GTX 690 to 7970 TriFire...?

bluethulhu

Honorable
Sep 30, 2012
37
0
10,540
Hi, I currently have an EVGA GeForce GTX 690 running on my gaming build. I am currently thinking of selling that + my old case to get enough money for 3 7970s. This post is pretty short, because I only have one main question. Should I wait for the Radeon 8000 series cards to come out so I can get a price drop? I have overall about $1200 to spend on the new graphics cards (after I sell everything), so should I wait, and what cards should I get?
 
yeah, i would also like to know what your problem was with the 690? how many dispays are you trying to run and at what resolution? and why wouldnt you just get an extra 680/690? What PSU do you have, cause 3 7970's draw a lot of power. And what is the rest of your setup, cpu etc.?
 

A Bad Day

Distinguished
Nov 25, 2011
2,256
0
19,790
The only time Tri-SLI/CF are really worth it is if you can use the mid-range GPUs. For some reason, micro-stuttering virtually disappears when you use three GPUs.

I recall Tom's Hardware tested a 6870 X2 and a 6870 CF'ed together, and the setup outmatched the 590 and 6990 at a lower cost.
 

I think the reason microstuttering disappears when a 3rd card is added, is the same reason performance doesnt scale as well when a 3rd card is added. I think they sacrifice performance with 3 cards to get all the frames to sync up, as they would be harder to sync with 3 cards. Dont know if it's true or not, but it makes sense to me.
 

bluethulhu

Honorable
Sep 30, 2012
37
0
10,540
Here's an answer to all of your questions so far, because I know this can sound a little confusing why I want better than a 690 :p

| What PSU do you have?
I have an Antec High current pro 1200w.

| Why would you want 3x 7970 instead of a 690?
Because I have found myself migrating from mostly extreme-gaming to more and more things like (very intensive) Photoshop, multi-monitor, beginning to start 3D modeling, etc. I have also heard things like how 3x7970s can demolish a 690 in terms of performance/dollar.

| What is the rest of your setup?
Full specs: i7-3930k @ 4.4ghz/1.4v, 16GB Corsair Vengeance, ASUS Rampage IV Extreme, Antec High current pro 1200W, Corsair H100 Cooler, CM Storm Trooper, 256GB Crucial M4, 1TB Caviar Black

| What displays are you using/what resolution?
I really am hoping to get some more better monitors (3 monitors most likely), but ATM, I have an Asus VE248 60hz 1920x1080 monitor.

I will try to add all of the questions people as me onto this list, too.
 
For Photoshop and 3D modeling, you need to look up benchmarks, because they vary wildly depending on the software. You may find your 690 is way better than the 7970's or the other way around.

While the 7970's have much better OpenCL/DirectDraw, the 690 has CUDA, and depending on how the software is written to use those abilities, they can be much better for one or the other.

Also, try to keep an open mind at times, there are fanboys that go crazy one way or the other.

For gaming, a 690 is more than enough for 1080p gaming, and has less microstutter issues than 7970's atm.
 

bluethulhu

Honorable
Sep 30, 2012
37
0
10,540
I know, I'm not sure what monitor I should get, though. I want to find a 1440p (if possible) 120hz monitor for under or around $300. I found some nice BenQ monitors, but they are $500 each :S I want to have the ability to upgrade later without spending more than half of my entire computer cost on monitors ._.