Crossfire or Single

Javin · Jul 19, 2014

Howdy fellow gamers, I have a question. So I am in the market to beef up my computer a little bit more so I can get ready for the next gen games, and I was wondering what would be the best card to get? I wanna play games in 1080p ultra of course, and I was considering if it would be smarter and better to get a SLI setup with 2 GTX 660's? Or should I go for a card like a GTX 780ti or Radeon R9 290x? Money isn't really a issue, but be reasonable, cheaper is better of course. I'm trying to get the best bang for my dollar, keeping it under 800 dollars. Thanks everybody

i7Baby · Jul 19, 2014

Work out your budget. You'd probably also need to allow for a new power supply. And you have to check if the cards will fit in your case.

Two 660's won't be real good. 2 x 660Ti's would be OK (about the same as a 780).

You'd need a 650W power supply eg http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207014 -$100 which leaves $700 for

eg http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127770&cm_re=msi_gtx_780ti-_-14-127-770-_-Product

TechyInAZ · Jul 19, 2014

no, don't go sli or crossfire from the start.

Because:

1. Don't have latency headaches every once in a while when a bad driver comes around.
2. So you can just add another very powerful card in SLI in the next year or two without replacing your video card.

JackNaylorPE · Jul 19, 2014

Hmmmm..... overclocking or using right outta box ? 1920 , 2560 or 4k resolution ?

I wouldn't do anything with a 6 in front of it.

1920 and 2560 and you overclocking

At $900, I'd put in two MSI 780s..... so far I been getting OC's on the 780s in the 22-27% range whereas best I get on the 290x is like 7 - 16% ...as a result, like they do here, my OC'd 780's are outperforming my OC'd 290x's

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djvZaHHU4I8 (numbers at 8:40 minute mark)

At $600, every other week I'd buy the MSI 780 Ti. On the other weeks when it's like $670, I'm not a customer.

4k resolution and / or no manual overclocking

At $740 I like two 290s in CF, again by MSI cause their coolers are just waaaaay quieter than anyone else's.

All those SLI /. CF issues you read about are non existent when the card cost is in the $200 + range. Yes, you may wait a week or two for SLI profiles, maybe a month for CF profiles on new games.

Of course we haven't talked about the PSU.... if ya have 850 watts, there's nothing to talk about..... if not ya have to factor that into budget.

Kian Palmer · Jul 19, 2014

I am running two 660 Tis myself, and they can play almost any game at maximum settings at 40-60 FPS.

Two lower-spec cards whose price adds up to a single high-spec card is almost always faster. SLI all the way!

If you want something right up at your budget, I recommend two GTX 770s. The two of them can outperform a single 780, 780 Ti, and Titan.
If you are going for the two 770s, make sure that your power supply can supply enough power.
NVidia recommends a 600W minimum for having 770s in your system. Each card consumes 230 watts. Also it requires one 8-pin connector and one 6-pin connector.

I highly recommend two 770s; you won't regret it

JackNaylorPE · Jul 19, 2014

Kian Palmer :

http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-770/specifications

Thermal and Power Specs:
98 C = Maximum GPU Temperature (in C)
230 W = Graphics Card Power (W)
600 W = Minimum Recommended System Power (W)
One 8-pin and one 6-pin = Supplementary Power Connectors

So that's 600 watts for the 1st card and the rest of the system + 230 for the 2nd card or 830 watts and yes, nVidia assumes you gonna overclock.

http://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/msi-geforce-gtx-770-gaming-review,5.html

Here is Guru3D's power supply recommendation:

GeForce GTX 770 - On your average system the card requires you to have a 550 Watt power supply unit.
GeForce GTX 770 2-way SLI - On your average system the cards require you to have a 750 Watt power supply unit as minimum.
GeForce GTX 770 3-way SLI - On your average system the cards require you to have a 1000 Watt power supply unit as minimum.

If you are going to overclock your GPU or processor, then we do recommend you purchase something with some more stamina.

sora · Jul 19, 2014

I would just go for a card like the GTX 780Ti or R9 290x if you have the budget. Considering you have $800 you could go for two GTX 770s like Kian Palmer suggested. Also, because you have $800 I suggest going the SLI way.

Steel_Nugget · Jul 19, 2014

I just saw on newegg that you can get a R9 290 for under $400. I would recommend grabbing two of those, since they would destroy a GTX 780 Ti for around the same price.

i7Baby · Jul 19, 2014

Gigabyte $360. But don't forget the power supply. 2 x 290's need 1000W

Steel_Nugget · Jul 19, 2014

I just relized you have a FX 4100 as your CPU, which will bottleneck anything above a GTX 660 (If it already isn't) So I'd sepnd some of the cash getting a new CPU (FX 8320 or FX 8350 if no MB upgrade) with a R9 290.

i7Baby · Jul 19, 2014

Yep - 8350 plus ASRock 990fx Fatal1ty mobo - there's $300. Leaves $500. Minus $100 for good power supply eg Seasonic 620 leaves $400. so one Gigabyte R9 290.

Steel_Nugget · Jul 19, 2014

i7Baby :

+1 but he may not need a new MB, so please post what your MB is Javin.

i7Baby · Jul 19, 2014

In fact, post your complete build

JackNaylorPE · Jul 19, 2014

(2) 290s are not same price as 780 Ti .... The best 7870 Ti is $600 every other week on newegg.

