Which Video card would be a better option

[Argyrud]

So I currently have a GTX 970 SSC - https://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-Cooling-Graphics-04G-P4-3975-KR/dp/B00NT9UUGI/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1521249890&sr=1-1&keywords=GTX%2B970%2BSSC&th=1
Thinking about getting another one for SLI or just buying a GTX 1060 XLR8 - https://www.amazon.com/PNY-GeForce-Overclocked-Graphics-VCGGTX10606XGPB-OC2/dp/B0792SPV7Q/ref=sr_1_5?s=pc&dd=1w9CKLZe70B4YX9FRvKxPQ%2C%2C&ddc_refnmnt=pfod&ie=UTF8&qid=1521250029&sr=1-5&keywords=GTX+1060&refinements=p_97%3A11292772011

Currently wondering which would be better for getting more FPS playing games at 1080p.

 

[drbones8472]

"IF" the games you play now or are planning to play DO support SLI, then get the 970.
"IF" the games you play now or are planning to play do NOT support SLI then go with the 1060 and either keep the 970 as a backup, or sell it and make some money back.

 

[Argyrud]

"IF" the games you play now or are planning to play DO support SLI, then get the 970.
"IF" the games you play now or are planning to play do NOT support SLI then go with the 1060 and either keep the 970 as a backup, or sell it and make some money back.

From what I understand most games that I play and newer ones typically always support SLI.

 

[87morpheus]

SLI should be more powerful and like drbones said the games you play need to support it. You say they do support SLI so I think that would be your better option.

 

[brandxbeer]

I would get the 1060. The vram makes a difference.

 

[dontlistentome]

"IF" the games you play now or are planning to play DO support SLI, then get the 970.
"IF" the games you play now or are planning to play do NOT support SLI then go with the 1060 and either keep the 970 as a backup, or sell it and make some money back.

From what I understand most games that I play and newer ones typically always support SLI.

Maybe it's the way I read that, but you sound unsure. Either a game you're playing now benefits from SLI or it doesn't, it's a yes or no thing. Also, don't count on any game developer 'typically' supporting SLI. A lot of games don't get that kind of SLI support because there's not a lot of money in it. If you make a game and it doesn't support SLI it's not like you are going to lose a lot of sales.

If it were me, I'd look at game performance using 970s in SLI in the specific games I play, assuming they support it. Does it give the performance level you are looking for? Depending on the games the answer could be yes, but don't assume two cards are always better than one. In fact, you should start by determining what framerate you are trying to achieve and then see what individual card it would take to get that performance. Then see if 970s in SLI can get that performance.

If all you want is better performance, in general, than you're getting now then I'd get the 1060.

 

[cryoburner]

Keep in mind that a GTX 1060 isn't all that much faster than a single GTX 970, and at 1080p you're not likely to run into major VRAM performance issues on a 970 in today's games. SLI support is also going to be iffy though, and in games that don't support it you might not benefit at all from having another card.

And of course, miners caused the prices of these cards to climb quite a bit in recent months, so it's not an ideal time to be shopping for a card. A few months back, you could get a 1070 Ti for less than the price of that 1060, and even some 1080s were priced just a little higher.

Nvidia will likely have a new generation of cards coming out in a matter of months, and there's a fair chance that card prices will be slowly working their way back down as well. A GTX 970 is still a decent enough card for 1080p, and it might be worth just sticking with what you have for the time being, unless you're fine with paying a huge premium for a card right now. It might be better just to lower detail levels a bit for higher frame rates.

 

[The Paladin]

The upgrade in performance from a GTX 970 (which sits between GTX 1060 3GB and GTX 1060 6GB) would be a 1070 or 1080 not 1060. (see PassMark result below)

Personally I am in the same boat as you are, EVGA 970 SSC, running 1080p and I have no interest going to 144hz or 4K, in time, the cards will come to a new generation, everyone will run to buy them and eBay will be flooded with people trying to sell their used video cards, the new card market for 1070 or 1080's will drop for a time.. that will be the time to grab one. 900$ for a 1080 is just... stupid.