780 sli or 980 for 4K

[Kaapstad]

a man can dream lol

that's why i'm looking at two 980's

Not for 2160p don't do it

I have 4 GTX 980s sat on top of my wardrobe but I am in no rush to get them up and running because they are weak @2160p.

Invest in a couple of GTX 980 Ti's !!!

 

[Dicehunter]

780 SLI is good enough for a decent 4k experience. Sure, you may hit the VRAM limit in a couple of games but I can't see it being a massive problem. It's also the cheapest way, given I've seen 780s selling for around £150 recently. However, you then need a good PSU, good case, good fans and be prepared to put up with the noise and heat.

A single 980 is no way, shape or form, good enough for 4k.

What I would do in your shoes mate is wait. The Fury X is a damn good 4k card and once the crap and fur stops flying (IE when the fight is over and all is said and done) it could get very affordable very quickly.

Or you could plump for a 980ti but they're expensive.

Also.. If I'm being completely honest here dude a 980ti really isn't enough for 4k gaming. Not proper, balls to the wall settings 4k gaming experience. Games like Witcher 3 will make it cry, hard. Mind you, even with medium settings at 4k it still looks better than any 1440p game.

In an ideal world you would need two of these latest current cards to keep yourself up in the 60s.

However, don't let that put you off. Two 780s will run GTAV very close to max settings. I run two Titan Blacks and I can max it out with no MSAA (there really is no point at 4k) and with Gsync I never go below about 38 FPS, spending most of the time in the high 40s and 50s. Older games of course are easy..

Edit. Two 780s are about smack bang on with a 980ti. So for £150 or so you can get the same level of performance...

You have to remember a 780 is around 30% slower than a Titan Black, I honestly would not game at 4K with 2 x 780's, It's not just that they are 30% slower but they have half the memory, That will not be a good experience.

Kaap can back me up with some stats when he's awake.

*EDIT*

Nevermind he's on ^_^

 

[SuB]

If that's the advice you're giving then in this case the 390x would be a better option as they get 8GB of Vram instead of 4GB

Well the thread question was 780 sli or 980 for 4k. I answered instead of tailing off into the usual 'oh why don't you get this'.

I haven't bothered with the AMD line up for years, I used the rig/experience I have currently to answer the question he asked, factually.

/fin

 

[Permafrost]

SuB got it, i have thought about AMD but tbh having 954w just the gpus under full load on a 1000w psu worries me even on a 1200w psu, i would be pushing my luck, the idea of have 200/300w spear is less stress on the psu, no matter how good the unit is i'm not taking the risk on a new setup, as for two 980ti, only the cheap-o ones are £509 atm on ocuk and even then there on as this week only so there not going to stay at that price in 2/3 weeks time, if they come down in price i might be able to get a good one, i'm not made of money and it's a NOT sponsored build so by the look of it, it's going to have to be 980's.

also have to think about getting a NVMe SSD, also X99 vs Z170 (should be named Z107)

 

[AlienALX]

If you are getting a 1000watt or even the 1200watt psu, why does it bother you the 390x's draw like 50watts more than a 980ti? You will still have plenty of headroom.

Have you ever seen the episode of South Park where they go to Aspen and go skiing?

Remember the instructor knob that keeps saying "If you don't french fries you're going to have a bad time.." ?

Well that's what you get with Crossfire @ 4k. Certain games don't even work with Crossfire at all, like Far Cry etc. SLI is the much safer option for OP.

You have to remember a 780 is around 30% slower than a Titan Black, I honestly would not game at 4K with 2 x 780's, It's not just that they are 30% slower but they have half the memory, That will not be a good experience.

Kaap can back me up with some stats when he's awake.

*EDIT*

Nevermind he's on ^_^

So you're telling me the 780ti was 30% faster than the 780? no way man, no way. Maybe 10-15% absolute total max.

Trust me also, as a 4k owner 3gb is enough for, what I said to be, a decent experience. I don't even use 3gb on GTAV with max settings (with no MSAA like I pointed out as you just don't need it).

