best 4k gaming gpu 2014-2015?

[faisal.ahmed157]

I want to configure my first high end gaming build come end of this month or early 2015 and I'm gunning for 4k gaming on ultra. I'm a little hesitant to pull the trigger on any gpu right now purely out of speculation as to a new top tier gpu will drop soon either frm AMD or Nvidia or both. My question is has anyone heard any reliable news about the reality of their possible releases and whether or not I should wait for them instead of grabbing say 980's in SLI or the R9 295x2? Thanks alot any help would be appreciated as this is my first trek into unknown waters.

[79wjd]

two GTX980s, or possibly two R9 390s which are supposed to be released in February~. 

[Fate]

I would wait for the 390s to come out, they're supposed to be beasts at 4k. 

Two 980s are also a good option if you want to run just about every game at ultra right now.

 

P.S. Don't listen to people who say, "You need quad 980s to run medium 4k" because they're misinformed and plaguing tech forums atm.

[Spev]

I would wait for the 390s to come out, they're supposed to be beasts at 4k. 

Two 980s are also a good option if you want to run just about every game at ultra right now.

 

P.S. Don't listen to people who say, "You need quad 980s to run medium 4k" because they're misinformed and plaguing tech forums atm.

Yeh you right they probably need three PCs running quad SLI and to somehow combine them.

[Fulgrim]

As of now, a single R9 295 X2 is the better option for 4k, imo.

 

I'd wait for AMD's new cards though tbh.

[Najuno]

I would wait for the 390s to come out, they're supposed to be beasts at 4k. 

Two 980s are also a good option if you want to run just about every game at ultra right now.

 

P.S. Don't listen to people who say, "You need quad 980s to run medium 4k" because they're misinformed and plaguing tech forums atm.

Mhhhm I ask myself where you have your info from...

 

True thing you do not need a 4way GTX980 SLI to make 4K happen but the 2way GTX980 SLI and 4K Ultra... yeah how about no!

I tried 4K with my GTX980 2way SLI and trust me look in my sig my cards are OCed balls to the wall, I´m even in the 3D Mark HoF with my results and still 4K Ultra, no way. High with very mild AA max 2x AA is possible. But even then in AAA games I had FPS drops down to mid 20s. I wouldn´t call that super enjoyable. That´s why I stepped back to 1440p for now, because the GTX980s pull that out in Ultra perfectly fine.

 

With a 3way GTX980 SLI 4K gives you a bit more jiuce but the 3rd card is already a loss in my eyes because the scaling isn´t as good as with the 2nd one.

[Fate]

Mhhhm I ask myself where you have your info from...

 

True thing you do not need a 4way GTX980 SLI to make 4K happen but the 2way GTX980 SLI and 4K Ultra... yeah how about no!

I tried 4K with my GTX980 2way SLI and trust me look in my sig my cards are OCed balls to the wall, I´m even in the 3D Mark HoF with my results and still 4K Ultra, no way. High with very mild AA max 2x AA is possible. But even then in AAA games I had FPS drops down to mid 20s. I wouldn´t call that super enjoyable. That´s why I stepped back to 1440p for now, because the GTX980s pull that out in Ultra perfectly fine.

 

With a 3way GTX980 SLI 4K gives you a bit more jiuce but the 3rd card is already a loss in my eyes because the scaling isn´t as good as with the 2nd one.

I was basing it off the fact that a single 980 can run most AAA games @ 4k high/ultra at 40+ fps (anandtech benchmarks). 

Turning AA off isn't the end of the world for me either considering it's really not really noticeable past 2x and just fine turned off.

[79wjd]

As of now, a single R9 295 X2 is the better option for 4k, imo.

 

I'd wait for AMD's new cards though tbh.

Two 980s > 295x2

[Najuno]

I was basing it off the fact that a single 980 can run most AAA games @ 4k high/ultra at 40+ fps (anandtech benchmarks). 

Turning AA off isn't the end of the world for me either considering it's really not really noticeable past 2x and just fine turned off.

Trust me it´s nothing you would want to see with a single GTX980. I´ve done many benchmarks and ingame tests. Like I wrote before I wouldn´t do it. But with the next gen GPUs from AMD and nVidia in the pipeline 4K gets a lot more interesting for enthusiasts.

