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- Joined
- 16 Mar 2011
- Posts
- 17
I know the 690 is still a very good card so I should explain why I want to upgrade. First of all I use a 120Hz monitor so 120fps is the aim and despite only using 1080p resolution this can be difficult, even for the 690. Also the games I play are very demanding - rFactor 2, pCARS, Assetto Corsa, Arma 3 etc, so I need all the power I can get. I also play some less popular games which don't have SLI support and therefore a single 680 (half of the 690) isn't the best for this anymore.
I have a budget of around £800.
This might sound like a simple answer, but I have some complications to consider.
Problem number one - I have a Maximus V Gene motherboard, so any SLI/Crossfire setups will mean having the two cards sitting right next to each other. There is barely any space at all between the two PCI-E slots so this will affect temps and any cards with extra large coolers are out of the question. I do have a good case though (Silverstone FT02), so the airflow is decent at least.
Problem number two - I only have a 750W PSU, however my PC is very much 'barebones' - it has a motherboard, CPU, RAM, GPU, a single SSD and the case fans, nothing else. This size of PSU is fine for the 690, and maybe for 780 SLI, but I doubt it would be enough for AMD cards.
Looking at the options,
780 SLI (£800) - A performance increase but not huge. Not sure if two reference coolers would be best or something like EVGA ACX.
780 Ti (£520) - Only a single GPU so a step back in performance (apart from in games which weren't using SLI).
780 Ti SLI (£1000) - Nice performance increase but well over budget.
R9 290 Crossfire (£640) - This is an option I'm seriously thinking about as it seems 290's in Crossfire are very powerful and often ahead of 780 SLI despite being £70 cheaper per card. So the price is good, but the reference cooler is a joke and I don't know how well third party coolers would work with my motherboard (being so close together). It's the type of thing I wish I could 'try before buying'. Also my 750W PSU would be right on the limit with these, in fact I think I'd have to buy a new PSU with them so suddenly the price is heading back to £800.
R9 290x Crossfire (£840) - These are just over budget but again I'd probably need a new PSU which would put the cost closer to £1000.
R9 295x2 (£1100) - Probably the ideal solution for my setup (motherboard) but the price is just comical. Not sure of PSU requirements but I assume it is less than two 290x's.
And that's about it. I think the main problem for my current situation is NVIDIA's lack of a new dual-GPU card. If they released the GTX 790 for £800/£900 I would seriously consider that, but it doesn't exist yet, and their Titan Z which is coming soon is probably going to cost £2000. These kind of prices are just silly, even my £800 budget feels completely ridiculous, as was the £750 I spent on the 690 when it came out.
Sorry to be a bother, just looking for some input, and I think you guys are always the best for hardware questions.
I have a budget of around £800.
This might sound like a simple answer, but I have some complications to consider.
Problem number one - I have a Maximus V Gene motherboard, so any SLI/Crossfire setups will mean having the two cards sitting right next to each other. There is barely any space at all between the two PCI-E slots so this will affect temps and any cards with extra large coolers are out of the question. I do have a good case though (Silverstone FT02), so the airflow is decent at least.
Problem number two - I only have a 750W PSU, however my PC is very much 'barebones' - it has a motherboard, CPU, RAM, GPU, a single SSD and the case fans, nothing else. This size of PSU is fine for the 690, and maybe for 780 SLI, but I doubt it would be enough for AMD cards.
Looking at the options,
780 SLI (£800) - A performance increase but not huge. Not sure if two reference coolers would be best or something like EVGA ACX.
780 Ti (£520) - Only a single GPU so a step back in performance (apart from in games which weren't using SLI).
780 Ti SLI (£1000) - Nice performance increase but well over budget.
R9 290 Crossfire (£640) - This is an option I'm seriously thinking about as it seems 290's in Crossfire are very powerful and often ahead of 780 SLI despite being £70 cheaper per card. So the price is good, but the reference cooler is a joke and I don't know how well third party coolers would work with my motherboard (being so close together). It's the type of thing I wish I could 'try before buying'. Also my 750W PSU would be right on the limit with these, in fact I think I'd have to buy a new PSU with them so suddenly the price is heading back to £800.
R9 290x Crossfire (£840) - These are just over budget but again I'd probably need a new PSU which would put the cost closer to £1000.
R9 295x2 (£1100) - Probably the ideal solution for my setup (motherboard) but the price is just comical. Not sure of PSU requirements but I assume it is less than two 290x's.
And that's about it. I think the main problem for my current situation is NVIDIA's lack of a new dual-GPU card. If they released the GTX 790 for £800/£900 I would seriously consider that, but it doesn't exist yet, and their Titan Z which is coming soon is probably going to cost £2000. These kind of prices are just silly, even my £800 budget feels completely ridiculous, as was the £750 I spent on the 690 when it came out.
Sorry to be a bother, just looking for some input, and I think you guys are always the best for hardware questions.
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