GTX 980 or 970 SLI for 1080p or WQHD

[Sohaib]

Hey guys I am having a bit of confusion here about my upgrade. I have been using HD 6950 2gb crossfire for about 3 years and I have recently sold both in order to make room for Maxwell upgrade. Currently I am running on intel integrated graphics which Is killing me.

So I am trying to decide between getting a single 980 or do 970 SLI. I play on 1080p display and I am planning to upgrade to WQHD resolution soon, 4K is out of the question for the nearest visible future for me. I intend to play games on absolute highest possible settings and maintain a good 60 fps atleast. My biggest aim is to be able to run Witcher 3 when its released in Feb 2015 at max quality. So do you think single 980 will suffice?

Also does anyone know the idle power consumption of 970 sli and single 980. That's kind of a big deal for me as I idle my pc ALOT. Secondly should I wait for 8GB variants which are expected in November? I am afraid as 6GB+ VRAM usage will be average as shadow of mordor already requires 6GB atleast for ultra textures. I won't be upgrading again for another couple years atleast, just like I kept my 6950 crossfire for around 3 years.

And finally is this 970 is a good option for sli: http://www.inno3d.com/products_detail.php?refid=122
As this is the only 970 in stock in my country that I can get rightnow, otherwise I have to wait more......

Specs:
i7 4770k @ 4.5 GHz 1.275V
Maximus VI Hero
16 GB Dominator platinum
Thermaltake frio advanced cpu cooler
2 SSD's and 4 SATA HDD's

 

[Shou Miko]

i think there will be awhile before we see 8gigs versions of GTX 970/980 if Nvidia don't restrict that for a higher end card like they did with the previous GTX 7x0 cards named Titan and Titan Black.

 

[Ja.KooLit]

Hey guys I am having a bit of confusion here about my upgrade. I have been using HD 6950 2gb crossfire for about 3 years and I have recently sold both in order to make room for Maxwell upgrade. Currently I am running on intel integrated graphics which Is killing me.

So I am trying to decide between getting a single 980 or do 970 SLI. I play on 1080p display and I am planning to upgrade to WQHD resolution soon, 4K is out of the question for the nearest visible future for me. I intend to play games on absolute highest possible settings and maintain a good 60 fps atleast. My biggest aim is to be able to run Witcher 3 when its released in Feb 2015 at max quality. So do you think single 980 will suffice?

Also does anyone know the idle power consumption of 970 sli and single 980. That's kind of a big deal for me as I idle my pc ALOT. Secondly should I wait for 8GB variants which are expected in November? I am afraid as 6GB+ VRAM usage will be average as shadow of mordor already requires 6GB atleast for ultra textures. I won't be upgrading again for another couple years atleast, just like I kept my 6950 crossfire for around 3 years.

And finally is this 970 is a good option for sli: http://www.inno3d.com/products_detail.php?refid=122
As this is the only 970 in stock in my country that I can get rightnow, otherwise I have to wait more......

Specs:
i7 4770k @ 4.5 GHz 1.275V
Maximus VI Hero
16 GB Dominator platinum
Thermaltake frio advanced cpu cooler
2 SSD's and 4 SATA HDD's

go with 970 sli. But go with 970 first now. and then if you upgrade monitor to WQHD, then get another 970 if 1 970 is not enough.

if you idle alot your pc, why not just switch off completely instead? a good specs computer like you have can be ready in less than 30 mins. Assuming you dont have a lot of programs starting during start up.

6gb required by games is only because developers are too lazy to make more adjustment for porting console games to pc.

But then again, if you still worry, then you could wait a couple of weeks or months to wait for 6gb o 8gb version of 970.

 

[RCoon]

I'm using a single 970 for WQHD right now, and run everything at 60FPS. Even with Shadow of Mordor on Ultra, with AO turned off and Anisotropic Filtering on medium, I get a minimum FPS of 54.

 

[Lionheart]

Hey guys I am having a bit of confusion here about my upgrade. I have been using HD 6950 2gb crossfire for about 3 years and I have recently sold both in order to make room for Maxwell upgrade. Currently I am running on intel integrated graphics which Is killing me.

So I am trying to decide between getting a single 980 or do 970 SLI. I play on 1080p display and I am planning to upgrade to WQHD resolution soon, 4K is out of the question for the nearest visible future for me. I intend to play games on absolute highest possible settings and maintain a good 60 fps atleast. My biggest aim is to be able to run Witcher 3 when its released in Feb 2015 at max quality. So do you think single 980 will suffice?

