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Competitive gamer rig

Intensify

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So my gtx580 gpu is getting a little dated and I am running a qnix evo 2 that does 2560x1440@110hz pls display so i need to do a update. I play a lot of competitive online gaming and that’s mostly what i use my computer for. With current prices of gpu's I can get gtx 680's and 7970's at a pretty decent price since the rebadging has made them all pretty cheap and the 290x and 7990 price point i guess there will be more price cuts to come.
My setup
2600k @ 4.4ghz (has been to 4.9ghz)
Asrock extreme 4 gen3 (pci-e 2.0)
16gb 1600mhz ram
gtx580 1.5gb
60gb ssd
1tb storage
1000w corsair psu
Thermaltake v9

My question is should i avoid running a gtx680 sli or 7970/ 7990 xfire setup due to the micro stutter/ input lag to gain the fps, or stick with a single stronger preforming card like a 290x?
 
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So my gtx580 gpu is getting a little dated and I am running a qnix evo 2 that does 2560x1440@110hz pls display so i need to do a update. I play a lot of competitive online gaming and that’s mostly what i use my computer for. With current prices of gpu's I can get gtx 680's and 7970's at a pretty decent price since the rebadging has made them all pretty cheap and the 290x and 7990 price point i guess there will be more price cuts to come.
My setup
2600k @ 4.4ghz (has been to 4.9ghz)
Asrock extreme 4 gen3 (pci-e 2.0)
16gb 1600mhz ram
gtx580 1.5gb
60gb ssd
1tb storage
1000w corsair psu
Thermaltake v9

My question is should i avoid running a gtx680 sli or 7970/ 7990 xfire setup due to the micro stutter/ input lag to gain the fps, or stick with a single stronger preforming card like a 290x?

When you say competitative gamer, please specify what games you play, and exactly how competitative you are :)
If playing CSGO, I wouldn't go for SLI or XFire, as that's largely pointless. LoL and DotA dont need more than a 580, SC2 doesnt care about GPU's either. I dont know of many competitative games other than those so you'll have to let me know.
 

Intensify

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Well I guess most competitive games are more so cpu bound than gpu although I am not able to use 1440p in my current game (Natural Selection 2) which is also more cpu bound. I have played all of the games you listed some more than others. I am not a pro gamer or anything I just really enjoy playing multiplayer at a high level and the competitive scene in general.
A fellow gamer runs a 4770k with a 770 getting his 160fps+ everything is stock in his setup vs my 80fps with mine. My 2600k @ 4.4ghz should be close preforming to this cpu do you think? the only thing i am missing different from his system is the exception of the pci-e 3.0 with his gpu power.
 
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Well I guess most competitive games are more so cpu bound than gpu although I am not able to use 1440p in my current game (NS2) which is also more cpu bound. I have played all of the games you listed some more than others. I am not a pro gamer or anything I just really enjoy playing multiplayer at a high level and the competitive scene in general.

Your CPU is great for most competitative games out there, not many are GPU bound besides the AAA titles and a few of the less popular competitative titles. Honestly there is no point in xfire or sli for your needs. I would personally get a powerful single GPU. GPU prices are dropping all over the place, so maybe look into the deals you can get your hands on for 770's, 780's, 280X's and the eventual release of the 290 and 290X. I'm investing in a 1440p monitor myself, and after reading all the TPU benchmarks, there isnt any game a single 780 cant handle, and I'm certain the AMD cards will be equally as capable.

Buy whatever single GPU is within your budget, and get the most powerful.

A fellow gamer runs a 4770k with a 770 getting his 160fps+ everything is stock in his setup vs my 80fps with mine. My 2600k @ 4.4ghz should be close preforming to this cpu do you think? the only thing i am missing different from his system is the exception of the pci-e 3.0 with his gpu power.

There isnt a massive % difference between your CPU's, and a 770 is essentially just a 680 anyway. PCI-E 3.0 makes almost zero difference, so dont worry about that. Is he on 1080p? Because the only massive difference between you is the GPU, which only has 1.5GB of VRAM which might be what's killing you on 1440p.

Look into GPU's with 3GB VRAM or more - 780, 7970/280X, or wait for 290 and 290X
 

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Wait a bit and see what Nvidia responds to the 290x.
 
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Wait a bit and see what Nvidia responds to the 290x.

And then wait and see how AMD responds to 780ti?
And then wait and see how NVidia responds to AMD? :p
 

Fourstaff

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And then wait and see how AMD responds to 780ti?
And then wait and see how NVidia responds to AMD? :p

Its in 2 weeks supposedly, and I don't really feel good recommending a vacuum cleaner to someone who games competitively.
 
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Its in 2 weeks supposedly, and I don't really feel good recommending a vacuum cleaner to someone who games competitively.

I gave him an array of cards, including the vaccuum cleaner. Who knows, maybe he's deaf and likes a convection heated room?
 

Fourstaff

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I gave him an array of cards, including the vaccuum cleaner. Who knows, maybe he's deaf and likes a convection heated room?

