Single GPU, Crossfire or SLI ?

[Throko]

Hello everyone,

 

I'm currently looking at what kind of PC I should buy in a couple of months. I know that in a couple of months things like price or availability can change, but those things I'll be able to figure out
Where I need your help, is in finding the perfect balance between noise, power consumption, heat, GPU power and price.

 

As an additional challenge, I'm thinking of buying either the Acer Predator XR341CK or the Acer Predator XR34 depending on the GPU(s) I'll decide on buying. I'm also a strong believer in VR, so either an Oculus or a Vive will be bought in 2016.

So playing at 3440x1440 is the whole issue here. I was thinking about either:

• Crossfire: 2x Sapphire R9 390 Tri-X OC 8 GB --------------  698€

I really like the way 390s perform at higher resolution, but the issue I have is the power consumption, which is way too high under load. Noise and heat are on the lower end, which is nice, since I'm worried that putting two GPUs so near to one another, may cause too much heat.

• SLI: 2x MSI GeForce GTX 970 Gaming 4 GB --------------- 638€

I read in D2ultima's "The SLI information guide", that 970 SLI is a bit of a problem and that it won't support VRAM stacking with DX12, which (if it is confirmed) is a bit of a deal breaker... Power consumption, noise and heat are on the lower end, but same as with Crossfire, I'm worried about the heat when the two cards are next to each other.

• Single GPU: Palit GTX 980 Ti JetStream 6 GB -------------- 694€

As I understand it, a single GPU is maybe not enough for 3440x1440 gaming and maintaining around 75fps. Power consumption, noise and heat are on the lower end, which is a plus though.

 

So the first question is, which option is better in your opinion?

Next question: How does SLI or Crossfire influence the need for a stronger CPU to avoid bottlenecks?

 

Thank you for your help!

[theereal]

980Ti, two 970's / 390's will be stronger, but IMO 1 single strong card Is better, SLI Is something you do when you dont have enough money to get a better card and you have enough money to buy another card that you already have before

[jgoonatilaka]

Get the custom 8GB Sapphire 390 cards and Crossfire those?

[AresKrieger]

Get the 980ti, it's better to have 1 strong gpu over two weaker ones

 

also follow your posts @Throko

[Bananasplit_00]

i think 980TI might not get you the preformance tho, but single cards are "better" because they hold up longer and then you can SLI in the future but maby the 390s for preformance

[battossi]

Honestly I would wait for pascal. Even if it's a little bump...it will still be a bump and at 3440x1440 a little bump will go a long way.

 

To be 100% honest with you...if you're wanting all games to be running "smooth" at 75 fps for a while you're going to be spending a little more than 694€ at this time because watercooling and overclocking a 980 ti is the way to go.

 

For the choices given, you can't go wrong with a single 980 ti. SLI is seeing far to many issues to be viable right now. Specifically due to game engines (looks at unity engine) and drivers.

Game ready nvidia drivers are still beating AMD driver releases at this time. Even though I had a recent issue with an nvidia game ready driver ,I will stand by the green team at this time.

 

I keep adding "at this time" because things will change because they always change.

 

IMO anyway.

[DarkBlade2117]

For ULTRAWIDE 1440p.

I think you would enjoy the Crossfire 390s better. Overclock them to the max and have fun.

[DarkBlade2117]

Get the 980ti, it's better to have 1 strong gpu over two weaker ones

 

also follow your posts @Throko

For 2560x1440 I would say go for a 980Ti; however, 3440x1440 the 390s will,give a much better playing experience.

[Andrew Storlie]

Get a single 980ti if you have the money, then once gallmes start demanding more. You can sli another onem sorry i know amd cards have a better price to preformance but nothing can get me past the faslct that they have such a high power draw and heat output to do the same thing as an nvidia card. Why waste 800 watts when i can do the same with 300 watts and a single card?

[Aytex]

If you care about the heat and watt's get a 980 ti

if you don't get 2 390/x's

[CapricaBuccaneers]

I'd go with a Ti and matching GSync monitor.

