760 SLI, Single 770 w/ SLI later, or wait for 9970?

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RandomSauce22

RandomSauce22

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Jan 27, 2013
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For my first build I am looking at these different options for GPUs. Since SLI 760's cost about $500 and have been found to even compete with the Titan at times, would it be better to simply buy those from the get go, or would it be more beneficial to buy a single 770 for $400 and buy another in a few months when I have more cash and perhaps the prices drop from the AMD HD 9000 release? That also raises the question of whether or not I should just wait for the 9970 to come out?

I currently have a mediocre laptop that can't really run any games from like 2010 and later (dual core APU @ 2.7GHz) so I would prefer to build the rig now rather than wait until October for the 9000 series. I am leaning towards getting a 770 and SLI later, but I would like to get more opinions.

Also, if I go with the 770 would it be beneficial to get a 4gb version if I will be going with SLI in the future? Currently I have a 1440x900 monitor (upgrading to 1080p eventually) so would the extra vram really make a difference? I won't be doing 3x monitors or higher resolution gaming so I would assume 2gb would be sufficient.

My future rig specs (without GPU):

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($33.24 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($144.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($70.33 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($67.95 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 850W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($90.91 @ Amazon)
Total: $817.39
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-26 20:38 EDT-0400)
 
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That's what I would recommend, too. By the time you will start to see any noticeable difference in actual gaming performance between the 770 and 760 SLI, the price of the 770 should be down enough that you can add another one for SLI for a combined price of little or more than what you would have to pay now for two 760s. So in the long run, 770 SLI will have more bang for your buck than 760 SLI bought now.

The 770 price is already likely to drop a bit with the launch of the HD 9000 series, although not very much. I'd say you're easily good for at least 1 to 1½ years with a single GTX 770, being able to max out most games. If you buy another 770 a...
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How does that contradict the possibility that nVidia may have to lower the GeForce GTX 700 -series prices to stay competitive?

Again, that's the best case scenario. It is also possible that the 700-series remains competitive against the HD 9000 series even at current prices, which is why I wouldn't put off a purchase right now.

Just to be clear, I would put off an upgrade if you didn't have an urgent need for a faster GPU for some current game. But if you do have a need right now, there's no compelling reason to wait for over two months for something that may or may not be worth the wait. Even if you did wait for HD 9000 to hit the stores, you would then have another "just a few months" until the next nVidia outing... which, following the same logic, would prolong your wait even longer.

I haven't seen any indication that the HD 9000 series would be in any way revolutionary. Faster for the money than the 700-series maybe, but that's always to be expected from a product line that is several months newer. They will certainly not be something that will make the GTX 760 or GTX 770 obsolete in any absolute terms.
 
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And, of course when the AMD's hit, it'll be a few more month's before the drivers catch up!
 
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@toyftw

I don't know bout that, I'm pretty sure the next gen will be a refresh, since both companies are waiting for 20nm to be finalized, and ready. Personally I think that Nvidea did a very smart thing to bring there 700 series earlier then AMD's next gen, This should allow them to work on Maxwell quicker, and more efficient. AMD is behind in the 20nm race right now in my view. Also the 7970 has solid drivers now, I can vouch for them, and say that they do a hell of a good job in many titles.

 
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Yeah, there's just a lot of speculation and unwarranted hopefulness on these forums that the HD 9000 series will be something new and almost revolutionary that will leave nVidia in the dust. Then again it might be the usual fanboyism preceding every launch, but in any case some caution is warranted with regard to the hype. More likely than not it's just going to be another incremental improvement like almost all previous generations. In these things being cynical will make you more often right than enthusiastic optimism.

It doesn't mean it wouldn't be worth the wait if you're not in a hurry to upgrade. Indeed it would be quite rational to wait and see if you have no immediate need for a new GPU, but at the same time there seems to be very little reason to wait if you do have a reasonable need to buy a GPU right now in the next few weeks.

A month would generally be the longest time I would wait for a new generation tech product unless there's truly something revolutionary down the like. Haswell improving laptop battery life by several hours over Ivy Bridge is revolutionary. A new GPU improving performance by 10% over the previous generation is not.
 
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Oh, I agree they have excellent drivers(I have a 7870) now (except for CF), but it did take them more
than 6 month's after release to get the 7000 series right.

Yeah, if it's a refresh, which is most likely, then the drivers will be up to date.

