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Hardest decision ever! Need pro tips!

Swordchan

Swordchan

Swordchan

Associate
Joined
12 Dec 2012
Posts
12
Hello members of Overclockers.co.uk or whatever. :DD
Anyway, i've been thinking of buying a new graphic card(s).
Even since the release of GTX 970/98 0.
I'am atm sitting on a I5 3570k overclocked to 4.5 GHZ, and 16gb of ram.
And on a 750W from Chieftec. And my current Graphic card is 6870, Sold my 770 2gb to my sister.

Anyway, i'm having a really hard time deciding if i shall buy TWO 970's one 970, one 980, two 980, 295x (Dual 290) Or if i shall wait for the next cards? Coming in 1-4 months??? I also read about the 8gb versions coming for 980 and MAYBE 970? But is 8Gb vram really needed? I'am atm playing on a 1080p 144hz screen, And i will PROB go for 4k in the future. Maybe in a year or half a year. Help needed :) I feel like i can't make a good decision on my own :(
 
90% of replies will be, one 970 will be enough.

No doubt it will, my two 7950s destroy one 970 for half the price (2nd hand)...

Which is why I say hold off till the next generation of cards. we have been stuck at 28nm for how many years now, it is old tech, yeah its got faster over the years, but its old, we have had new cards on the same tech, but we haven't had anything "new new.." if that makes sence, and we are right on the boarder of getting something new in the next few months.

Anyone who has bought a 980 etc, they are enthusiasts who have the money to throw at the game and don't cry when a month later a new thing comes out and demolishes there shiney new card.

For someone like me (where every pound is a prisoner), Wait until something comes out that actually makes sense, rather than spending a lot of money on a core size that's been around for generations.

And if you have a wife, theres the electricity bill coming through, she wouldn't be happy with the bill of two 970 cards before the electricity bill, where as a single new generation card in next few months might be close to the same speed as two 970s, but for the price of a top notch 980, which is cheaper than two 970s and uses about half the power.

Gotta keep em sweet dude, good luck :)
 
Probably better sticking to a single card if you're on a 3570k like me. I'm also on 4.5Ghz and wouldn't go XF. I think you'd need an i7 to properly let two big uns flex their guns fully.

Remember seeing people here saying that they noticed XF/SLI on less than 99% usage in Bf4, more like 60% both cards with an i5. Maybe their i5s weren'tt overclocked, I'm not sure. Just something to consider.

If you're just on 1080p stick with a single card.

With regard to 4k and I still don't think 2 cards will cut it. Remember not all games make use of XF/SLI.
 
IceShock said:
90% of replies will be, one 970 will be enough.

No doubt it will, my two 7950s destroy one 970 for half the price (2nd hand)...

Which is why I say hold off till the next generation of cards. we have been stuck at 28nm for how many years now, it is old tech, yeah its got faster over the years, but its old, we have had new cards on the same tech, but we haven't had anything "new new.." if that makes sence, and we are right on the boarder of getting something new in the next few months.

Anyone who has bought a 980 etc, they are enthusiasts who have the money to throw at the game and don't cry when a month later a new thing comes out and demolishes there shiney new card.

For someone like me (where every pound is a prisoner), Wait until something comes out that actually makes sense, rather than spending a lot of money on a core size that's been around for generations.

And if you have a wife, theres the electricity bill coming through, she wouldn't be happy with the bill of two 970 cards before the electricity bill, where as a single new generation card in next few months might be close to the same speed as two 970s, but for the price of a top notch 980, which is cheaper than two 970s and uses about half the power.

Gotta keep em sweet dude, good luck :)
Click to expand...

Waiting is painful, but maybe it's the best choice. Nah, electricity bill is not a problem yet since i still live home :D And yupp, i think i would get very emotional if i bought a 980 and a new supercard gets released 1 month after that is 40% better and costs 50% less! :( or a card that is 30% better and costs the same etc etc. Can't they just give us some eta dates or something so we atleast know something :d why is everything a secret :(
 
HankScorpio said:
Probably better sticking to a single card if you're on a 3570k like me. I'm also on 4.5Ghz and wouldn't go XF. I think you'd need an i7 to properly let two big uns flex their guns fully.

Remember seeing people here saying that they noticed XF/SLI on less than 99% usage in Bf4, more like 60% both cards with an i5. Maybe their i5s weren'tt overclocked, I'm not sure. Just something to consider.

If you're just on 1080p stick with a single card.

With regard to 4k and I still don't think 2 cards will cut it. Remember not all games make use of XF/SLI.
Click to expand...
I read some about it and, only CPU Heavy games like bf4 is having problem with SLI 970 for example not fully utilizing the cards.
But ofc, maybe a single 970 is enough, since it can run all current games released on max settings 1080p.

Sorry for misspelling a little there and here, english is my 2nd language.
 
Swordchan said:
I'am atm playing on a 1080p 144hz screen, And i will PROB go for 4k in the future. Maybe in a year or half a year. Help needed :) I feel like i can't make a good decision on my own :(
Click to expand...

You are going to have to compromise.

I would say a single GTX 980 for now as it will get higher fps on the 144hz 1080p monitor.