Don´t get me wrong I´m the last one to talk someone out of high end stuff, cause I live that shit , in fact I´m waiting to step back up to 4K. Therefore I hope AMD and nVidia bring the next cards real soon, because seeing those place holder GTX980s in my machine, not water cooled almost drives me nuts.

All I´m saying is I´d really wait for the next gen. I love the Maxwell chip because of its insane OC potential, but the GM204 isn´t the true power house that the GM200 will be.

 

EDIT: Oh and I don´t care about brands. I´ll buy whatever is the fastest and gives me OC potential.

[Fulgrim]

Two 980s > 295x2

Dependant upon the game.

 

Plus, not every game benefits from multi gpu setups.

[Fate]

Trust me it´s nothing you would want to see with a single GTX980. I´ve done many benchmarks and ingame tests. Like I wrote before I wouldn´t do it. But with the next gen GPUs from AMD and nVidia in the pipeline 4K gets a lot more interesting for enthusiasts.

Don´t get me wrong I´m the last one to talk someone out of high end stuff, cause I live that shit , in fact I´m waiting to step back up to 4K. Therefore I hope AMD and nVidia bring the next cards real soon, because seeing those place holder GTX980s in my machine, not water cooled almost drives me nuts.

All I´m saying is I´d really wait for the next gen. I love the Maxwell chip because of its insane OC potential, but the GM204 isn´t the true power house that the GM200 will be.

 

EDIT: Oh and I don´t care about brands. I´ll buy whatever is the fastest and gives me OC potential.

What fps were you getting that you gave up 4k for? 

I personally am fine with dips in the 40s at high 4k over ultra 1440p 60fps consistent in very demanding games (unless they're multiplayer shooters like BF4). 

 

I also can't wait for the new GPUs because I'm loving 4k gaming but unfortunately my 270 can't handle newer AAA games above low/medium @ 4k. It's still really awesome playing older games like Dirt3/Skyrim high+ at 4k though. 

[Najuno]

What fps were you getting that you gave up 4k for? 

I personally am fine with dips in the 40s at high 4k over ultra 1440p 60fps consistent in very demanding games (unless they're multiplayer shooters like BF4). 

 

I also can't wait for the new GPUs because I'm loving 4k gaming but unfortunately my 270 can't handle newer AAA games above low/medium @ 4k. It's still really awesome playing older games like Dirt3/Skyrim high+ at 4k though. 

 

I guess it´s always a matter of perspective . I enjoy super stable FPS in 1440p with my cards. But I guess was just not used to FPS dips that low, in very high settings/ultra in games like Assetto Corsa, Dead Space3 and such titles I dropped like written before down to mid 20s in some scenarios. Now I´m not much a shooter fan like BF4 but even for race car sims it wasn´t super enjoyable (I do have a racing rig and I like the immersive feeling).

The thing is I would have been 'okay' I guess, if I just cranked down to high/med settings in AAA games, but I was kind of disappointed a bit. So I decided to skip 4K until the next true highend GPUs series.

 

Now back to the core question, is 4K do able with a GTX980 2way SLI? Yes it is, but I´m going always into max details if possible and as soon as I can get my hands on AMDs or nVidia´s next highend GPU I will hopefully see that with 4K.

[79wjd]

Dependant upon the game.

 

Plus, not every game benefits from multi gpu setups.

a 295x2 is a multi gpu setupi :unsure: 

[Fulgrim]

a 295x2 is a multi gpu setupi :unsure:

I meant single card vs 2 cards...

[79wjd]

I meant single card vs 2 cards...

A 295x2 is seen no differently than two 290Xs. 

[Fulgrim]

A 295x2 is seen no differently than two 290Xs. 

Physically, it's 2 gpu's on a single PCB.

 

So technically, it's different.

[79wjd]

Physically, it's 2 gpu's on a single PCB.

 

So technically, it's different.

But it's really not. Any program will see it as two R9 290Xs in XFIRE, the only difference is that one is more compact than the other. 

[Cheddle]

as above, if you dont mind FPS dips, one or even two GTX980's today - or wait until tomorrow (or the next day, or the one after that...)

 

I have a single gtx980 running a 4k 60hz screen and i can play COD:AW (no aa) on extra/ultra everything and its 60fps flat, try that in farcry 4 though and ill get 20-40 fps... two gtx980's would likely get 40-60 fps... but thats still not ideal...

 

Im waiting for the amd 3xx cards - if they are as good as they appear to be based on rumours then ill sell my 980 and buy one immediately on launch.

