"Cheap" gaming monitor for GTX 980ti

[Flave]

I am in Australia and Im planning to get either a GTX 980 or 980ti depending on what monitor I can get my wallet around.

I'm well aware of the fact that the GTX 980 video card can kill a 1440p monitor but cant find many under the price range of FIVE HUNDRED, should I get the GTX 980ti with a cheaper 1080p monitor 144ghz and get a 4k in a couple years or stick to the gtx 980 and get a half decent one that won't be replaced for a long time and can a GTX 980 still work well with a 1080p monitor?I would like some links for any monitors that would be of help, Thanks!

At the moment I'm thinking about
http://www.mwave.com.au/product/lg-25um57p-25-ultrawide-ips-led-gaming-monitor-ab63891
as a cut between 1440 and 1080 BUT doesn't have Gsync or Freesync. I use a 1080p 60hz monitor (inbuilt into a shitty 2010 mac) without g-sync or freesync and haven't had any problems with tearing or stutter when playing games like battlefield 3 but haven't tried a monitor with G sync for freesync before, is it worth it?

 

[g1abhi]

You can also opt for triple , monitor setup if you have the space . 3 monitors at full hd is lesser load then 4k ( 3/4th ) and is a more immersive experience in my opinion but on the downside it is not widely supported .
I wont recommend going for an ultra wide ones . They do have good resolution but sadly they are priced the same as 27" ones which provide much more screen estate. And its not any signifacnt difference in ppi. For anything less than 1440p , a gtx 970 is enough and gives ultra settings so , spending more on the 980 is an overkill.

 

[g1abhi]

You can also opt for triple , monitor setup if you have the space . 3 monitors at full hd is lesser load then 4k ( 3/4th ) and is a more immersive experience in my opinion but on the downside it is not widely supported .
I wont recommend going for an ultra wide ones . They do have good resolution but sadly they are priced the same as 27" ones which provide much more screen estate. And its not any signifacnt difference in ppi. For anything less than 1440p , a gtx 970 is enough and gives ultra settings so , spending more on the 980 is an overkill.

 

[Flave]

You can also opt for triple , monitor setup if you have the space . 3 monitors at full hd is lesser load then 4k ( 3/4th ) and is a more immersive experience in my opinion but on the downside it is not widely supported .
I wont recommend going for an ultra wide ones . They do have good resolution but sadly they are priced the same as 27" ones which provide much more screen estate. And its not any signifacnt difference in ppi. For anything less than 1440p , a gtx 970 is enough and gives ultra settings so , spending more on the 980 is an overkill.

Yes, that is probably the best idea for me, I will probably never use 4k and 1080p is fine for my needs, the question is, how long will GTX 970 last before it starts degrading in performance due to new software?

 

[g1abhi]

till 3-4 years, you can play every game at minimum medium settings on full hd resolution.

 

[g1abhi]

If you have a good budget then , a 980 with triple monitor is good balance . 2 970 in sli can also do the same or better , but limits you in future upgrades.

 

[g1abhi]

or a a 970 with a 1440p monitor is also good on a constrained budget.

 

[guanyu210379]

Look!
If you are aiming for a good price/performance cards, only GTX980Ti and GTX970 are good.
GTX980 is not really a good buy. GTX980 is only 5% faster than GTX970 with 0.5GB more VRAM but costs quite a lot more.
Go for either GTX970 or all the way up to GTX980Ti, forget GTX980.
2xGTX970 is about equal to a single GTX980Ti but more restricted due to VRAM size.
A single GTX970 will be at limit for 1440p, which is not bad for budget solution, while a single GTX980Ti rules 1440p.

About the monitor,
GSync does not really worth the price but really make much sense.
144Hz and 2560x1440 is the better upgrades you can get from 1080p 60Hz.
Upgrading from TN to IPS (from image quality point of view) is also a good idea.
If you are looking for the best gaming monitor available today, which is 27" 144Hz 2560x1440 IPS monitor, you might want to consider ACER XB270HU or ASUS MG279Q. Acer XB270HU is the one with GSync while MG279Q is with FreeSync.

