GTX 780 SLI vs a single 780 Ti

[Joe Coste]

Hello all,

I'm debating whether or not it's worth it to run two 780's in SLI now with my new build, or buy one 780 Ti and then get a second one eventually. However, eventually could mean months (almost a year possibly) down the road. I'm going to be running one 27" 1440p monitor.

My issue is my budget is $3000 (could possibly go a little higher but not much), and I haven't even added case fans yet. Thing I could go lower on are the cpu and just get an i5 instead of an i7.

But the real question is, could I get away with one 780 Ti for the time being and still get great frame rates with a 27" monitor at 1440p?




Here is my projected build currently:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($324.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X60 98.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste ($6.73 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VI FORMULA ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($309.79 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($157.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($169.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($505.91 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($505.91 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair Air 540 Silver ATX Mid Tower Case ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair 860W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit - OEM (64-bit) ($99.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: QNIX Perfect Pixel QX2710 Matte 60Hz 27.0" Monitor ($384.49 @ Newegg)
Total: $2925.70
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-21 09:43 EST-0500)

 

[bnn]

The i7 is more media oriented (photo/video editing etc.) and poses no real difference with the i5, so unless you are gonna do heavy editing or use heavy programs like AutoCAD etc. just get an i5 4670k and save the Money, for the GPU's i would just stick with 780, don't go with Ti it's 400$ to save, and i believe the new series will be out later this year, could save up and upgrade again instead of spending 1500$ on 2 cards

 

[rolli59]

You could save on the motherboard as well and go with the Maximus VI Hero which has all the OC features of it's more expensive siblings but is limited to 2 way SLI. I would go for the GTX780 SLI setup.

 

[eleirs]

I would definitely go to the I-5. It won't make much of a difference in gaming. I would definitely go with the 780 SLI

 

[Joe Coste]

You could save on the motherboard as well and go with the Maximus VI Hero which has all the OC features of it's more expensive siblings but is limited to 2 way SLI. I would go for the GTX780 SLI setup.

I picked the Asus Formula because of the features and the fact that it has a Wifi adapter built-in which is something I will need.

 

[rolli59]

You could save on the motherboard as well and go with the Maximus VI Hero which has all the OC features of it's more expensive siblings but is limited to 2 way SLI. I would go for the GTX780 SLI setup.

I picked the Asus Formula because of the features and the fact that it has a Wifi adapter built-in which is something I will need.

WiFI adapter is a $15 part but it is a nice boards but really will not give you any increase in performance over $200 board was my point. On your budget I would rather reduce the price of the board than drop the I7.

 

[GForceGTXer]

780 sli for sure.

 

[mr91]

I suggest you get the 780 TI and upgrade in a year depending on what games you're playing. I have a 1440p monitor and a 780 ti and I'm satisfied & I play games like crysis 3, metro ll and bf4.

I upgraded from a gtx 780 and I noticed a huge difference in terms of stability, performance and better overclocking.

I never tried 780 sli however according the benchmarks it's faster than one 780 ti however if a game has poor sli support than
a single 780 will give you a better experience.

 

[LmeAde2]

Hello all,

I'm debating whether or not it's worth it to run two 780's in SLI now with my new build, or buy one 780 Ti and then get a second one eventually. However, eventually could mean months (almost a year possibly) down the road. I'm going to be running one 27" 1440p monitor.

My issue is my budget is $3000 (could possibly go a little higher but not much), and I haven't even added case fans yet. Thing I could go lower on are the cpu and just get an i5 instead of an i7.

But the real question is, could I get away with one 780 Ti for the time being and still get great frame rates with a 27" monitor at 1440p?




Here is my projected build currently:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($324.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X60 98.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste ($6.73 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VI FORMULA ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($309.79 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($157.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($169.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($505.91 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($505.91 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair Air 540 Silver ATX Mid Tower Case ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair 860W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit - OEM (64-bit) ($99.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: QNIX Perfect Pixel QX2710 Matte 60Hz 27.0" Monitor ($384.49 @ Newegg)
Total: $2925.70
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-21 09:43 EST-0500)

You should go with this build as it is. You could change out the motherboard and just add in a wifi card but that's up to you. The 780Ti is too expensive when you compare the cost increase to the performance increase.

 

[mr91]

Joe have you ever owned a 780 ti or gtx 780 and a 1440p monitor?

If not - how can you be so sure of the real world performance?

I've seen 780 ti 's for $679 on special sometimes which is an extra $174 for a significantly more powerful card than the 780 and $330 less than 780 sli.

 

[Joe Coste]

Joe have you ever owned a 780 ti or gtx 780 and a 1440p monitor?

If not - how can you be so sure of the real world performance?

I've seen 780 ti 's for $679 on special sometimes which is an extra $174 for a significantly more powerful card than the 780 and $330 less than 780 sli.

Nope my friend, I've never owned these cards so I can only go by what the reviews, forums, and youtube videos say.

I've always built machines and have always just went with one graphics card instead of two, but I thought about trying to go SLI this time. I can afford to go with either (2) 780's in SLI or (1) 780 Ti. I've priced most of everything out that I need now and I could potentially go either route. I was always told to make sure I put my $$ into the graphics cards so I thought I'd splurge.

Do you believe it's worth it to go with two 780's in SLI if I had the money?

 

[mr91]

Depends on the games you play - What games are you playing?

I would suggest getting 1 780 ti and than another one when you have the money.

The 780 ti has the load balancing feature and according to Nvidia it's the best card for overclocking ever.
I find that my Asus 780 ti reference is much more stable and provides more refined gameplayh than my evga 780 and a better overclocker

 

[Joe Coste]

Depends on the games you play - What games are you playing?

I would suggest getting 1 780 ti and than another one when you have the money.

The 780 ti has the load balancing feature and according to Nvidia it's the best card for overclocking ever.
I find that my Asus 780 ti reference is much more stable and provides more refined gameplayh than my evga 780 and a better overclocker

I play MMO's mostly, but I do play shooters occasionally. Sounds like you're a pretty big fan of the 780 Ti's. I wish I could afford two of them.

 

[mr91]

Indeed, I suggest you go with the 780 ti - I've never heard of a MMO that needs more than a 780 ti.

The 780 ti will give you a good experience with the shooters that you play occasional.

A single gtx 780 should be enough for MMO's @ 1440p and give you a decent experience with the shooters you play occasionally.

Perhaps you should get one 780 and if it's not enough power buy another one because 780 ti sli might be overkill if you're mostly playing MMO's.