Can it 4K?

[robomanlamb]

Christmas season is starting back up again and I can't decide what to get.

I have it narrowed down into two categories, a new GPU or a new monitor. Recently my dad got a 2k monitor for his work (I don't know why he doesn't even know what a pixel is) and I have ppi envy. That interested me in getting a new monitor, preferably 4k, because right now I have 3x 1080p monitors that I use for multitasking.However, I was thinking of ditching the middle one for a new 4k monitor. I usually just use my computer to play some heavy gaming I guess, mostly for CS:GO, a bit of Far Cry 4 and other misc. less intensive steam games. My current setup is an oc 3770k at 5Ghz turbo and 2x 7970s in crossfire. That is my dilemma, because I don't think I would be able to play those games in 4k with decent settings. I can play Far Cry 4 max everything at about 50 fps, so I was thinking low settings on 4k for FC4, I am less worried about CS:GO, I get 250 fps. That brought me to my next idea of asking for a new video card for Christmas, (as my parents budget is about 600$ plus some other random stuff they pick out) and getting the monitor for my birthday in February.

Here was the stuff I was looking at :

Monitor: http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-28-Inch-Definition-Monitor-U28D590D/dp/B00IEZGWI2/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1416979649&sr=1-1&keywords=4k+monitor

GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487079&cm_re=980-_-14-487-079-_-Product

Another thought, why did Nvidia go from the 384 bit architecture in the 780 to 256 bit in the 980? Just Curious, Thanks
~Matt

 

[Joseph DeGarmo]

It depends on the games and hardware. I can run games like Left 4 Dead 2, Dead Space 3, DMC: Devil May Cry, and Resident Evil 4 HD Steam version on ultra settings 4K at 60 fps (PC specs in my signature). I'm playing on a 1080p monitor with the games rendered in 4K using NVIDIA DSR, but I'm not sure how it compares to playing on an actual 4K monitor. You can probably get by with playing Battlefield 4, BioShock Infinite, and Far Cry 3 @ 30 fps maxed on a 4K monitor.

 

[robomanlamb]

It depends on the games and hardware. I can run games like Left 4 Dead 2, Dead Space 3, DMC: Devil May Cry, and Resident Evil 4 HD Steam version on ultra settings 4K at 60 fps (PC specs in my signature). I'm playing on a 1080p monitor with the games rendered in 4K using NVIDIA DSR, but I'm not sure how it compares to playing on an actual 4K monitor. You can probably get by with playing Battlefield 4, BioShock Infinite, and Far Cry 3 @ 30 fps maxed on a 4K monitor.

That is pretty impressive, I think I will get the 4k monitor and if it runs well enough I will keep my cards for another year, other wise i will just shell out the money for a 980 (or hopefully the 980 if it is available by then).

 

[Joseph DeGarmo]

The GTX 980 is too expensive for the performance. You should go for two GTX 970s in SLI. About 1.7x faster for only $100 more. I've seen a Samsung 4K monitor going for $370 during a pre-Black Friday sale earlier. But the most recent NVIDIA drivers have issues with SLI on 4K displays right now. Wait until drivers have improved before going that route.

 

[robomanlamb]

The GTX 980 is too expensive for the performance. You should go for two GTX 970s in SLI. About 1.7x faster for only $100 more. I've seen a Samsung 4K monitor going for $370 during a pre-Black Friday sale earlier. But the most recent NVIDIA drivers have issues with SLI on 4K displays right now. Wait until drivers have improved before going that route.

That is great news about the monitor, I just don't know if the SLI would scale as well as just having one card, as some applications only utilize one and I want to get the full power of the card. I realize the price to performance ratio of the 980 is poor, but is it worth it to buy two? Let's say I get two this card; http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487075&cm_re=gtx_970-_-14-487-075-_-Product ,that is about 660 USD, or about 15% more money than the graphics card, for about 1.7x the performance. I realize that is a great deal I could easily afford if I sell my current GPU's, I just know I didn't get that great of an improvement with crossfire and I am skeptical of improved SLI performance and if Nvidia DSR takes into account that you aren't actually using a 4k monitor that you saw with your testing. Here are some benchmark numbers: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/nvidia-geforce-gtx-980-970-maxwell,3941-10.html according to all the links and stuff, the 970's in SLI perform 30% better than the single 980 for 15% more money, so it is still the better deal, however, If that 980 goes for more than 15% off I might snag one, as it seems like the more economic choice. Even better if the 980 ti goes for say 600 bare minimum, the 780's would go on sale possibly enough for me to get two 😀

 

[manez]

The top AMD cards seems perform better than nvidia cards at higher resolutions, so that might be something to consider.

 

[robomanlamb]

The top AMD cards seems perform better than nvidia cards at higher resolutions, so that might be something to consider.

I'll check it out when I get my monitor, thanks!