is 2gb not enough?

[jh30uk]

So long as you know a 770 is basically a 680 rehash.

And no only a few like EVGA let you remove the cooler, OCUK do claim to have the nod from some vendor not sure if MSI or not.

In fact I think officially from the horses mouth its only ever been EVGA for years, not even BFG or any other per store agreements but sometime peeps make things up or claim they were told by support they could.

 

[Gregster]

Does that msi card allow a waterblock to be fittef?

MSI allow for waterblocks to be fitted but only if bought from OcUK

 

[jh30uk]

So it is MSI.

 

[Uncle Petey]

And Sapphire, believe it or not.

 

[Gregster]

Scrub that, EK don't make a block for it.

 

[robertchalmers1]

Scrub that, EK don't make a block for it.

thats what I was meaning, I know the gainward card takes the fc 770 waterblock by ek so gonny have a read up on that card

 

[TAZOO7]

What does Having system memory and a decent SSD do??? If you run out of VRAM that won't do anything at all

Because that data has to go somewhere, and the hit will vary from system to system depending on your hardware, also a lot depends on the game too, but most games will try and use system memory first, and then SSD/HDD

So in short the difference could be an acceptable drop in FPS that you can live with or slideshow or just come to a standstill and crash

Personally id rather fine tune my settings and avoid and Vram issues if its an issue

 

[TAZOO7]

So choices ive narr8wed it down to are a 2gb gtx 770 or a 3gb 280x, although ive noticed ocuk 280x are vastly overpriced compared to there competitors is there any reason for that or are ocuk just cashing in due to the mining craze that seems to be going on at the moment

Mate i have just ordered a 770 2GB card and i game at 1440P, BF4 only used on average 2.5GB when i had the 780ti, im quite happy playing games at just high and not ultra if it means smooth game play and decent FPS, i just sent back a powercolor PCS+ R290 because the 14.1 drivers were so bad it would not let me play BF4 in mantle or DX11, i sold my 780ti simply because for the next six months i will do very little gaming, so i wanted to cash in now while the going is good, with the sale of the game i had with it i more or less broke even, in 6 months time when the 870 and 880 come out im sure id have got a lot less, the 290 was a impulse buy as it was same price as the 280X so thought id try it and see what all the fuss was about, and safe to say it left me disappointed, i have had a 770 before and it played all the games i have without any issues at all and back then i had a 1200P screen

So in short mate if you want to save some cash and still have a decent gaming experience then the 770 will do you fine, if you want to play safe get the 780, if you have faith that mantle will come good and the drivers then go for a 280X but some of these are the same price as a R290 and thats for the aftermarket version, it all depend on what you can live with

 

[jh30uk]

Because that data has to go somewhere, and the hit you will vary from system to system depending on your hardware, also a lot depends on the game too, but most games will try and use system memory first, and then SSD/HDD

So in short the difference could be an acceptable drop in FPS that you can live with or slideshow or just come to a standstill and crash

Personally id rather fine tune my settings and avoid and Vram issues if its an issue

I was going to say that was what he was on about but something is far wrong today is someone's PC runs out of System Memory after running out of VRam and has to rely on the HDD's Pagefile.

 

[Avenged7Fold]

...i just sent back a powercolor PCS+ R290 because the 14.1 drivers were so bad it would not let me play BF4 in mantle or DX11...

Beta drivers + a really glitchy game disappointed you, so you sent the card back?

Were the non beta drivers not to your liking either?

 

[robertchalmers1]

I think after reading thru this thread that a 2gb will be fine in the meantime. I shall go with 2 x 770s spaced a month or so apart and see how I get on then when prices come down or new cards are released consider selling the pair with full waterblocks to upgrade to the next release of cards.

 

[Avenged7Fold]

TBH if you were buying two cards off the bat, i would rather compromise in a bit of grunt if you are fine with less than 100 fps and grab a single more powerful card. Then you have the advantage of possibly snagging a good deal maybe a year or two from now in the second hand markets.

EG. buying a single 290 now, putting extra cash aside for PC upgrades. Then if you think you need more power down the line, check the markets to see if you can grab another for little more than you put aside. Even with the current mining phase and higher prices round the world, 290's have been selling almost new with plenty of warranty left, at little more than £250. After the mining bubble bursts, who knows, maybe sub £200 a year or two from now isnt unrealistic!

That way you end up with an insanely beefy rig at decent prices, without having to compromise on Vram. Also it gives you the option of always saying no down the line, if you simply dont need the extra power.

 

[triss]

Only thing i could suggest if u have a problem saving for say a month is to speak to OCuk sales staff and ask about putting a deposit on a better card and paying the rest and picking it up/getting it delivered when you pay the 2nd installment not sure if they do this but worth a shot

 

[robertchalmers1]

Only thing i could suggest if u have a problem saving for say a month is to speak to OCuk sales staff and ask about putting a deposit on a better card and paying the rest and picking it up/getting it delivered when you pay the 2nd installment not sure if they do this but worth a shot

I have actually thought about that. Im not too fussy about playing every game at ultra settings, high would do me on my tv. But im getting 3 monitors for racing sims as I love my racing games. I known certain racing games aint that demanding, ive seen f1 2013 ran off a 7970 on 3 monitors on youtube and still sitting above 70fps. Games like bf3 I dont normally play mp just the campaigns dont know if that makes a dif either way regarding which gpu to get but racing sims will be my main gaming

 

[Avenged7Fold]

If going 3 monitors, i would definitely be looking at a 290p or a 780 then.

 

[robertchalmers1]

Apart f3om the racing games, all other games will b3 played on my hd tv tho I dont know if that mak3s much of a dif. Either that or I could just bypass the idea of playing tue racing si,ms over 3 monitors

 

[Avenged7Fold]

Well imo, the advantages of Crossfire 770's over a 290 is mainly shown when playing at 120hz or 144hz. Don't see the point in getting two 770's for the extra grunt if you play 60hz and when the 290/780 could deliver more than a constant 60 in racing sims. Also the need for Vram for the higher resolutions would tip me in favour of the single high end card over two mid range.

 

[robertchalmers1]

I really needa sit down and have a good look at all the cards available. I know I could get 2 new 7950s and a waterblock for the same price as 1 new saphire or asus 290x. Whether thats a better route inreally dont know although benchmarks suggest the xfirenis better than 1 290x. Like wise I couod buy 2 hd 7970s for about 20 bucks less than the 2 mentioned 290xs

 

[Uncle Petey]

Two 7950's would be faster, but you then have potential issues with xfire compatibility.
F1 doesn't deal with it (doesn't need it tbh) and Assetto Corsa is currently a bit buggered (no doubt it'll be sorted, as it worked fine before) for example, so I'd think about one really good card perhaps.

 

[robertchalmers1]

Two 7950's would be faster, but you then have potential issues with xfire compatibility.
F1 doesn't deal with it (doesn't need it tbh) and Assetto Corsa is currently a bit buggered (no doubt it'll be sorted, as it worked fine before) for example, so I'd think about one really good card perhaps.

Thnx all this has arose after a deal for 2 x 7950s fell thru when the guy selling realised that he could get more for 1 card than I was giving him for 2. Guess thats all down to this stupid mining thing going on at the moment