4k Gaming Card(s)

[noisecreated]

Hey guys, once again sorry for my bad english.

 

I'm planning on getting a new (or several) card for 4k gaming. (Please don't tell me how unoptimized 4k currently is, i know that. I also know that there are new Cards comming in the next months.)

My current problem is, that i can't decide what card to get. My budget is about ~1000€ unspend money would go into another MB / PSU.

 

Most topics i read were saying i need the most RAM i can get for 4k gaming. So my first decision was the 295x2 or Crossfire Sapphire Vapor-X 290x 8GB.

 

But on the other hand, serveral tech channels on Youtube and some boards are still refering to SLI 970 or even 980.

 

Seeing benchmarks with the 295x2 so far ahead on those, why are people still suggesting going for these?

 

Spec:

 

i7 4790k

16GB DDR3 Corsair Vengeance 2400

Asus Z97-A

Corsair HX850 PSU

[Guest]

Best choice is 2x 970's.

Turn off AntiAlliasing and you can' go wrong with these.

[vlkn´]

3x 980 or 2x 295x2 for fluid gaming, on highest settings with demanding game titles.

[Fate]

SLI 970 isn't powerful enough, either get two 980's or a 295x2, both of which still won't completely max out newest titles. Turn AA down to 2xmsaa/2xmfaa and you should get 60fps in just about every game though (I personally can't notice anything above 2xmsaa at 4k 28" anyways).

[Orblivion]

Dual 980's or the 295x2 because you only have 16 PCIe lanes to work with, so that will limit you in any triple SLI setup.

[nhatduy1611]

I say get the 295x2 it will be cooler and quieter then dual 980 plus they are way cheaper then dual 980. The  295x2 right now came in at 700-800$ on both amazon and newegg while 2 980 will cost you around 1100$.

[Demorthus]

Dual 980's. That's my actual setup.

[beansmasher28]

I have 2 XFX r9 290 4GB and a 4k monitor and everything that supports 4k and crossfire works very well.  The fans are quiet and keep the GPUs nice and cool, around 60-70c while playing games at 4k.  The 3840 by 2160 aspect works very well on all accounts, the lack of crossfire/SLI support being the big issue, but if you don't mind dealing with the early stages of 4k these cards are very powerful and fairly cheap.

[IMPERIUS]

Wait for another year or two then you wont have to spend a fortune for monitors and gpus

[Cheddle]

Hey guys, once again sorry for my bad english.

 

I'm planning on getting a new (or several) card for 4k gaming. (Please don't tell me how unoptimized 4k currently is, i know that. I also know that there are new Cards comming in the next months.)

My current problem is, that i can't decide what card to get. My budget is about ~1000€ unspend money would go into another MB / PSU.

 

Most topics i read were saying i need the most RAM i can get for 4k gaming. So my first decision was the 295x2 or Crossfire Sapphire Vapor-X 290x 8GB.

 

But on the other hand, serveral tech channels on Youtube and some boards are still refering to SLI 970 or even 980.

 

Seeing benchmarks with the 295x2 so far ahead on those, why are people still suggesting going for these?

 

Spec:

 

i7 4790k

16GB DDR3 Corsair Vengeance 2400

Asus Z97-A

Corsair HX850 PSU

 

Vram is important but not the only thing... 4k needs heaps of graphics power in general.

 

the 295x2 is actually two r9 290x 4gb cards in one slot. so they are really only 4gb cards.

 

the best 2 card combination depends on the game

 

either SLI Titan Z, SLI GTX980 or Crossfire r9 290x 8gb cards

 

Here is a helpful review that comapres the four biggest contenders for 4k set-ups:

 

http://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/zardon/sapphire-r9-290x-vapor-x-8gb-cf-review/

[beansmasher28]

 

Both cores on the 295x card use 4GB of vram like crossfire or SLI. Crossfire or SLI load the same data into each cards memory and render the same images alternately.

[m_tieu]

Get the 295x2 its a good deal for the price and having a single card instead of 2 will allow for better air flow and cooling.

[dragoon20005]

Both cores on the 295x card use the full 8GB of vram unlike crossfire or SLI.  Crossfire or SLI load the same data into each cards memory and render the same images alternately. 

erm no

 

its still 4GB per GPU

[Cheddle]

Both cores on the 295x card use the full 8GB of vram unlike crossfire or SLI.  Crossfire or SLI load the same data into each cards memory and render the same images alternately. 

nope

 

erm no

 

its still 4GB per GPU

yep

[Opcode]

SLI GTX 980 performs slightly better than a single the R9 295x2. I would say look around and see if you can snag crossfire R9 295x2 for the same price. Tho downside is your CPU would choke the hell out of them in modern games. Plus you would need at a bare minimum of a 1500w quality PSU. On top of a smart airflow layout for your case as pumping the hot air into the case from both cards is absolutely ridiculous. Otherwise the e-peen is unreal.

[noisecreated]

nope

 

yep

 

So why is it labeled as 8GB? http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-r9-295x2-review-benchmark-performance,3799.html

[dragoon20005]

So why is it labeled as 8GB? http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-r9-295x2-review-benchmark-performance,3799.html

marketing

 

same with Titan Z and 12GB of VRAM

 

it dual Titan Blacks with 6GB actually

[Opcode]

marketing

 

same with Titan Z and 12GB of VRAM

 

it dual Titan Blacks with 6GB actually

Or 780 Ti's, same exact thing really. Tho the price of one of them things is just ridiculous. You can crossfire two R9 295x2's for the same price.

[XiaoPineApple]

So why is it labeled as 8GB? http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-r9-295x2-review-benchmark-performance,3799.html

Marketing and becuz is 2 CORE in 1 PCB.

instead telling u is 4GB on each core. they just market as 8GB in 1 Card

[Sauron]

You can get pretty good performance with a single R9 290 or gtx 970 if you're willing to sacrifice a few settings, take that into consideration.

Dual R9 290s are by far the best bang for the buck.

If you're worried about power consumption, go for 2 970s instead.

Above that and below 1000$ are 3 R9 290s.

[Guest]

I have been testing 4K monitors for a while now and have tried a few setups, but honestly the absolute MINIMUM I would personally recommend is a single GTX 980.

That will get you gaming at 4K on medium'ish settings with filters either off or on low, but its a start, ideally you want either dual GTX 980's or triple to be able to max out games at 4K.

As far as AMD goes, you can go dual 290X (make it a good non reference model though or you will have hideous throttling) and off you go.

Really depends on how hard you wanna go with it, but I have just been testing the Acer XB280HK and all I was using was a single Asus Strix GTX 980 and it did a decent job.

[noisecreated]

Ok thank you guys! I'll think i'll go with the SLI 980's.

[beansmasher28]

nope

 

yep

Didn't look up the specs, heard some bad info, you are right it's 4gb per gpu

[Bourne Endeavor]

Given the price difference. I would pick up a R9 295 as it will handle nearly everything you throw at it, including most newer games. Down the road you could then add another for probably even less since the 390 series may be out. Dual R9s would be beastly.

[Demorthus]

Ok thank you guys! I'll think i'll go with the SLI 980's.

 

Nice choice & welcome to the SLI 980 club!  B)