Also does anyone know the idle power consumption of 970 sli and single 980. That's kind of a big deal for me as I idle my pc ALOT. Secondly should I wait for 8GB variants which are expected in November? I am afraid as 6GB+ VRAM usage will be average as shadow of mordor already requires 6GB atleast for ultra textures. I won't be upgrading again for another couple years atleast, just like I kept my 6950 crossfire for around 3 years.

And finally is this 970 is a good option for sli: http://www.inno3d.com/products_detail.php?refid=122
As this is the only 970 in stock in my country that I can get rightnow, otherwise I have to wait more......

Specs:
i7 4770k @ 4.5 GHz 1.275V
Maximus VI Hero
16 GB Dominator platinum
Thermaltake frio advanced cpu cooler
2 SSD's and 4 SATA HDD's

First of all welcome to TPU (TechPowerUp)

I would do what Night.Fox mentioned. Get 1 GTX 970 for now & once you get your new monitor then consider going SLI if more performance is needed. As for versions with more VRAM I wouldn't have a clue but my guess would be when AMD release their R9 390 series... I have a feeling AMD are aiming for that 4K area...

About Inno3d? I've heard of them but never purchased anything from them ever... Usually the best models are Asus, EVGA, MSI & Gigabyte if I recall

 

[FreedomEclipse]

Its all about that 970 SLi - performance can be a little up and down at the moment but the drivers are still young. Performance can only get better down the road

 

[Sohaib]

First of all welcome to TPU (TechPowerUp)

I would do what Night.Fox mentioned. Get 1 GTX 970 for now & once you get your new monitor then consider going SLI if more performance is needed. As for versions with more VRAM I wouldn't have a clue but my guess would be when AMD release their R9 390 series... I have a feeling AMD are aiming for that 4K area...

About Inno3d? I've heard of them but never purchased anything from them ever... Usually the best models are Asus, EVGA, MSI & Gigabyte if I recall

Thanks.
Well I am also dying to get my hands on G1 Gaming 970/980 but the problem is they are all out of stock, so either I get what's available right now (Inno3D) or wait for more reputable brands to arrive (Asus Strix/EVGA ACX 2.0/Gigabyte G1 Windforce) and keep using my intel integrated graphics for the meantime (which means no gaming).
It seems all the votes suggest 970 so guess that's the best possible choice for my needs/build.

if you idle alot your pc, why not just switch off completely instead? a good specs computer like you have can be ready in less than 30 mins. Assuming you dont have a lot of programs starting during start up.

I use my pc as HTPC also, streaming movies & music on my hdtv/smartphone over wifi so its always on. The only time I turn off my pc is when I sleep at night or when I am not at home for prolonged period.

 

[HumanSmoke]

Thanks.
Well I am also dying to get my hands on G1 Gaming 970/980 but the problem is they are all out of stock, so either I get what's available right now (Inno3D) or wait for more reputable brands to arrive (Asus Strix/EVGA ACX 2.0/Gigabyte G1 Windforce) and keep using my intel integrated graphics for the meantime (which means no gaming).

Inno3D aren't that bad a vendor. Some of their designs can look a little over the top but they cater to the Asia-Pacific area where aesthetics tend to be viewed a little differently ( Colorful and Galax/Galaxy tend towards the same look). Inno3D are a PCPartner brand, but their support (from my personal experience) isn't anywhere as good as the main PCPartner division, Sapphire.
As others have said, I'd go with a single card for starters. If you have to make too many image quality concessions then a second card later is still an option, and you wont be paying more for it than you would at the present time.

 

[Sohaib]

The card I listed is an extremely compact so I fear its designed for Mini tower pc's and might have heat issues, especially in a hot country like India, that can be even more so problematic if I SLI them. I did a Inno3D GTX 970 OC google search and this caught my eye: http://forums.hexus.net/graphics-cards/331809-inno3d-gtx-970-oc-overheating-fix.html

I don't know if that's a rare case with bad card or more of a common problem with these cards. At this point the selling point for me will be if I can see a good benchmark showing temperatures of this card at idle and in action. If the card can maintain less then 80C with SLI @ 26-28C ambient temperature then I am sold. A bit lower clock speeds then other models doesn't bother me as 970 SLI is gonna be an overkill for my WQHD setup anyway for couple years atleast. And the card comes with 1 year warranty which is enough for me.

