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NVidia GTX 780 vs GTX 295 X2 (in SLI)

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  • Gtx
  • Nvidia
  • SLI
  • Graphics
Last response: in Graphics & Displays
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October 6, 2013 3:03:51 AM

Hi everyone,

I currently run two GTX 295's in SLI and am considering upgrading to a 780 (and then perhaps adding a further 780 in due course).

I'm struggling to quantify what sort of improvement replacing two 295's with one 780 will bring. I check out 3D mark and it said the two 295's were 24K, and a 780 was just 26K (numbers are their score).

Seems like a small increase, and I would have expected far more. I want to run high end games on max settings and the 295's are starting to struggle...

Thoughts much appreciated! Thanks

More about : nvidia gtx 780 gtx 295 sli

October 6, 2013 3:15:08 AM

3Dmark scores doesn't tell the whole tale
The 780 will be much better in newer games just due to the fact of how much memory it has to work with, and better transfers rates

Even though 2x 295's may be almost as good in 3dmark, in actual games the 780 is going to be far superior as well as supporting more features , use less power and run cooler
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a b Î Nvidia
October 6, 2013 4:59:23 AM

@ Stephenes: What are the rest of the system specs? The current heavy hitters all need a fast quad CPU so it's entirely possible you're seeing as much CPU as GPU restrictions to your frame rates.
Another holdup is the fairly limited 896Mb of (by current standards) slow DDR3 memory per core, meaning that adding AA to the game settings is going to hammer the frame rates far more than it will on a more modern GPU.
Handy as it is 3D Mark is very synthetic, V4.0 of the Unigine Heaven benchmark is a far more realistic test and it's available here: http://unigine.com/products/heaven/ For a baseline my rig scores: max99, min21, and average47 FPS @the custom preset, DX9, no AA, Ultra quality 1920x1080 res. It also scores almost identically under DX11 with maximum tessalation BTW.
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October 6, 2013 6:26:31 AM

coozie7 said:
@ Stephenes: What are the rest of the system specs? The current heavy hitters all need a fast quad CPU so it's entirely possible you're seeing as much CPU as GPU restrictions to your frame rates.
Another holdup is the fairly limited 896Mb of (by current standards) slow DDR3 memory per core, meaning that adding AA to the game settings is going to hammer the frame rates far more than it will on a more modern GPU.
Handy as it is 3D Mark is very synthetic, V4.0 of the Unigine Heaven benchmark is a far more realistic test and it's available here: http://unigine.com/products/heaven/ For a baseline my rig scores: max99, min21, and average47 FPS @the custom preset, DX9, no AA, Ultra quality 1920x1080 res. It also scores almost identically under DX11 with maximum tessalation BTW.


Thanks Coozie.

My system is:

Coolermaster Large Tower case
Decent ASUS Motherboard (3 years old) not sure which one but I recall it doesn't support the new intel chips
Intel core i7 920 2.67Ghz
NVidia GTX295 X 2 (SLI)
6MB Corsair 1600mhz DDR3 RAM
SSD X2 (RAID 0 config)
Large back-up drive (external)
1200W power unit
Monitor = Dell 22inch 1920X1200

That unigine thing ran (on your settings) at around 30fps, low of 5, high of 45.

What do you reckon would make the best upgrade route? I have around $1000 to spend...

Thanks!
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October 6, 2013 7:13:40 AM

I think i7-920 is still a good processor and it'll do fine with GTX 780.
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a b Î Nvidia
October 6, 2013 7:23:34 AM

I'm just going to drone on about the importance of using exactly the same settings as I did, if you don't the benchmarks are not a valid or useful comparison.
Now, some will say get a new CPU/MB/RAM.
But not me.
There's still plenty of life in your current setup and while it's getting on a bit if you check my specs you'll see I'm running a i5 750-same generation as your i7-only real difference is my HD7950 and a modest CPU overclock (3.4GHz)
With current games all pretty well demanding a fast quad my first suggestion is you get a half decent cooler and overclock that lazy i7 a bit, it's time for it to earn its keep properly and stop lounging around at 2.6GHz!
A graphics upgrade will help and I'd suggest the GTX770, especially if you intend to SLI later. Fact is it's quite close to the GTX780 anyway, and the 780 only really shows its superiority at higher resolutions or with multi monitor setups.
BUT AMD are releasing some new hardware over the next few weeks and I think it would be prudent to wait until the dust settles before making any purchases, after all, the system is still capable so I can see no reason to suggest you rush into an expensive upgrade.
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October 6, 2013 7:47:29 AM

coozie7 said:
I'm just going to drone on about the importance of using exactly the same settings as I did, if you don't the benchmarks are not a valid or useful comparison.
Now, some will say get a new CPU/MB/RAM.
But not me.
There's still plenty of life in your current setup and while it's getting on a bit if you check my specs you'll see I'm running a i5 750-same generation as your i7-only real difference is my HD7950 and a modest CPU overclock (3.4GHz)
With current games all pretty well demanding a fast quad my first suggestion is you get a half decent cooler and overclock that lazy i7 a bit, it's time for it to earn its keep properly and stop lounging around at 2.6GHz!
A graphics upgrade will help and I'd suggest the GTX770, especially if you intend to SLI later. Fact is it's quite close to the GTX780 anyway, and the 780 only really shows its superiority at higher resolutions or with multi monitor setups.
BUT AMD are releasing some new hardware over the next few weeks and I think it would be prudent to wait until the dust settles before making any purchases, after all, the system is still capable so I can see no reason to suggest you rush into an expensive upgrade.


Very helpful, thanks.

I was considering the 770 (esp in SLI) but then had heard that if I wanted to upgrade to higher res monitor, 780 may be better (this is on the horizon one day!).

I'll definitely hold off for some price cuts! :) 
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a b Î Nvidia
October 6, 2013 9:39:30 AM

But do n't hold off on the OC!
Trust me, it makes quite a difference ;) .
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