 

[Flave]

Look!
If you are aiming for a good price/performance cards, only GTX980Ti and GTX970 are good.
GTX980 is not really a good buy. GTX980 is only 5% faster than GTX970 with 0.5GB more VRAM but costs quite a lot more.
Go for either GTX970 or all the way up to GTX980Ti, forget GTX980.
2xGTX970 is about equal to a single GTX980Ti but more restricted due to VRAM size.
A single GTX970 will be at limit for 1440p, which is not bad for budget solution, while a single GTX980Ti rules 1440p.

About the monitor,
GSync does not really worth the price but really make much sense.
144Hz and 2560x1440 is the better upgrades you can get from 1080p 60Hz.
Upgrading from TN to IPS (from image quality point of view) is also a good idea.
If you are looking for the best gaming monitor available today, which is 27" 144Hz 2560x1440 IPS monitor, you might want to consider ACER XB270HU or ASUS MG279Q. Acer XB270HU is the one with GSync while MG279Q is with FreeSync.

Thanks for the info but my head is still trying to pick out a solution and since you probably have more experience than me, it will be a great help if you could answer this; I have a $2100USD budget for the entire computer itself with room to upgrade, what do you recommend on graphics and monitors?

 

[guanyu210379]

Total budget: USD2100
Country: Australia
How much is left for the GPU and monitor from the USD2100?
What is the rest of the system you plan to get?

 

[g1abhi]

5% difference is quite an overstatement .
You do get over 20-30% improvement at higher resolutions than full hd.
At the launch price , yes 980 was overpriced , now , it is not a bad deal after the price change.
At 2100$ you can go for a 2k gsync one and 980ti if your budget allows , else drop to a gtx 980 . It is good enough for the price.
Agreed not the best bang for buck card , but it does have its own market. You cant get ultra 60fps on 2k with 970 but reachable with 980. and 980 ti is overkill for 2k .

 

[guanyu210379]

Yes, I took the lowest difference, I have to admit that.
GTX970 and GTX980 do differ only around 5-15% as long as the VRAM usage does not go beyond 3.5GB.
For 1440p or above, some games need already more than 3.5GB VRAM.
If the VRAM usage is over 3.5GB, GTX980 can go up to 30% faster than GTX970.
For 4k, both give up.
GTX970 is really sh*t if the VRAM usage go above 3.5GB.
GTX980 and GTX970 has around €150-200 difference, while GTX980Ti only €100-150 higher than GTX980, which makes GTX980 as a not so good buy.
GTX980 can go up to 30% faster than GTX970 on some cases but GTX980Ti is about 80-100% faster all the time.
GTX980 is no longer that overpriced but still can not join the bestbuys in my opinion.

GTX980Ti is an overkill for 1440p most of the times today but for games like Witcher 3, a single GTX980Ti is just right.

 

[g1abhi]

Yes, I took the lowest difference, I have to admit that.
GTX970 and GTX980 do differ only around 5-15% as long as the VRAM usage does not go beyond 3.5GB.
For 1440p or above, some games need already more than 3.5GB VRAM.
If the VRAM usage is over 3.5GB, GTX980 can go up to 30% faster than GTX970.
For 4k, both give up.
GTX970 is really sh*t if the VRAM usage go above 3.5GB.
GTX980 and GTX970 has around €150-200 difference, while GTX980Ti only €100-150 higher than GTX980, which makes GTX980 as a not so good buy.
GTX980 can go up to 30% faster than GTX970 on some cases but GTX980Ti is about 80-100% faster all the time.
GTX980 is no longer that overpriced but still can not join the bestbuys in my opinion.

GTX980Ti is an overkill for 1440p most of the times today but for games like Witcher 3, a single GTX980Ti is just right.

