Jump to content

Should I upgrade from the GTX 970 to a GTX 980?

jakefischer7
By jakefischer7
in Graphics Cards
 Share
Go to solution Solved by blueballs,

I don't think the 970 is your problem here, I'd say wait for your second 8gb stick to come in and check back here.

Posted

Current Build:

Intel i5-4690k

Gigabyte GTX 970 4GB

8GB G.skill ripjawsX ddr3 1600 ( soon to be 16GB when my extra 8gb comes in )

WD Blue 1TB

MSI Z97 PC Mate

Cooler Master V650

 

For my monitors I have a LG 25UM56 Ultrawide Monitor (2560x1080) and an ASUS monitor (1920x1080)

 

Ive been considering getting a 980 but im afraid that its only going to be a tiny jump in fps. A 970 does me well when I play games like Black Ops 3 and the new Battlefront on high settings with FPS well above 60fps. Thing is that I cant have a Firefox tab open at all. Even when its just Google it causes my FPS to drop to like 45-65. Then if I wanted to listen to a music stream like Monstercat on my ASUS monitor while gaming on my LG monitor it causes the FPS to drop to 10-20. Maybe im just overkilling my 970 and should stick to one monitor but I like having both up. I've considered a 980Ti but I'm not huge on cash ( Im a 16 year old making on average 75 bucks for workin a few hours on the weekends at my job) I definitely have enough money for a 980 or even a 980Ti if I really wanted it, but then I wouldnt have like any money and if another part were to break I wouldnt have much money to replace it.

 

So what do you guys think? Stay with my 970 and forfeit my Asus monitor or Upgrade to a GTX980 / GTX980Ti? Again keep in mind I dont have a bunch of money to throw around. But christmas is around the corner and so is my birthday :D . I just want to hear your thoughts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

WELL, not to hurt i5's at but they do ONLY have 4 cores. Newer games love cores and so you may be maxing out all 4 of them, and thus when you open an internet tab, fps drop. I can't see a 970 losing fps from an open internet tab. Hell I run BF4 and Dayz with a tab on my other monitor and I have a 570.

CPU: INTEL Core i7 4790k @ 4.7Ghz - Cooling: NZXT Kraken X61 - Mobo: Gigabyte Z97X SLI - RAM: 16GB G.Skill Ares 2400mhz - GPU: AMD Sapphire Nitro R9 Fury 4G - Case: Phanteks P350X - PSU: EVGA 750GQ - Storage: WD Black 1TB - Fans: 2x Noctua NF-P14s (Push) / 2x Corsair AF140 (Pull) / 3x Corsair AF120 (Exhaust) - Keyboard: Corsair K70 Cherry MX Red - Mouse: Razer Deathadder Chroma

Bit of an AMD fan I suppose. I don't bias my replies to anything however, I just prefer AMD and their products. Buy whatever the H*CK you want. 

---QUOTE ME OR I WILL LIKELY NOT REPLY---

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

Current Build:

Intel i5-4690k

Gigabyte GTX 970 4GB

8GB G.skill ripjawsX ddr3 1600 ( soon to be 16GB when my extra 8gb comes in )

WD Blue 1TB

MSI Z97 PC Mate

Cooler Master V650

 

For my monitors I have a LG 25UM56 Ultrawide Monitor (2560x1080) and an ASUS monitor (1920x1080)

 

Ive been considering getting a 980 but im afraid that its only going to be a tiny jump in fps. A 970 does me well when I play games like Black Ops 3 and the new Battlefront on high settings with FPS well above 60fps. Thing is that I cant have a Firefox tab open at all. Even when its just Google it causes my FPS to drop to like 45-65. Then if I wanted to listen to a music stream like Monstercat on my ASUS monitor while gaming on my LG monitor it causes the FPS to drop to 10-20. Maybe im just overkilling my 970 and should stick to one monitor but I like having both up. I've considered a 980Ti but I'm not huge on cash ( Im a 16 year old making on average 75 bucks for workin a few hours on the weekends at my job) I definitely have enough money for a 980 or even a 980Ti if I really wanted it, but then I wouldnt have like any money and if another part were to break I wouldnt have much money to replace it.

