20 replies to this topic

[ChuckD]

I built a mini cab a while back running VPX 10.7 with 2 screens and a 1080p/60 playfield. My 1050ti GPU was great for this. I would now like to add a 3rd DMD screen and also update to 10.8 to take advantage of the new tables and features. As I understand 10.8 is harder on the GPU. Will a 1050ti be able to hand 10.8 with 3 monitors and a 1080p/60 playfield? Anyone out there running this configuration? Thanks in advance. 

[Tesla]

I have a similar config running VPX v10.8.0 64bit-DirectX. I don't think it will be a problem if it works fine now.

 

Additionally, there are plenty of (limiting for performance) video-settings in Prefs now.

 

AFAIK, the 3rd screen for DMD doesn't really task the GPU much. You just need a video port for it (likely HDMI ... since your 1080p playfield and backglass monitors should be using any available DisplayPorts). 

Edited by Tesla, 17 August 2026 - 02:00 PM.

[htamas]

I ran a similar setup with a 1060 (and it was the lesser, 3GB memory version), and it was fine - but that was almost 3 years ago. I expect it should work just as well with a 1050ti if it was fine for you so far, but the most demanding tables need to be tested, since they may be pushing its limits.

[Tesla]

I built a mini cab a while back running VPX 10.7 with 2 screens and a 1080p/60 playfield. My 1050ti GPU 

 

Additionally, the older VPX v10.7.x rated tables seem to run fine on v10.8.0. It is not like you have to go find new (possibly more elaborate) files of your favorites.

Edited by Tesla, 17 August 2026 - 12:41 AM.

[Pinfritz]

I built a mini cab a while back running VPX 10.7 with 2 screens and a 1080p/60 playfield. My 1050ti GPU was great for this. I would now like to add a 3rd DMD screen and also update to 10.8 to take advantage of the new tables and features. As I understand 10.8 is harder on the GPU. Will a 1050ti be able to hand 10.8 with 3 monitors and a 1080p/60 playfield? Anyone out there running this configuration? Thanks in advance. 

 

Interesting question...i have the same Parts and the same questions about... But mine isnt reaydy buidlt since a few years. Now i have the issues with the pin2dmd and some drivers. Where can i see your mini cab? Best reagrds Pinfritz

[forte]

nope, i have that card on a 3 screen setup and i can only play smoothly with exclusive fullscreen mode activated on vpx 10.7.4 and all in medium

older vpw tables works but not the updated ones and in 10.8 the performance is much worse, core i5 4400 

all for a smoothles 1080p gameplay, you need more power for 10.8 pups and all the new releases,

im not gonna upgrade my hardware so i only update my top 100 tables whenever bigus releases any updates on them, the hobby has lost tis mind with the requirements for the new stuff

nope, i have that card on a 3 screen setup and i can only play smoothly with exclusive fullscreen mode activated on vpx 10.7.4 and all in medium

older vpw tables works but not the updated ones and in 10.8 the performance is much worse, core i5 4400 

all for a smoothles 1080p gameplay, you need more power for 10.8 pups and all the new releases,

im not gonna upgrade my hardware so i only update my top 100 tables whenever bigus releases any updates on them, the hobby has lost tis mind with the requirements for the new stuff

[ChuckD]

nope, i have that card on a 3 screen setup and i can only play smoothly with exclusive fullscreen mode activated on vpx 10.7.4 and all in medium

older vpw tables works but not the updated ones and in 10.8 the performance is much worse, core i5 4400 

all for a smoothles 1080p gameplay, you need more power for 10.8 pups and all the new releases,

im not gonna upgrade my hardware so i only update my top 100 tables whenever bigus releases any updates on them, the hobby has lost tis mind with the requirements for the new stuff

 

 

Good to know. Sounds like I will need to upgrade the GPU. I am currently running a similar CPU, the I5 4590. When trying the latest 10.8 tables did you find that you were mostly GPU limited or was the CPU struggling as well? Hoping I can just get away with upgrading the GPU to a 1660 ti/super since those seem to be available for a decent price in my area. Can get a 1060 6gb for a decent amount cheaper but seems like those may not cut it anymore either.  

Edited by ChuckD, 17 August 2026 - 07:55 PM.

[Tesla]

 

nope, i have that card on a 3 screen setup and i can only play smoothly with exclusive fullscreen mode activated on vpx 10.7.4 and all in medium

older vpw tables works but not the updated ones and in 10.8 the performance is much worse, core i5 4400 

all for a smoothles 1080p gameplay, you need more power for 10.8 pups and all the new releases,

im not gonna upgrade my hardware so i only update my top 100 tables whenever bigus releases any updates on them, the hobby has lost tis mind with the requirements for the new stuff

 

 

Good to know. Sounds like I will need to upgrade the GPU. I am currently running a similar CPU, the I5 4590. When trying the latest 10.8 tables did you find that you were mostly GPU limited or was the CPU struggling as well? Hoping I can just get away with upgrading the GPU to a 1660 ti/super since those seem to be available for a decent price in my area. Can get a 1060 6gb for a decent amount cheaper but seems like those may not cut it anymore either.  