Yes, AMD is behind Nvidia this yr, but I think they conceded the 1st 3 qtrs, so
they could introduce in time for the 4th qtr when the lions share of GPU's will
be sold.
 
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Well I found a Sapphire 7970 OC for about $318. Should I go for that and Crossfire eventually? AMD is supposedly releasing new drivers on the 31st that will fix CF's frame metering issues, so it seems like a solid plan.
 
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It's a good value, I'd do it. They will eventually get the CF drivers right, but I wouldn't
count on it the 31st of this month.
 
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You won't have to worry about memory bottlenecks with a 7970 since it has 3gb of VRAM (In the future), and $318 is a pretty good deal.

 
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That rather misses the point of the article though. Here's the money quote:

"That's why you really shouldn't spend money on two mid-range cards for an SLI configuration, and instead invest in one powerful high-end card with the same level of performance as two mid-range cards. In this case, better to have one GTX 780 than two GTX 760s. However, if you already own a mid-range card, adding a second one will of course boost performance."

So get one GTX 770 now and add a second one later if it still makes sense. Don't commit yourself to an SLI from the get-go unless you absolutely have to.
 
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Absolutely agree with ekseli. You should not commit yourself to SLI right from the start unless you absolutely have to. If you really think about it, mid-range SLI is one of the least future-proof options you can pick. Because you're tapping into your motherboard's SLI/CF capabilities early on.

Imo, you should get a GTX 780, which overclocked will run Crysis 3 at ~50 fps. As titles are released in the future, you can then buy another 780 when you need the horsepower. I assume you have a board capable of 3-way SLI. If you go SLI right off the start, then you've only got room for 1 more card later on, which limits how long your setup will last.

If you get a 780 today, then in the future you can buy up to TWO more 780s as you need them. three 780's is going to last you a lot longer than three 760's.

The minimum I would suggest if you want to run Crysis absolutely maxed at 1080p is an MSI GTX 770 Lightning. It's the top-performing 770 design right now, approaching stock 780 performance once overclocked. That limits you to three 770's max in the future, but that's still a heck of an improvement over three 760's.

Futureproofing doesn't just include raw performance. It also includes the expandability of your setup, which is important because as your needs become harder to fulfill, you can expand your system to meet your requirements.
 
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I couldn't agree more with you guys. This thought has been running through my mind since I've considered going with the SLI 760's, but there were a lot of people who said to just get the 760's because they're the "best bang for your buck." That's true, but like you guys said, you're limiting your ability to upgrade in the future.

LeMonarque, as much as I would love to get a GTX 780, it would put me $100 over my budget. The MSI 770 Lightning seems pretty good though and fits well into my budget
 
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That's what I would recommend, too. By the time you will start to see any noticeable difference in actual gaming performance between the 770 and 760 SLI, the price of the 770 should be down enough that you can add another one for SLI for a combined price of little or more than what you would have to pay now for two 760s. So in the long run, 770 SLI will have more bang for your buck than 760 SLI bought now.

The 770 price is already likely to drop a bit with the launch of the HD 9000 series, although not very much. I'd say you're easily good for at least 1 to 1½ years with a single GTX 770, being able to max out most games. If you buy another 770 a year from now, let alone two years from now, I would hazard a guess that it'll cost no more than a single 760 does today.
 
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Solution


Noooooooooooooooooooooooo!!! 🙁

It's okay... Whateva, enjoy your new GPU when you get it!
 
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Thanks! I reselected my Best Answer so it's all good.
 
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+1
 
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Guys all these answers sli against non-sli lack common sense. Especially those that suggest single 770 for later SLI configuration.
You are forgetting about sli power consumption and dual pc-ie mobo requirements. If you use sli you are adding additional 100-150$ to your setup because you need more powerfull PSU and Mobo that supports dual PCIe preferably with x8 x8 congfiguration.
So that means that either way (770 single and later upgrade or 760sli) you are buying SLI supported Mobo and PSU.
So with single 770 you are essentially paying the same money, getting worse performance (some say its not noticeable, but it is non the less slower) and committing to later SLI configuration - because as mentioned already payed for better mobo and psu that is not used until the upgrade.
Or you can get single 770 (cheaper then 2x 760) with cheaper mobo and psu and after a year or 2 upgrde to 870 or something which will probably be as fast as 2x 770.
But if you are perfectionist and every fps counts - get 2x 760 with good mobo and PSU it will play every (crysis including) game perfectly and will last longer. Then you can upgrade to two 2x 860 and beat the shit out of 880 :)
 
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