Single GPU or SLI/Crossfire Upgrade Options?

[Saspz]

Have myself stuck in a right predicament my Radeon 7970 is playing up and I could do with a beefy upgrade.

It hasn't been doing well for a long while with my 1440P monitor. I should have upgraded last year, hesitated due to a complete lack of funds. Upgraded pretty much every other part in the last year apart from the GPU.

I play a lot of online orientated PC games like Battlefield 4, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Day Z, Diablo 3 and Planetside 2, as well as a lot of the newer single player titles which seem to demand much more for smooth gameplay at ultra settings.

I will be buying GTA, Dying Light, The Witcher 3 and H1Z1 and would love to play these games using their full potential, preferably ultra settings and 30 FPS, or better still 60 FPS if possible.

What I could do with now is a powerful GPU or GPU's that can whip this system into shape.

I have taken a look at some GPU's on the internet and could do with some help in making a decision.

NVIDIA GTX 980
NVIDIA GTX 970
NVIDIA 780TI
AMD Radeon 295X
AMD Radeon 290X
AMD Radeon 290

These seem to be the top of the range cards as you all will know. I could do with your help in making a decision. SLI/Crossfire is an option, I won't rule out buying 2 cards. I would like to know your view point, preferably with a bit more information than just "get 2 980's"

Value, FPS differences, performance (singular or in an SLI) benchmarks, your personal view would all be good here, if you have the time to respond. I've probably forgot a million things I wanted to mention and will no doubt end up asking questions later.

Thanks in advance.

 

[RCoon]

The Witcher 3

their full potential

preferably ultra settings

60 FPS if possible

Witcher 3 is gonna slaughter everything you hold dear to you. Single 970 or a 980 if possible.
970 is best value for money, 980 is best performance. If you're capable both PSU-wise, monetarily and PCI-E lane-wise, 970 SLI would probably give you the best performance for your money.

 

[Saspz]

Witcher 3 is gonna slaughter everything you hold dear to you. Single 970 or a 980 if possible.
970 is best value for money, 980 is best performance. If you're capable both PSU-wise, monetarily and PCI-E lane-wise, 970 SLI would probably give you the best performance for your money.

Argh, with the way that was put, I imagine many will have massive problems running Witcher 3 ? In that case I would love to see the FPS on a 4K setup.

NVIDIA is definitely the best way to go then? Both in singular / SLI? I read that the Radeon cards seem to be the better performers at higher resolutions, would you say 1440P sways closer to 1080P than what they deem high resolutions.

If I SLI the 970 could it in theory last a good number of years (say 2-3) before I may need to upgrade? Also what sort of FPS could I be looking at in 2 cards, if say the rest of the system is up to scratch with no bottlenecking?

Sorry, these questions may fire.

 

[RCoon]

would you say 1440P edges closer to 1080P than what they deem high resolutions

Yeah, NVidia currently control the lower res segment, but AMD cards appear to pull ahead at 4K by a few single percentiles (in real world cases, that equates to around 0.9-1.3 FPS, so not really much difference).

could it in theory last a good number of years (say 2-3)

Almost undoubtedly, or at least until you bought 4K, then you'd start getting ~30 FPS average in most games, but there's currently nothing on the market that provides better peformance (yet).

what sort of FPS could I be looking at in 2 cards, if say the rest of the system is up to scratch with no bottlenecking?

Depends entirely on what games you play. Most online games are rather CPU orientated, I often achieve a hundred or so FPS. In cases like Planetside 2 you'd be sub 100 FPS in a single card due to CPU utilisation in 64 vs 64 firefights. In an SLI situation, all the games you've listed above would be beyond 100 FPS, bar that of the Witcher and DayZ dependent upon graphical settings.

 

[Saspz]

No plans to go 4K, by the time I want to use 4K it will more than likely be mainstream and used by many if the technology is here to stay.

1440P or even go back to 1080P with a 144HZ monitor is a possibility.

Unless anybody else weighs in I guess I'm happy with the SLI 970 option. I don't know if you can discuss prices and specific models here, if you can is there a model or a good price point option I should be taking advantage of?

 

[XSI]

+1 for 970 sli. it will last 2-3 years for top games and 6+ to many other games.

2x970 cost ~20% more then 1x 980 providing huge performance difference, so its money spend wisely in my opinion for any1 who considers 980.
@RCoon as always gives very good arguments and suggestions.

 

[RCoon]

I don't know if you can discuss prices and specific models here, if you can is there a model or a good price point option I should be taking advantage of?

By all means discuss. I'm running under the assumption your account is UK based that you'll be shopping in the UK.
Last I checked Ebuyer run the cheapest MSI 970, and the other card to consider is the Asus Strix, as they are largely similar, but the Asus offers a shiny backplate (at a cost). The Gigabyte G1 Gaming 970 is also a valid option should you choose. Most of them perform almost identically, however the Gigabyte has the highest overclock potential. It's entirely down to whether you want the cheapest, best looking, or best performer in terms of overclocking.