 

So what do you guys think? Stay with my 970 and forfeit my Asus monitor or Upgrade to a GTX980 / GTX980Ti? Again keep in mind I dont have a bunch of money to throw around. But christmas is around the corner and so is my birthday :D . I just want to hear your thoughts.

could get a second 970

My Cheap But Good Rig: I7-3770s, Intel Motherboard (actually made by intel), 16gb DDR3, Nvidia Gtx 1070, 250gb Samsung 850 EVO SSD, 750gb HDD, Evga 500 BR power supply

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

Personally? No I would not I would wait for Pascal since the difference from the 970-980 is not big enough unless you are play 1440p/4k and at those resolutions I would go for a R9 Fury because the HBM memory helps at higher resolutions.

 

 

i7-6700k  Cooling: Deepcool Captain 240EX White GPU: GTX 1080Ti EVGA FTW3 Mobo: AsRock Z170 Extreme4 Case: Phanteks P400s TG Special Black/White PSU: EVGA 850w GQ Ram: 64GB (3200Mhz 16x4 Corsair Vengeance RGB) Storage 1x 1TB Seagate Barracuda 240GBSandisk SSDPlus, 480GB OCZ Trion 150, 1TB Crucial NVMe
(Rest of Specs on Profile)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
  • Author

First off, what ASUS monitor to do you have?

Secondly, if you're going to upgrade (which I suggest) get a R9 Fury or Fury X.

The ASUS monitor is the VS228H-P

 

I kinda want to stay on the green side mainly because my brother has a R9 280 and its coil whine is crazy. I also might have a small case of nvidiafanboyism.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

The ASUS monitor is the VS228H-P

 

I kinda want to stay on the green side mainly because my brother has a R9 280 and its coil whine is crazy. I also might have a small case of nvidiafanboyism.

Fanboys are cancer.

 

Coil whine comes from every GPU, it's not really a AMD thing. My friend RMA'd his 960 cause the coil whine was too bad.

 

A 980 isn't a crazy upgrade. A FURY is better, around the same price. Fury X might be something to consider too.

I used to be quite active here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
  • Author

could get a second 970

I would have to get another motherboard. My board only supports Crossfire :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

Moved to Graphics Cards.

"It pays to keep an open mind, but not so open your brain falls out." - Carl Sagan.

"I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you" - Edward I. Koch

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
  • Author

Fanboys are cancer.

 

Coil whine comes from every GPU, it's not really a AMD thing. My friend RMA'd his 960 cause the coil whine was too bad.

 

A 980 isn't a crazy upgrade. A FURY is better, around the same price. Fury X might be something to consider too.

I may consider getting a Fury i'd have to do some more research comparing the gpu's

I don't think the 970 is your problem here, I'd say wait for your second 8gb stick to come in and check back here.

They should be coming in like Monday or Tuesday.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

I may consider getting a Fury i'd have to do some more research comparing the gpu's

They should be coming in like Monday or Tuesday.

If you're talking compared to the 980, just look at a few benchmarks. The 390X even beats it sometimes, and it's $100 less. So, it'll probably win by a lot.

I used to be quite active here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

Overclock your 970 for some free performance.

In PCgamer's review of the MSI gtx 970, they overclocked it and got almost the same performance as a 980

Silicon lottery though, I can't promise you the same results

Follow the topics you create using the "Follow" button in the top right corner!

One day I will have my GTX 970. One day. PC specs are at my profile.

Not sure how to check what part works with what? Check out my compatibility guide!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

I don't think the 970 is your problem here, I'd say wait for your second 8gb stick to come in and check back here.

^^This,

 

Also if you can afford a 980, sell your 970 first and with the extra get a 980ti.. You'll be set for a few years that way.

 

In the mean time, when your gaming just ditch the second Monitor and alt-tab when you need to... *I Think* that'd be the quickest way to free up some GPU power...

 

[Edit - ] Also as Fgtfv567 says, try OC if you can...

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing Graphics Cards

×