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Unsure of What card to get...

Kavalree

Kavalree

Kavalree

Soldato
Joined
21 May 2010
Posts
3,448
Location
Digbeth
So, I am looking at upgrading my PC VERY soon, in the next 2 weeks ideally.

Current spec:
i5 4690K @ 4.6Ghz
Z97X-UD5H-BK
16GB 1866mhz Kingston something or other RAM.
Corsair RM1000 PSU.
AMD R9-290.

I'm wanting to go down the 4K route eventually, around Christmas at the moment. I run 2 monitors now, both 1080p.

Now, I've been "out of the loop" for a year or so now, so I'm not fully up to date on what's the best etc.

I'm looking at a budget of around £250 to £300 for the GPU in 2 weeks. Now, if I need 2 cards for 4K, then that budget is per card.

Not particularly fussed over AMD or Nvidia, never been a fangirl of either.

So... What GPU is the one I should grab?
 
Your R9-290 is perfectly fine for gaming at 1080p for now. The rest of your PC is just fine too. Indeed, you will be able to play older games at 4K if it's got a Displayport 1.2 port. Get your new GPU when you upgrade your monitor and go for a single card over a pair. The GTX 1080 Ti should be out by then, if they're going to release it.
 
I had two 7950's, ended up running one, and recently upgraded to a 1070, mainly as I seen no point spending extra on a 1080 for the percentage difference, and as my main two games are Unturned and WoT hahaha, and as such have decided 1440 for my next monitor.

Having to run two GPU's for comfortable frame rates at 4k is just not really worthwhile, not every game benefits, and it just adds too much cost for a resolution that is still in it's infancy it seems.

Maybe in a year or two we will see a single card capable of superb 4k frame rates at a realistic uninflated "what will they pay" price.
 
4k gaming is still out of the reach of the mainstream because you have to throw so much GPU power at it. Even a 1080 doesn't really cut it in some games.

Unless you're dead set on a 4k monitor, you'll likely get a better gaming experience from 1440p and a 1070 (or a 1060 or RX 480 if your budget won't stretch to the 1070). 1440p is still a big upgrade from 1080p.
 
I was gaming at 4K with a GTX 780 Ti two years ago. Even then I was running older games at max settings. Newer games required reductions in settings but never below Medium, and usually worked fine on a combination of Medium and High. It just depends what is acceptable to you. The Witcher 3 will bring my SLI Titan X (Maxwell) cards to their knees if I turn Hairworks fully on. But while others have been waiting and bemoaning, I've been getting on and having fun.

The OP said he was going to get a 4K monitor around Christmas. Monitors with DP 1.4 ports should be released in that timeframe. This will allow 4K @ > 60Hz and ultrawide 21:9 2160p monitors.
 
I'd say don't upgrade yet, because the distance between your expectations and what's possible with your budget, is the same as between Earth and the nearest inhabitable alien planet, which is to say that that dream won't be realised in your lifetime. Either lower your expectations, or up your budget. Unless you mean non-gaming 4K in which case you don't really need to upgrade at all.
 
It depends even a 970 could play 4K all be it at low settings. Depends what you find acceptable in terms of quality and frame rate.

A 1070/1080 will power 4K with reasonable settings at 60hz. It's those high to ultra settings that take the toll on fps for minor visual improvement.
 
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At the moment it's not possible to know what will happen regarding multi-GPU support. AMD are pushing heavily for this option, whilst NVIDIA will be going the single most powerful GPU route. So it's quite possible that multi-GPU support will be better in the future with DX12 but as of yet it's an unknown.

The current feeling regarding a multi-GPU setup is that the scaling will be bad or just not plain work for some titles. Some games do work really well with multiple GPU's though.

