Graphics card upgrade time! Best Nvidia card for 1080p 144hz G-Sync

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Noah Siano

Noah Siano

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So I just ordered a new monitor, the Acer XB270H, and it is 27" 1080p 144hz G-Sync. Should be here in a week or so, got it for $350 refurbished, which is $250 less than msrp!
I've got a gtx 760 4gb card, which I know will run my games fine, but I wanna be able to max out my games and make good use of that 144hz. I play games like GTA V, Shadow of Mordor, CS:GO, Borderlands 2, Just Cause 2, etc. and would like to be able to run new games as the come out over the next year.

So, I've really got it down to three cards: 970, 980, or 980 Ti. I already got g-sync, so the R9 series is out of the picture. As far as price, I can afford all of them, but I would like to have some money left over.
I'd really like to buy the Asus 980 Ti Strix when it comes out, but do you guys think I would be wasting my money for 1080p 144hz? Would a 970 or 980 be a smarter buy?

Would love some personal experience - if you've got a 1080p 144hz display, what graphics card do you use? And which one, if any, do you wish you had?

Thanks
 
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Diganta Das
Actually using 4gb vram for 1080p is nothing but waste. Still if you want to know, judging by your requirements the 980 will be best. But know this that after a year 980 will be like a 970 of now, and when pascal comes out your card(whether 980 or 980ti) will look puny. it is better to spend as less as you can and keep upgrading from time to time.
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game junky

game junky

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When it comes to technology, you're always paying a premium to stay on the cutting edge. I personally spend to the top of my budget on processors and graphics cards knowing that they're expensive to replace so they have to last for as long as I feel good about my experience. I have had a 4GB 770 superclocked since they were released and am still pretty happy with high on all games, ultra on most without hiccups. If I were in your shoes, I would ride out the storm until Nvidia releases their next generation of GPU.

The 970 would not be that significant of an upgrade from what you're currently using - better memory interface speed, higher CUDA core count and in some cases a higher base clock (if overclocked). If you're running apples to apples on two displays side by side, you'll notice a higher frame rate on the 970 but unless you're selling your 960 for near MSRP I don't think the juice is worth the squeeze.

The 980 would be a noticeable upgrade over your 960 in terms of processing power and 4GB is still more than enough to run almost all the texture effects (except some intense mods) at a high frame rate on a single 1080p display even at that refresh rate.

The 980ti is built for attempting to tackle 4k or Nvidia Surround - it would be overkill for what you're wanting to do.

That's my two cents - know what you're willing to spend and decide if you need it now or can wait for Pascal which should be an impressive improvement in performance, likely enough to make it worth the investment
 
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ComputerEden

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over the last years i have learnt never to go for the biggest GPU unless you have to, and you dont.
for 1080p gaming get the gtx970 (phantom is neat and silent). i have an i7 and a 960 2gb phantom and im happy with it.
i play the same games you do and rarely have less than 140 fps. project cars on full settings @1080p gives me 80-100 fps

a 960 or 970 will let you play any recent game and 2015/16 release in 1080p.
if you go with the 970 you wont regret it.

maybe save the extra 500 usd till nvidea releases something better then a gtx 980ti in terms of price/gpu-power unless you really want to upgrade to 4k. but then you will still not be fully satisfied with "only" one gtx980ti

the 980 and 970 arent that far apart in terms of performance. just concider how much money you want to spend on it.
 
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Noah Siano

Noah Siano

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Thanks for this reply, very good stuff here. Keep in mind I've got a 760 not a 960, which is slighly faster.
I do agree that a 970 might not be the best upgrade, since it really isn't much more...which I think is why I've kind of mentally checked it off my list haha

I'm really liking the 980 option since the price drop. I don't think 4gb of memory is too little, my current card is 4gb and suffers the same problem as the 970 so it's like having 3.5gb, and I really do see it get used up a lot when I play GTA V. I'm pretty sure if the 980 Ti didn't exist I'd have a 980 on the way along with my new monitor haha.

Now, I agree that the 980 Ti is built to tackle 4k...but it really doesn't mean it isn't good for high refresh rate 1080p gaming. I know the 980 Ti's sweet spot is 1440p 60hz, but from all of the benchmarks I've seen, the 980 Ti gets in the 100-200fps range on the 1080p scale, which is exactly where I want it since I'll be playing on a 144hz monitor.



All that being said, the wait for pascal option is out of the picture. I'm not willing to wait a year for a new architecture, even though I'm sure it's going to be a sizable jump from the current architecture. I'd rather spend money now, get the gpu I want, enjoy it for a year, and decide if it's still working to my likeness when pascal comes out.

Now, you said you personally spend to the top of your budget for gpu's and cpu's since theyre expensive to replace and you want them to last longer...I think that's what I'll end up doing. I'd rather spend a larger chunk of money now and let the technology live out it's full life with me.

But 980 or 980 Ti still remains the question...is the $150 price premium going to just get wasted at 1080p 144hz?
Again, I'd love some personal experience, people who own a 980(or 980 Ti!) and 1080p 144hz monitor.
 
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Diganta Das

Diganta Das

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Actually using 4gb vram for 1080p is nothing but waste. Still if you want to know, judging by your requirements the 980 will be best. But know this that after a year 980 will be like a 970 of now, and when pascal comes out your card(whether 980 or 980ti) will look puny. it is better to spend as less as you can and keep upgrading from time to time.
 
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