Graphics upgrade for 4k resolution

NicholasTheGreat · Mar 6, 2015

Greetings everyone!

First things first. My configuration is:
Mobo: Asus Hero VI
CPU: i5 4670k + NZXT Kraken X61
RAM: Kingston HyperX beast 2400Mhz 4x4 GB
HDD: Samsung SSD Pro 840 series 128GB + Seagate SSHD 1TB
Case: NZXT H440
PSU: Corsair AX1200i

And the important part:
GPU: Powercolor 290 PCS+
Monitor: Asus PB279Q

While the 290 can run most games at high enough fps, there are some games (Dragon Age inquisition, Bioshock infinite...) that the card struggles with. With all settings maxed out I'm getting 13-15fps which might be considered playable, but definitely not enjoyable. I need suggestions on what would be the most direct solution to this problem.

My initial thought was getting another 290 card for crossfire, but even this one alone can reach 80 deg if fully stressed. This would also require some aftermarket water cooler like the "Accelero Hybrid II" or NZXT G10 with a CPU AIO cooler. The Accelero Hybrid II seems like an affordable solution while the G10 is less so. There is also an issue with leaving VRM exposed.

My 2nd thought was to get rid of the 290 and get the 295x2 which would probably be a better solution but also more expensive. 8GB of VRAM is also better than 4...

Then there is also the new 300 series coming out quite soon. The leaked tests show 390x being a lot faster than the 290x. But since its not out yet, there is no way to tell if it would be better, nor how pricy it will be. Wait for 395x2? Buy 1 390x and wait for the budget to grow a bit for the 2nd one? Decisions, decisions...

I have also considered Nvidia cards, but they are way more expensive. The solution could be to get one 980 now and wait to get the 2nd one when I can. Or I should wait for 980ti...

As you can see, the dilemma is not easily solved (at least not by me).

One more thing worth mentioning is that the monitor supports 10bit colors, and apparently every AMD card does so too, but only professional nvidia cards do. Even though I'm probably never going to see the difference, it would be preferable to use the feature

Thank you for your time.

i7Baby · Mar 6, 2015

4K, BF4 Ultra - http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-r9-295x2-crossfire-performance,3808-4.html

Try a R9 295x2 (with a 1000W PSU)

RobCrezz · Mar 6, 2015

I would wait for the next gen GPUs, Nvidias 780ti/Titan replacement chip (probably called GTX 1080) and AMD 390x should cope with 4k much better.

Gracodana · Mar 6, 2015

The 295x2 only has 4gb of vram it works on the SLI format, I would say a 980 would be a good buy they are great cards and wont make you go bankrupt from energy bills

chenw · Mar 6, 2015

Titan X, when it is released, would be what I'd pick.

Gracodana · Mar 6, 2015

chenw :

We could be looking at a $3000 card, at least $1000 where'as the 980 is about $500 and the 295x2 is about $750.

chenw · Mar 6, 2015

Yeah my assumption here is that Titan X is a single GPU, and will cost $1000 (or similar) like original Titan was.

At that price, and given the specs on Titan X over 980 (I am guessing around 50% performance increase, but this is a huge guess), Titan X just crosses the line where I'd prefer that over SLI 980's for 4k.

If the guy is on a budget, 295x or 290x Xfire would be my next choice, rather than 980's.

Especially if he can't afford a pair of 980's right now, then IMHO there is no point in going near 980's at all.

Gracodana · Mar 6, 2015

chenw :

I would disagree the 980 is still a great card, maybe though it would be a goo idea to wait out for the titan X and see what the price and specs are because it could be a great card for what you need and also could push own am prices.

chenw · Mar 6, 2015

980's is not a bad card on its own, but the price on it makes it, in my opinion, REALLY hard to justify under all practical circumstances I can think of, which is the main reason for my bias against it.

Had 980 been a 6GB card instead, then it would be a completely different story.

NicholasTheGreat · Mar 6, 2015

The price/performance ration is the first thing to consider. The next one would be temps and noise. We all know that 290s aren't adequately cooled. The powercolor pcs+ one probably has the best air cooling solution but even that one goes hot. If I would go for another 290, I would have to get 2x aftermarket GPU coolers.
And lets not forget future proofing (at least to some extent). 4 GB of VRAM is enough for now, but as chenw said, 6GB would be a completely different story.
Here are some values as references:

My budget: 500 to 600 euros. I could squeeze out some more (2-300) for a good cause. Alternatively wait a month or two for some extra. 1000 euros would be the very ceiling, but I wouldn't really want to go that high if I don't have to.
295x2 is ~800 euros
980 is ~500-600 euros depending on the manufacturer

All in all, it would seem that 295x2 trumps 290x crossfire.

Gracodana · Mar 6, 2015

NicholasTheGreat :

I woul agree with the 295x2 trumping the 290x but the thing I ont think you understand is that it's a 4gb card aswell. Every card that we looked at here is. http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/answers/id-2489744/295x2-utilizing-4gb-vram-8gb.html

This is another thread just to back up the point.

NicholasTheGreat · Mar 6, 2015

Gracodana :

Yeah, thanks for pointing that out.
After checking a whole lot of benchmarks, it would seem that both 980sli and 295x2 are on par whereas the 4k resolution is in question, which would leave the following choices:
295x2 for 800 euros
390x crossfire when it comes out, for ~1000 euros
Titan X for at least 1000 euros.

Either way, my wallet is going to take a serious under-belt punch -.-
Feel free to suggest something else.

Gracodana · Mar 6, 2015

NicholasTheGreat :

Gracodana :

Yeah, thanks for pointing that out.
After checking a whole lot of benchmarks, it would seem that both 980sli and 295x2 are on par whereas the 4k resolution is in question, which would leave the following choices:
295x2 for 800 euros
390x crossfire when it comes out, for ~1000 euros
Titan X for at least 1000 euros.

Either way, my wallet is going to take a serious under-belt punch -.-
Feel free to suggest something else.

How about not playing at 4k? Just wait a little bit for another generation and lower the resolution a little.

NicholasTheGreat · Mar 6, 2015

What can I say... I'm an idealist

Another option that I forgot to mention would be selling this card and getting 2x 290x with 8 GBs or VRAM, but the temp problem will probably remain. It would still be cheaper than all the other options...

Gracodana · Mar 6, 2015

NicholasTheGreat :

You legitametly wouldn't need a heater in winter with a pair of those gpu's

. I'm a bit of a nvidia fan so I might be a little biased, in most games I found that the 980 was better at performing and with it's power effiecentcy it is to me much better. The 8gb vram is going to help a lot though so I would say that if you want to keep this for a while then yes your option would be the best. Wait out for the titan X though as it might cause some price drops in competition.

NicholasTheGreat · Mar 6, 2015

Thats exactly what I'm going to. I'll wait for both 390x and Titan X to be released and if they are decently priced, I'll go with one of those two.
Thanks for all your help.

The waiting continues...

Gracodana · Mar 6, 2015

NicholasTheGreat :

It's not fun

TNT27 · Mar 6, 2015

Wait for 390x, HBM could allow easy 4k gaming. And it should have die shrink, and is being released around same price as gtx 980

Should be on the market by end of month

chenw · Mar 6, 2015

It probably won't, they are only introducing the series in Computex, which is in June.

http://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/anton-shilov/amd-to-introduce-its-radeon-r9-300-series-lineup-at-computex/

Graphics upgrade for 4k resolution

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