There are only a very small handful of games that will make 780s cry at 4k. Witcher 3 for example, Crysis 3 will be hard.. Other than that everything else you play benefits at least a little bit (Borderlands 1 for example looks amazing at 4k which surprised me) and so on.

TBH? one of the best looking games I have played at 4k is Dying Light. And it runs like stink too, mostly jammed at my 60 FPS Gsync limit.

 

[barnsley]

Trust me also, as a 4k owner 3gb is enough for, what I said to be, a decent experience. I don't even use 3gb on GTAV with max settings (with no MSAA like I pointed out as you just don't need it).

I run out of vram at 1080p with a 780ti. 3gb is not going to be enough for the future.

 

[AlienALX]

I run out of vram at 1080p with a 780ti. 3gb is not going to be enough for the future.

The textures you use at 1080p are usually the same as the ones you use at 4k.. And tell me dude, how many games do you have that issue with?

Right now at 4k with anything other than two Fury X or two 980ti/Titan X you are going to have to make sacrifices in some games. That's just part of running a stupid resolution like 4k.

Tell me what game and I'll try it out dude. I have pretty much everything.

Edit. The future? of course not. That's two Titan X/ti/Fury. I'm just saying for £150 he can have 4k now and have a decent experience.

 

[barnsley]

The textures you use at 1080p are usually the same as the ones you use at 4k.. And tell me dude, how many games do you have that issue with?

Ok.
I have had recent vram issues with:
Arma 3 (even arma 2 did occasionally use more than 3gb vram at 4k supposedly)
GTA V
the vanishing of ethan carter
EuroTruck Simulator 2 also had an issue although I suspect that was the game's fault.



I've also had issues with slightly modded games too. I guess they don't count.

 

[AlienALX]

I don't have ARMA III sadly. GTAV I was using about 3.2gb but that's on a Titan Black with 6gb and I've not tried Ethan Carter at 4k.. I think I uninstalled it because it was boring lol.

 

[Permafrost]

i really do appreciate all the feedback and suggestion on this guys.

 

[Dicehunter]

Vault-Tec I know you are trying to convince yourself that 2 x 780's at 4K is enough but for a good experience it is not, You will have to turn down settings and the 3GB frame buffer is a limiting factor that will cause issues.

I've had 780 SLI and at 4K it was not enjoyable, I moved up to 780 Ti SLI and that was slightly better but not by much as again the 3GB frame buffer was still causing issues, Stuttering etc...

The OP is better off either going 980 Ti or Fury X, Finances permitting.

 

[NeverBackDown]

SuB got it, i have thought about AMD but tbh having 954w just the gpus under full load on a 1000w psu worries me even on a 1200w psu, i would be pushing my luck, the idea of have 200/300w spear is less stress on the psu, no matter how good the unit is i'm not taking the risk on a new setup, as for two 980ti, only the cheap-o ones are £509 atm on ocuk and even then there on as this week only so there not going to stay at that price in 2/3 weeks time, if they come down in price i might be able to get a good one, i'm not made of money and it's a NOT sponsored build so by the look of it, it's going to have to be 980's.

also have to think about getting a NVMe SSD, also X99 vs Z170 (should be named Z107)

You won't get 950watts under full system load with 390x in Crossfire even at 4k. Literally to do that each card would be pulling 400watts each and then everything else make up the 150watts. Only Crossfire review of 390x's i could find was of 1440p and power consumption results and the system only pulled 760 watts.. 1000watt or even the 1200watt you talked about is enough easily.

Your best bet for GPUs is the 390x CF or what you want with 980's. 390x in crossfire at 4k vs the 980's isn't that large of a difference and certainly not enough of a difference to fork up more money on 980's. 390x's are the cheaper option and will still get you amazing results like the 980's will. From the few 4k benchmarks available the 390x and 980 trade blows and really are game dependent. A lot of the time they are within a few FPS of eachother. You spend a little less but gain 4GB of Vram, what's not to like there? You say you aren't made of money, but are spending much more for really little gain. Add in water block costs since you plan on going liquid and it will just be a bigger difference.

