Which GTX980 to buy??

[TruBeast]

Hey Guys,

I am a bit of a noob when it comes to GPU specs, so really hoping you can help me out here.

I am looking at purchasing a GTX980 for my newly built rig; but do not know which is the better one to go with?

At the moment I am thinking either the:

MSI GTX980 Gaming Twin Frozr edition

OR the

Gigabyte GeForce GTX980 Gaming G1

Personally, I do like the look of MSI's card; but that is purely what I am basing it on - looks. I would prefer to buy a card based on performance, but don't really understand much of the spec side of things (which is where you guys come in 😀 )

I will be running it at 4k res (via HDMI 2.0), with plans to upgrade to 3x4k monitors (via display ports) in the future (possibly even going SLI then)

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys.

 

[geofelt]

There is little enough difference in performance that you can buy any of them and be happy.

If you will be running a 4k monitor(or even triple monitors), at over 30fps for gaming, you are going to need dual cards.
SLI GTX970 or better.

Running dual cards, I would pick one of the stock blower type coolers.
That will keep the hotter top card better fed with cooling air.
Lots of discussion of this on the EVGA forums.

 

[TruBeast]

There is little enough difference in performance that you can buy any of them and be happy.

If you will be running a 4k monitor(or even triple monitors), at over 30fps for gaming, you are going to need dual cards.
SLI GTX970 or better.

Running dual cards, I would pick one of the stock blower type coolers.
That will keep the hotter top card better fed with cooling air.
Lots of discussion of this on the EVGA forums.

Thanks geofelt.

Can you please expand as to why the gtx970 would be better for SLI? I thought that the 980 would be better - but that is purely based on the fact that it is dearer.

Also (in simple terms ) what are the main differences between the 970 and the 980?

When you say stock blower, do you mean something like this? http://www.cplonline.com.au/msi-gtx980-gaming-4g-graphic-card-47972.html

Thanks again for your help

 

[Huang Ray]

Although the Gigabyte G1 will performance a little bit better,

I think the Msi run cooler and quieter.

I will choose the Msi one, or wait for the Asus Strix!

If you have enough budge, buy one single gpu will be best for you, because you can SLI it later on!

 

[Huang Ray]

(The Gigabyte G1 is.... UGLY (no offense) )

 

[mosti]

There is little enough difference in performance that you can buy any of them and be happy.

If you will be running a 4k monitor(or even triple monitors), at over 30fps for gaming, you are going to need dual cards.
SLI GTX970 or better.

Running dual cards, I would pick one of the stock blower type coolers.
That will keep the hotter top card better fed with cooling air.
Lots of discussion of this on the EVGA forums.

Thanks geofelt.

Can you please expand as to why the gtx970 would be better for SLI? I thought that the 980 would be better - but that is purely based on the fact that it is dearer.

Also (in simple terms ) what are the main differences between the 970 and the 980?

When you say stock blower, do you mean something like this? http://www.cplonline.com.au/msi-gtx980-gaming-4g-graphic-card-47972.html

Thanks again for your help

For obvious reasons dude, it's better bang for buck? sli gtx 970's out perform a gtx 980 but only costs a fraction more.
The 980 is a more powerful card, it has more shader units and slightly higher clocks. But you pay a heftier price for the performance you got opposed to the gtx 970.

 

[geofelt]

A GTX980 is clearly stronger than a GTX970.
What I meant was that for 4k gaming you need a very strong graphics capability that can't generally be met with even a single good card like a GTX980.

The only reason to buy a GTX970 is the lower price.
In simple terms, the GTX980 is stronger, by 10% to 20% depending on the game and resolution.

Your link shows exactly the type of card I would buy.
I would pick the EVGA GTX980 superclock like this:
http://www.cplonline.com.au/evga-geforce-gtx-970-4g-superclocked-graphic-card-04g-p4-0974-kr-45488.html
It comes with a factory warranted overclock that gives you a boost clock of 1342 compared to 1216.

 

[mosti]

Although the Gigabyte G1 will performance a little bit better,

I think the Msi run cooler and quieter.