Would suck to get a 780 now only to see a 780Ti/Ghz/bbq edition coming out in a few weeks. 780 vanilla is easily 70% faster than 580 at 1600 in wiz's charts, so getting the 780 now is also an option.
 
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Would suck to get a 780 now only to see a 780Ti/Ghz/bbq edition coming out in a few weeks. 780 vanilla is easily 70% faster than 580 at 1600 in wiz's charts, so getting the 780 now is also an option.

I'm not sure 780 prices are going to go down any further. I think NVidia are more likely to keep their prices stable and release the 780ti at a retarded price entirely (If it beats the 290X).
We all know NVidia prices excessively. I'm happy to admit that.
 

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We all know NVidia prices excessively. I'm happy to admit that.

I am happy to admit it too, but retailers can be nice. I have always been an opportunistic buyer, and my choice to recommend waiting for a few weeks reflects that mentality.
 

Intensify

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Your CPU is great for most competitative games out there, not many are GPU bound besides the AAA titles and a few of the less popular competitative titles. Honestly there is no point in xfire or sli for your needs. I would personally get a powerful single GPU. GPU prices are dropping all over the place, so maybe look into the deals you can get your hands on for 770's, 780's, 280X's and the eventual release of the 290 and 290X. I'm investing in a 1440p monitor myself, and after reading all the TPU benchmarks, there isnt any game a single 780 cant handle, and I'm certain the AMD cards will be equally as capable.

Buy whatever single GPU is within your budget, and get the most powerful.



There isnt a massive % difference between your CPU's, and a 770 is essentially just a 680 anyway. PCI-E 3.0 makes almost zero difference, so dont worry about that. Is he on 1080p? Because the only massive difference between you is the GPU, which only has 1.5GB of VRAM which might be what's killing you on 1440p.

Look into GPU's with 3GB VRAM or more - 780, 7970/280X, or wait for 290 and 290X
Where both running 1080p i can't use 1440p the fps drops way to low for smooth gameplay. I relise the more vram will help with my fps due to my large resolution the overclock alone netted me between 20-30fps. It is pretty damn nice though still think a 1080p 144hz tn pannel would of fitted my needs just as good but this monitor is very nice.
Current pricing used/ new
780 3gb $550 - $690+
680 2gb $300 - $380+
7970 3gb $270 - $320+ (depending ghz etc)
290x 4gb $660 94*c need to spend some extra on some cooling on top

There is a weekend deal listed for a 7970 msi TF OC for $299 very tempted to convert to the red team as physx dosnt give me anything extra but eye candy. Mostly asking about the sli/ xfire setup because you can get two cheaper cards that will out preform a high end card for a better price point but i dont think it will be worth it in my situation unless i can get 3gb vram+ or a 680 2gb minium?.
 
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Where both running 1080p i can't use 1440p the fps drops way to low for smooth gameplay. I relise the more vram will help with my fps due to my large resolution the overclock alone netted me between 20-30fps. It is pretty damn nice though still think a 1080p 144hz tn pannel would of fitted my needs just as good but this monitor is very nice.
Current pricing used/ new
780 3gb $550 - $690+
680 2gb $300 - $380+
7970 3gb $270 - $320+ (depending ghz etc)
290x 4gb $660 94*c need to spend some extra on some cooling on top

There is a weekend deal listed for a 7970 msi TF OC for $299 very tempted to convert to the red team as physx dosnt give me anything extra but eye candy. Mostly asking about the sli/ xfire setup because you can get two cheaper cards that will out preform a high end card for a better price point but i dont think it will be worth it in my situation unless i can get 3gb vram+ or a 680 2gb minium?.

I have and always will recommend a very powerful single GPU over dual GPU setups. With a 1440p monitor I would rather look at 780 or 290 and whatever each company brings out if you can be bothered to wait.
 

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I have and always will recommend a very powerful single GPU over dual GPU setups. With a 1440p monitor I would rather look at 780 or 290 and whatever each company brings out if you can be bothered to wait.

You have to admit that 2x7970Ghz looks pretty well priced, and the 3Gb should help with the 1440p resolution in the long run. If reports that AMD has fixed CF are true, its worth looking taking a long hard look at how good dual card is.
 
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My personal recommendation for you would be to get a single 780 overclocked card. I'd look at the EVGA GTX 780 superclocked or classified depending on whether you want to overclock it yourself or not. You can get the superclocked 967-980hz core clock speed for $519 on Amazon with a $10 rebate or the classified for $550ish. The classified is the consensus best overclocking card on air and can often reach 1200-1300hz and if you win the silicon lottery can make it to 1400hz.

That single card will outperform the 290x (at least the reference), it's dropped considerably in price and you can always add a second later if you want. You should be able to run in 1440p with 60+ frames even on ultra settings in most games and closer to 100 if you drop down to high and lower the AA (on that resolution AA is kinda unnecessary anyway). I'm debating between 2 780s and 2 780ti's myself, waiting until the specs are announced to make my decision.