 

[64K]

I would go with a single GTX 970 for now. At 1080p it's more than enough. My opinion is that the MSI GTX 970 Gaming card is the best available. I'm not sure how the online stores available to you in India work but here in the US I'm not waiting for them to be in stock. I put one on back order so I will be in a queue to receive mine first before they have enough to even list them in stock.

 

[EarthDog]

Single 980... for 2560x1440...

I'm using a single 970 for WQHD right now, and run everything at 60FPS. Even with Shadow of Mordor on Ultra, with AO turned off and Anisotropic Filtering on medium, I get a minimum FPS of 54.

Why do you lower AF? The performance hit is darn near negligible in most titles. I adjust other things before I touch AF personally.

 

[erixx]

I just got a 32" Benq with 2500x1440 pixels and SPEED is not an issue with a Nvidia GTX 980.

If you are staying away from 4K and keep UHD or WQHD 1 x 980 is better imho. I just started overclocking it and it has a lot of room, so don't compare OC'ed 970 to stock 980 : )

 

[RCoon]

Single 980... for 2560x1440...

Why do you lower AF? The performance hit is darn near negligible in most titles. I adjust other things before I touch AF personally.

Since lowering AF my minimum FPS has jumped up considerably for some reason. I'm as shocked as you are.

 

[Shou Miko]

i got a single GTX 970 and i am running 2560x1440 at 120hz and so far i am happy with my card ^^

 

[64K]

OP I think the GTX 970 is enough for 1440p right now from all that I've read and from what owners have posted. A 980 still isn't powerful enough for an average of 60 FPS at max settings in every game if that is your goal. If games get a lot more demanding then you can always SLI two 970s which would cost a total of $700 which is $150 more than a reference GTX 980 but you gain considerably more performance than a single 980. The reference 980 offers more overclocking room but you can still overclock the 970 a bit more too if you want to.

Another option is what I'm going to do. I need something better than the GTX 680 which I have right now at 1440p so I'm getting the MSI GTX 970 Gaming card. When the 20nm full chip GM210 OC Maxwell flagship comes out I'm going to sell my MSI 970. I'm pretty sure I can get $250 for it and buy the flagship card. It will probably be $700 (just a guess) so that's going to be $450 more but I'm pretty certain that will hold me until I go to 4K a few years from now.

 

[Sohaib]

My current issue is not the budget, I have the budget to do 3 way 970 SLI or 2 way 980 SLI but that would be pointless without 4k. I am looking at benchmarks on various sites and 970 is pumping 62-77 FPS in BF4 at ultra preset @ 1080p (Tomshardware) so I guess at 1440p that would be ~50-60 FPS. That's for a year old game. Hence if I buy 970 then it would be SLI no doubt here. Also I am indeed going to buy 1440p display, its not the matter of IF but rather WHEN. Probably before Christmas. My current issue is finding a good brand card which is in stock and that's driving me nuts.

 

[erixx]

Cool. How did one benchmark BF4, cant remember.... ?

 

[Sohaib]

Well I was just checking guru3d while BF4 maintains 62 FPS with single 970 @ 1440p with ultra settings and 2x MSAA many other games are dropping into 40s and that's average FPS. (Lowest might be into 30s). Thief gets 44 FPS, Metro Last Light maintains an average of 48, while crisis 3 is down to 40fps @ 1440p which is too low for me for an FPS game. So yeah, 970 is fine for 1080p and SLI for 1440p I guess.

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/geforce_gtx_970_sli_review,18.html

 

[64K]

According to this website the MSI GTX 970 Gaming on ultra at 1440p in BF4 got

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/graphics/display/msi-geforce-gtx-970-gaming_7.html#sect2

The first number is min FPS the second is average FPS



OP I feel your pain being stuck with integrated graphics and trying to game. I hope you luck out and get a 970 or 980 soon. Check out the games benched at that site. There are only a very few games out there that a single GTX 970 can't handle at max settings on 1440p. If you decide to get one 970 and hold out about a year for the Big Maxwell flagship and sell the 970 then you will be in good shape most likely for any game for a few years.

 

[EarthDog]

Im saying 980.. here is why:

You are buying a brand spanking new GPU and already have to sacrifice settings in BF4 by running 2xMSAA. Now, I don not notice much of a difference, however, I can notice it, especially when standing still. But we can see a low of 38FPS there at 4xMSAA... Clearly its up to you, but why buy somethign when out of the gate you have to sacrfice settings?