Should i get a 770 instead of a 7970? Also, 1440p vs 5760x1080p?

[CCardinals5]

I currently run a Gigabyte 7970 and a single 23" 1080p LG monitor, which runs smooth as butter, no complaints graphically. I want to buy either one 1440p monitor or two more 1080p monitors. I live near a Microcenter where they have the 27" 1440p monitor for only $400. My LG monitor goes for about $200 at the moment so it is effectively the same cost. I'd also need a triple desk stand (3x 1080p) or a wall mount (1440p) for either option. Which is generally thought of as better? I have a 24" HDTV I use as a secondary for movies and TV too. I would have to move it if I got the three 1080p monitors.

As for the GPU situation, I have a single Gigabyte 7970, as mentioned above, and it is a space heater. My office gets up to 10F above the original ambient temperature. It is awful. The card rarely gets above 65C though. It is also rather loud, but I use headphones anyway. I'd like it to be quieter. I have looked at the 770 and it is impressive. I could sell my 7970 and buy a 770 for only $100 more at the most, depending on the model/manufacturer. In the future I would get a second of either card, but I am nervous of throwing two 7970 in there so my house won't melt. SLI is obviously better currently, Crossfire is having issues right now as most of us know, but the soon to be released drivers are supposed to cure it. Also, depending on which way I go with the monitors should I, hypothetically, get a 2 GB or 4 GB 770? I'd need 4 GB for the three monitor setup, right? Would I need 4 GB of VRAM for a 1440p monitor though? My 7970 has 3 GB which would work either way.

I play games like Battlefield 3/4 and ARMA 3 too. Sometimes I play Fallout/JC2 but those don't require that much power. I need them to be maxed out at 60 FPS on ultra too at least high. I just need it after I have seen what my current setup does.

Thanks for reading this wall of text too. Any comments or suggestions are much appreciated! I have been dwelling on this for two weeks.

 

[bdiddytampa]

My recommendation is, wait and see if the new drivers do fix the crossfire setup, and if it does, get a second 7970. Since you already have one of the fastest cards on the market 🙂 Having dual cards would also help you maintain the framerates you are looking for in your higher resolution\ multi monitor setup.
I have a 770 though, and I love it. I only play single monitor 1080p, so I haven't seen its multi monitor or high res performance personally, but I'm going to assume (without much effort lol) that 2 7970s would well outperform 1 770 in the tasks you are looking for. It shouldn't be long until those new drivers come out, so wait and see, and then make your decision 🙂

 

[CCardinals5]

I was gonna wait for the new drivers. It is the heat and noise that bothers me. Maybe a new case is in need too... Suggestions from anyone?

 

[ikaz]

First as other suggested I would wait and see for the drivers, also the 770 only runs around 1-5% faster at Stock speeds (according t Toms review). However things like noise, well that an issue with the cooling solution on the card you could find a 7970 thats more slient than what you got.

It really wouln't be worth it to go to a 770 right now unless you plan to SLI right now as well. Also 770 in SLI would generate more heat then a one 7970 (unless your using a water block) if you want to ugrade your 7970 with another card it wouldn't make sense to go with any other than a 780 GTX (of course that cost more) at least in my opinion.

 

[The Indomitable]

If it's a reference card, water cool it and use quiet fans in a quiet case, like the Define R4 without a side window. A 770 over a 7970 wouldn't really be an upgrade, your money would be better spent on either a second 7970 or a different system upgrade.

 

[CCardinals5]

The 7970 is a great card and quite fast but does run a bit warm in most cases. I would recommend getting a GTX 770 which is faster and runs cooler but I'd get the 4GB model http://amzn.to/16OAqkj if you're running the higher resolutions.

I was wondering if you know if that aftermarket cooler runs the same as the 7970 that I have the same type of the Gigabyte cooler on mine.

 

[CCardinals5]

If it's a reference card, water cool it and use quiet fans in a quiet case, like the Define R4 without a side window. A 770 over a 7970 wouldn't really be an upgrade, your money would be better spent on either a second 7970 or a different system upgrade.

My cards not reference it has the Gigabyte 3 fan aftermarket cooler on it. My case is the MSI commander snow edition it is relatively quiet but it's more the 7970 that is noisy.

 

[CCardinals5]

First as other suggested I would wait and see for the drivers, also the 770 only runs around 1-5% faster at Stock speeds (according t Toms review). However things like noise, well that an issue with the cooling solution on the card you could find a 7970 thats more slient than what you got.

It really wouln't be worth it to go to a 770 right now unless you plan to SLI right now as well. Also 770 in SLI would generate more heat then a one 7970 (unless your using a water block) if you want to ugrade your 7970 with another card it wouldn't make sense to go with any other than a 780 GTX (of course that cost more) at least in my opinion.

I never really considered a 780 do you know of one that is considered very reliable but isn't going to kill me budget wise?

 

[bdiddytampa]

If you want something that is economical then don't consider the GTX 780 at it's current price. Go with a GTX 770 4GB http://amzn.to/16OAqkj

I really wouldn't, not when he is already running a 7970, there is absolutely no reason to switch to a 770. The only way to upgrade from a 7970, is crossfire in my opinion, economically anyway.

 

[smeezekitty]

In my opinion, switching from a 7970 to a 770 is a huge waste of money.
A 770 is a bit better, but not worth replacing the card.

Not like it is a new build or major upgrade.

Furthermore, the power consumption / heat output of the GTX770 isn't much less then the 7970.

And last but not least, AMD cards do better at high resolution

 

[refillable]

Because your 7970 can sell about $300 you can pay $350 more to get the 680. Because in my honest opinion that is the most logical upgrade you can get. You will fix Temperature and noise Issues PLUS that you don't have to worry about crossfire. If your budget are not there yet, I suggest you should wait till the time you have money because the 7970 is adequate for almost everything (Right now at 1080p).

Here is the card I'm talking about
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127746
Here is the performance of that particular card if you're curious (2560x1600)

As far as monitor goes 1440p is better (at least for me). I hate bezels!

 

[smeezekitty]

You will fix Temperature and noise Issues

I am pretty sure it won't. If the ambient temperature is truly going up 10*f just because of the GPUs heat output, even cutting the TDP in half won't make a huge difference.

What you need is to supplement the ROOM cooling.
As it is now, any high end GPU will cause problems.