I will choose the Msi one, or wait for the Asus Strix!

If you have enough budge, buy one single gpu will be best for you, because you can SLI it later on!

Incorrect. The G1 is the coolest running card thanks to its beasty windforce technology. Msi runs quieter. G1 is a faster card out of the box and has a backplate too. G1 is the better option hands down if noise is no factor to you (its not even that much louder).

 

[mosti]

A GTX980 is clearly stronger than a GTX970.
What I meant was that for 4k gaming you need a very strong graphics capability that can't generally be met with even a single good card like a GTX980.

The exact reason I went for 970 sli. A single GTX 980 wont cut it and sli 980 is a dumb suggestion lol. However I've not convert to 4k yet. still on 2560x1440. Waiting for 4k monitors to drop further in price lol

 

[geofelt]

Budget capability differs for each of us.
If you have the budget, there is nothing better than GTX980 sli currently.

But, sli GTX970 is still very good and probably more than satisfactory.

I am waiting on a 4k monitor capable of more than 30fps in a 40" to 50" size.
When that shows up, I will either buy a second GTX780 or preferably a even stronger single card if it is available.

 

[TruBeast]

Thanks Huang,

Yea I do plan to do some SLI in the future.

(The Gigabyte G1 is.... UGLY (no offense) )

Haha yea I kinda agree... that was actually the only reason I was going to buy the MSI card instead, but then thought I had better check first before forking out the dough.

 

[TruBeast]

There is little enough difference in performance that you can buy any of them and be happy.

If you will be running a 4k monitor(or even triple monitors), at over 30fps for gaming, you are going to need dual cards.
SLI GTX970 or better.

Running dual cards, I would pick one of the stock blower type coolers.
That will keep the hotter top card better fed with cooling air.
Lots of discussion of this on the EVGA forums.

Thanks geofelt.

Can you please expand as to why the gtx970 would be better for SLI? I thought that the 980 would be better - but that is purely based on the fact that it is dearer.

Also (in simple terms ) what are the main differences between the 970 and the 980?

When you say stock blower, do you mean something like this? http://www.cplonline.com.au/msi-gtx980-gaming-4g-graphic-card-47972.html

Thanks again for your help

For obvious reasons dude, it's better bang for buck? sli gtx 970's out perform a gtx 980 but only costs a fraction more.
The 980 is a more powerful card, it has more shader units and slightly higher clocks. But you pay a heftier price for the performance you got opposed to the gtx 970.

.... I was planning to run 2 980s in SLI config down the track, but are you saying that that will be overkill for what I am wanting to do? Do you think that 970's in 2way SLI will be able to run my games @ 4k res with good fps & (down the track) run 3 monitors @ 4k res? I don't really want to go 3way SLI, so if it wont do it, then I would rather go with the GTX980's...

Haha hope that made sense, let me know what ya think

 

[TruBeast]

A GTX980 is clearly stronger than a GTX970.
What I meant was that for 4k gaming you need a very strong graphics capability that can't generally be met with even a single good card like a GTX980.

The only reason to buy a GTX970 is the lower price.
In simple terms, the GTX980 is stronger, by 10% to 20% depending on the game and resolution.

Your link shows exactly the type of card I would buy.
I would pick the EVGA GTX980 superclock like this:
http://www.cplonline.com.au/evga-geforce-gtx-970-4g-superclocked-graphic-card-04g-p4-0974-kr-45488.html
It comes with a factory warranted overclock that gives you a boost clock of 1342 compared to 1216.

So would 2 970's in SLI config run my games @4k res and allow me to run 3x monitors @ 4k in the future? If so, then why would people set up a 2(or more) way SLI config with the GTX980?

 

[TruBeast]

Budget capability differs for each of us.
If you have the budget, there is nothing better than GTX980 sli currently.

But, sli GTX970 is still very good and probably more than satisfactory.

I am waiting on a 4k monitor capable of more than 30fps in a 40" to 50" size.
When that shows up, I will either buy a second GTX780 or preferably a even stronger single card if it is available.

But what are the benefits of running 980's in SLI if you could do it with 970's?