(2) 290s are no where near requiring 1000 watts

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/radeon_r9_290_review_benchmarks,10.html

Here is Guru3D's power supply recommendation:

AMD R9 290 - On your average system the card requires you to have a 550 Watt power supply unit.
AMD R9 290 Crossfire - On your average system the cards require you to have a 700 Watt power supply unit as minimum.
AMD R9 290X - On your average system the card requires you to have a 550~600 Watt power supply unit.
AMD R9 290X Crossfire - On your average system the cards require you to have a 800 Watt power supply unit as minimum.

If you are going to overclock GPU or processor, then we do recommend you purchase something with some more stamina.

Steel_Nugget · Jul 20, 2014

JackNaylorPE :

I found a GIGABYTE R9 290 for $360 so that *2 is $720 which is the average cost of a GTX 780 Ti (A little more) but would perform so much better.

JackNaylorPE · Jul 20, 2014

Yes, I merely pointed out that you can find the **highest rated" 780 Ti for $600 .... it seems a bit unfair to compare the cheapest (and loudest) 290x with the average 780 Ti's when you can in fact buy the best 780 Ti for $170 less than the "average" 780 Ti.

You will note that I recommended (2) 290s in the 3rd post at $740 but that does preclude the future upgrade which is at the heart of the OPs dilemma. To make a well informed choice, "apples and apples" comparisons need to be made.

MSI 780 Ti ($600) or (2) MSI 290s ($740) ..... "apples and apples" both have the high quality low noise cooler, known to be as much as 1/2 as loud as the Gigabyte. Performance wise, the 290s are the obvious best choice for today (as i said above, I wouldn't buy a 780 Ti above the $600 price that MSI offers)......but that locks out a future upgrade down the line. For a person who doesn't overclock their cards manually, or is using 4k resolution, I think this is the most sensible choice with a budget of $800. If you are a GFX card overclocker, and using 1920 0r 2560, resolution, I'd spring for another $80 and buy two MSI 780s for $840.

toyftw · Jul 20, 2014

i7Baby :

That's overstated by quite a bit. Seems to be prevalent with most of the higher R9 series, prob for
the usual reasons, but also the realization those cards were being used by bit/litecoin miners.
Mining is far more taxing on the PSU than gaming.

Javin · Aug 20, 2014

i7Baby :

Ok this is my complete build

Operating system: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Processor: 3.8GHz Turbo Core AMD FX-4130
Motherboard: AMD 760G
Socket: AM3+
Cache: 4MB L2
Memory: 8GB DDR3 SDRAM
Hard drive: 1 x 1TB Serial ATA
Optical drive: 24x DVD+/-RW
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780
Chassis: Thermaltake Commander Mid-Tower Gaming Case
Power supply: 750 Watt

From what im getting from all of the comments, i might as well just get a new rig? Because all of the stuff that I have is being bottlenecked and not reaching full potential? I have been reading the comments and already have been looking at prices. What's your oppinion on what I should do?

Steel_Nugget · Aug 21, 2014

Javin :

i7Baby :

Ok this is my complete build

Operating system: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Processor: 3.8GHz Turbo Core AMD FX-4130
Motherboard: AMD 760G
Socket: AM3+
Cache: 4MB L2
Memory: 8GB DDR3 SDRAM
Hard drive: 1 x 1TB Serial ATA
Optical drive: 24x DVD+/-RW
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780
Chassis: Thermaltake Commander Mid-Tower Gaming Case
Power supply: 750 Watt

From what im getting from all of the comments, i might as well just get a new rig? Because all of the stuff that I have is being bottlenecked and not reaching full potential? I have been reading the comments and already have been looking at prices. What's your oppinion on what I should do?

So you got a GTX 780? Now you should replace that CPU since it will bottleneck. So FX 8320/8350 or a new motherboard with a I5.

Javin · Aug 21, 2014

Steel_Nugget :

Ya I got a 780 for only 350, I felt like that was a deal I shouldnt have passed up. What would you suggest? Should I roll with this AMD FX 8350? Or should I move on over to a Intel processor? And is Ram something that I should consider upgrading? Or would the CPU be good enough to make things run smoothly? Just trying to run BF4 without any frame drops, and fewer loading screens.

Sorry for all of the questions! Just trying to figure this before I make a impulsive purchase.

Steel_Nugget · Aug 22, 2014

Javin :

Steel_Nugget :

Ya I got a 780 for only 350, I felt like that was a deal I shouldnt have passed up. What would you suggest? Should I roll with this AMD FX 8350? Or should I move on over to a Intel processor? And is Ram something that I should consider upgrading? Or would the CPU be good enough to make things run smoothly? Just trying to run BF4 without any frame drops, and fewer loading screens.

Sorry for all of the questions! Just trying to figure this before I make a impulsive purchase.

If you have 8GB of at least DDR2 Ram you should be fine. For CPU I recommend Intel over AMD for high end but if money is a problem a OCed FX 8320 should do the job. But if you do go with a Intel get a I5 4690k.

Crossfire or Single

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