GPU Choice for 1440p

[Iyze]

So I'm going to be going 1440p soon (Tuesday is payday !) and need a GPU for this, along with a few other upgrades (RAM to 16GB, new monitor, new PSU).

 

I've pretty much decided on the RAM/PSU/Monitor but I'm still struggling to settle on a GPU. My plan is to get one this month and another next month or in a few months time (along with a new PSU) then probably not change anything in the PC for another 2 years. With this in mind I was thinking the new MSI 380 4GB would work just fine, especially in crossfire however a couple of friends are saying I should spend £100 more (per card) and get MSI GTX 970s as the 380s won't be good enough for at least 50+FPS at 1440p. Heard quite a lot of conflicting advice going around so it's not helped at all - I'm waiting on some benchmarks but thought I'd ask in a forum too (if anyone has seen any for the 4GB model could you link them?).

 

 

Other considerations are that my case makes for tight fits for cards over 2 slots high in SLI/XFire. I don't have a strict budget but I would only spend the minimum to get what I want, though of course I'm after quality.

 

 

Current build is;

i7-4790k

ASUS Maximus VII Ranger

8GB RAM

GTX 750

CX-600M

 

Thanks!

[arronleeds]

gtx 970 or r9 390, best choice for 1440p on a single gpu unless you wanna step up to a gtx 980 or 390x.

[Misanthrope]

Most games will be just fine with a 4690k but for a bit of piece of mind, if you can afford it, you can keep that 4790k. However if you "downgrade" to a 4690k you can probably put that towards a 970, or another option is a good 290 or 290x since those will be clearing stock for the 390s now and will perform virtually as good for you. Just make sure it's a Sapphire cause reference or low end coolers can get unwieldy.

 

290s will be significantly more difficult to drive with the PSU so if that's what you plan later on then you definitely want a better PSU. Perhaps 970 is the best way to go here.

[TheCaptain53]

So I'm going to be going 1440p soon (Tuesday is payday !) and need a GPU for this, along with a few other upgrades (RAM to 16GB, new monitor, new PSU).

 

I've pretty much decided on the RAM/PSU/Monitor but I'm still struggling to settle on a GPU. My plan is to get one this month and another next month (along with a new PSU) then probably not change anything in the PC for another 2 years. With this in mind I was thinking the new MSI 380 4GB would work just fine, especially in crossfire however a couple of friends are saying I should spend £100 more (per card) and get MSI GTX 970s as the 380s won't be good enough for at least 50+FPS at 1440p. Heard quite a lot of conflicting advice going around so it's not helped at all - I'm waiting on some benchmarks but thought I'd ask in a forum too (if anyone has seen any for the 4GB model could you link them?).

 

 

Other considerations are that my case makes for tight fits for cards over 2 slots high in SLI/XFire. I don't have a strict budget but I would only spend the minimum to get what I want, though of course I'm after quality.

 

 

Current build is;

i7-4790k

ASUS Maximus VII Ranger

8GB RAM

GTX 750

CX-600M

 

Thanks!

Are you doing rendering and/or heavy multi-tasking? If not, then you don't really need any more RAM. At this point in time (and some people will disagree) 8GB is all you need.

I wouldn't settle on a 380 for 1440p. I'm sure it's very capable, but I would step up to GTX 970 or R9 290(X)/390(X) to drive 1440p.

I'm running 1440p with a 4690K and a GTX 970, and it works beautifully. Pretty much max settings on GTA V (without AA, I don't notice it at high res, or advanced graphics) and am getting a very solid 60 fps with very few frame dips. 

[arronleeds]

im pretty sure hes already got the 4790k if you read guys, dont get a 380, it is not i repeat not capable of 1440p, its a rebrand of the r9 285 which is slower than a 280x, you need to be getting a 970,390,980 or a 390x and nothing less.

 

ps- i have an msi twin frozr 970 and it looks as good as it runs and your friends are spot on.

[Grrizz]

GTX970 would be the minimum I would recommend, even that in more demanding games will need you to drop your settings to high or even a medium/high mix.

A 980 or higher would be ideal if you can spare the cash.

[IateMApoo]

290/290X/970/390/390X

 

Go with one which ever is cheaper, theyre all great for 1440p.

[Maslofski]

970 ive it has to be cheap, but the 980ti would probably be the sweet spot

[bomerr]

1st. Do not go SLI or Crossfire or ELSE YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE A BAD TIME!!! You'll get games that perform great and you'll get games that micro-stutter and make you regret ever getting a 2nd gpu. Not to mention driver headache .

 

2nd. You're going to want a 980 Ti and OC'd to like 1400mhz+ core. You'll be able to run every current game at 1440p ultra at 60FPS and you'll have some headroom for future games. In other words in 2 yrs you'll still be playing at 60 FPS but maybe on high settings instead with no AA.

 

i've got a 980 OC'd and with games such as The Witcher 3 and Assassins Creed Unity on Ultra I get about 30 FPS so I'm already turning down the settings. For this reason I strongly advise against weaker cards such as the 970 or anything AMD. 1440p is pretty demanding. 

[Iyze]

Woah that is some quick responses, appreciated guys. 

 

Yeah the "current build" is what I already have in the PC, not other parts that I'm going to buy, I'm only after GPU/PSU/RAM changes. The reason I was looking at going SLI or Xfire is that I can buy a cheaper card now and not have to upgrade until later down the line - splits up my spending a bit and still comes in cheaper than a 980ti overall. Also - it that really true about SLI? I thought 99% of the issues had been overcome, or at least they are within 1 month of a new game release. Plus doesn't DX12 treat SLI cards as one super-card, at least in terms of VRAM?

 

Oh an about the RAM; the PC will also be used as a Solidworks workstation, though only for me to learn/practice. All my proper work has to be done at work so gaming takes priority for my home PC. 

[bomerr]

The problem is that you will always want to just upgrade to a better single card in the future. For instance when Pascal comes out next year we can except a 50% increase in FPS per single card. (gonna be g8 4 4k) That's essentially the same performance as SLI except with less noise and lower power usage.

 

I played GTA V in SLI about 2 weeks ago and it stuttered then crashed. GTA V specifically is kinda of a unstable game and SLI doesn't help that. 

[Alurit]

970 two way sli < r9 390 two way crossfire (but you need a at least a 750w psu for 2 390s)< single 980ti

[vSyNd1c4t3]

So I'm going to be going 1440p soon (Tuesday is payday !) and need a GPU for this, along with a few other upgrades (RAM to 16GB, new monitor, new PSU).

 

I've pretty much decided on the RAM/PSU/Monitor but I'm still struggling to settle on a GPU. My plan is to get one this month and another next month or in a few months time (along with a new PSU) then probably not change anything in the PC for another 2 years. With this in mind I was thinking the new MSI 380 4GB would work just fine, especially in crossfire however a couple of friends are saying I should spend £100 more (per card) and get MSI GTX 970s as the 380s won't be good enough for at least 50+FPS at 1440p. Heard quite a lot of conflicting advice going around so it's not helped at all - I'm waiting on some benchmarks but thought I'd ask in a forum too (if anyone has seen any for the 4GB model could you link them?).

 

 

Other considerations are that my case makes for tight fits for cards over 2 slots high in SLI/XFire. I don't have a strict budget but I would only spend the minimum to get what I want, though of course I'm after quality.

 

 

Current build is;

i7-4790k

ASUS Maximus VII Ranger

8GB RAM

GTX 750

CX-600M

 

Thanks!

 

GTX 980 Ti