Do I Need A GTX 970 For 1080p Gaming?

[Kendrick Lamar]

Hey guys, I am building a gaming PC over the summer and I don't know if i should spend over $300 for a GTX 970, or if it isn't really needed. I plan to use an Intel Core i5-4460 and 2x4GB DDR3-1600 memory kit and play games at 1080p. I made a list with the i5 and the GTX 970 and all the other parts I planned to get and the total was around $800. Is it really worth spending that much just for gaming? If you guys could recommend a different card that will still do good in gaming, but a bit cheaper, it would help me out a lot. But if you think getting the GTX 970 is worth it and explain briefly why, I will look into it.

 

[Brunostako]

It all depends on the graphical settings you want to get.

Just 1080p can be achieved with just the GTX 750 Ti, but it has to be played at low settings and you will get about 30 - 45 fps (varies from game to game).

If you want solid 60fps+ at ultra settings, you may want a strong enough GPU, like the GTX 970 which is the best for 1080p.

The most recommended for 1080p, not for ultra settings, are both the R9 285/R9 280X or the GTX 960, because of their price.

 

[Kendrick Lamar]

thanks a lot, I might get the MSI GTX 960 2GB for about $135 less than the GTX 970 I was looking at, but it might be worth saving a bit more for the 970 so I wont have to upgrade for a bit.

 

[toughtrasher]

thanks a lot, I might get the MSI GTX 960 2GB for about $135 less than the GTX 970 I was looking at, but it might be worth saving a bit more for the 970 so I wont have to upgrade for a bit.

I would just fork up the cost of the 970. I'd much rather just enjoy the whole experience together -obviously with limits or else we'd all be getting the very best technology and running our wallets down the ground - with both 1080p and decent graphical quality for a few more years vs. paying a little less for 1080p but lower settings.

 

[maxtex]

Yeah 970 is best if you wanna keep the card for 2-3 years or so. If just 1 year, I think you may wanna decide to go for the 960. Many people actually think next year will be the best year to upgrade your GPU in a looong time, probably since 2007 with that 8800GT, because of the double die-shrink in 2016 (from 28nm to 14 or 16nm) and DX12, all which should make the cards much more efficient.

I actually got a 960 recently for my 1440p screen (it's doing a decent job even here, yes in the most demanding games I have to go to medium, but in a lot of games I can still go high/ultra settings), even though a 970 is a much better 1440p card, but I wanna upgrade next year anyway, to a Pascal gpu or whatever it's gonna be called. So I decided to save a little money and go for a 960. But okay I don't game that often so I can manage a year with a 960, and in the game I play most (gta 5) I can put everything on high and get 60+ fps so it's perfectly fine (nice low-power and super-quiet card too, btw).

 

[Brunostako]

thanks a lot, I might get the MSI GTX 960 2GB for about $135 less than the GTX 970 I was looking at, but it might be worth saving a bit more for the 970 so I wont have to upgrade for a bit.

Just for the record, 2 GTX 960 in SLI don't beat a GTX 970.