2560x1440 question (GPU upgrade)

[satanigatan]

Hey guys!

So recently, I upgraded from a 1080p monitor, to a 2560x1440 27 inch IPS monitor. I absolutely love the new resolution, and am beyond ecstatic with it.

However, I currently have a GTX 680 2gb - and it runs everything pretty damn well, but going from a 1080 to 2560 resolution, I can definitely tell there is a performance difference. I think the biggest problem is the memory. 2gb seems to be a bottleneck at this resolution, and I wish all 680s came with 4gb (although I know for most people, 2gb is more than enough for this current generation/ PC set ups).

So my question is:

Do I get a single 3gb HD-7970 GHZ edition for $399 - and then buy another one in a couple months to crossfire them? Or should I just buy a single 4gb GTX-680. Will I notice a difference between a 3gb 7970 and the 2gb GTX680? (I can only afford one card right now, and will be able to buy the second one later. So I'm considering just buying the 7970 now if it actually will give a better performance. But if I won't notice a difference, I might just hold off until I can buy two).

I could also get another 2gb GTX 680 and SLI them, but based on my understanding, that memory at this resolution is still a bit troublesome.

 

[blackmancer]

buy another 680 2gb

 

[EzioAs]

I don't think memory is the issue here. 2GB is still more than enough in most games at 2560x1440. That res will actually put most cards at it's knees actually, we're talking about around twice the pixel count of 1080p. Either you lower some of the image settings (disable AA first, you don't need it at this res) or buy another 680 2GB and run them in SLI.

SLI doesn't necessarily scale well in all games though, just a reminder. So, keep your expectations realistic. Find benchmarks on the games you want to play and decide whether SLI is worth it or not

 

[satanigatan]

Interesting. I figured it was the memory at this kind of resolution. So SLI of my same 2gb card might yield a better performance in some games?

I'll have to look at some charts then.

 

[EzioAs]

It will yield better performance. Best case scenario, you get twice the performance. On some games, the scaling might be lower but still very respectable for multi-GPU configuration (50%-70% scaling is good). A couple exceptions are games like GTA4 where SLI doesn't even scale. Batman Arkham City also shows lower minimum framerates than single card even though average framerates is higher.

But, like I said, you have to decide yourself whether SLI is worth it in the games you play. Another alternative, is to keep the card and upgrade when the next gen comes out.

 

[siddharthmukul007]

take a look at the memory usage...while running any game,if the memory usage is constantly at its peak.
gettin another 2gb gtx660 won't help because you are going to get the same amount of v ram in sli..which would than become the bottleneck
you than have to in for the hd7970 3gb.
and if it is otherwise...get the gtx660 2gb