We don't really know how the Oculus will pan out (or other alternatives) it may end up needing something really badass to power at decent framerates/settings. At least in this scenario you'll have the option of adding another Ti should it become necessary.

In terms of cost the 390s/Freesync display will be cheaper - and isn't a bad option. I just have a bad feeling that VR gaming will take a shit ton of grunt to run, and that minimum specs will look crap.

[Egad]

If you're buying VR, you want to go AMD.  Oculus has openly stated they consider Maxwell's context switching a major problem which makes the 980Ti less attractive there.  What would a single Fury or Fury X run you?  If VR is a priority it might be wise to with one of those now, it will also deliver for ultrawide 1440p.  Then when you buy the VR you can also determine if a second card is needed or not based on what you buy.  Regarding the Fury though, if it is significantly more than a 390X, avoid it.  It's kind of in an awkward spot, where if you can get it for not much more than a 390X it's something to consider, but if all your retailers have it priced way above a 390X, just grab a 390X.  Whereas the Fury X has enough of a performance jump its premium price is a bit more tolerable, especially for VR or pushing lots of pixels.  

[AresKrieger]

For 2560x1440 I would say go for a 980Ti; however, 3440x1440 the 390s will,give a much better playing experience.

You can play witcher 3 max setting minus hairworks ultrawide 1440p above 60 fps so I don't see your point, plus xfire and sli have stutter potential so....

[Throko]

Honestly I would wait for pascal. Even if it's a little bump...it will still be a bump and at 3440x1440 a little bump will go a long way.

 

To be 100% honest with you...if you're wanting all games to be running "smooth" at 75 fps for a while you're going to be spending a little more than 694€ at this time because watercooling and overclocking a 980 ti is the way to go.

 

For the choices given, you can't go wrong with a single 980 ti. SLI is seeing far to many issues to be viable right now. Specifically due to game engines (looks at unity engine) and drivers.

Game ready nvidia drivers are still beating AMD driver releases at this time. Even though I had a recent issue with an nvidia game ready driver ,I will stand by the green team at this time.

 

I keep adding "at this time" because things will change because they always change.

 

IMO anyway.

 

What is the ETA for pascal? Because the waiting game is all nice and good, but once pascal is here, there will already be something even newer around the corner

 

 

You can play witcher 3 max setting minus hairworks ultrawide 1440p above 60 fps so I don't see your point, plus xfire and sli have stutter potential so....

 

Can you confirm this? Because from all the reviews I've been reading up until now, it gets around 65fps on 2560x1440 without hairworks, but I don't know which drivers they were using.

 

So as I see it right now, the 970 SLI is out of the question. So either Crossfire or 980 Ti... hmhm maybe I'll look at the 980 Ti and sacrifice the FPS a bit and upgrade once the prices drop.

[CapricaBuccaneers]

Can you confirm this? Because from all the reviews I've been reading up until now, it gets around 65fps on 2560x1440 without hairworks, but I don't know which drivers they were using.

My Single 980Ti on GeForce 358.30 running at 2560x1440 with all settings maxed, HBAO+ pushes early 70s FPS. No Hairworks.

Take a look at Techpowerup's review for some data: https://www.techpowerup.com/mobile/reviews/ASUS/GTX_980_Ti_STRIX_Gaming/23.html

[don_svetlio]

Most power? 390 CF

But I'd still say 980 Ti - single GPUs are better solutions - if going 4K though, then 390 CF is probably a better option.

[don_svetlio]

You can play witcher 3 max setting minus hairworks ultrawide 1440p above 60 fps so I don't see your point, plus xfire and sli have stutter potential so....

@Prysin

Stuttering with CF has been fixed since 2013 when the bridges were removed.

[Prysin]

@Throko

 

2x R9 390X would be your best bet. 8GB of VRAM per card, Bridgeless Crossfire. REALLY good performance per dollar (almost 980 performance for 100$ less).

ATM crossfire is very smooth, although with heavier OCs you may experience stuttering in some games (atleast i do when i have my R9 295x2 OCd... but my card is a bit "over the top"). Crossfire scaling is also excellent, and aslong as there is a CF profile, you should see terriffic scaling across the board.