 

 

GTX-1050-Ti, GTX-1060, GTX-1660, GTX-1060-Ti ... are all very similar (including processing ability).

 

I would suggest you keep what you have and make it work (turn down settings, etc.). Save up money.

 

When you are ready, build/buy a new computer with a recent model Intel i7/i9 and Nvidia (like RTX-3080 or better).

That money will be better spent and you won't have to worry about computer upgrades for 6-10 years.

Edited by Tesla, 17 August 2026 - 08:43 PM.

[ChuckD]

 

 

nope, i have that card on a 3 screen setup and i can only play smoothly with exclusive fullscreen mode activated on vpx 10.7.4 and all in medium

older vpw tables works but not the updated ones and in 10.8 the performance is much worse, core i5 4400 

all for a smoothles 1080p gameplay, you need more power for 10.8 pups and all the new releases,

im not gonna upgrade my hardware so i only update my top 100 tables whenever bigus releases any updates on them, the hobby has lost tis mind with the requirements for the new stuff

 

 

Good to know. Sounds like I will need to upgrade the GPU. I am currently running a similar CPU, the I5 4590. When trying the latest 10.8 tables did you find that you were mostly GPU limited or was the CPU struggling as well? Hoping I can just get away with upgrading the GPU to a 1660 ti/super since those seem to be available for a decent price in my area. Can get a 1060 6gb for a decent amount cheaper but seems like those may not cut it anymore either.  

 

 

GTX-1050-Ti, GTX-1060, GTX-1660, GTX-1060-Ti ... are all very similar.

 

I would suggest you keep what you have and make it work (turn down settings, etc.). Save up money.

 

When you are ready, build/buy a new computer with a recent model Intel i7/i9 and Nvidia (like RTX-3080 or better).

That money will be better spent and you won't have to worry about computer upgrades for 6-10 years.

 

 

I get what you are saying but if I can spend $100 to get another 5 years out of this build and make it so I don't have to worry about cranking the settings way down to make all the new stuff work that is well worth it to me. A 1660 Super should have around twice the horsepower of a 1050ti.

[Emanoel299]

@ChuckD

 

I think my system is cheaper and run all tables without issues with 3 Screens

VPX 10.80 - 2051 GL 64 bits and 3D stereo output.

VpinMame 3.6 - 1227

Backglass server 2.1.6

DMD extensions 2.5 - The playfield take 2 seconds more to show the table.

 

My video settings is some posts above.

 

CPU - I7 3660

16 GB DDR3

SSD 460 GB

PS 750 W

GPU Nvidia  GTX 1660 TI and other with Super

 

Playfield 3D 42LM6400 - 120 Hz native

BakGlass 2D - HQ 32 - 60 Hz

DMD 15" 60 Hz monitor

[Tesla]

A 1660 Super should have around twice the horsepower of a 1050ti.

 

 

GTX-1050-Ti is also most a GTX-1060.

A GTX-1060-Ti is just a little faster than a GTX-1060.

 

A GTX-1660-Ti is just a little faster than a regular GTX-1660.

 

Like I said, all above are very similar "processing power" wize.

 

But they are all slower than my GTX-1070 (that I use in my current pinball-cabinet computer).

While I still say the GTX-1070 is an awesome card, it is now 9-YEARS-OLD tech.

 

And nothing like the Nvidia RTX-3080 (wife's) or RTX-4080 (mine) in our desktop Intel-i9 computers.

I am currently running a similar CPU, the I5 4590. 

 

 

Also, very old ... and only a Quad-Core (No hyper-threading).

 

The Intel Core i5-4590 is a 4th-generation desktop processor released in May 2014 using the Haswell architecture.

It features 4 cores, (and only) 4 threads, a 3.30 GHz base clock.

 

Just trying to help you. Use this (in slightly limited fashion if necessary) until you are ready to buy your next one. Then, it will be awesome again. You will be ready to run VPX 10.8.1 or 10.9.0 (or whatever they call it) and won't have to worry about cabinet's computer for like 5-6 years. If project is still going ... could probably stretch it even longer.

Edited by Tesla, 17 August 2026 - 11:47 PM.

[ChuckD]

 

A 1660 Super should have around twice the horsepower of a 1050ti.

 

 

GTX-1050-Ti is also most a GTX-1060.

A GTX-1060-Ti is just a little faster than a GTX-1060.

 

A GTX-1660-Ti is just a little faster than a regular GTX-1660.

 

Like I said, all above are very similar "processing power" wize.

