GTX970,980, or wait for AMD?

[missdazzle24]

Forgive me, I'm not the best with his type of stuff lol.


But I'm kinda stuck on which graphics card I should get. Like I want the 970 because it's pretty cheap and I hear it's really good; but I'm worried about its 3.5GB of Vram issue. With the lack of Vram I kinda want the 980. Or maybe waiting on AMD would be best?

I play at 1080p and I hear the 970 is just fine when at this resolution, But I also know some games that even at 1080p seem to push over the 3.5GB usage.


Will the 980 last me much longer? if I can get two years out of the 980 i would say it's worth my money. Granted I'm not expecting things to be maxed out two years down the road lol.


I don't know I'm just so confused on what to do!!


Specs if it helps.


CPU- i5-4670k 4.5ghz
GPU- EVGA GTX 760 SC 4GB
RAM- 8GB G.skill 2133.
Motherboard- MSI z87 G45 Gaming.
PSU- EVGA Super Nova 850watt.

Monitor I use is an Acer 25'' 1920x1080p 1MS with 144Hz



I played with a 970 in GTA V on a friends PC with my same specs and the improvement was insane over my 760. But damn that Vram thing it has.



I don't know a thing about AMD lol. I had a 5870 before the 760 but that's it. Not sure what the new AMD gpu's will be offering or when they are being released.


I was told to ask you guys here cause you're all awesome apparently.

 

[Zuhayr378]

If you have the patience to wait, it's always better. The information from AMD is rather limited, but from what we know and even what AMD has revealed...the 300 series looks promising. Well....somewhat.

Waiting is the best thing. NVIDIA might even release some newer variant of the 960 like 960ti, the 980ti, and AMD will release their 300 series line-up (or part of it). So just wait. i as well am eager to see what AMD will offer and how it will compete with NVIDIA rolling in new cards every few months.

Also, the 960 is a great 1080p card on NVIDIA's side for 1080p, although AMD has better options for the price and it's a bare upgrade from the 760. 970 and 980 are better for 1440p and beyond and are overkill for 1080p. Then again, just wait for AMD. I see that your specs are very promising for a new high-end card anyways.

 

[Sergeant_Sneaky]

The 300 series are just rebrands yet again, really wouldn't bother.

 

[Zuhayr378]

The 300 series are just rebrands yet again, really wouldn't bother.

Well mostly that is. The 390 and 390x won't. Also, I heard somewhere that they would still hold monstrous TDPs.

 

[Sergeant_Sneaky]

The 300 series are just rebrands yet again, really wouldn't bother.

Well mostly that is. The 390 and 390x won't. Also, I heard somewhere that they would still hold monstrous TDPs.

They might not be, and yes, it's AMD so it'll take lots of power, but I doubt it makes much difference.

 

[chenw]

at 1080p 4GB should be plenty, 970 or 980 does well at that resolution.

At 1440p 4Gb is still enough, but it's cutting it close.

Anything higher than that (21:9 1440p or 4k), I'd completely skip 970, 980 or maybe even 290x. But that's me. Given what I know and how games may evolve, I would probably aim for GPUs with no less than 6GB VRAM.

 

[missdazzle24]

I don't plan to get into 4K until the price drops on the monitors to around $200-300. I'm not sure if i can wait to see what AMD does LOL i kinda just want to upgrade as soon as I can.

So you all think the 970 will do just fine for me?

 

[chenw]

1080p? 970 is probably the best solution for that resolution (there is enough spare power even to have some DSR goodness), 280x also does relatively well.

 

[coozie7]

The VRAM issue is a non event at 1080 rez, I never had any problems with my GTX970 in that respect (plenty of others but no VRAM/stuttering issues) so don't worry about it.

The rumours suggest AMD will release their new (and not so new ) parts mid June, so if you can wait, then do so, at least until the reviews are in before making a final decision.

TBH the overall performance of the GTX970 is so close to that of the far more expensive GTX980 that I'd go for the cheaper card every time, especially at 1080 rez, even on that blindingly fast 144Hz disp0lay I doubt you'll spot any really significant difference between the two.

 

[Mohd Mamat]

Wait until the 300 series are released.There's a chance the GTX cards will get a price cut,and you might need to wait for a week or two after the 300 series release for reviews and benchmarks.From there,you'll be able to choose your future card.

 

[missdazzle24]

Well 970 it is. Just which one is better, MSI, EVGA, or Gigabyte? I'm not very good at waiting for something.

MSI's red and black would really match my whole setup LOL.


The EVGA FTW edition seems to have a high clock speed then both MSI and Gigabyte.



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127832

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487077

www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127832

 

[coozie7]

Patience! You must learn patience, Padawan!
OK, enough Yoda.
I'd opt for EVGA, they're usually a little more expensive than MSI but their warranty and customer service are second to none.
If you like the look of the MSI, well, it's still a good part and probably cheaper than the EVGA.

And you've linked both GTX970 and GTX980 cards BTW.

 

[missdazzle24]

Ooops, i thought i posted the 970 versions LOL. Yeah I really have no patience at all when it comes to wanting to buy stuff, I see something I want, I buy it lol. Then it goes on sale a week later.

Back on topic. I have always used EVGA GPU's and they have been grea; so i will probably go with them again.. Not like anyone would see the inside of my case to see it all matches red and black lol. Why cant they make purple parts? Like if they made a purple GPU where the GTX 970 logo lights purple.. I would just throw money at it.



