Need Some advice on a new GPU

[CT3993]

Hi guys! I recently became the owner of a triple monitor setup (3 23'' screens) and can't wait to get to playing games with it. I am currently running two Gigabyte GeForce 660 2GB cards, and have noticed that I get some pretty significant frame rate issues when playing games on higher settings now. I was wondering what the main factors are that I should be considering when looking for new cards (I still want to have 2 cards using SLI). I will have to wait a few months before I can purchase anything, but if I wanted to run games like Skyrim or Shadow of Mordor on High/Ultra for example, what kind of cards would you suggest. Does it simply come down to the amount of memory (6 GB vs 12 GB for example), or am I missing something important that I should be checking as well. Thank you for your time and thought!

 

[honkuimushi]

You, didn't say, but I'm assuming your monitors are 1080p. With 3 or those, you have about 75% of the pixels to draw as on a 4K screen. So you'll need a SLI setup that can play Skyrim or Shadow of Mordor on high on a 4K screen. Right now, you're looking at least a pair of GTX 980s, probably a pair 980Ti's or Furies. But if you plan on waiting a few months, look at the new Pascal and Arctic Islands GPUs due out in the first half of next year. Both companies should have HBM and with the first die shrink in years, we might actually see single GPUs that can handle 4K. So a high-mid range SLI setup may be able to do what you want. Memory helps, and you'll probably want 8GB or so, but the biggest factor will be enough power to push those pixels.

 

[CT3993]

You, didn't say, but I'm assuming your monitors are 1080p. With 3 or those, you have about 75% of the pixels to draw as on a 4K screen. So you'll need a SLI setup that can play Skyrim or Shadow of Mordor on high on a 4K screen. Right now, you're looking at least a pair of GTX 980s, probably a pair 980Ti's or Furies. But if you plan on waiting a few months, look at the new Pascal and Arctic Islands GPUs due out in the first half of next year. Both companies should have HBM and with the first die shrink in years, we might actually see single GPUs that can handle 4K. So a high-mid range SLI setup may be able to do what you want. Memory helps, and you'll probably want 8GB or so, but the biggest factor will be enough power to push those pixels.

So I guess my question then becomes what is the difference between all the different 980TI that are available on a site like Newegg? Is it just the manufacturer, or is it something more than that. My old cards are Gigabyte, am I safe to go with them again? Just want to cover my bases with the price on these guys... Lol. Thank you!

 

[honkuimushi]

Gigabyte is a well respected brand. Honestly, most of the companies selling cards in the U.S. sell decent cards. There are differences in cooling solutions and factory overclocks. Some use liquid or hybrid cooling and some are designed to be overlocked even further. Some companies have their own software to try to separate themselves. For an SLI setup, some people like the blowers, but usually the open 2 or 3 fan coolers cool better and allow higher overclocks. They all should be able to be used together, just make sure the cards physically fit in your case and motherboard. Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, Zotac, Galax, EVGA and Palit are all fine. The GPU is made by nVidia. The circuit board and cooler is usually company specific at this level. I would try to balance clockspeed and price, but some of the extra's may have value for you.