 

[Saspz]

By all means discuss. I'm running under the assumption your account is UK based that you'll be shopping in the UK.
Last I checked Ebuyer run the cheapest MSI 970, and the other card to consider is the Asus Strix, as they are largely similar, but the Asus offers a shiny backplate (at a cost). The Gigabyte G1 Gaming 970 is also a valid option should you choose. Most of them perform almost identically, however the Gigabyte has the highest overclock potential. It's entirely down to whether you want the cheapest, best looking, or best performer in terms of overclocking.

I am from the UK yes. I have never overclocked before, doesn't mean I can't give it a try . The price difference is minimal so I might as well get the Gigabyte G1 Gaming one. Checked Aria, Ebuyer, Overclockers and Scan and the price difference is almost identical. £289.16 - £294.14.

Edit

Are the overclocking gains at the extra price worth paying for with a complete nooby in control?

What Wattage PSU would 2 970's need?

 

[RCoon]

I am from the UK yes. I have never overclocked before, doesn't mean I can't give it a try . The price difference is minimal so I might as well get the Gigabyte G1 Gaming one. Checked Aria, Ebuyer, Overclockers and Scan and the price difference is almost identical. £289.16 - £294.14.

Edit

Are the overclocking gains at the extra price worth paying for with a complete nooby in control?

What Wattage PSU would 2 970's need?

I personally don't OC, my GPU Boost feature does it for me up to 1500mhz, but that's because I benchmark for reviews.
OC'ing is easy, with tools like MSI Afterburner and EVGA Precision available, anyone can do it. I just find the FPS results to not be worth the additional power.

For PSU's I'd opt for a 650W minimum with 2 8pin and 2 6pin cables available. Try not to use Molex adapters. Obviously a solid quality brand. These include Sea Sonic, Enermax, XFX, Corsair (particularly AX and HX and RM series) and EVGA G2 series. If you want headroom for OC, run with a 750W.

 

[rruff]

Unless anybody else weighs in I guess I'm happy with the SLI 970 option. I don't know if you can discuss prices and specific models here, if you can is there a model or a good price point option I should be taking advantage of?

On this side of the pond you can buy a R9 290 for $100 less than a GTX 970, and the performance will be real close. It's higher power and it's AMD, but something to consider anyway.

A thing about SLI... if there is a vram limitation, then SLI (or crossfire) won't help. If the pundits can be believed, then you will likely be vram limited in the near future with 2x 970s or 290s and 4GB.

I'd probably just get one 970 or 290 and monitor usage, and only get another if I was sure that it would relieve a bottleneck I was experiencing without creating another just a little higher up.

 

[Saspz]

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-147-GI I will be ordering two of these in the next 24 hours. Wanted a bit of freetime to decide.

Will be ordering from Overclockers as I have used them in the past, hopefully dispatch and deliver as quickly as they have done in the past despite the snowy weather.

About the bottleneck, if I do suffer I don't mind making further upgrades to get the best experience on value. I wanted to try and wait and see what Intel release later this year before I make a decision on further upgrading. DDR4 is tempting. I have the I7 3770 none clocked version, 16GB of RAM and an Asus Motherboard with a 800W Power-Supply. I do have the funds to improve my machine at any time if I really need to.

I might go and order myself the Kingston HyperX Cloud Pro Gaming Headset for the PC from Ebuyer for £60. Could do with a new one. Seems like a pretty good one.

 

[Frenzic]

Be aware that running 2 WindForce coolers in SLI, they run hot so make sure you have good side ventilation as those coolers blast heat out of the side (top of the card) towards the side of your case, trust me, I have 2 WindForce coolers, slightly older revisions (Gigabyte 780 Ti OC) in SLI and I have 2 Corsair AF 140mm fans mounted on the side to exhaust that heat away. Heat is worth considering. Reference Blower coolers are much better for SLI. What case do you have?

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

Have myself stuck in a right predicament my Radeon 7970 is playing up

Whats the matter with it? Fooked or not capable ?

 

[GhostRyder]

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-147-GI I will be ordering two of these in the next 24 hours. Wanted a bit of freetime to decide.

Will be ordering from Overclockers as I have used them in the past, hopefully dispatch and deliver as quickly as they have done in the past despite the snowy weather.

About the bottleneck, if I do suffer I don't mind making further upgrades to get the best experience on value. I wanted to try and wait and see what Intel release later this year before I make a decision on further upgrading. DDR4 is tempting. I have the I7 3770 none clocked version, 16GB of RAM and an Asus Motherboard with a 800W Power-Supply. I do have the funds to improve my machine at any time if I really need to.

I might go and order myself the Kingston HyperX Cloud Pro Gaming Headset for the PC from Ebuyer for £60. Could do with a new one. Seems like a pretty good one.

Well to be honest I do not know how much of a performance hike your expecting depending on what you decide to buy in the end. Two GTX 970's definitely would be a great buy if your wanting new and getting two but 1 over what you have now would not be that huge a jump in performance honestly.

