760 SLI, Single 770 w/ SLI later, or wait for 9970?

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
Status
Not open for further replies.
RandomSauce22

RandomSauce22

Honorable
Jan 27, 2013
133
0
10,710
For my first build I am looking at these different options for GPUs. Since SLI 760's cost about $500 and have been found to even compete with the Titan at times, would it be better to simply buy those from the get go, or would it be more beneficial to buy a single 770 for $400 and buy another in a few months when I have more cash and perhaps the prices drop from the AMD HD 9000 release? That also raises the question of whether or not I should just wait for the 9970 to come out?

I currently have a mediocre laptop that can't really run any games from like 2010 and later (dual core APU @ 2.7GHz) so I would prefer to build the rig now rather than wait until October for the 9000 series. I am leaning towards getting a 770 and SLI later, but I would like to get more opinions.

Also, if I go with the 770 would it be beneficial to get a 4gb version if I will be going with SLI in the future? Currently I have a 1440x900 monitor (upgrading to 1080p eventually) so would the extra vram really make a difference? I won't be doing 3x monitors or higher resolution gaming so I would assume 2gb would be sufficient.

My future rig specs (without GPU):

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($33.24 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($144.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($70.33 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($67.95 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 850W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($90.91 @ Amazon)
Total: $817.39
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-26 20:38 EDT-0400)
 
Solution
E


That's what I would recommend, too. By the time you will start to see any noticeable difference in actual gaming performance between the 770 and 760 SLI, the price of the 770 should be down enough that you can add another one for SLI for a combined price of little or more than what you would have to pay now for two 760s. So in the long run, 770 SLI will have more bang for your buck than 760 SLI bought now.

The 770 price is already likely to drop a bit with the launch of the HD 9000 series, although not very much. I'd say you're easily good for at least 1 to 1½ years with a single GTX 770, being able to max out most games. If you buy another 770 a...
Sort by date Sort by votes
cookybiscuit

cookybiscuit

Honorable
Aug 31, 2012
3,406
0
13,460
At 1080p 2GB is more than enough, a 4GB card is a waste of money. SLI 760 is pretty hard to beat, the 770 is faster but delivers less value for money. If you are ok with the higher price, then go for it, but two 760's would be very fast anyway.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
RandomSauce22

RandomSauce22

Honorable
Jan 27, 2013
133
0
10,710
Thanks for your reply! I know that 760 SLI is pretty hard to beat, especially for the money. Performance greater than a 780 (and sometimes competing with a Titan) at about $150 less. However, if I get a 770 now and buy another one when the HD 9000 cards release, the price may drop and thus yield greater performance per dollar. But, that's all speculation on my part and 760 SLI may ultimately be the better choice.

760 SLI: 1
770 (SLI later): 0

Anyone else have an opinion?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
RandomSauce22

RandomSauce22

Honorable
Jan 27, 2013
133
0
10,710
I am leaning towards the 760 SLI. Looking at the 760 SLI vs the 770 SLI, the 760 SLI is looking amazing for performance as well as the price while the 770 is looking amazing for performance though not quite as great for price -- $300 more (though maybe less in the future) for no more than 30 fps more in certain games is not looking like as great of a deal.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
BeastLeeX

BeastLeeX

Distinguished
Dec 13, 2011
431
0
18,810
Personally I don't think the 9970 will drop in at $400, mainly because the 7970 is still a strong contender at the right price, and the 9970 will probably be strong enough to compete with the 780, and the price would be just like the 7970 at release. So I don't see a problem with buying now, and I would grab a GTX 760, it's price/perf is amazing from reviews.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
E

ekseli

Honorable
Jun 25, 2013
150
0
10,710
Get one GTX 770. When it eventually it's not fast enough anymore, you can then judge if it's better to by a second GTX 770 or some new card. You commit far less money that way and can review your upgrade options that much sooner when the time comes.

Simply put, a single GTX 770 gives you more options down the road than committing to two GTX 760s now. And for quite some time you will hardly notice the difference in games.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
R

Raheel Hasan

Honorable
Apr 17, 2013
1,019
0
11,660
760 has the best price to performance at this point. Even single 760 is enough for 1080p and if u sli 760 then it can beat titan in many titles at half of its price. U dont have to worry about anything for next 2 generations if u have 2x760
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
E

ekseli

Honorable
Jun 25, 2013
150
0
10,710


Except that they'll still be capped at 2GB VRAM. That may bottleneck the speed of the two 760 GPUs sooner than two GPU-generations down the line. That's another reason why I would advise in favor of the 770, as it gives you more flexibility with your upgrade options (i.e. whether to SLI or to upgrade to a newer card) once the speed of the single card isn't enough.

