Are two GTX 970s better than a 980?

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
H

himfour4

Honorable
Feb 4, 2014
142
0
10,690
Hey guys I recently got a GTX 970 SSC and I was thinking about picking up another down the road, would that possibly be better than a 980? Hoping to be able to just get another since you can get them for under $300 right now, thanks!
 
Solution
RobCrezz
In terms of performance yes, SLI 970s are faster than a single 980. But it does use more power and the games must support SLI to get the full potential of using two cards (but SLI compatibility is common with recent games).

You need to make sure your motherboard is SLI capable, and your PSU has sufficient capacity to power both the cards.
Sort by date Sort by votes
RobCrezz

RobCrezz

Expert
Ambassador
Mar 14, 2013
19,080
99
75,190
In terms of performance yes, SLI 970s are faster than a single 980. But it does use more power and the games must support SLI to get the full potential of using two cards (but SLI compatibility is common with recent games).

You need to make sure your motherboard is SLI capable, and your PSU has sufficient capacity to power both the cards.
 
Upvote 1 Downvote
Solution
B

bolosfura

Reputable
Nov 29, 2014
70
0
4,660


this. but also: sli performance depends on the game. even if they are sli-ready titles (batman arkha knight is not, for example) some games benefit more than others in sli systems. Far cry 4, for example, when it came out had a lot of issues with sli activated.

so, take everything in account before spending so much money.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
S

sizzling

Titan
Oct 18, 2006
27,231
3,301
112,240
What resolution are you gaming at? My big concern with sli 970's is the claimed 3.5gb of efficient VRAM, now I know it is debated how much of an issue it is. With sli 970's you end up with slightly more power than a 980Ti but the 980Ti has 6gb VRAM compared to the 3.5/4 gb of the 970. With games starting to use 3gb or more VRAM at 1080p I much rather a 980Ti over sli 970's for the VRAM and reasons RobCrezz mentions
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
neieus

neieus

Distinguished
Dec 29, 2011
1,776
0
20,460
I was recently in your position where I had a single GTX 970 SSC and added another for SLI. After watching reviews and my own testing I did confirm that the SLI was faster than the single 980 ti and power consumption it was about 30w more. Now depending on the resolution and game you're playing the segmented memory of the 970 may or may not be an issue then there is the additional heat\noise associated with SLI. Then there is the cost if that's important to you because two 970's is about the price of a single 980 ti in most cases. What I ended up doing was using step up on one card then sold the other to help offset the money lost.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom