SLI 770's vs Single 980

[Kikstyo]

I currently have a GTX 550Ti and i'm looking for an upgrade.

 

However, since I care about the aesthetics of my setup more than the performance, I wanted a GPU with the Titan reference cooler.    It would be optimal if I could SLI and use Nvidia's new LED SLI bridge but only if it fits in my budget.  <_<

 

Keep in mind, even though I care about aesthetics more, performance is still a big factor. I'm hoping to play Witcher 3/Borderlands on ultra/high settings, I run two 1080p monitors and occasionally movies on my 1080p 43" TV. I don't overclock or anything like that! I am in no hurry for an upgrade but hoping Best Buy doesn't cut off the reference GTX 770s anytime soon. 

 

So far my possible options are (in my budget):

 

- SINGLE GTX 980 (~$650)

 

- TWO GTX 770's SLI (~$350 each) - how long do u think it'll be until they're off the shelves? 

 

- *crossing my fingers* for a reference (Titan) cooler release for the 970, just like the 770. Would be my first choice and would also SLI these, but worth hoping/waiting for?

 

 

 

So far the obvious choice (to me) is the two 770's in SLI. But I was wondering if the performance of X2 SLI GTX 770s would be powerful/"future proof" enough to handle what I do for about 3~4 years (optimistic). I do not play games with crazy graphics (Battlefield, Crysis, etc.) maybe i'll try out Titanfall? 

 

I was hoping you guys would be able to give me some recommendations on other sick looking GPUs, I really dig the Titan cooler and was thinking of painting the silver parts white. Or if you guys know of any other Nvidia cards with the Titan cooler.

 

Thanks!

[nsyedhasan]

I would probably buy a GTX 980 because you can always add one later for more performance.

[PC-NOOB]

970/770 won't get a reference cooler because cost of adding it isn't worth it at that price

[Kikstyo]

I would probably buy a GTX 980 because you can always add one later for more performance.

 

That's a good point. I would buy an SLI bridge and slap it on, even with one GPU.  B)

[nsyedhasan]

970/770 won't get a reference cooler because cost of adding it isn't worth it at that price

Well you can buy 770 with Titan cooler but they are 350$ compared to 250ish$ for non-reference cards. Also they are only available at Best Buy AFAIK.

[nsyedhasan]

That's a good point. I would buy an SLI bridge and slap it on, even with one GPU.  B)

I am thing about getting it for my R9 290 once I get another one even though it doesn't need one.

[capawesome9870]

first you can only push games to a single monitor or a Triple set of monitors. if you used 2 monitors the center of the screen would be on a bezel and would not work right. 

 

if you are going for looks get the Nvidia Reference card, but if you want silent go with a non-reference card (asus DCII, GB Windforce, MSI Gaming, etc) they run cooler, with slower spinning fans. 

 

 

i would choose dual 770 or 970, but i would first start with 1 then buy a second if you think you need it.  1080p gaming isn't hard for a GPU for the 770 or 970 class of GPUs. 

 

 

i was planning on getting Dual HD7870 (a little faster than a 660Ti each or together closer to an R9 290 or GTX 780), but i started with a single HD7870 and found that on my current monitor (1440x900 for games and a 1280*1024 for web browsing/monitoring/movies [ha i got a monitor of monitoring ] and i found that a single HD7870 can play most games on ultra no problems. although i am playing a little older games.  games include: battlefield 3, Borderlands 1 and 2 (2 instances of BL2 at the same time on medium using a trick i found on youtube), Sniper Elite V2, MINECRAFT, Crysis 2 w/ HD textures, Skyrim, Alan Wake, Darksiders 1 and 2, Metro 2033, Dead Island, Rage, Mafia 2, and some others i'm not remembering. 

ps i was running it on a 1080 TV until it crapped out

 

 

also if you are wanting to buy for the long haul (3-4 years) make sure you get 4GB frame buffer cards (970 and select 770) newer games that are coming out with the "Next Gen" are using as much of the GPU Frame Buffer as they can get and the morer the betterer. 

