GTX 780 SLI vs. GTX 770 SLI

[Criticalacc]

So it's been a while since I've seen this discussed in the forums and due to the not so recent price drops, I've gotten a bit curious. I'm building a PC in the month of June next year and had planned on getting an Asus GTX 780. In my opinion, the card is the most beautiful card I've ever seen, and it's pretty beastly. Soon after I was going to throw in another for SLI. Then, I looked up some benchmarks and noticed that the difference in performance in the 770s and 780s is actually quite small. I want to be able to max out every upcoming game (Until Volta in 2016) at 1080p, so I'm not sure which I should go with. I also just might go 1440p at some point so I have to also consider that as well.

So my question is, should I save my money and grab some 770's, or should I go with 780's and have some more performance and security?

P.S. I honestly wish the 770's from Asus had the same aftermarket cooling design. The one they have now is FRIGGIN AWFUL. It just looks so bland! If they had the same cooler, this would be a much easier decision. I'd go with the EVGA 770s, but it'll be hard to pass up on that 780. I really want dat 780 cooling! 🙁

 

[Drew010]

I would go with a single 780 Ti, and then later if you needed to, go with another in SLI. A single Ti will crush 1080p, and will easily get 60FPS in high-ultra at 1440p. Also the 780Ti will be cheaper than 780SLI, and just about the same price as 770SLI, with about the same performance, but the higher VRAM for the higher resolution.

 

[Anub1s]

If it's going to be built in June, just keep saving and wait until you see what is out at that time. No sense in committing to a particular card if it may be outdated at that time. Maxwell is expected next year, so it's worth waiting to find out what that has in store and when it will be released.

And seriously don't get hung up on looks, look at performance and the efficiency of the cooler. Once they're in the case you'll hardly ever look at the cards anyways.

 

[Criticalacc]

I would go with a single 780 Ti, and then later if you needed to, go with another in SLI. A single Ti will crush 1080p, and will easily get 60FPS in high-ultra at 1440p. Also the 780Ti will be cheaper than 780SLI, and just about the same price as 770SLI, with about the same performance, but the higher VRAM for the higher resolution.

Unfortunately, I'm a bit too superficial for that route. I want to have two cards right out of the gate that will last me a while. The reason is I just want my build to look really good with two sexy cards inside of my case. Plus, my philosophy on adding cards to systems is that if you arent adding cards within a maximum time of a month, then there's no point in buying that card (A bit complicated to go in to detail so I'll spare you an essay).

 

[Criticalacc]

If it's going to be built in June, just keep saving and wait until you see what is out at that time. No sense in committing to a particular card if it may be outdated at that time. Maxwell is expected next year, so it's worth waiting to find out what that has in store and when it will be released.

And seriously don't get hung up on looks, look at performance and the efficiency of the cooler. Once they're in the case you'll hardly ever look at the cards anyways.

I said in the post that I'm willing to change the components as prices and hardware change. Maxwell wont be coming out until Q3 of next year, and I actually want to skip on Maxwell completely. There isn't any point in waiting for whats next since I don't want it. The only variables here are price.

Well, I'm going to have an Air 540 case that I'll be staring at for a while, so I think I'll be getting quite a good view of what's inside. That's why its so important to me.

 

[Anub1s]

I said in the post that I'm willing to change the components as prices and hardware change. Maxwell wont be coming out until Q3 of next year, and I actually want to skip on Maxwell completely. There isn't any point in waiting for whats next since I don't want it. The only variables here are price.

Well, I'm going to have an Air 540 case that I'll be staring at for a while, so I think I'll be getting quite a good view of what's inside. That's why its so important to me.

So, completely writing it off without knowing what it will be, got it.