By the way, my monitor is a 65" 4k screen and runs at more than 30fps (I think....) (has HDMI 2.0 which runs @ 60Hz)

 

[GTXNvidia]

Is a GTX 980 EVGA superoverclocked good?

 

[mosti]

Budget capability differs for each of us.
If you have the budget, there is nothing better than GTX980 sli currently.

But, sli GTX970 is still very good and probably more than satisfactory.

I am waiting on a 4k monitor capable of more than 30fps in a 40" to 50" size.
When that shows up, I will either buy a second GTX780 or preferably a even stronger single card if it is available.

But what are the benefits of running 980's in SLI if you could do it with 970's?

By the way, my monitor is a 65" 4k screen and runs at more than 30fps (I think....) (has HDMI 2.0 which runs @ 60Hz)

More powerful card = more frames
more frames = Better visuals

It's really as simple as that.

A 980 is stronger then a 970. So a 980sli will be stronger then 970sli. How large is your wallet, that's all this boils down to really. What price are you willing to pay for your gaming quality. A 970sli has better performance per dollar then a 980sli...why? Well simple, due to diminishing returns.

 

[GTXNvidia]

Whats wrong with the GTX 980 super overclocked? It has better boost and base clocks than other cards?

 

[mosti]

Whats wrong with the GTX 980 super overclocked? It has better boost and base clocks than other cards?

Out of the box base and boost clocks don't really make much difference amongst the majority of non reference cards. There are other things to factor in when purchasing a card. Aesthetics, size, cooling capabilities, power usage, overclocking performance, warranty.

 

[GTXNvidia]

Whats wrong with the GTX 980 super overclocked? It has better boost and base clocks than other cards?

Out of the box base and boost clocks don't really make much difference amongst the majority of non reference cards. There are other things to factor in when purchasing a card. Aesthetics, size, cooling capabilities, power usage, warranty.

so whats wrong with it? it seems good?

 

[mosti]

Whats wrong with the GTX 980 super overclocked? It has better boost and base clocks than other cards?

Out of the box base and boost clocks don't really make much difference amongst the majority of non reference cards. There are other things to factor in when purchasing a card. Aesthetics, size, cooling capabilities, power usage, warranty.

so whats wrong with it? it seems good?

uhh...I have no idea where you've come from, you've just simply asked your own irrelevant question in someone elses thread.

 

[TruBeast]

Budget capability differs for each of us.
If you have the budget, there is nothing better than GTX980 sli currently.

But, sli GTX970 is still very good and probably more than satisfactory.

I am waiting on a 4k monitor capable of more than 30fps in a 40" to 50" size.
When that shows up, I will either buy a second GTX780 or preferably a even stronger single card if it is available.

But what are the benefits of running 980's in SLI if you could do it with 970's?

By the way, my monitor is a 65" 4k screen and runs at more than 30fps (I think....) (has HDMI 2.0 which runs @ 60Hz)

More powerful card = more frames
more frames = Better visuals

It's really as simple as that.

A 980 is stronger then a 970. So a 980sli will be stronger then 970sli. How large is your wallet, that's all this boils down to really. What price are you willing to pay for your gaming quality. A 970sli has better performance per dollar then a 980sli...why? Well simple, due to diminishing returns.

Thanks Mosti.... But what I am trying to figure out now is whether I should go with a 970 in a 2way SLI config straight off the the bat, or if it is worth getting the 980 like originally planned and SLI it in a few months...

Haha sorry if it seems like a stupid question, but I did say in my original post that I am a noob when it comes to these things, so please amuse my stupidity for a bit...

Basically, I want a kick ass system - however I don't want to spend money on performance that won't even be used or noticed... Ok, I'm going to use a stupid metaphor here... hope it makes sense-

Let us assume for this metaphor that I have bad eyesight... I go down to the park and see a flock of seagulls from a distance, because of my poor eyesight they don't look very clear, but I can make out they're seagulls.

I then get closer and I can start to make out their features more clearly, feathers, beaks, eyes, there may even be a seagull there with one leg (they're always seems to be one in a crowed). Now, lets call this upgrade A - I would pay for this kind of difference in quality.

