GPU upgrade or change help needed.

xbulletxfeverx · Apr 26, 2015

Hey guys,

currently have this hardware and need some help!!

fx 8350 AMD build
M5Afx990 pro r2.0 motherboard
2 strix GTX 970 in SLI
128 samsung SSD
500GB HDD
320GB HDD
antec 620W high current Gamer
CM hyper 212 EVO
corsair S.P.E.C-02 mid tower case..
Display:
Acer XB280HK 2K4K G-sync monitor

** yes i know im gonna catch crap for running that PSU with all this..... but the funny thing is , i havent had a problem even once yet and it has been running like this for a few months playing games like castlevania LoS 2, CoD advanced warefare, FFXIV, Metro 2033, crysis 2 , batman arkham origins, H1Z1, Borderlands 2, DMC, games like that pushing the GPU's to the max in 4k with a few settings turned down for a solid 60fps and no problems.

first question..... switching to the new PCIe 3.0 sabertooth..... how much of a difference will i see in 4k resolution??

second question.... what would make more sense for more FPS and ultra settings at 4k ?? is there any cheaper suggestions?? i know there a few roads to travel here..... #1 - 3rd strix GTX-970...... which would also include a new PSU obviously first of all(which i plan to swap for a 900w antec high current gamer since i had a great experience with this one) and also, i will need a new case....
possibly will also need a smaller cooling solution on the cards to fit them which brings around talks of water blocks and custom liquid cooling

solution #2..... sell the 970s keep the case, get 2 strix GTX 980s, swap the PSU and leave most everything as is which will also be very expensive.....and this would also benefit from the sabertooth 3.0 PCIe ???

i just want all settings jacked to thge max on every game in 4k with seeing atleast 80 fps on my framerate monitor to account for drops to stay above 55-60 fps at all times as the monitor is 60hz with g-sync

please help... lol im neck deep in lands unknown!!!! lol i know what i want, just need to know what to do to get there!!!

dont get me wrong, i am very very very pleased with how this currently runs as its my first build, gaming went to another level, but i want the 1080 smoothness at 4k since i now am already in 4k

Thanks in advance guys!!!

The New Guy

xbulletxfeverx · Apr 28, 2015

answer........

Swap to V Formula Z motherboard, switch PSU to 900w high current gamer, AIO H100i cpu cooler.... then add third strix GTX 970...... cheapest alternative to gain wanted GPU performance for 4k

jerdle · Apr 28, 2015

Actually that was the wrong answer. The correct answer was to buy two 8GB Radeon R9 290Xs and crossfire. Using 3 gtx 970s in sli for 4k gaming was the worst option you had short of buying weaker cards.

xbulletxfeverx · Apr 29, 2015

I dont believe your right considering that card is 650$ here.... from benchmarks i have looked at, price for performance the three GPUs crush 2 290x yes, theres a hell of a lot more vram but that wont be an issue where im only running 1 monitor, 12vs16 gb would be huge if i was running more than one. strix cards are 320.00 right now here in town at my local shop

xbulletxfeverx · Apr 29, 2015

so this option is 960$ in gpu, vs your overkill 1300$ grapics set-up, i can buy motherboard and 3 way SLI and half a PSU for your genius suggestion when im only running one monitor.

jerdle · Apr 29, 2015

You repeatedly mention the "one monitor". Your "one monitor" needs 33% MORE GPU power than most peoples 3-monitor displays. You have one monitor, yes, but your talking about a 4k monitor. That makes all the difference. Powering that at high settings sucks up all 3.5GB of VRAM the 970 has and comes up short - Which is why you already have to start turning down settings. Not because you don't have enough PERFORMANCE, but because you don't have enough MEMORY. And that's for current games. FUTURE games will be an even bigger problem @ 4k.

Next, you're talking about THREE way SLI. Cue atrocious scaling issues that come with using more than 2 GPUs - on top of the 970's gimped VRAM. You're getting hurt twice.

As for the benchmarks you've looked at, I seriously doubt you've seen any benchmarks comparing 3 way 970 SLI @ 4k vs 2 way 290X 8GB crossfire. I very strongly believe in fact, that you're either comparing the performance of one 970 to one 290X, or, at best, comparing 2 way 970 SLI to 2 way 290X 8GB Xfire @ 4k, and coming to the erroneous conclusion that 3 way SLI would give you 50% more FPS.

As to pricing, you point out the $650 cost of the card. This is a valid point, in that it's ~$260 more than in the US. Of course you didn't mention the price of either the GTX 980 or regular 290X to compare it to, which are really your only decent alternatives. For 4k gaming, buying a bunch of 970s is just the wrong choice.

Of course, with the release of the R9 300 series in just over a month, waiting would have been the best bet. For now though, short of Two Titan X's (which by the way aren't all that much better @ 4k), two 290X 8GB is the ideal for 4k gaming today and tomorrow.

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GPU upgrade or change help needed.

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