Buying SLI 760 now is just going to commit you to a more expensive solution for a longer time, without a significant short-term advantage -- all the while risking a long-term disadvantage.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
BeastLeeX

BeastLeeX

Distinguished
Dec 13, 2011
431
0
18,810


Buy some 4gb chips then.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
RandomSauce22

RandomSauce22

Honorable
Jan 27, 2013
133
0
10,710
One GTX 770 is capable of 60fps on most games (perhaps not Crysis 3 max settings, for example) while the 760 SLI can get 120+ on the majority of games, so long as they have good SLI optimization. Right now that is wasted power for me as I game on 60Hz. The 770 is seeming better now (I know I'm contradicting my previous statement) since it suits my situation perfectly. In the future, should this card start to struggle, I could pick up a 770, perhaps at a lower cost and kick my frames up further and allow my rig to last for a while longer.

Waiting for the HD 9000 isn't a no-brainer for me since I will have no rig until October.

With regards to 2gb vs 4gb:
Is it really worth getting a 4gb 770? I'm just playing on a single 1440x900 (1080p as soon as I feel like buying a new monitor) so that extra 2gb would be kind of pointless. Also, since the 770 has a 256 bit memory bus, would it even be able to utilize the entirety of the 4gb?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
cookybiscuit

cookybiscuit

Honorable
Aug 31, 2012
3,406
0
13,460

Not worth it.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
RandomSauce22

RandomSauce22

Honorable
Jan 27, 2013
133
0
10,710


That's what I thought. Not worth the extra $50 (or $100 for SLI down the road).
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
BeastLeeX

BeastLeeX

Distinguished
Dec 13, 2011
431
0
18,810


It doesn't compete, it wins, Just look at sli reviews, in most cases it beats a 780 (BF3, Tomb Raider, Crysis 3, Farcry 3, Bioshock Infinite).

Sources: http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/geforce_gtx_760_sli_review,1.html
http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/zotac_gtx_760_sli_review,1.html
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Guingix

Guingix

Honorable
Jan 24, 2013
55
0
10,640
9970 will be at 550$

So in my opinion. I would wait for that one.

It would be higher than the 780 but slightly lower than the titan.

It worth to wait + BF4 Optimization. :)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
RandomSauce22

RandomSauce22

Honorable
Jan 27, 2013
133
0
10,710


I currently have no computer capable of playing any modern games even on low (as stated in my first post). Do you really think I should wait until October? That's a little over 2 months that I will be going without a rig. If you keep waiting for the next greatest thing, you never buy anything. A single 770 seems to suit me well, and buying another for SLI in a few months/year will give me Titan-like performance.

Also, where are you getting $550 from? I haven't seen any information regarding the 9970's price.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
toyftw

toyftw

Dignified
Jul 29, 2012
4,370
0
16,960


 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Guingix

Guingix

Honorable
Jan 24, 2013
55
0
10,640
Lol. Me also doesnt have a rig. Ive been checking lastest and tech stuff for 2 years. :lol:

October is a worth to wait because AMD will update there Radeon HD Series. Or just build a rig without a gpu :lol: either way It's your choice anyway. We're just here to give advice. :) no hate.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Guingix

Guingix

Honorable
Jan 24, 2013
55
0
10,640


At some sources and rumors :lol:
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
E

ekseli

Honorable
Jun 25, 2013
150
0
10,710


There are 4gb 760s?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
E

ekseli

Honorable
Jun 25, 2013
150
0
10,710


HD 9000 might lower nVidia 700-series prices, yes. But since we don't how well they perform and how much they will cost, there are absolutely no guarantee that they will. If the 700-series remains competitive, the prices may remain as they are or the discount might be minor. Meanwhile you wait for more than 2 months to see whether the HD 9000 series actually live up to the hype or not.

They might be best thing since Voodoo 2. Or, what is more likely, they will not.

 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Guingix

Guingix

Honorable
Jan 24, 2013
55
0
10,640


Lower? :Lol: They won't. Because they need the HD 9000 Series to be 20-30% faster than the 7970? or GHZ?

BTW AMD and BF4 partnered together so i expect them in the Never Settle Bundle :lol:

and I think if AMD push through there GPU. They'll be interesting.

And AMD is known for their Multi-Monitor Setup with Single GPU called "eyefinity"
But Nvidia has also "Nvidia Surround" but its not so popular towards consumers. but PhysX is :lol:

We'll see 1st what AMD has to offer for us and if its a fail. I wont have a doubt to get an Nvidia Card.

I heard rumors that Nvidia will release the TITAN ULTRA. Stronger than Titan Obv. but high price :pfff:
Unknown release date though.

 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Status
Not open for further replies.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom