Question about GTX scaling.

[JonD7]

I ordered everything for my build except for two parts, heatsink and GPU...

How is scaling on the 970 and 980? let's say in 2016 I buy a 4k monitor and my 900 series card isn't enough can it upscale 1080p or 1440p to 4k?

I ask this because my old ATi 5850 doesn't allow me to lower my resolution to 800 then scale to 1200.

I'm really confused as which card to buy.

[Enderman]

scaling is usually done by the screen, not the GPU

you set the GPU to output 1080p then the screen should adapt the video signal to fit 

[AMD Lover]

Do you mean will it downscale from 4K to 1080p or 1440p? As far as I know that depends on the monitor. If its a even multiplier from the 4K res then theoretically you should have no problems.

[AmbellinaThePrise]

If 4k is in your future, go for a 980.

[kpreg]

lol yess i can finnaly say stay clear of the 970... it's total crap for 4k in sli becuase of vramgate

save and get a 390X when it comes out, it'll crush the 970 even in sli in 4k

(source- http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/310378-amd-r9-390x-coming-with-cooler-master-liquid-cooler-estimated-performance/)

[JonD7]

I definitely see myself upgrading to a new monitor next year, either 4k or 1440p... I just need an IPS monitor, need color accuracy for painting.

Is a 980 enough for 1440p gaming?

[Glenwing]

Yes, it can upscale just fine. Just set your scaling to be performed by the GPU in the NVIDIA control panel (in fullscreen mode or maintain aspect ratio mode) and set the ingame resolution to your lower resolution.

[d3sl91]

I definitely see myself upgrading to a new monitor next year, either 4k or 1440p... I just need an IPS monitor, need color accuracy for painting.

Is a 980 enough for 1440p gaming?

 

Yeah, all scaling is done on the monitor. Since 4k and 1080p are both 19:9 aspect ratio, it should scale "fine". And yes, a 980 will do fine with 1440p. However, just look at benchmarks for the games you want to play. "enough" for me is 60FPS minimum. Whereas you may be okay with 40FPS. 

 

[JonD7]

Thank you all! I decided to go with an EVGA SC 980+backplate, I'm sure the AMD 300 series card will be excellent but I want a Shield tablet and I don't trust them when it comes to heat output(not for my environment anyways)