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Graphic card advice

SamyBoy13

SamyBoy13

SamyBoy13

Associate
Joined
22 Mar 2014
Posts
1,596
Location
Plymouth
Hi there guys I wonder about replacing my current gpu that is EVGA GTX 780 SC ACX with new graphics card my question is is it worth it?
- I was looking at some gtx 970's but cant decide on which one
- Also i found Zotac GeForce GTX 780Ti OC is it any good gpu in quality wise and warranty ?
In terms of what I need is support for HDMI 2.0, more performance if possible, also 4k gaming ( I know I need 2 gpu's for that). Budget is around 300 pounds

Lastly do you guys are allowed on forum to say how much can I sell my current gpu as I haven't got idea and someone yesterday got in touch with me and offer me 230. If this is against forum rules to say, I apologise for this in advance.
 
I think you've got a better card that you realise already.

I wouldn't even look at this generation of cards to upgrade to. Hold the itch.

Remember a 4k setup is incredibly expensive in todays market and even if you had 500 quid to throw around on an SLI setup, its not going to be optimal to drive it.

I'd hold out for the next generation.
 
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I won't be able to tell you its worth due to forum rule, but what I can tell you is that the 780 went as low as £199.99 new when it gone EOL, so 2nd hand value would obviously be fair bit lower than that.

Honestly it's not really worth upgrading to "current gen" if you already got 780/290 level cards, as the new 900 series is more about improving efficient rather than performance, and it's not really much faster than what you already have.
 
Okay I appreciate your help. Also do you know how much can I take for my gpu as I think will upgrade even no much performance increase due to fact my card has a little coil whine that is almost impossible to hear but it drives me nuts. Also I got few questions about GTX 970:
Is the memory interface of gtx 780 384 bit vs gtx 970 256 bit makes any diffrence in gaming at 1080p or 1440p?
Also in terms of noise and thermals which one would be best to purchase?
Lastly could someone could answer question about Zotac GeForce GTX 780Ti OC if it's any good gpu in terms of quality and warranty ?
 
SamyBoy13 said:
Okay I appreciate your help. Also do you know how much can I take for my gpu as I think will upgrade even no much performance increase due to fact my card has a little coil whine that is almost impossible to hear but it drives me nuts. Also I got few questions about GTX 970:
Is the memory interface of gtx 780 384 bit vs gtx 970 256 bit makes any diffrence in gaming at 1080p or 1440p?
Also in terms of noise and thermals which one would be best to purchase?
Lastly could someone could answer question about Zotac GeForce GTX 780Ti OC if it's any good gpu in terms of quality and warranty ?
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If you are having issue with your 780, then yes it would be a valid reason to get a new card...however the 970 has its own fair share of coil whine issues, so it is also a case of hit or miss.

Performance wise, if you were to do a blind test between the 780 and the 970, you won't be able to tell the difference...but some users have reported running out of vram with 3GB at some games at 1440, so the extra 1GB of vram on the 970 would probably help at that res.
 
Also I'm planing to buy FAR CRY 4 so I will be saving around 40 pounds which mean if I get a gpu I will be having newer one with additional cost of 30-50 pounds if I were to go for asus strix.
 
SamyBoy13 said:
would you be able to recommend good 970 from any company that have less coil whine history? No price limit
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It's really hard to say, but it's quite random.

But there are some beliefs that coil whine are not caused by graphic card alone, but certain combination of PSU+graphic card(s). I recall OcUK staffs saying Gold/Platinum PSU would far less like to result in coil whine on graphic card, but not sure if it was just sale pitchs for the Gold/Platinum rated PSUs.
 
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I understand it but I'm currently having a corsair ax760 and it whines. Also I putted to my friends computer that has a be quiet dark power psu and it whines too. I did try to re a it with etailer that I got it from but they didn't accept coil whine as fault.
 
I don't know should I try go for 970 and hope it doesn't whine or should I keep my little coil whine on 780 sc acx. Guy what you think?
 
I just went through a similar situation where I’ve gone from a 780 to a 970, card vs card the performance difference has been minimal especially as my 780 was an excellent overclocker.

The thing that made me buy the 970 (well two actually, why not? if it’s meant to be an upgrade!) was my 780 squealed like a pig and between that and the industrial vacuum hoover I assume it had attached to it at high rpm finally got too much for me (and my poor girlfriend who could hear it downstairs).

Anyway, advice… if you can put up with the noise and don’t have £250~ to throw around then I wouldn't bother. I am very happy with my 970’s but I probably wouldn't have brought them had my 780 been a little quieter.

Mine are Gigabyte g1’s btw, neither have a single decibel of coil whine, but my 780 was a gigabyte as well, blind luck really.
 
Your GTX 780 should be in warranty from EVGA. If it has any whine send it back, you may get a 900 series card as a replacement if they find an issue.

My 780 is pretty loud also, but going to stick with it and see what next year brings for GPU's.
 
SamyBoy13 said:
The problem with my 780 sc acx is that with fans above 70 percent it cannot be heard and Evga has not accept it as a fault
Click to expand...

Ah right gotcha, I have been lucky not had any coil whine issues, it is just very loud.

I was tempted by the 970 but it is more of a side step than an upgrade I believe.

I would either hold out on finances for a 980 sc or wait until he next GPU offering from Nvidia (Ti range for example) drops and see where you stand there.
 
I went from exactly the same card as the OP's to a 980 at launch, mainly because I got excellent value selling my old card on. Although raw performance is not that much greater, the stock 980 cooler is much quieter than the SC ACX and the card seems to dump less heat into the room despite the GPU temp being higher.

I've also found to my surprise that a couple of my games are now using in excess of 3Gb of VRAM, namely FC4 and Strike Fighters 2 which is heavily modded with terrains, aircraft, effects etc. Resolution is 1920 x 1200. I've not noticed any games that seem to be impacted by the drop in memory bandwidth and I do tend to run most games at 4xMSAA.

Overall I am very pleased I made the switch.

As mentioned above 4K requires major grunt and therefore investment, and I'd be tempted to hold out if that is your aim.
 
Thank you for you replies guys I think I will wait another week maybe till Christmas and buy one of gtx 980. However what is the best one? Also is MSI planing to release lightning one? I really love the look and quality of them
 
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I guess it depends what you mean by "best". Mine is the generic Zotac one simply as it was the cheapest version that sported the stock cooler at the time I purchased.
 
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