Need advice...SLI GTX 970 with 3.5 GB VRAM Issue or one R295X2

[shoti02]

hell....i duuno what to do......ia have my new rig with an 1440P Monitor and two GTX 970 Gaming 1 from Gigabyte....but because off all the threads in the net i dunno what is better ....PLZ can u help me ? i can get a R295X2 cheaper, then the 2 GTX 970...but i wanna be save for a few years...

the Nvidia is a newer chip ....but less Vram

 

[the54thvoid]

The R9 295X is more powerful by far (but may require you to carefully check your power supply - it has very specific amperage requirement on the 12v rail). The 295x will consume a heck of a lot more power as well but if Nvidia can't stop the 970's using the last 512m of ram then you may have stutters. That being said, I game at 1440p with sli 780ti's with only 3Gb Vram and have no issues.

I can't answer. Right now, if i was expecting some 2-3 years of use, I'd buy a single 980 and sli it further down the line. Or as everyone says, wait for AMD or NV's next offerings.

 

[64K]

imo GTX 970 SLI or R9 295X2 is a bit of overkill for 1440p unless your goal is the max even the most demanding games. I'm doing jut fine with a single 970 at 1440p with 2X AA and max settings and there's only a handful of games right now that I have to turn down the settings a little to get average 40 FPS or better. If it were me I would get a single R9 290X or a GTX 980 (the 980 is way overpriced imo) or wait a couple of months for the R9 380X. It's looking like it will be a beast. If you want two high end GPUs right now of the two options you listed then probably the best bet would be the R9 295X2.

My strategy has been to buy a nice single card every 2 years or so and upgrade to the next generation. Trying to buy a GPU setup that will still kick butt 3 or 4 years from now is a gamble.

 

[Lionheart]

TBH I would just keep the 2x GTX 970's you have until AMD release their new R9 380X / 390X series & see what they're capable of. Rumours say they will launch around March or April. I guess will just have to wait & see. Also Nvidia still have a high end GPU coming out as well, GTX 980Ti or another Titan maybe.

 

[shoti02]

my psu is big enough..( have unpacked it yet but it is an evga supernova G2 1000 W.....cpu ist an 4790 K with an asus maximimus hero VII and 16 GB ram...Monitor is an qnix 2710...i have all the parts here but the most are unpacked...because i had spend a loooottt of Money for a new rig.

forgot....the evga has up to 83,3 AMPS on the rail...should be enough.

 

[rooivalk]

Isn't it just the continuation of your not-so-old thread?

IMO the more you maxxed out everything (4K, ENB, mods - especially texture mods) the more 295X2 shining, partly due to bigger VRAM. If you're not so picky about that like 64k did, GTX970 SLI about equal or even faster at 1440p max setting.

It has, in my opinion, a few of issues:
- I forgot about all 295X2 has WC so temp isn't issue at the beginning, but I don't know how good the temp if it's used for very long hour gaming. Anybody has tested it?
- At almost 500W power consumption, I also worry about durability of the power delivery components.
- I imagine it's easier to sell one or two 970 (even with VRAM issue) in the future than single 295X2

 

[shoti02]

...yeah..it is the same Problem, like in my other thread....but i really dunno what would be the best solution ...1 Minute i think nvidi..then amd...then nvidia, then amd...and so on....in the beginning i only wanna buy a new gpu...but then the Stone Begins to rolling...at least i´have purchased parts for nearly 3.000,- €......and i wanna go with a good choice...

Asus maximus Hero VII
4790K
Cryorig Ultimate R
Seagate 3 GB barracuda
Samsung Evo 850
G.Skill 2133 Ripjawsz 16GB
Aerocool Touch 2100
EVGA G2 Supernova 1000W
Coolermaster HAF-X
2 x GTX Gaming G1 970
Bitfenix LED
Cablemod Sleeve Set
Qnix Q 2710 Ultimate Perfect Pixel.....

 

[newtekie1]

SLI 970s and the 295x2 trade blows. At 1440p the 970s are faster, at 4k the 295 is faster. But in both cases the difference is so small you won't really notice.

I'd personally go with the 970s because of the massive noise, power, and heat savings and not needing to deal with the awkward AIO water cooling on the 295.

 

[XSI]

970 sli. keep it good choice. everything looking good in your build. don't worry about 3.5 Gb ram issue.

 

[shoti02]

...and the micro stutters in 1440 P ???

 

[64K]

...and the micro stutters in 1440 P ???

Right now is not the best time to evaluate GPUs. On the one hand you have the SLI 970 VRAM issue and on the other hand you have the XFire R9 290X power consumption/heat issue. The R9 380X is just around the corner and Nvidia's response to that will likely be the GM210 gaming GPU which will probably outperform the R9 380X.

.....and then Arctic Islands and then Pascal........we are just along for the ride but it's a heck of a good time for PC gaming imo.

 

[erocker]

...and the micro stutters in 1440 P ???

In regards to what? I'm sure the 295x2 also has micro stutters in certain situations with certain applications. Go with whatever is cheaper, because most likely by the time newer better GPU's come around you'll want to upgrade again.

If you're having issues with your current setup of 970's.. just make the switch. Besides, new hardware is fun.

 

[GhostRyder]

...yeah..it is the same Problem, like in my other thread....but i really dunno what would be the best solution ...1 Minute i think nvidi..then amd...then nvidia, then amd...and so on....in the beginning i only wanna buy a new gpu...but then the Stone Begins to rolling...at least i´have purchased parts for nearly 3.000,- €......and i wanna go with a good choice...