Totally Agree with everything now.
@flave , Let start from scratch:
a 980ti build with a 4k monitor is way out of budget:
[PCPartPicker part list](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/L7mynQ) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/L7mynQ/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80662i56600k) | $355.00 @ Umart
**CPU Cooler** | [Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr2) | $65.00 @ CPL Online
**Motherboard** | [MSI Z170A GAMING PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-z170agamingpro) | $269.00 @ Centre Com
**Memory** | [G.Skill Ripjaws 4 series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f42400c15d16grr) | $194.98 @ Mwave Australia
**Storage** | [Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz75e250bam) | $145.00 @ IJK
**Storage** | [Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd10ezex) | $71.00 @ IJK
**Video Card** | [MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-gtx980ti6gd5) | $999.00 @ CPL Online
**Case** | [NZXT H440 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/nzxt-case-cah440wm1) | $179.00 @ CPL Online
**Power Supply** | [SeaSonic 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/seasonic-power-supply-ssr650rm) | $145.00 @ CPL Online
**Monitor** | [LG 31MU97 60Hz 31.0" Monitor](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/lg-monitor-31mu97) | $1495.00 @ Mwave Australia
| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
| **Total** | **$3917.98**
| Generated by [PCPartPicker](http://pcpartpicker.com) 2015-10-02 05:39 AEST+1000 |

Aus dollars and us dollars are quite different. I beleive , you should stick to a 970 build and full hd screen.

[PCPartPicker part list](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/zm63YJ) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/zm63YJ/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80662i56600k) | $355.00 @ Umart
**CPU Cooler** | [Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr2) | $65.00 @ CPL Online
**Motherboard** | [Asus Z170 PRO GAMING ATX LGA1151 Motherboard](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-z170progaming) | $264.00 @ IJK
**Memory** | [G.Skill Ripjaws 4 series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f42400c15d16grr) | $194.98 @ Mwave Australia
**Storage** | [Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz75e250bam) | $145.00 @ IJK
**Storage** | [Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd10ezex) | $71.00 @ IJK
**Video Card** | [MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-gtx970gaming4g) | $525.00 @ IJK
**Case** | [NZXT H440 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/nzxt-case-cah440wm1) | $179.00 @ CPL Online
**Power Supply** | [XFX TS 650W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-power-supply-p1650gts3x) | $119.00 @ CPL Online
**Monitor** | [BenQ GL2460HM 60Hz 24.0" Monitor](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/benq-monitor-gl2460hm) | $199.00 @ CPL Online
| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
| **Total** | **$2116.98**
| Generated by [PCPartPicker](http://pcpartpicker.com) 2015-10-02 05:46 AEST+1000 |

 

[Flave]

Yes, I took the lowest difference, I have to admit that.
GTX970 and GTX980 do differ only around 5-15% as long as the VRAM usage does not go beyond 3.5GB.
For 1440p or above, some games need already more than 3.5GB VRAM.
If the VRAM usage is over 3.5GB, GTX980 can go up to 30% faster than GTX970.
For 4k, both give up.
GTX970 is really sh*t if the VRAM usage go above 3.5GB.
GTX980 and GTX970 has around €150-200 difference, while GTX980Ti only €100-150 higher than GTX980, which makes GTX980 as a not so good buy.
GTX980 can go up to 30% faster than GTX970 on some cases but GTX980Ti is about 80-100% faster all the time.
GTX980 is no longer that overpriced but still can not join the bestbuys in my opinion.

GTX980Ti is an overkill for 1440p most of the times today but for games like Witcher 3, a single GTX980Ti is just right.