I then decide to pull out my prescription glasses (lets call them GTX970 2waySLI glasses), and everything looks so much sharper. I can make out each individual feather and the way the wind is pushing it, each blade of grass, each seagulls imperfections. Lets call this Upgrade B - I would pay for this kind of difference in quality....bare with me I have almost reached my point

Then let us say my friend comes along with his fancy glasses and starts bragging about how he payed $300 more for his glasses (which are called GTX980 glasses) and gives them to me to try... I put them on and notice little to no difference between them and my glasses - Call this Upgrade C - I would NOT pay for this kind of difference in quality

He then comes back the following day (somehow I am still in the same spot watching the same seagulls) and tells me he has upgraded the lens in his glasses (they are now gtx980 2 way SLI glasses), I try them on and now I can see each vein in the blades of grass and my reflection in the seagulls eyes - Upgrade D, I would pay for this kind of upgrade....

So I guess what I am trying to work out is how noticeable would the difference between 970's/980's in SLI config be - if it is quite significant then I will go with the 980's, if I'm gonna have to put my nose right up against my tv to notice any change, then I will go with the 970's.

...Wow this response ended up a whole lot longer than I intended it to be...

Basically, if my GPU's are going to put out a lot more juice than my monitors can handle, then it is too much and I don't want/need it. (starting out with a 4k monitor via HDMI 2.0(60Hz), then moving into 3 4k monitors via display ports)

hope that all makes some sort of sense

 

[mosti]

I'm not even going to go into details and straight up tell you what's best for your money and what you should consider for 4k gaming. GTX 970 sli. Although a power card, GTX 980 isn't going to cut it. 4k gaming is still stepping into the scene and it's very demanding.

 

[TruBeast]

I'm not even going to go into details and straight up tell you what's best for your money so you're no confused etc etc. GTX 970 sli.

Haha ok cool done! Thanks!

...But FYI, I wouldn't mind knowing why it is better - it's not just about building a kick ass system, it is also something that I find that I quite enjoy and would like to learn more about.... So if ya got the time to spare, then please go into all the detail ya like.

 

[TruBeast]

I'm not even going to go into details and straight up tell you what's best for your money and what you should consider for 4k gaming. GTX 970 sli. Although a power card, GTX 980 isn't going to cut it. 4k gaming is still stepping into the scene and it's very demanding.

Soooo... to somewhat future proof, would the 980's (in SLI) be a more viable solution (costs aside), or would the 970 still cut it?

 

[mosti]

Cost aside, 980sli is a stronger setup then 970's, why? because 1+1 =2 whereas 2+2=4. More cuda cores, faster clocks, it's a more powerful card.

We need to establish at what settings you're wanting to play your games. The absolute max we will concentrate on.

970's will cut it but even then, it's only just cutting it. I've gone sli 970's but I'm not 4k gaming yet. I still believe we're on the casp where 4k gaming is either now or later, there is no future proofing at this stage. sli 980's will give you around 40fps with max settings on crysis 3 at 4k. GTX 970 will give you 30fps. This is only scraping the surface of 4k gaming at max settings. GTX 980 is not future proof for 4k if you want max settings.

If you can hold off till December, the 980ti will supposedly be released then. By the performance leaks ive obvserved, we will start to get into the future proofing 4k zone.

So you're options right now for 4k gaming for max settings is (looking at one of the most demanding games, crysis 3)
GTX 980 sli - 40fps
GTX 970 sli - 30fps

When I purchased the 970 sli's I wasn't even considering 4k gaming because I total the overall costs and I just couldn't justify spending so much money on cards and a 4k screen at this particular time. With the 970's, I will be able to game at 4k if i really want to and yes, it will look pretty spectacular too but that's because we haven't been here for long and it wont stay at this level for much longer which the next gen of games launching next year, DX12, gtx 980ti coming, difference nm boards on their way. I just don't see GTX 980sli as a resonable option being on the casp of 4k gaming. The cost is just too high for no future proofing.