Building a new rig : what graphics card ?

antoine5555 · Jul 6, 2015

I'm currently deciding the components I will use in my new gaming rig and would greatly appreciate some advice.

I would like to know what is best : one of the most powerful GTX 970 available, or one of the cheapest 980 ? How about performance right out of the box, and how about performance in the future ? Is one solution easier to upgrade/overclock than the other ?

I'm not talking about price for performance. I would just like to know if a standard 980 will bring a noticeable difference compared to a "custom", top of the line 970.

I should tell that I will play on a single 1080p monitor, that I plan to get a Core i5 4690K, with 8 GB (is it Gb ?) of RAM (CAS 7). Also, apart from gaming, the computer will be used for normal internet browsing, watching videos and whatnot. So no very demanding activities for the graphics card.

Your advice would be very helpful. ;-)

Thanks for reading me.

I forgot, here is one card I am interested in :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500372
It is among the most expensive 970 you can get (at least in France), and apparently one of the most powerful.

cleanshot911 · Jul 6, 2015

The worst gtx 980 will be better than the best gtx 980. In many ways the gtx 970 keeps up with the gtx 980, and the memory clock may even be higher on the gtx 970, but it's the VRAM that kills it. The gtx 970 has an issue where the last 0.5gb of its 4gb of VRAM runs way slower than the rest, and it basically messes up your computer's performance if a game uses more than 3.5gbs of VRAM. The gtx 980 does not have that problems. This VRAM issue won't effect you if you only play at 1080p, but if you plan to play at 1440p or 4k, or if you intend to keep your card for the next few years, you should get the 980, or else you'd need to upgrade from a 970. I have two gtx 970s and intend to upgrade within the next two years.

KKAW · Jul 7, 2015

It does not matter how expensive the card is if it is the same card. A 970 will perform identical or near identical to all 970 after overclocked. Get either a EVGA 970, G1, MSI gaming or Zotac and overclock it to the max and you will have the best performance you can get.

incognito31 · Jul 7, 2015

I've been really pleased with the EVGA FTW editions, and here is the 970 version for you:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487077

Honestly, yes, the 980 performs better than the 970, but it's not worth the extra cost. As for the .5GB memory difference, I don't believe that issue is enough to factor into your decision on what to choose here.

Your question was on a single 1080 monitor what is the best card, and I'd say the 970 is the best fit for you. If you are really looking at future proofing the 980ti would be a much better option than the 980 as it has 6GB and would support gaming at 4K if you ever decide to go that route. A custom top of the line 970 will perform very closely to a 980 reference card.

antoine5555 · Jul 7, 2015

Thank you all for your answers.

A 980Ti is out of my price range sadly. The best I can do is a normal 980.

The choice is hard, as I hear so many different things. I guess a 970 would indeed be a better fit for me, but a 980 might be better in the long run. By that I mean that I might have a longer time ahead of me before I upgrade.

One thing I forgot : I am interested in a 144 Hz monitor. Do you think it is worth it with a 970 ? I know of course that I won't get 144 fps, but will I have good enough performance with a 970 to consider such a monitor ?

The9KGamer · Jul 7, 2015

Depends on how you like to game, I personally always max things out so a 144hz is normally pointless to me since I don't have 700$ to spend on a 980Ti, however if you prefer the higher refresh rate for slightly downgraded graphics a 144hz monitor could work for you. (Here's some benchmarks on the 970, the fps will just drop lower and lower as more and more demanding cames come out over time if you like high settings http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_970_Gaming/16.html ).
Also I'd probably go for either http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125684&cm_re=gtx_970_g1-_-14-125-684-_-Product or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127832&cm_re=msi_gtx_970-_-14-127-832-_-Product I've heard a lot of good things about them.

antoine5555 · Jul 7, 2015

Thanks for the info The9KGamer. I'd like to play games in max settings, at least as far as the graphics card will go. But that concerns a 970, if I understand correctly. Would it be better with a 980 ?

I've checked those graphics cards already. They have received good reviews indeed.

The9KGamer · Jul 7, 2015

Personally I feel as if the 980's in a weird spot right now since it gives like maybe a 10-20% performance increase (sometimes less) for around 100-150$ more. I'd personally go hard or go home with either the 980 ti or just get the 970 and possibly SLI them in the future. Another GPU you may want to consider is the new R9 390 which may be the price to performance king as seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9cKZiJw6Pk

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