Currently I have a 1060GTX 6GB (Evga I think?). It struggled to run Elden Ring but was tolerable for me on medium settings - still it frequently drops from 60fps to 40fps or so, rarely able to stay at an even 60.
Can you suggest a modest upgrade compatible with my build? I'm not obsessed with getting max settings, but something that will work decently for 5 years or so would be nice. I don't have an exact budget in mind, but the absolute maximum I would consider is $400 Canadian (approx $300 USD). Prefer to save some money for performance and keep it around $200-$300 CDN, if possible
Here's my parts list started in 2016 - GPU listed is not the current 1060
https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/eezeebee/saved/#view=ntbqqs
Processor may be a limiting factor going forward, as well as PCIE Gen 3 slot on motherboard, but you should still be able to get the majority of performance put of most GPUs. Look for Radeon 6600 or 6600 XT in your local market, or if you can find an RTX 2070 for a good price.
Going newer, a 4060 would also be a good choice, and DLS3 would be a good feature in your build, but that's pushing a little past your budget unless you find a good sale or used one.
Even at the top end (RTX 4090) performance difference between PCI 3.0 and 4.0 is pretty negligible.
Yeah, it's at most a 10% decrease, but didn't want to mislead on it.