 

But they are all slower than my GTX-1070 (that I use in my current pinball-cabinet computer).

While I still say the GTX-1070 is an awesome card, it is now 9-YEARS-OLD tech.

 

And nothing like the Nvidia RTX-3080 (wife's) or RTX-4080 (mine) in our desktop Intel-i9 computers.

 

 

I appreciate all of help an input I have received here and didn't come here to argue but this statement just isn't accurate. You clearly have a vast knowledge of VPX but I have followed PC hardware for over 25 years and you can't say these GPUs have similar processing power. I have owned both the 1050ti and 1060 in the past and the 1060 was a fairly significant upgrade as it is a class tier above the 1050 series. The 1660 super/ti is a full generation newer than the 1050/1060/1070 series and the 1660ti is actually right on par if not faster in some cases than your GTX 1070. There are plenty of articles and youtube videos showing benchmarks that support this.

 

As for the CPU everything I have researched points toward VPX not needing more than 4 cores hyperthreaded or not. It is old but still has pretty good clock speeds and performance. 

 

Again, just looking to comfortably play the latest VPX tables at 1080p 60FPS without having to crank every graphic setting all the way down and if a $100 used 1660 super will get me there I am happy. With GPU prices these days I am no sure I will ever be able to build a 4k 120hrz cab.

Edited by ChuckD, 18 August 2026 - 01:01 AM.

[TT11]

I moved from a 1080p 43" 60Hz playfield up to a 1440p 43" 120Hz playfield and I could not really tell a lot of difference.  My problem was that all of my settings were for 1080p and things were just right.  So much fiddling required to get them all looking good, POV and riunning well at 1440p.  For over 700+ tables it was not worth all the effort involved.  I went back to 1080p.  I am running an RTX 5060 8GB gpu.

[Tesla]

1. I appreciate all of help an input I have received here and didn't come here to argue but this statement just isn't accurate.

 

2. You clearly have a vast knowledge of VPX

 

3. but I have followed PC hardware for over 25 years and you can't say these GPUs have similar processing power. I have owned both the 1050ti and 1060 in the past and the 1060 was a fairly significant upgrade as it is a class tier above the 1050 series. The 1660 super/ti is a full generation newer than the 1050/1060/1070 series and the 1660ti is actually right on par if not faster in some cases than your GTX 1070. There are plenty of articles and youtube videos showing benchmarks that support this.

 

4. As for the CPU everything I have researched points toward VPX not needing more than 4 cores hyperthreaded or not. It is old but still has pretty good clock speeds and performance. 

 

5. Again, just looking to comfortably play the latest VPX tables at 1080p 60FPS without having to crank every graphic setting all the way down and if a $100 used 1660 super will get me there I am happy. With GPU prices these days I am no sure I will ever be able to build a 4k 120hrz cab.

 

 

1. We are just chatting. I thought good to find someone who knows something about it.

 

2. I just know enough to get by. But getting my cabinet working (smooth) on old stuff from the closet has taught me a lot.

 

AFAICT, Nvidia-card and GSync Playfield monitor (or I assume red-team's AMD and FreeSync) ... those matched sets make a big difference. Especially when your base-system and/or CPU is older.

 

4. Hyper-Threading almost makes a Quad-Core an 8-core processor.

 

5. If would be great if it works (since your target is just 1080p). I love up-cycling stuff. I can't afford an $8000 cabinet either (but maybe one day before I die ... or VPX project ends).

 

My desktop daily-driver ... Intel-i9/64gb/RTX-4080/NVMe-SSD can play Fallout-76 at full 4K res., UItra-Effects, 32inch LG 4K UltraGear GSync at 144Hz ... Wasteland missions are smooth as glass (even during battles).

 

3. Well, I think we can agree that all those other cards you mentioned are in a little performance group right below the GTX-1660-Ti. Actually, I had a GTX-1660 but I gave that old Dell gaming-class PC (used to run my VPX cabinet) to my grand-nephew for 1080p retro gaming (like Crysis, Doom-3, Quake-3, a good car racing game... stuff like that). But GTX-1650/1660 etc. are all recycled tech sold as new. The "GTX" prefix is the give-away.

 

I went ahead and checked just now ... and PassMark still rates the (legendary) GTX-1070 a little higher than a GTX-1660-Ti. GTX-1080 is faster than both of those (but still a circa-2017 video-card).

 

If you were to look at a graph of recent Nvidia cards GTX-1080 , RTX-2080 , RTX-3080, RTX-4080, RTX-5080 ... they would be spaced fairly far apart (I think each is 1.5-2.0x faster than the other).

Edited by Tesla, 18 August 2026 - 02:21 AM.

[ChuckD]

 

 

I went ahead and checked just now ... and PassMark still rates the (legendary) GTX-1070 a little higher than a GTX-1660-Ti. GTX-1080 is faster than both of those (but still a circa-2017 video-card).