Asus maximus Hero VII
4790K
Cryorig Ultimate R
Seagate 3 GB barracuda
Samsung Evo 850
G.Skill 2133 Ripjawsz 16GB
Aerocool Touch 2100
EVGA G2 Supernova 1000W
Coolermaster HAF-X
2 x GTX Gaming G1 970
Bitfenix LED
Cablemod Sleeve Set
Qnix Q 2710 Ultimate Perfect Pixel.....

Personally I do not think you would notice a difference switching them out. The R9 295X2 is more powerful overall than GTX 970's though GTX 970's will probably overclock a bit more to compensate. Both will get you the max performance from pretty much any game at 1440p so if you already have GTX 970s I would not swap them. If you are looking for new anyway, I would get the R9 295X2 if you just want the best performance and since the price is cheaper it will be pretty nice but either one is going to be a nice choice.

 

[RCoon]

TBH I would just keep the 2x GTX 970's you have until AMD release their new R9 380X / 390X series & see what they're capable of. Rumours say they will launch around March or April. I guess will just have to wait & see. Also Nvidia still have a high end GPU coming out as well, GTX 980Ti or another Titan maybe.

Pretty ideal advice for somebody who has some patience. Honestly I wouldn't change anything at the moment, just wait for future options. I'm gonna try and time my new GPU purchase with a 4K IPS panel purchase, until then there's really little reason to sidegrade right now, as there aren't really any good upgrade options.

 

[shoti02]

i can send the 970 back with full refund...710,- euros...the R9 295X2 will cost me 686,- euros.....so there is no big difference......im pissed up that my old System blowed up ( cat pissed on it )....if the cat had wait a few month it would be easier because they are newer cards on the market...now i have all the new stuff lying around.....at the moment i am surfing with an Athlon x250 and Motherboard GPU.....

 

[GhostRyder]

i can send the 970 back with full refund...710,- euros...the R9 295X2 will cost me 686,- euros.....so there is no big difference......im pissed up that my old System blowed up ( cat pissed on it )....if the cat had wait a few month it would be easier because they are newer cards on the market...now i have all the new stuff lying around.....at the moment i am surfing with an Athlon x250 and Motherboard GPU.....

Honestly its not going to make you really any difference either way that you will notice without watching some numbers. Performance wise they are right on par with eachother and depending on the title the differences are not enough. Since you need them now and already have them I would probably just keep the GTX 970s unless you are worried that much. If that is the case go ahead and refund them if it worries you enough though I would think you would not be unsatisfied with either set of cards either way.

 

[Ja.KooLit]

i would say keep your 970 sli. you have it already. although, for 295x2 you have a chance to go quadfire with another 295x2. and then buy two more 1440p monitor for eyefinity. or you can grab 290x for tri fire and eyefinity. FTW.

 

[shoti02]

but what about the memory issue on the gtx ??

 

[newtekie1]

but what about the memory issue on the gtx ??

They aren't as bad as people are making it out to be. Look at all the reviews, look at the SLI 970 review posted on this site. None of the great performance we were seeing in those reviews has changed.

And the fact is that AMD has been fighting microstutter with Crossfire for the last few generations. So you'll likely have to deal with some minor stuttering in certain scenarios either way you go.

 

[GhostRyder]

but what about the memory issue on the gtx ??

Not really that big of a deal, biggest time that will happen is if you exceed the 3.5gb threshold which is harder than it is made out to be. It will not cause problems for the most part except in some titles with every little thing turned on/up which in most cases would cause issues on multiple devices. Most cases this is not going to happen anyways which is why its not the end of the world and since you already have them unless your extremely worried or interested in playing heavily modded Skyrim at 1440p with settings turned beyond up you probably would be fine.

 

[shoti02]

sure...but what i see in the Internet, the upcomig games will use/need the 4 GB vram......damn i so confused.....SHIT CAT.....WHY DOES IT NOT PISSED A FEW MONTH LATER.....

 

[R-T-B]

sure...but what i see in the Internet, the upcomig games will use/need the 4 GB vram......damn i so confused.....SHIT CAT.....WHY DOES IT NOT PISSED A FEW MONTH LATER.....

Cats do what they want, when they want:

 

[newtekie1]

sure...but what i see in the Internet, the upcomig games will use/need the 4 GB vram......damn i so confused.....SHIT CAT.....WHY DOES IT NOT PISSED A FEW MONTH LATER.....

Can you ask those people for next week's lottery numbers?

 

[shoti02]

5, 18, 25, 48, 07, 19.....

 

[Ominence]

Hope this helps- 970 will only be constantly playable up to 3.5GB RAM usage. That's a fact.

I will list my user case below on 2x CFX 290x
Far Cry 3, 4k, 4x MSAA- playable with 6000MB VRAM + 400MB dynamic usage shown in GPU-Z (it shows double the amount used due to 2x cards involved)
Becomes unplayable during map loading (in game) where VRAM goes to 7500MB+ and dynamic about 800MB (total exceeding 8GB VRAM or 4GB per card).

Skyrim no mods, 4k, no MSAA- playable with 4600MB + 400MB dynamic.
Becomes unplayable with 4x MSAA with 5600MB

What this might show is that there may be slightly less RAM available to me for Far Cry 3 map loading and a lot less processing power for doing 4x MSAA on Skyrim.

For 1440p what you actually need is a 980 Classified or similar highly clocked version for some future proofing.

If you want to be limited by GPU processing only in the future, then you need 2x 8GB 290x.