MSI GTX 980ti, OC'ing, and 4k montiors

[Guest Michelle68]

So as the post title says I'm talking about the 980ti card from MSI and using it on a 4k monitor. I've read from a lot of people who say that you'll get more from OC'ing your video card than from OC'ing your CPU (I'm using an i7-5930k and for gaming I doubt that I'd see any real improvement).

 

So with that said:

 

1) How does OC'ing a video card impact the card life cycle? (I've never spent a lot of money on hardware, so now that I've made some pretty give investments I want to ensure that I'm getting the most out of the hardware life)

 

2) How does OC'ing actually impact gaming? Do you REALLY see an improvement with just 1 card in 4k gaming?

 

3) What are the draw backs to OC'ing the GPU? 

 

4) Lastly, if OC'ing isn't the best option and getting a second GPU for SLI is a better way to go - is there an improvement of 4k gaming on a single 4k monitor with SLI? Or do you need to be running multiple monitors for you to experience better gaming?

 

[jono20]

Overclocking anything will reduce both its reliability and its lifespan. It's difficult/impossible to quantify exactly how much it will be effected, but with a moderate stable overclock you may only get 3-5 years out of a product whereas it could last years more leaving it at stock levels. 

 

Depending on the level of the overclock you will notice a difference in gaming (10-20% isn't unreasonable)

 

I think a 980Ti is capable of 4K gaming on its own but it's still going to be a stretch in some titles. You'd surely see some improvements running SLI cards for a single 4K display.

[MegaDave91]

1) Overclocking on a stock bios shouldn't reduce its lifespan in any significant way. There are parameters in place to prevent you from damaging the card.

 

2) Some games respond better than others, but yes! At 4K you'll want as many as you can feasibly get.

 

3) Increased heat/power/noise

 

4) SLI will yield much better framerates than overclocking a single graphics card. You do no need to be using multiple monitors.

[martward]

Answers to both 1 and 3. OC'ing usually leads to higher temperatures which can decrease the lifespan of your GPU. If you OC correctly and don't overdo it, I doubt you will fry the GPU before you'll need to change it due to the fact that it's not fast enough anymore.

 

2) Your FPS will go up, though it depends on the card and the OC you are getting by how much (I think you'll find benchmarks on google).

[Sam Z Man]

Even when overclocked a single 980ti still isn't enough for 4K gaming. But why did you buy a 5830K if it's for gaming and you only have 1 GPU?

[MegaDave91]

Even when overclocked a single 980ti still isn't enough for 4K gaming. But why did you buy a 5830K if it's for gaming and you only have 1 GPU?

Yes it is. You don't own either, so you can't speak from experience.

[Guest Michelle68]

Even when overclocked a single 980ti still isn't enough for 4K gaming. But why did you buy a 5830K if it's for gaming and you only have 1 GPU?

 

I do a lot of stuff with virtualization so having a CPU which can handle a lot of threads is important to my needs here at home. Gaming for me is more of a secondary hobby than a primary one. I also am a big multi-tasker. It isn't uncommon for me to have 3-6 applications going at the same time, including, a VM running. 

[OAcesync]

Yes it is. You don't own either, so you can't speak from experience.

No he's right even overclocked there still isn't a card that can run 4K 60fps on all AAA games without turning down settings

[Guest Michelle68]

No he's right even overclocked there still isn't a card that can run 4K 60fps on all AAA games without turning down settings

 

I can't run GTAV with maxed out settings and MSAA at 8x at 60fps on my computer. It just won't do that. I have to turn something down in order to get good FPS. 

[swimsphinx]

Thats the thing though with 4k ... its freaking 4k do you really need AA to make games look better anymore?? maybe just in screenshots at most. playing games i can't notice difference at all between 2x and 8x at 4k. At some point it stops being about how the game looks so much better and more about peoples ego's saying that they have something that can run 4k max settings.