GTX 970 SLI or single GTX 980 with ROG Swift for 120 fps gaming?

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ark1g09

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Sep 10, 2013
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I currently have a single MSI GTX 970 Gaming running on the ROG Swift. Performance is good, but it definitely could be improved. On Crysis 3 (ultra with max AA), I am averaging around 30 fps at the moment.

My original plan was always to buy a second 970 and run it in SLI, but then the RAM issue with the 970 appeared, and I am reading a lot of stuff on how there is no point in SLI 970s.

My question is, with all the 3.5GB RAM issues in mind for the 970, would it be better for me to get a second GTX 970, or sell my existing 970 (I have a buyer lined up) and get a 980 instead?

I am aiming for constant 120 fps in 1440p on games like Crysis 3, COD AW, DA Inquisition, Far Cry 4, and Shadow of Mordor.

Thanks in advance!
 
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ark1g09

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Sep 10, 2013
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Maybe I should rephrase - i am trying to achieve as close as it is possible to 120fps gaming on the swift's 1440p. Would a single GTX980 or SLI GTX970 be better for this?
 
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Blasterbolt

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I have 2 kaf2 980gtx and in bf4 I am Getting 100-118 fops max settings. Dragon age inq I get 60-75 max settings. Shadow of more or max setting except shadows and on which are on high I get 70-80 fps. I to have the swift,it really depends on what title you try to play tbh but I have not hit 120 fops solid on any modern games that I have played
 
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krells

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970 SLI will be much faster than a single 980.

 
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Eggz

Eggz

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Sep 3, 2013
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A pair of 970s will completely outperform a single 980!

The 970 performs about the same as (but technically better than) a 780, which had 3GB of VRAM. Even if you completely write off the 0.5 GB block on the 970, it would still have 3.5 GB and be marginally faster than the 780.

At 1440p (the resolution of your Swift), here is how a pair of 780s does when maxing out a very taxing game compared to a pair of 980s (click graph for full article with other relevant benchmarks):



By comparison, a single 980 only gets between 32 and 38 fps on average (depending on your GPU's OC) in Metro: Last Light, using the same settings. Below is a video of it from this article (along with several other games on different cards):

[video="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khpskBt7OIs#t=148"][/video]

Now before you base any decision on the info above, keep in mind that I cherry picked Metro: Last Light as a highly demanding game. Read the original articles for a more well-rounded picture.

That said, you should be able to infer what a pair of 970s will do even on a bad day in the most taxing game. The GPU ship itself is about the same in terms of performance, but the 780 has 500 MB less in VRAM. So, getting another 970 would put your slightly above the 780 SLI setup, which is better than a single 980 - and almost as good as two 980s. To better illustrate, look at a game that allows higher FPS, such as Batman:

54_68_geforce_gtx_980_sli_vs_gtx_780_sli_at_2560x1440.png


Compare the 780s in SLI, which get 113 fps, to a single 980, which gets only 96 fps at the same settings, according to this article. That's almost 20% faster in that particular game, but again, adding a second 970 would show better performance and less VRAM bottlenecks than a 780.

. . . Long story short, getting another 970 seems like the way to go unless you can afford two 980s.
 
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