Edit: Links fixed.

 

[Zeriu]

I am in the process of upgrading myself. Currently running an EVGA 770 ACX SC 2GB version. Using a 1440p monitor with 144hz. I run just about every game out today on my 770 maxed out. I can not however keep my games at 144fps to take advantage of the 144hz though. In intense scenes where there are a lot of action it can dip to as low as 55fps for a bit at 1440p. If I downscale to 1080p my frames stay at 90fps and well over 144 for the most part.

You can take my experience with the GTX 770 to help you decide if a 970 would fit your needs. The 970 is a fair bit faster then my 770 and has more VRAM which I think is my main issue in 1440p and why I plan on upgrading soon. Anyway hope this helps.

 

[missdazzle24]

I am in the process of upgrading myself. Currently running an EVGA 770 ACX SC 2GB version. Using a 1440p monitor with 144hz. I run just about every game out today on my 770 maxed out. I can not however keep my games at 144fps to take advantage of the 144hz though. In intense scenes where there are a lot of action it can dip to as low as 55fps for a bit at 1440p. If I downscale to 1080p my frames stay at 90fps and well over 144 for the most part.

You can take my experience with the GTX 770 to help you decide if a 970 would fit your needs. The 970 is a fair bit faster then my 770 and has more VRAM which I think is my main issue in 1440p and why I plan on upgrading soon. Anyway hope this helps.

I won't be using 4k for a long time. But I do have a monitor with 144Hz rate and i never come close to 144fps with my 760 LOL. I actually got the monitor and such a big PSU cause i was going to SLI my 760 but i decided not to.

 

[Zeriu]

I am in the process of upgrading myself. Currently running an EVGA 770 ACX SC 2GB version. Using a 1440p monitor with 144hz. I run just about every game out today on my 770 maxed out. I can not however keep my games at 144fps to take advantage of the 144hz though. In intense scenes where there are a lot of action it can dip to as low as 55fps for a bit at 1440p. If I downscale to 1080p my frames stay at 90fps and well over 144 for the most part.

You can take my experience with the GTX 770 to help you decide if a 970 would fit your needs. The 970 is a fair bit faster then my 770 and has more VRAM which I think is my main issue in 1440p and why I plan on upgrading soon. Anyway hope this helps.

I won't be using 4k for a long time. But I do have a monitor with 144Hz rate and i never come close to 144fps with my 760 LOL. I actually got the monitor and such a big PSU cause i was going to SLI my 760 but i decided not to.

1440p isn't 4K, it's still categorized under 2K.

 

[missdazzle24]

I am in the process of upgrading myself. Currently running an EVGA 770 ACX SC 2GB version. Using a 1440p monitor with 144hz. I run just about every game out today on my 770 maxed out. I can not however keep my games at 144fps to take advantage of the 144hz though. In intense scenes where there are a lot of action it can dip to as low as 55fps for a bit at 1440p. If I downscale to 1080p my frames stay at 90fps and well over 144 for the most part.

You can take my experience with the GTX 770 to help you decide if a 970 would fit your needs. The 970 is a fair bit faster then my 770 and has more VRAM which I think is my main issue in 1440p and why I plan on upgrading soon. Anyway hope this helps.

I won't be using 4k for a long time. But I do have a monitor with 144Hz rate and i never come close to 144fps with my 760 LOL. I actually got the monitor and such a big PSU cause i was going to SLI my 760 but i decided not to.

1440p isn't 4K, it's still categorized under 2K.

oooh i did not know that.

 

[missdazzle24]

I ran across this http://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/2tfybe/investigating_the_970_vram_issue/


Nice read. Pretty much this guy ran some test and according to him, the Vram issue is actually not a big deal like people made it out to be.


Anyway I going to buy the EVGA FTW GTX970 And I thank each and everyone for helping me

 

[Sergeant_Sneaky]

The VRAM issue is a non event at 1080 rez, I never had any problems with my GTX970 in that respect (plenty of others but no VRAM/stuttering issues) so don't worry about it.

If you crank up the AA it is, sent mine back because of it, I'm going to wait for the next series, but check they have full VRAM this time.

 

[Zeriu]

The VRAM issue is a non event at 1080 rez, I never had any problems with my GTX970 in that respect (plenty of others but no VRAM/stuttering issues) so don't worry about it.

If you crank up the AA it is, sent mine back because of it, I'm going to wait for the next series, but check they have full VRAM this time.

Yeah newer games like Dying Light, GTA V for example all use a ton of VRAM even for 1080p if you want everything turned on. I am still rocking 2GB of VRAM and it's really taking a toll.

 

[gokitty199]

The VRAM issue is a non event at 1080 rez, I never had any problems with my GTX970 in that respect (plenty of others but no VRAM/stuttering issues) so don't worry about it.

If you crank up the AA it is, sent mine back because of it, I'm going to wait for the next series, but check they have full VRAM this time.

Yeah newer games like Dying Light, GTA V for example all use a ton of VRAM even for 1080p if you want everything turned on. I am still rocking 2GB of VRAM and it's really taking a toll.

me and my friend have been maxing out dying light with our 970's with no issues. no studders or anything of that nature.

 

[missdazzle24]

If I have any issues I don't like I will return it and just buy the 980. But really I think the 970 will fit me just fine, I don't even use MSAA cause it always hits the fps hard, so I use FXAA.