On a side note: How is your monitor for gaming in FPS games? I play CS:GO, WoW, LoL, FFXIV and other FPS games and I was thinking about picking up the QX2710 and overclocking it to 120hz. I'm concerned about the input lag, have you used an IPS before that you can give me a direct comparison between yours and a standard Dell, etc?
 

Intensify

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I gave him an array of cards, including the vaccuum cleaner. Who knows, maybe he's deaf and likes a convection heated room?

Love it :laugh:
I use a set of Audio technica ATH-A700X they are a closed back headphone, the padding is well worn in though so the noise isolation isnt as good as it used to be. The loudest part in my current system is the Reference gtx 580 when that spins up sitting on 84*c it can be heard but isnt that loud considering my headphones.

As for other monitors i have used, my last one was a samsung syncmaster P2350 1080p 60hz. This is my first monitor and most seem to be only able to reach 110hz not 120hz i can squeeze a little more hz out of it but i start getting the lines every now and then at 115hz. I have no idea how to test the input lag or anything like that hence why i think i should have gone with a 144hz 1080p lightbost monitor and be done with the unknown on this one but 1440p is so sweet and the viewing area is so much better for games like NS2 where skulks can sneak up on you. The colours are really nice and when running in 1440p it looks fantastic its the required gpu power needed to get that resolution and fps is where your $$ is required for it.
 
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Intensify

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You have to admit that 2x7970Ghz looks pretty well priced, and the 3Gb should help with the 1440p resolution in the long run. If reports that AMD has fixed CF are true, its worth looking taking a long hard look at how good dual card is.

I can wait longer that’s fine to since the preformance is not unbearable right now I just know I need to do something about expecially when i play better games in the future. I think my best option is 2x7970ghz or a single 290x with a cooling upgrade. Has anyone seen a review or gotten any overclock ball park figures on this card yet with some decent cooling (water cooling preferred) as its drawback seems to be the thermal limit of 94*c which it hits under stock cooling no matter the bios profile. Do you think it’s the reference cooler is that terrible or it’s just a really hot card, aftermarket coolers with heat pipes will only go so far and I am a little uncomfortable with 90+, I don’t like my gtx 580@ 84*c as it is currently even though it’s a safe temperature lol.
 
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Its in 2 weeks supposedly, and I don't really feel good recommending a vacuum cleaner to someone who games competitively.

More like a hair dryer :cry:
 

Intensify

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More like a hair dryer :cry:

Just had a quick look around reviews say a reference gtx 580 is ~41dba my case hasnt got any mesh over the holes on the side pannels or sound deading properties better than a steel/ aloy box. A reference r9 290x is listed at 51dba thats freaking crazy loud this card def needs aftermarket cooling i checked here i dont really like tomshardware but it had the info. If i were to spend the money on that it would be a water cooling setup and replace my antech kulher 920 while i am at it.
Out of what i have currently they sell for about approx where i am
gtx 580 ~$160
Antech kulher 920 $80 (corsair h80i went for $85 so about this much)
approx after sale getting top $ on current prices $240
that will be close to pay for the watercooling alone with a 240mm +120mm rad then i am only out the gpu cost on top. Will require some case moding but i think i could get it to fit expecially if i can mount the hdd's up against the mobo side wall and remove the hdd cage all together then would be as bold to say i could get even more in.
 
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Fellow Ns2 player here. I had a 2500k at 4.5ghz and a 7970. I was cpu bottle necked. I was playing at 1080p though. I am sure you have already used the "r_stats" in console to see where you are bottle necked.

aalso would not recommend dual cards as Ns2 does not seem to get the best driver support as of late. That might change but you never know.

By the way, what clan do you play for? Or do you just pug?
 
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GTX 780 is a great deal at the new 499.99 Price.
 

Intensify

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Fellow Ns2 player here. I had a 2500k at 4.5ghz and a 7970. I was cpu bottle necked. I was playing at 1080p though. I am sure you have already used the "r_stats" in console to see where you are bottle necked.

aalso would not recommend dual cards as Ns2 does not seem to get the best driver support as of late. That might change but you never know.

By the way, what clan do you play for? Or do you just pug?

1080p tests.
On field its waiting for gpu 0-9ms prob average around 4ms telling me i need some gpu power, in spec its wating for render 0-4ms so thats cpu i havent tested in the chair it self just yet. I still have good head room for overclocking the cpu any way as his chip has been to 4.9ghz. I think its very safe overclock at current 4.4ghz might move it to 4.6ghz and 1440p when i get around to it.
The aus comunity is very small only 3 active teams and the other 4 maybe get 1 game every 2 weeks. So i am not entirely basing my upgrade on one game once something good comes out with a competitive scene i will move to that. There are some really good looking games not entirely "competitive" in the sence of fps/ mobas but i wouldnt mind having a look at like Wildstar online, titan fall and star citizen who knows will have to see whats going on closer to the release date.
 
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