Totally Agree with everything now.
@flave , Let start from scratch:
a 980ti build with a 4k monitor is way out of budget:
[PCPartPicker part list](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/L7mynQ) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/L7mynQ/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80662i56600k) | $355.00 @ Umart
**CPU Cooler** | [Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr2) | $65.00 @ CPL Online
**Motherboard** | [MSI Z170A GAMING PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-z170agamingpro) | $269.00 @ Centre Com
**Memory** | [G.Skill Ripjaws 4 series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f42400c15d16grr) | $194.98 @ Mwave Australia
**Storage** | [Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz75e250bam) | $145.00 @ IJK
**Storage** | [Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd10ezex) | $71.00 @ IJK
**Video Card** | [MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-gtx980ti6gd5) | $999.00 @ CPL Online
**Case** | [NZXT H440 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/nzxt-case-cah440wm1) | $179.00 @ CPL Online
**Power Supply** | [SeaSonic 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/seasonic-power-supply-ssr650rm) | $145.00 @ CPL Online
**Monitor** | [LG 31MU97 60Hz 31.0" Monitor](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/lg-monitor-31mu97) | $1495.00 @ Mwave Australia
| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
| **Total** | **$3917.98**
| Generated by [PCPartPicker](http://pcpartpicker.com) 2015-10-02 05:39 AEST+1000 |

Aus dollars and us dollars are quite different. I beleive , you should stick to a 970 build and full hd screen.

[PCPartPicker part list](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/zm63YJ) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/zm63YJ/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80662i56600k) | $355.00 @ Umart
**CPU Cooler** | [Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr2) | $65.00 @ CPL Online
**Motherboard** | [Asus Z170 PRO GAMING ATX LGA1151 Motherboard](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-z170progaming) | $264.00 @ IJK
**Memory** | [G.Skill Ripjaws 4 series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f42400c15d16grr) | $194.98 @ Mwave Australia
**Storage** | [Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz75e250bam) | $145.00 @ IJK
**Storage** | [Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd10ezex) | $71.00 @ IJK
**Video Card** | [MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-gtx970gaming4g) | $525.00 @ IJK
**Case** | [NZXT H440 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/nzxt-case-cah440wm1) | $179.00 @ CPL Online
**Power Supply** | [XFX TS 650W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-power-supply-p1650gts3x) | $119.00 @ CPL Online
**Monitor** | [BenQ GL2460HM 60Hz 24.0" Monitor](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/benq-monitor-gl2460hm) | $199.00 @ CPL Online
| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
| **Total** | **$2116.98**
| Generated by [PCPartPicker](http://pcpartpicker.com) 2015-10-02 05:46 AEST+1000 |

Perfect! I'll look into the second build and see what I can do, you can't really expect good performance with little money at this point I guess, any ways thanks for the help guys Ill see if I can get this machine working soon enough

 

[guanyu210379]

4k gaming needs serious investment anyway, if you want to go higher than 1080p, 1440p is the better option.
GTX970/R9 390 can still handle it as budget solution.
For 1440p, GPU is not really big issue, the monitor is however still quite a big issue..namely..still quite expensive, especially the good ones like XB270HU.
1080p is still the mainstream with abundant options.
BTW: with that build above, can you crank up the budget a wee bit to get ASUS VG248QE? That the best budget gaming monitor.

 

[Flave]

4k gaming needs serious investment anyway, if you want to go higher than 1080p, 1440p is the better option.
GTX970/R9 390 can still handle it as budget solution.
For 1440p, GPU is not really big issue, the monitor is however still quite a big issue..namely..still quite expensive, especially the good ones like XB270HU.
1080p is still the mainstream with abundant options.
BTW: with that build above, can you crank up the budget a wee bit to get ASUS VG248QE? That the best budget gaming monitor.

Already have, but thanks for the other details to fill in my gaps a bit more.

 

[guanyu210379]

ah..you have a monitor already?
From the i5 6600k build above, what are the parts you do not need or already have?

 

[Flave]

ah..you have a monitor already?
From the i5 6600k build above, what are the parts you do not need or already have?

I do not have a suitable monitor, the ASUS VG248QE was what I was planning to get a while ago as a 1080p monitor if I was going to use that res, thats what I was meaning by "Already have".