You're going to be staring at the SIDE and bottom of the card. So I really don't see how this makes any sense at all, but it's your money so, whatever. This especially makes no sense when considering non-reference cards. I would understand if you were looking at the reference cooler design with that green glow on the side, but non-reference? You also have to take into account that SLI doesn't work for every game out there, though it should be more supported as time goes on. The 780ti really is the better option, especially when talking about gaming at 1080p, but again your money.

780s in SLI will net about a 10-15% performance bump over 770s in SLI, for whatever that's worth to you. The price difference doesn't seem at all worth it, even for superficial reasons.

 

[prf007]

You don't need an SLI configuration to max out games at 1080p especially if you're already interested in getting a 780. It would be better to put that extra money towards a single high end gpu, such as the 780 TI as someone already suggested, and then SLI it down the road when your config. starts to struggle. But if you aren't purchasing until June I don't know why you're in such a rush to purchase parts now. If you're really that set on buying a long term solution, you shouldn't be buying components this far out.

I have a 780 Lightning and it maxes every game out now at 1080p with 60+ fps so an SLI config would be a total waste of money for your situation, unless you intend to game at higher resolutions so I would put those extra hundreds of dollars elsewhere.

 

[Criticalacc]

I said in the post that I'm willing to change the components as prices and hardware change. Maxwell wont be coming out until Q3 of next year, and I actually want to skip on Maxwell completely. There isn't any point in waiting for whats next since I don't want it. The only variables here are price.

Well, I'm going to have an Air 540 case that I'll be staring at for a while, so I think I'll be getting quite a good view of what's inside. That's why its so important to me.

So, completely writing it off without knowing what it will be, got it.

You're going to be staring at the SIDE and bottom of the card. So I really don't see how this makes any sense at all, but it's your money so, whatever. This especially makes no sense when considering non-reference cards. I would understand if you were looking at the reference cooler design with that green glow on the side, but non-reference? You also have to take into account that SLI doesn't work for every game out there, though it should be more supported as time goes on. The 780ti really is the better option, especially when talking about gaming at 1080p, but again your money.

780s in SLI will net about a 10-15% performance bump over 770s in SLI, for whatever that's worth to you. The price difference doesn't seem at all worth it, even for superficial reasons.

Allow me to clarify a couple things.
1. I am waiting for VOLTA. VOLTA. I am completely writing Maxwell off because I don't want to spend money on Maxwell, then immediately switch to Volta. HOWEVER. I'll concede a bit and admit that it's a closed minded way of thinking. When I decide to seriously start buying up parts, I will consider Maxwell If the prices are right for me.
2. I simply stated that I really liked Asus's aftermarket cooling. Not once did I say that it was the deal breaker. The point and actual question of this thread is 780 SLI vs 770 SLI and if 780's are worth the performance and security. I just want to hear other people's thoughts on which they would choose.

 

[Criticalacc]

You don't need an SLI configuration to max out games at 1080p especially if you're already interested in getting a 780. It would be better to put that extra money towards a single high end gpu, such as the 780 TI as someone already suggested, and then SLI it down the road when your config. starts to struggle. But if you aren't purchasing until June I don't know why you're in such a rush to purchase parts now. If you're really that set on buying a long term solution, you shouldn't be buying components this far out.

I have a 780 Lightning and it maxes every game out now at 1080p with 60+ fps so an SLI config would be a total waste of money for your situation, unless you intend to game at higher resolutions so I would put those extra hundreds of dollars elsewhere.

I'm not purchasing parts now. I just want to know what everyone else would choose if it came down to these two configurations. 780's in SLI aren't the way I'm going at this point, that's for sure (Unless prices go way down in the future, or Maxwell becomes an option). If it comes down to 780Ti and 770 Sli, I would go for the 770's. That's just my preference. I even stated earlier that I'm just curious as to which one people would prefer anyways.

 

[Criticalacc]

Another thing, I already know all the facts behind the pros and cons in 770's vs. 780's. The fact is, I was choosing 770's the moment I saw how little the advantage was in 780's. I just want people's opinions on which they would choose.