 

If you were to look at a graph of recent Nvidia cards GTX-1080 , RTX-2080 , RTX-3080, RTX-4080, RTX-5080 ... they would be spaced fairly far apart (I think each is 1.5-2.0x faster than the other).

 

 

I agree... just chatting. I don't generally look at the synthetic benchmarks but either way the 1660ti is close to the 1070 and in the game benchmarks I saw it was often better. I looked into used 1070s as well but found better deals on 1660s. The confusing thing about the 1660 series is that it is actually the same generation as the 20XX series just without the RTX cores which VPX does not benefit from. I feel like people often bundle the 16XX series into the 10XX generation of NVIDIA cards because of the GTX prefix when it is actually a generation newer. 

[Tesla]

1. I moved from a 1080p 43" 60Hz playfield up to a 1440p 43" 120Hz playfield and I could not really tell a lot of difference. 

 

2. I am running an RTX 5060 8GB gpu.

 

1. Right, but there was a difference. For tables that had higher-res graphics, they should have been sharper. Also, motion and FPS should have been better (especially during Multi-Ball, lots of flashing (reflections), etc.)

 

2. Cool ... a current-model card that can be bought new. PassMark says similar processing power to a RTX-2080 or a RTX-3070 .

[Tesla]

 

If you were to look at a graph of recent Nvidia cards GTX-1080 , RTX-2080 , RTX-3080, RTX-4080, RTX-5080 ... they would be spaced fairly far apart (I think each is 1.5-2.0x faster than the other).

 

 

That's what I get for posting from memory ... It's not as good as I thought:

 

Nvidia xx80 series graphics card performance jumps vary by generation, typically delivering a 20% to 70% raw performance increase over the previous model.

 

So, more like just 0.5x faster. 

 

I think the "20%" is from considering a "Ti card" a generation (but I don't).

 

Here are some interesting charts:

 

https://www.reddit.c...n_credit_pauls/

 

and

 

https://www.reddit.c...son_chart_from/

Edited by Tesla, 19 August 2026 - 10:28 PM.

[ChuckD]

The generational leap used to be much better back in the day than it is these days. Seems like since the 30xx series they have hit somewhat of a performance wall and they have just been making cards that require more and more power to get the "next gen" performance while also using tricks like frame generation to get extra artificial FPS. Pretty soon you will need a dedicated circuit in your house to run a high end gaming PC  . 

 

As for my pinball cab I know where I am going with it now and I appreciate everyone's input. 

Edited by ChuckD, 18 August 2026 - 07:22 PM.

[Tesla]

1. The generational leap used to be much better back in the day than it is these days.

 

2. Seems like since the 30xx series they have hit somewhat of a performance wall 

 

1. Agreed. I remember it being better.

 

2. Yes, and they actually mentioned the RTX-3080 . My wife has one of those in her gaming-rig ... we run it at "stock clocks" but at a 90% power-level limit. It would be nice if it lasted forever.

Pretty soon you will need a dedicated circuit in your house to run a high end gaming PC  . 

 

 

Actually, pretty close to what we have now. Each room has a 20-Amp breaker. We have both our Intel-i9/Nvidia gaming rigs in the office. We have never tripped the breaker, but I doubt the breaker can handle much more.

 

When we built the house, I had them wire a dedicated breaker just for the Home Theater cubby (and all these years later, it's heavily utilized ... so that helps). I hate running things on the red-line.

[smithy001]

Patience is normally not my strongest feature, but for my cab-build, I waited and searched a long time before buying my 8GB GTX 1070 Ti.

At the 'bottom price' of €500,- Just before the RTX 20-series became available in NL.

The plan was to try to keep up with VP(X) as long as possible. Realistic hopes were around 7-8 years.

 

A series-wise 'comparable' 16GB RTX 5070Ti nowadays will set you back over €1100,-. 'Little brother' 12GB RTX5070 starting around €700,- in NL.

Both will very comfortably last you around 5-7 years, probably more depending on graph. settings and VPX development curve.

 

If I would build a new cab now, but didn't wanna spend top-dollar or euro with current crazy GPU prices,

I would 100% buy a higher tier second-hand not-mined 30 or 40 series. GPU prices will drop. Eventually. Maybe.

Prepare your new setup for the future GPU upgrade, and the next coming months, probably year, you will be fine. 

 

Paying 700 bucks for a 'just above medium'-level GPU is crazy. So was my 500 euro GPU a few years ago, but it still kicks a$$ and makes me smile every time I use it.

Spread your purchases, buy parts separately at lower prices, save some money in between. 
My setup (see below) ran on my GTX680 for quite some weeks before 'my precious' was delivered.

 

Have fun, selecting, building and playing.

Marcel.