Later on if you do go 4K you can add a second 980, this will allow you to use reasonable settings but you will not be able to max games.
 
Swordchan said:
I read some about it and, only CPU Heavy games like bf4 is having problem with SLI 970 for example not fully utilizing the cards.
But ofc, maybe a single 970 is enough, since it can run all current games released on max settings 1080p.

Sorry for misspelling a little there and here, english is my 2nd language.
Click to expand...

Lol try Arma 3, to be honest, id get 2 290s because:

1. Their drivers are more refined
2. Much faster RAM
3. Scales better (as a result of point 1)
4. Cheaper, maybe you can spend a little extra for an i7 too?

Or even 1 290 would be nice and spend the money you would spend on another card for a water loop and clock it like crazy, this card runs 1440p like its a joke :D. Besides, a water cooled and properly overclocked 290 is faster than a 970, people just dont like to admit it. But you have to work with it a bit, and you need the loop ofcourse which is a downside to it.

970 on the other hand is very nice if you plan on running single card on air, the frametimes are really bad as far as i know in SLI (Comment kaap?), comparable to 7970s 3-4 years ago lol
 
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Rangerjr1 said:
Lol try Arma 3, to be honest, id get 2 290s because:

1. Their drivers are more refined
2. Much faster RAM
3. Scales better (as a result of point 1)
4. Cheaper, maybe you can spend a little extra for an i7 too?

Or even 1 290 would be nice and spend the money you would spend on another card for a water loop and clock it like crazy, this card runs 1440p like its a joke :D. Besides, a water cooled and properly overclocked 290 is faster than 970s, people just dont like to admit it. But you have to work with it a bit, and you need the loop ofcourse which is a downside to it.

970 on the other hand is very nice if you plan on running single card on air, the frametimes are really bad as far as i know in SLI (Comment kaap?), comparable to 7970s 3-4 years ago lol
Click to expand...

The only comment I want to make is you have got just about everything wrong.:)
 
Rangerjr1 said:
Lol try Arma 3, to be honest, id get 2 290s because:

1. Their drivers are more refined
2. Much faster RAM
3. Scales better (as a result of point 1)
4. Cheaper, maybe you can spend a little extra for an i7 too?

Or even 1 290 would be nice and spend the money you would spend on another card for a water loop and clock it like crazy, this card runs 1440p like its a joke :D. Besides, a water cooled and properly overclocked 290 is faster than 970s, people just dont like to admit it. But you have to work with it a bit, and you need the loop ofcourse which is a downside to it.

970 on the other hand is very nice if you plan on running single card on air, the frametimes are really bad as far as i know in SLI (Comment kaap?), comparable to 7970s 3-4 years ago lol
Click to expand...
LOL
 
The 6870 is still moderately capable (I know, I used to have one, was a good card :)), but it sounds like your desperate for a bit more oomph. I would err towards waiting like the others are saying for the new tech that will get you a lot more performance for your money.

That said, if you are desperate or really itching, I would sell your 6870 for whatever you can get, and see if you can pickup a decent second hand 7950 (with or without boost, although boost better), or 7970 (original or GHz edition), preferably from MM so you know it's not been mined to death.

They have dropped to sub-£100 levels now, and even the 7950 without boost is substantially faster than that 6870, almost twice as fast in many cases:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/540?vs=550

The other models would only be faster again!

Not as big a jump as a 970 but with the sale of the 6870, considerably cheaper, and probably a big enough upgrade you'd be happy as a stepping stone until the new guns arrive.

As another benefit, as highlighted above, the drivers are more mature.
 
Swordchan said:
And on a 750W from Chieftec.
Click to expand...
Come on guys! How did we let this one slipped?

While they have been in business for a long time, their PSU generally are not for demanding systems such as gaming PCs.

I'm think the unit that OP has would most likely not have high enough or reliable enough 12v rails for crossfire/sli setup.

Edited:
Just looked up:
http://www.nix66.ru/images/photo/l/p/h/power_supply_chieftec_82187_2250_draft_large.jpg
4x 18A for the 12v rail and max output of 650W...
 
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There is a lot of rubbish being spoken in this thread. For one thing, Op, you need to keep in mind that your power supply will rule out some options unless you are happy to upgrade it as well. A 3570k at 4.5ghz is fine for xfire in the majority of games (mine powers 2 290s just fine), but there are a few games that would benefit from an i7.

Based on your PSU, I would suggest either 2 970s to keep your power consumption low as well as providing lower case temps (heat can be a limiting factor when over clocking xfire/SLI setups), or if you are on a budget I would second the recommendation for 2 7950s which can be had for peanuts and will offer a very good performance increase over your current card.

None of these suggestions is going to have you ready for 4k, as you will really need more than 2gpus to run 4k well in demanding titles, but you'll get a good boost while you wait for cards that can.
 
After further readings, it would seem that the Chieftec is actually CWT...so while it is no Seasonic or Superflower, it should be reliable enough.

Though with those spec/rating, I still think the unit is more suitable for a single high-end card rather than SLI/Crossfire setup.

If he's going for a pair of 970 and wishes to overclock them rather than running at stock, then he should most definitely get a better PSU.
 
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