If you feel the 980's are still your best option, then by all means go for it. I'm just giving you my opinion and how I see and interpret the results I've looked at

 

[AlienALX]

Just tried out Ethan Carter. Max settings, FXAA, 1.5gb of VRAM used.

So I would imagine it's the same textures it uses for 1080p, just down scales them.

Vault-Tec I know you are trying to convince yourself that 2 x 780's at 4K is enough but for a good experience it is not, You will have to turn down settings and the 3GB frame buffer is a limiting factor that will cause issues.

I've had 780 SLI and at 4K it was not enjoyable, I moved up to 780 Ti SLI and that was slightly better but not by much as again the 3GB frame buffer was still causing issues, Stuttering etc...

The OP is better off either going 980 Ti or Fury X, Finances permitting.

Do you run 4k dude?

Right. Enough of this.

http://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/gtx-780-ti-sli-geforce-review,23.html













And as we can clearly, clearly see, the results are more than good enough. In fact, they're right about bob on the same as the Titan X or 980ti.

I said it repeatedly in this thread but if you turn off MSAA you will likely find that it uses the same textures at 4k as 1080p, so VRAM usage won't change much.

And I have said, repeatedly, that by reducing some settings you can easily get away with 3gb. Easily.

So why bother with a 980ti or Titan X when performance wise there's a fag paper between all three set ups (780 SLI, 980ti, TX).

It's an epic waste of money Dice.

I'll also tell you, as a 4k user, MSAA is a complete waste of space at 4k. I'll also say that I would rather play a game @ 4k on medium settings than play a 1080p game at ultra.

 

[Dicehunter]

Just tried out Ethan Carter. Max settings, FXAA, 1.5gb of VRAM used.

So I would imagine it's the same textures it uses for 1080p, just down scales them.



Do you run 4k dude?

Right. Enough of this.


And as we can clearly, clearly see, the results are more than good enough. In fact, they're right about bob on the same as the Titan X or 980ti.

I said it repeatedly in this thread but if you turn off MSAA you will likely find that it uses the same textures at 4k as 1080p, so VRAM usage won't change much.

And I have said, repeatedly, that by reducing some settings you can easily get away with 3gb. Easily.

So why bother with a 980ti or Titan X when performance wise there's a fag paper between all three set ups (780 SLI, 980ti, TX).

It's an epic waste of money Dice.

I'll also tell you, as a 4k user, MSAA is a complete waste of space at 4k. I'll also say that I would rather play a game @ 4k on medium settings than play a 1080p game at ultra.

Wow you really don't like other peoples opinion do you.

I run 4K and a single card has less issues than a multi GPU setup, Creates less heat, Uses less power, Is quieter, Has a nice amount of memory for some good headroom and more than likely will easily be used in games such as Shadow of Mordor etc...These things are just fact.

 

[JR23]

Well that escalated quickly. I'm sure i'll catch up with you on GTA but I would agree with the general consensus that SLI 980Ti's would be ideal, however thats a big investment, quite a bit bigger than 390X's which should get the job done. Power consumption won't be 950W, that sounds like it's including two systems. (ie. you doubled TTL's figure(don't know didn't read this whole thread)). I would expect 800W peak, perhaps a bit more with mental overclocks, like actually mental maybe you could pull 900W so a 1000W/1200W PSU would be comfortable. But SLI 780's will pull just as much when overclock hard in my experience, just depends if you go for a really overkill overclocking card that can run 1.3v. I'm sure you'll be able to deal with the heat so spec your PSU appropriately.

The VRAM argument going down, I can totally see everyone's angle. The only 4k gaming i've experienced first hand has been with SLI 780Ti's (so only 3GB) playing Grid 2 and it was lovely. Ran really well but with a 28" monitor I didn't feel it added a great deal to the experience over 1440p, a 32" monitor would be a different story. And that's where 4k is at IMO, the visual impact of a huge panel and the density to back it up. Anyway I can an the argument for 3GB being sufficient.

