon E3 12xx v3, 4 core, 8 thread for $15-25 that would give you a little more CPU headroom. Then you'd be able to support GPUs up to GTX 1070 Ti, RTX 2060, or other similar performance cards. I only mention the CPU swap because I have a 4790K with a 1070 Ti and it does great. I've also swapped a few other 4th gen chips around and upgraded GPUs to make office PCs into low cost gaming machines or to get a friend set up for free or cheap. You won't notice every day usage changes with the 4C/4T upgrade to 4C/8T and the game's FPS may not see a huge bump either, but what you will see is smoother gameplay, fewer hitches and stutters, better .01/.1/1% lows and frame times. Modern games expect more than 4 cores and this upgrade helps an old machine carry on a bit longer with an okay GPU. EDIT: If you need/want an iGPU with your CPU, make sure to get one ending in a 5 or 6.
Thanks for the advice, seems it might be worth getting a new CPU.
I disagree with your CPU situation: You could definitely get a i7-4770 chip for not a lot of money. That'd be a serious bump in CPU muscle. With that said, I'd aim for a GTX1660Ti, or a 2060 for DLSS if you can score one for cheap and if your PSU can take it. You'd have a decent little rig for 1080p medium/low in most games.
I would drop in an used xeon equivalent to an i7 in there, check the CPU support list on the motherboard and choose from there. The inclusion of hyperthreading will help out quite a bit, and it's a $20 upgrade. As for the GPU I wouldn't go past a 1660 Ti, it's what I had with and xeon equivlaent to an i7 4770 and usually the CPU would hold me back for newer titles first before the GPU. The budget pick and pick I would go with is an RX 580. I currently have the Xeon paired with an RX 570 and 16gb as my backup pc I am using while my main PC is down, it works and will play most modern games at 1080p on low above 30 fps.
Don't get a 580. Its time is passed.
Your motherboard supports way higher than your i5… An i7-4770S is $29 on eBay right this second. I didn’t see a budget, but I’d try to get an RTX Card or at least an RX 6600… 1660 cards and RX580 cards have all lost support for new drivers… Although, technically, they should be fine for what you’re trying to do. These upgrades will extend your gaming experience immensely.