[faisal.ahmed157]

Wow this is the most responsive forum I've been to with very little fanboyism ruining everything lol great info and suggestions, from most user opinions I'm thinking if I want to play ultra 4k at  stable mid to high fps I'm prolly better suited to wait for the next batch of cards. Is liquid cooling superior over air cooling these days as I've heard the new AMD will also be liquid cooled, could be wrong. Another thing are there any good 4k monitors at this point or near future, I hear alot about IPS and TN panels with the IPS being the better in color and viewing angle however comes at a higher price point and some input lag. There are some well priced 28'' and below monitors right now but anything above that shoots past the $1,000 price point.

[Cheddle]

Wow this is the most responsive forum I've been to with very little fanboyism ruining everything lol great info and suggestions, from most user opinions I'm thinking if I want to play ultra 4k at  stable mid to high fps I'm prolly better suited to wait for the next batch of cards. Is liquid cooling superior over air cooling these days as I've heard the new AMD will also be liquid cooled, could be wrong. Another thing are there any good 4k monitors at this point or near future, I hear alot about IPS and TN panels with the IPS being the better in color and viewing angle however comes at a higher price point and some input lag. There are some well priced 28'' and below monitors right now but anything above that shoots past the $1,000 price point.

 

cooling solution is really dependent on the card type... both have some advantages/disadvantages - generally as long as its cool enough under air just stick with it.

 

my monitor is a samsung u28590d (

 

it cost me $600 aud 

 

its a TN 10-bit panel. - in depth review here: https://pcmonitors.info/reviews/samsung-u28d590d/

 

I am really happy with it, I prefer TN panels for their response and lack of ghosting. however some are just too bad at reproducing colour, the Samsung u28d590 does a good job at reproducing colour and its good to look at in my opinion, compared to my144hz 1080 panel its hugely better for colour production and not much worse than my LGEA93 (ultra-wide IPS)

 

There are many more cheap 4k panels entering the market, Including gsync compatible ones and IPS ones.

[faisal.ahmed157]

cooling solution is really dependent on the card type... both have some advantages/disadvantages - generally as long as its cool enough under air just stick with it.

 

my monitor is a samsung u28590d (

 

it cost me $600 aud 

 

its a TN 10-bit panel. - in depth review here: https://pcmonitors.info/reviews/samsung-u28d590d/

 

I am really happy with it, I prefer TN panels for their response and lack of ghosting. however some are just too bad at reproducing colour, the Samsung u28d590 does a good job at reproducing colour and its good to look at in my opinion, compared to my144hz 1080 panel its hugely better for colour production and not much worse than my LGEA93 (ultra-wide IPS)

 

There are many more cheap 4k panels entering the market, Including gsync compatible ones and IPS ones.

I've had my eye on that samsung one for a while too I would grab that but they'll prolly spit out a new model very soon too and there are gsync and freesync monitors on the way. It's hard to stay on the cutting edge for too long when it comes to pc components lol gotta really weigh the performance for budget margin gains when thinking of upgrading, used to really overwhelm me. What do you think about this http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/266288-dell-just-won-the-internet-announces-4k-60hz-ips-monitor-for-599/ 

[bmxtricky5]

Physically, it's 2 gpu's on a single PCB.

So technically, it's different.

So... Your saying its different. Please for the sake of my mental sanity do some more reaserch. It can be physically different but from a software point of view its two 290x's. Its like two breads of dogs. They may be different on the outside but really there both dogs.

[Cheddle]

I've had my eye on that samsung one for a while too I would grab that but they'll prolly spit out a new model very soon too and there are gsync and freesync monitors on the way. It's hard to stay on the cutting edge for too long when it comes to pc components lol gotta really weigh the performance for budget margin gains when thinking of upgrading, used to really overwhelm me. What do you think about this http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/266288-dell-just-won-the-internet-announces-4k-60hz-ips-monitor-for-599/ 

 

looks good. its all about deciding what is important to you and buying what meets those requirments. if you always look at whats around the corner you will never buy anything thats currently available.

[paul_m]

anyone have experience with 2 780 ti with 4k?

[Fate]

anyone have experience with 2 780 ti with 4k?

780ti is a wee bit worse than 290x at 4k, but it is held back by the 3GB vram so I would not recommend going 4k with two 780ti's.