 

haven't watched this video, but it came up on my subscriptions a few days ago, it is about the evil within wanting 4GB GPUs as "recommended"

[Kikstyo]

i would choose dual 770 or 970, but i would first start with 1 then buy a second if you think you need it.  1080p gaming isn't hard for a GPU for the 770 or 970 class of GPUs. 

 

 

 

I was thinking of doing that with a GTX 770 cause the 970 doesnt have the reference cooler but I think by the time I want/need to upgrade 770s will be non-existent... 

 

Or I can spend a little (almost double) more and get me a 980, which is overkill.  :wacko: But youre right about the VRAM. Might be a good investment. 

[capawesome9870]

I was thinking of doing that with a GTX 770 cause the 970 doesnt have the reference cooler but I think by the time I want/need to upgrade 770s will be non-existent... 

 

Or I can spend a little (almost double) more and get me a 980, which is overkill.  :wacko: But youre right about the VRAM. Might be a good investment. 

 

 

i would not buy / spend the extra money on the GTX 980. the GTX 970 and 980 is only 17% faster (BF4 @1440p ultra) and is not worth the double the price. 

 

you said that you wanted a quiet system, a non reference GTX 970 would be your quietest bet. 

 

also you might have to wait about a month (my estimates with how fast new GPUs sell out) before newegg / amazon will be able to keep them in stock long enough for people with lives to buy one let alone 2. 

[Mick Naughty]

Reference coolers aren't always the best for cooling in sli, sometimes it depends on the case. I love the look of my stock coolers but the acx ones don't look so bad and the extra cooling is worth it.

 

Anyway I would really go for the 980, performance wise and looks sli 770/970 would be a great choice too.

[GeTecknics]

why does it say the gtx 980 is $650 i've seen them on newegg and amazon for $549-570 or is that the budget for your whole build

[Kikstyo]

why does it say the gtx 980 is $650 i've seen them on newegg and amazon for $549-570 or is that the budget for your whole build

 

I rounded up. Yeah, I believe they're $570 on EVGA's site, but ~$650 on NCIX. Supply and demand  :angry:

 

Reference coolers aren't always the best for cooling in sli, sometimes it depends on the case. I love the look of my stock coolers but the acx ones don't look so bad and the extra cooling is worth it.

 

Anyway I would really go for the 980, performance wise and looks sli 770/970 would be a great choice too.

 

Aesthetics > Performance for me 'cause i'm vain like that. Since the 970 doesn't have the Titan cooler, I am leaning a bit towards the SLI 770's. I am just hoping they're "future proof" enough for what I use em for and for the price (~$330 each).

[thewizkid95]

I've got a new, opened but never used, GTX 770 with a reference cooler I'm selling if you're interested. You can PM or send me an email for more details if you like?

 

Edit: It's never been powered on. It hasn't even been placed in a motherboard yet lol. Still comes with all the goodies like the original Nvidia box, stickers, and the badge. Pics here.

[TwistedDictator]

Honestly wait for the 980ti.

 

But out of the two, the 980. Why?? No scaling issue, No crossfire issue, no issues from ported games (lazy dev). less heat and more

[Mick Naughty]

780's on newegg for $400. One on here for sale for 350. Spend a tad extra, have the looks and better performance then the 770's and be a bit more "future proof". 

 

edit: just realized those were refurb's. Pny has them for 450. I would still consider it, even with refurbs.

[Kikstyo]

Honestly wait for the 980ti.

 

But out of the two, the 980. Why?? No scaling issue, No crossfire issue, no issues from ported games (lazy dev). less heat and more

 

Is there a release date for the 980Ti yet? 

 

780's on newegg for $400. One on here for sale for 350. Spend a tad extra, have the looks and better performance then the 770's and be a bit more "future proof". 

 

Hmm.. Never thought about getting a refurbed card, will have to look into that. Thanks!