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Will a GTX 970 be enough?

FL630

FL630

FL630

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For 1440p gaming?

Games I want to purchase as soon as I have a card: P.Cars, GTA V.

With max settings, what sort of frame rate can I expect?

I have a Samsung 32D850D monitor, 60Hz so I don't care for much over 60fps (I understand 60Hz=/=60FPS), but I'd like the details to be high.

Would a 980 be much better given the 60fps target? I sadly don't have the budget for 980ti, even the non ti is a stretch, the 970 seems a sweet point price wise. More than likely to be an EVGA FTW.

Feedback greatly appreciated.
 
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Depends on your definition of "maxed";p If you think about cranking every setting to the max and maintaining a playable framerate, then hell no. I bet even a 980Ti would struggle at times. If you mean a mix of Ultra/very high/high then a 970 should suffice but I can't give you exact framerates since I'm at 1080p.

If you want an honest advice, I'd suggest thinking about the 970/980 and their "new" AMD counterparts (I still find it amusing that people think 8gb vram will somehow make the 390/390x futureproof:rolleyes:) as stopgap cards and buy used. Actually, your best bet would be a second-hand 290x but if you're dead set on nvidia, the 970 would also be good.

There's nothing on the market at the moment that's worth buying new and snagging a decently performing card for decent money is the way to go, IMO.
 
2nd hand is ideal I agree, but I'm lost where to get used parts apart from that bidding website and the OCUK MM, which I'm 700+ posts from accessing.

I'm not dead set on Nvidia, I have zero fan-boy in me, but as Project Cars is one of the main games I want AMD just can't hack it with that right now, unless they optimise their drivers.

An idea world would be 2nd hand 980, but if that fails a new 970 may suffice.
 
Gtx 970 should be fine at 1440p as soon as you don't use AA and other demanding Nvidia features like hairworks. On some games you may wish to turn down a few other settings from Ultra to high.

I don't want to start a Nvidia vs AMD discussion but 970 is a better option vs 290x because

- over clocks better. An overclocked 970 matches stock 980 performance.
- runs cooler and lower energy demands

but again performance wise 290x and 970 are very similar most of the times. If you are going to play games that benefit from mantle API then have a look at benchmarks and 290x may be the way to go. Keep in mind dx12 is round the corner too.
 
faheemrazzaq said:
I don't want to start a Nvidia vs AMD discussion but 970 is a better option vs 290x because

- over clocks better. An overclocked 970 matches stock 980 performance.
- runs cooler and lower energy demands
Click to expand...

Fair enough point, I've just seen slightly better 2nd hand prices for the 290x which helps in the comparison too.

Typical that the deals dry up just as I start considering them (OCUK's B-grade 970s at £180 are what got me thinking)!
 
Yes you need to consider prices. But 290x runs very hot. One needs to keep that in mind specially if there is an intention to buy a second one to crossfire down the line. I personally will put waterblocks on as soon as I venture into sli or xfire setups. Again an investment decision.
 
faheemrazzaq said:
Yes you need to consider prices. But 290x runs very hot. One needs to keep that in mind specially if there is an intention to buy a second one to crossfire down the line. I personally will put waterblocks on as soon as I venture into sli or xfire setups. Again an investment decision.
Click to expand...

TBH, I suggested the 290x solely because it can be had for a decent price. If the OP doesn't go for the reference model, the temps shouldn't be too bad. I wouldn't even bother with SLI/Crossfire when it comes to the 970/290x. It's a completely daft idea. Two of either still won't be enough for 4k and will generate quite a lot of heat. These are at most 1440p cards and the wisest thing one can do is to buy a decently performing, cheaper GPU as a stopgap until bigger guns arrive. As things stand, neither the 970 nor the 390 are worth buying new. A used 970 is definitely an option to consider, though.

To the OP: This might be a stupid idea but maybe you could find someone who has access to the members' market (and preferably living relatively near you) and ask him to buy the card for you?
 
faheemrazzaq said:
Gtx 970 should be fine at 1440p as soon as you don't use AA and other demanding Nvidia features like hairworks. On some games you may wish to turn down a few other settings from Ultra to high.

I don't want to start a Nvidia vs AMD discussion but 970 is a better option vs 290x because

- over clocks better. An overclocked 970 matches stock 980 performance.
- runs cooler and lower energy demands

but again performance wise 290x and 970 are very similar most of the times. If you are going to play games that benefit from mantle API then have a look at benchmarks and 290x may be the way to go. Keep in mind dx12 is round the corner too.
Click to expand...

I recommend you watch this, you might be surprised.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9cKZiJw6Pk
 
FYI there are MSI GTX 970 Gaming editions on the clearance section of the OCUK site for £239.99

I don't know how prices compare to the MM as I don't have access but just letting you know anyway :)
 
Mr Oblong said:
Interesting, I thought the 970 held the edge purely because of reliable overclocking.

The 8GB of DDR5 doesn't sway me much (reminds me of the 9600 Pro with 256MB - wrong place to spend the money!), but if the price is right it really doesn't matter.
Click to expand...

There's nothing surprising in this review, the cards are mostly equal in terms of raw performance but the 970 is still the more efficient of the two. Sometimes, the 390 inches ahead by 1-3 fps but I've seen reviews where it falls behind the 970.

I can push mine to 1520mhz, doubt the 390 will be much faster, if at all. Well, in Project Cars it sure as hell won't since the game massively favours Nvidia hardware;p Something to consider if the game is on your "to buy" list.

The 390 is decent GPU and a relatively safe buy, just don't think that 8gb will make any difference versus the 970. The card is far too weak to tap into all that without running out of grunt beforehand, unless you crossfire/trifire. And by the time you'll need to do that, the card will be old news.

The way I see this: buy a cheap-ish second hand 970 (or 290x), clock it to hell and back, enjoy it for a while and sell it when the time is right.
 
That's for the replies all, lots taken on board.

I'd actually happily snap up a 290X, but from what I've read AMD and Project Cars do not go well together... yet. So this is the single reason I'm swaying to the green side.

The MSI 970's in B-Grade looks a great deal, I wonder what's wrong for them to have 10+ of them?

I have considered 1x 970 now and perhaps another a few months down the line, in SLI it should definitely run 1440p, but this is in an ideal world where I end up buying.

I think the best advice given is to buy something cheap as a stop gap to the next gen cards.
 
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