Its a ~20% increase depending on the games, resolution, etc that you will be seeing going from an HD 7970 to an GTX 970 (Depending on clock speeds for both of course). It all comes down to the point if you want to spend the money or invest the money differently into more areas around the PC/save some cash. You could grab another HD 7970 of course being one of the cheaper options as those seconds hand (R9 280X as well as they are the same thing) are pretty cheap and would offer a substantial boost for not much money spent which you could then invest into other peripherals or save for later when you want to get some serious hardware upgrades. Not trying to put a damper on buying a pair of GTX 970s as those would be great options, however I am just saying you may want to consider how much your willing to spend in the end and how much of a difference it will make. There are loads of options for you if that is going to be your focus (1440P).

 

[Saspz]

Be aware that running 2 WindForce coolers in SLI, they run hot so make sure you have good side ventilation as those coolers blast heat out of the side (top of the card) towards the side of your case, trust me, I have 2 WindForce coolers, slightly older revisions (Gigabyte 780 Ti OC) in SLI and I have 2 Corsair AF 140mm fans mounted on the side to exhaust that heat away. Heat is worth considering. Reference Blower coolers are much better for SLI. What case do you have?

Just a standard Coolmaster case. Had it for a while.

Whats the matter with it? Fooked or not capable ?

The card is fine, it just didn't perform very well on 1440P on any newer title which is understandable.

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

If you decide to sell it i will happily buy it off you cheaply.

 

[peche]

+1 for 970 sli. it will last 2-3 years for top games and 6+ to many other games.

2x970 cost ~20% more then 1x 980 providing huge performance difference, so its money spend wisely in my opinion for any1 who considers 980.
@RCoon as always gives very good arguments and suggestions.

+1 Excellent and complete arguments...

Be aware that running 2 WindForce coolers in SLI, they run hot so make sure you have good side ventilation as those coolers blast heat out of the side (top of the card) towards the side of your case, trust me, I have 2 WindForce coolers, slightly older revisions (Gigabyte 780 Ti OC) in SLI and I have 2 Corsair AF 140mm fans mounted on the side to exhaust that heat away. Heat is worth considering. Reference ,

+1, For SLI the blower / Reference Cards, airflow gets out the case because of the cooler design, Windforce would let some hot air into the case, you can put a big fan into the panel for exhausting the hot air( as it was already recommended,) and also add a 120/140 fan to the bottom of the case for getting fresh air pushed inside the case for a better airflow, if the case has the bottom fan space.

There is an image about how Windforce perform against heat..

So, with an exhaust fan into the lateral panel you can pull all that heat of your case,

But there is another thing to consider, how much heat would this SLI generate? they are the new architecture based GPU's so heat may be reduced, compared with kepler ones,


PD**sorry for the big and uggly image,

Regards

 

[Saspz]

Thanks for all the replies, it means a lot it really does.

I tried the Heaven benchmark and got these results at the default settings.

FPS:
56.5
Score:
1423
Min FPS:
19.6
Max FPS:
134.3
System

Platform:
Windows 7 (build 7601, Service Pack 1) 64bit
CPU model:
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3770 CPU @ 3.40GHz (3403MHz) x4
GPU model:
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 9.18.13.4725 (4095MB) x2

Settings
Render:
Direct3D11
Mode:
2560x1440 8xAA fullscreen
Preset
Custom
Quality
Ultra
Tessellation:
Extreme

Temperature was around about 54, the second card by the end increased to about 57. I'm new to all of this so it will take me some time to figure it all out, the overclocking feature on these Gigabyte cards are flying completely over my head at the minute.

I was reading a thread or two and some were pushing 60 temperature at 1920x1080 so 54/57 at 1440P is good right? Might not be brilliant as I don't have all the fancy watercooling systems and stuff in place.

When I load the games and play is there a way I can see how much the cards are using, and what would be a normal amount? I loaded The Evil Within last night, paid a tenner for it and I was still only getting 55 FPS. Is this normal for a shitty ported game?

 

[vgm]

You could use msi afterburner and enable on-screen display and tick your appropriate option for example GPU usage(%) and also modify the fan speed curve on FAN TAB to user defined profile.

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

Hw monitor will show you max min and current temps and volts.

Not wildly accurate but useful.

 

[peche]

Hw monitor will show you max min and current temps and volts.

Not wildly accurate but useful.

i rather HWinfo
http://www.hwinfo.com/

Regards,

 

[Frag_Maniac]

If you've never experienced SLI or Crossfire before, know that it is far more prone to problems than single GPU. I wouldn't go by games like the Witcher, because CDPR are known for their diligence with PC titles.

So if you play a lot of AAA titles and want them to perform as expected in SLI or Crossfire, esp at launch, you may be happier with a single GPU. Far Cry 4 is one of the bigger titles out right now and it's still having problems with SLI and Crossfire.