So if you want consistency in frames, presently you would need to go for the single most powerful GPU, which means NVIDIA. Now as NVIDIA currently have complete dominance in this section of the market, prices are really high. So your £500-£600 max budget is going to get you a 1070 or for a bit extra you can get a 1080. The latter can play some games, maxed out at 60fps. Some however are running closer to 40/50 fps, which is playable but its not exactly what you'd want after dishing out so much money.

The other problem here is that NVIDIA's architecture does not seem to be optimised for the DX12 api and with the advent of DX12 that's sort of bad.

So what to take from this? I would say don't bother with 4k now. Stick with 1080p or go 1440. Wait and see how multi-GPU support pans out and wait to see what AMD's offering for higher end cards will be further down the line (i.e. Vega). 4k is presently very much aimed at enthusiasts or those with deep pockets who just want the best.
 
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So, I also think my 290 is dying. Had a run of BSOD 124's in the past 2 days, and a few weeks prior I had some sever graphic glitches in games.

4K gaming at High/Ultra settings doesn't sound a realistic target factoring in my frankly, limited budget (£1K total, including screen)

So, what about a new card to run games at Ultra 1080p? I'll eventually get a 4K monitor for movies and TV when they are more mainstream.

So, budget, £250 to £300...
 
Jaffa_Far said:
So, what about a new card to run games at Ultra 1080p? I'll eventually get a 4K monitor for movies and TV when they are more mainstream.

So, budget, £250 to £300...
Click to expand...
The GTX 1060 and RX 480 are the obvious choices. You won't be able to completely max out every game on them at 1080p, but you won't be far off. As for which one you should buy, you'll get a thousand different opinions on that. I'd recommend looking at the benchmarks for the games you want to play and choose based on that. They both have their strengths and weaknesses.

The other option would be a 980 Ti if you could find one for under £300, which is quite a bit more powerful. Although if you happen to be looking for a mouse, mousepad and cuddly dragon to hold at night as well, OcUK currently have an MSI 980 Ti bundle for £350 that might fit your needs.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/msi-nvidia-gtx-980ti-gaming-kit-with-graphics-card-interceptor-ds200-mouse-thunderstorm-alu-mousep-gx-32h-ms.html

Alternatively, flogging the mouse and mousepad would bring the card close to £300.
 
My budget has risen to £400... Same specs needed.

So, with £400 would you get a GTX 1070 or GTX 980Ti? I've compared them on various sites and the 1070 comes out 1% better? Although, it is more expensive than the 980Ti, it is also newer... This has made me stuck...
 
Jaffa_Far said:
My budget has risen to £400... Same specs needed.

So, with £400 would you get a GTX 1070 or GTX 980Ti? I've compared them on various sites and the 1070 comes out 1% better? Although, it is more expensive than the 980Ti, it is also newer... This has made me stuck...
Click to expand...

I went 1070. Prices aren't massively dissimilar, and I chose the newer card. Do you have a 120hz screen, or are you on 60?
 
If you're buying brand new then it has to be a 1070.

A 980ti is only worth it if you can find one cheap second hand.

And let's face it, that's not likely seeing as people still seem to think they are worth £300 :p

I'd pay an extra £50 and get a brand new 1070 thanks ;)
 
I think the best buy on the gpu market today is the 1070 so if you want to upgrade the gpu increase your budget for one of them, Personally I'd get one of the cheapest non-blower models like the INNO3D Hercules. If you can't increase the budget to that I'd go for an 8gb 480 or a 6gb 1060. Personally it'd be the 480 out of those two.

Jaffa_Far said:
My budget has risen to £400... Same specs needed.

So, with £400 would you get a GTX 1070 or GTX 980Ti? I've compared them on various sites and the 1070 comes out 1% better? Although, it is more expensive than the 980Ti, it is also newer... This has made me stuck...
Click to expand...

I would not touch a 980ti now, 1070 all the way.
 
For <£400 it would have to be the GTX 1070.

If you can get a 980 for a good £100-150 less then that is also an option.

I went for the 1070 but I mainly use the PC for VR so that seemed the logical choice.
 
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