is GTX 1660 GPU sufficient for DazStudio

dijitaq3dx

I'm looking to build a new PC, for among other things, play games and Daz3D. I'm casual user for both, and for Daz3d I am not considering making complex scenes. I'm on a budget and thingking of buying a GTX 1660 GPU. is it sufficient for Daz3D considering my usage?

Also, do ray tracing using RTX GPU have an effect in terms of performace and quality when rendering?

mclaugh

For non-complex, sub-4k pixel renders, a 1660 should be fine, especially if you optimize resources.

I'm running a 6GB GTX 1060 Max Q (previous generation to the 1660) in a Dell G5 gaming laptop. (Yeah, something with more CUDA cores and VRAM would be nice, but replacing the laptop ain't an option at this point.) Renders animations (architectural walkthroughs) and scenes with complex environments and 3-4 G8 figures at 1200x1600 pixels just fine. YMMV.

Psyckosama

My suggestion would be an RTX 2060 to be honest, the two more gigs of ram and RT cores make it a MUCH more powerful option and you can buy one used for about the same price.

DrunkMonkeyProductions

The gtx 1660 is a pretty bottom of the barrel solution for either gaming or rendering.

Depending on the benchmarks one checks out, the render performance is down around a gtx 780ti(kepler, 3 generations back), and gaming performance is lower than a gtx 980TI(pascal, last gen).

If your budget allows, around 50-100 usd more than a 1660, an RTX 2060 would provide better performance, but you'll still be limited with the 6GB of vram and a lack of Nvlink support for possible future upgrades.

In the current gen the RTX 2070 provides about the best balance of cost to performance. With 8GB of vram and Nvlink support, it's a pretty good value at ~$400usd on newegg.

For Used cards, at around the same price point of an rtx 1660, a gtx 1070 would be a better overall solution.

 

mclaugh said:

For non-complex, sub-4k pixel renders, a 1660 should be fine, especially if you optimize resources.

I'm running a 6GB GTX 1060 Max Q (previous generation to the 1660) in a Dell G5 gaming laptop. (Yeah, something with more CUDA cores and VRAM would be nice, but replacing the laptop ain't an option at this point.) Renders animations (architectural walkthroughs) and scenes with complex environments and 3-4 G8 figures at 1200x1600 pixels just fine. YMMV.

You could always look into E-GPU boxes, as the G5 has a Thunderbolt 3 port, if i looked at the correct specs. New for around 350(newegg) and used for about 200(ebay), plus the cost of the GPU.

There's also several options, such as a cheap optiplex and pci-e adapters. Run the system headerless with remote access, i use tightVNC. it just needs enough gpu for video out to support openGL 1.3, intel hd can do that, and an open pci-e port, even an x1 slot is fine.

 

Psyckosama said:

My suggestion would be an RTX 2060 to be honest, the two more gigs of ram and RT cores make it a MUCH more powerful option and you can buy one used for about the same price.

The 1660 and 2060 both have 6GB of vram. A new 1660 can be had for around $200 usd(newegg). Used(ebay) 2060's are hovering around 280 USD.

Performance wise the 2060 averages out at roughly a  25%-50% increase in performance over a 1660, depending on workload.

If on the other hand that was a typo and you meant the 2070, it is a better solution. but isn't that much better, performance wise.

The only advantage is the 2GB additional vram, 8GB(2070) vs 6GB(1660 and 2060) and the Nvlink option.

Also, at the new vs used price point of a 2070(~400USD, new) you can get a used 1080TI, with more ram(11GB) and, in general, better performance.

 

 

mclaugh

DrunkMonkeyProductions said:

You could always look into E-GPU boxes, as the G5 has a Thunderbolt 3 port, if i looked at the correct specs. New for around 350(newegg) and used for about 200(ebay), plus the cost of the GPU.

There's also several options, such as a cheap optiplex and pci-e adapters. Run the system headerless with remote access, i use tightVNC. it just needs enough gpu for video out to support openGL 1.3, intel hd can do that, and an open pci-e port, even an x1 slot is fine.

Thanks for the suggestions, but I'm not interested in sinking $$$ into chasing faster render times (or the hassle of setting up and configuring the hardware) at the moment since I'm already satisfied with my 1060's performance.