That said I know you like to play GTA and i'm going to assume other more recent and demanding titles too which do appreciate more than 3GB of vram and definitely at 4k! Even at 1440p I get the feeling I could run higher settings on GTA with a little extra memory, SLI 780's easily have the performance.

JR

 

[Permafrost]

Well that escalated quickly. I'm sure i'll catch up with you on GTA but I would agree with the general consensus that SLI 980Ti's would be ideal, however thats a big investment, quite a bit bigger than 390X's which should get the job done. Power consumption won't be 950W, that sounds like it's including two systems. (ie. you doubled TTL's figure(don't know didn't read this whole thread)). I would expect 800W peak, perhaps a bit more with mental overclocks, like actually mental maybe you could pull 900W so a 1000W/1200W PSU would be comfortable. But SLI 780's will pull just as much when overclock hard in my experience, just depends if you go for a really overkill overclocking card that can run 1.3v. I'm sure you'll be able to deal with the heat so spec your PSU appropriately.

The VRAM argument going down, I can totally see everyone's angle. The only 4k gaming i've experienced first hand has been with SLI 780Ti's (so only 3GB) playing Grid 2 and it was lovely. Ran really well but with a 28" monitor I didn't feel it added a great deal to the experience over 1440p, a 32" monitor would be a different story. And that's where 4k is at IMO, the visual impact of a huge panel and the density to back it up. Anyway I can an the argument for 3GB being sufficient.

That said I know you like to play GTA and i'm going to assume other more recent and demanding titles too which do appreciate more than 3GB of vram and definitely at 4k! Even at 1440p I get the feeling I could run higher settings on GTA with a little extra memory, SLI 780's easily have the performance.

JR

yeah need a gta night soon we'll talk then, ti's are out of my price range...

 

[AlienALX]

Wow you really don't like other peoples opinion do you.

I run 4K and a single card has less issues than a multi GPU setup, Creates less heat, Uses less power, Is quieter, Has a nice amount of memory for some good headroom and more than likely will easily be used in games such as Shadow of Mordor etc...These things are just fact.

And costs four times more.

And you're confusing opinions with facts. The facts are that 780 SLI will be fine for a decent 4k experience.

I've already said that two 980tis would be better but those cost a grand. One costs nearly three times as much as the second 780 he would need.

You like spending other people's money huh? How about the right advice, which is two 780s are ok for a decent 4k experience and a grand would be much better but it's a grand.

I've taken your opinion onboard maybe you should do the same with my facts.

 

[Dicehunter]

And costs four times more.

And you're confusing opinions with facts. The facts are that 780 SLI will be fine for a decent 4k experience.

I've already said that two 980tis would be better but those cost a grand. One costs nearly three times as much as the second 780 he would need.

You like spending other people's money huh? How about the right advice, which is two 780s are ok for a decent 4k experience and a grand would be much better but it's a grand.

I've taken your opinion onboard maybe you should do the same with my facts.

Quite argumentative on these forums aren't you ^_^

I've had 780 SLI and it was not a good experience at 4K, Fact is at 1440P it was good for but any higher and it was not.

 

[NeverBackDown]

Quite argumentative on these forums aren't you ^_^

I've had 780 SLI and it was not a good experience at 4K, Fact is at 1440P it was good for but any higher and it was not.

It also depends on the games you play tbh. Minecraft at 4k for example would still be over 200fps Now for AAA games like Witcher 3, Batman, Total War series, it would run like crap.

Personally I think OP's best option is 390x in Crossfire or 980 SLI. No card alone does 4k well tbh, we haven't hit that point yet like we can say with 1080p(if you get my point, don't know how explain it)

 

[Bozzy]

Sorry for thread hijack.

I'm having a similar issue for 1440p

I have a single 1440p screen and currently run a ref gtx780, now i have "some" money i can use .. upto £250-300 for another card. Do i go to 980 (£300 SH) or just get another 780 (£150 SH)

I'm not a heavy Pc gamer but i do like the settings dialled up on anything i play (mostly Arma 3).

What do you guys think?