Could use some advice regarding a purchase

[Wicked Wolf]

Hello all! First post here. Please go easy on me because I have only just got into PC gaming and don't know much. I am contemplating a purchase and could use some help. My current PC is as follows:

BenQ xl24te Monitor
i7-4770k 3.5ghz
MSI Z87-GD65
EVGA GTX 770 2gb
512gb Samsung Pro SSD
32gb DDR3 1866 RAM
850w PSU


I have the opportunity to grab another 770 for about $150. Would it be best to do this and SLI with my setup, over the 980. Truth is, I probably won't be able to afford a brand new 980 for awhile so it would be some time before I upgrade to it. Would taking the deal on the 770 be much of an upgrade until then, and can my PC handle it?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[ScrewySqrl]

yah, the 770 SLI should be comparable performance to a 980 (though not above 1920x1080 3 screen gaming..it won't do 4K well because you still only have 2 GB of video RAM)

 

[bicycle_repair_man]

Hi and welcome to the world of PC gaming. It's better here.

Your motherboard is perfectly suited for SLI, but not all games play nicely with it, so you may or may not see a performance boost. You also need to consider the extra power, heat and noise that SLI generates and decide if it's worth it. For a mid-high card like a GTX 770, I don't think it's worth it. In terms of comparing an SLI 770 to a 980, I think it's too early to tell exactly, but I'd expect it to be close.

If you can buy the GTX 770 for $150, I'd be tempted to sell it on and make a little profit.

 

[Wicked Wolf]

OMG, better is an understatement! I am loving the PC gaming. Everything so smooth and crisp! =D Though, being new to it, I need to work on my patience when it comes to figuring how to fix when things go wrong. I am getting there though. Doing my best to research.

I haven't considered the heat. I don't have any type of cooling setup aside from the case fans. The case is a Cooler Master Hafx 932. I certainly don't want to overheat. I don't play for long periods during the week, but on weekends I sometimes will have long sessions. Would it be a huge risk?

Good point on selling though. Maybe I could grab it and use it for the time being, and when i feel comfortable buying the 980, I could sell the 770's?

 

[ScrewySqrl]

sounds like a plan

 

[bicycle_repair_man]

Yeah, sounds good to me. I'd imagine that GTX 770s will still be in demand given that they're good performers and a lot of people have smaller budgets.

 

[Wicked Wolf]

oh so it seems that only some games benefit from SLI. I guess the games have to be compatible otherwise it wouldn't even matter. Also, some are saying that without a multiple monitor setup, or without 4k single monitor, SLI is not worth it?

 

[ScrewySqrl]

that is mostly correct.

your SLI on a single monitor will, with everything cranked up, probably still exceed the 60 fps max frame rate of a standard monitor. If the single 770 gives you 70 fps, and the SLI gives you 100..you won't see the difference

 

[coozie7]

Agree with the other replies, but I like to offer alternatives.
I'll suggest you stay with the single GTX770, it's a fast card and is backed up by a very fast CPU/RAM, I don't think you really need to upgrade just yet, besides, Nvidia have significantly lowered the prices of the GTX770/780/780Ti, which will slash the resale value of your GTX770/s.
Just as an alternative, you understand: Keep what you have and don't upgrade...Yet.

 

[bicycle_repair_man]

Like ScrewySqrl said, that's a partially-correct statement.

SLI can help boost frame rates, but if you have a 60hz monitor, anything above 60 fps won't be registered. In that regard, SLI can seem pointless.

The benefit is that if you have a game that only runs at 30 fps, SLI could boost this to 60 fps. Like I said, with a 60hz monitor anything above 60 fps won't be registered, but the difference between 30 fps and 60 fps is very noticeable.