 

Another benefit with AMD is that with with traditional SLI setups, when you are not using the second card, Nvidia cards draw a little bit power ALL THE TIME... usually around 12-15w.... its not a big deal, but if you are binge-watching netflix for 10 hours straight, then that equates to 120-150w of "standby" power draw. On the flip side. AMD features ZEROCORE technology, which practically and litterally shuts down the second GPU when not in use. This technology also makes sure that the second GPU is not activated before the graphical load on the PC is high enough (think its about 50% load for one card) that you NEED the other GPU... so even playing back 4k content locally should not trigger the second card. meaning you have litterally ZERO standby power-draw from the second card.

 

Also do remember, if you are like me who put your PC in waiting mode/turn off the screen and let is just sit there... then Nvidia GPUs will still draw some power (about 15W per card)...

The second your PC activates the screensaver, OR that you turn off your monitor. ZEROCORE kicks in and shuts off ALL Radeon GPUs in the system to conserve power(unless running Folding @ Home or other programs that force your GPU to stay active).

 

It may not sound like a whole lot. But given how Nvidia fanboys scream "rainforest murder" everytime an AMD GPU is mentioned, primarily due to "it uses so much power"... well.... This is when AMD wrecks Nvidia... because atm, Nvidia has NO solution for this standby powerdraw.

[Hiebly]

Honestly given the price I'd say 2x R9 390s is a solid buy here...

[AresKrieger]

What is the ETA for pascal? Because the waiting game is all nice and good, but once pascal is here, there will already be something even newer around the corner

 

 

 

Can you confirm this? Because from all the reviews I've been reading up until now, it gets around 65fps on 2560x1440 without hairworks, but I don't know which drivers they were using.

 

So as I see it right now, the 970 SLI is out of the question. So either Crossfire or 980 Ti... hmhm maybe I'll look at the 980 Ti and sacrifice the FPS a bit and upgrade once the prices drop.

Having trouble confirming, so ignore my statement due to lack of conclusive data, I have 1 chart showing 64 fps but they didn't show their settings in game and after looking at other benches I think that the 980ti has trouble with witcher 3 60 fps at 1440p ultrawide

[Throko]

@Throko

 

2x R9 390X would be your best bet. 8GB of VRAM per card, Bridgeless Crossfire. REALLY good performance per dollar (almost 980 performance for 100$ less).

ATM crossfire is very smooth, although with heavier OCs you may experience stuttering in some games (atleast i do when i have my R9 295x2 OCd... but my card is a bit "over the top"). Crossfire scaling is also excellent, and aslong as there is a CF profile, you should see terriffic scaling across the board.

 

Another benefit with AMD is that with with traditional SLI setups, when you are not using the second card, Nvidia cards draw a little bit power ALL THE TIME... usually around 12-15w.... its not a big deal, but if you are binge-watching netflix for 10 hours straight, then that equates to 120-150w of "standby" power draw. On the flip side. AMD features ZEROCORE technology, which practically and litterally shuts down the second GPU when not in use. This technology also makes sure that the second GPU is not activated before the graphical load on the PC is high enough (think its about 50% load for one card) that you NEED the other GPU... so even playing back 4k content locally should not trigger the second card. meaning you have litterally ZERO standby power-draw from the second card.

 

Also do remember, if you are like me who put your PC in waiting mode/turn off the screen and let is just sit there... then Nvidia GPUs will still draw some power (about 15W per card)...

The second your PC activates the screensaver, OR that you turn off your monitor. ZEROCORE kicks in and shuts off ALL Radeon GPUs in the system to conserve power(unless running Folding @ Home or other programs that force your GPU to stay active).

 

It may not sound like a whole lot. But given how Nvidia fanboys scream "rainforest murder" everytime an AMD GPU is mentioned, primarily due to "it uses so much power"... well.... This is when AMD wrecks Nvidia... because atm, Nvidia has NO solution for this standby powerdraw.

 

Thank you very much for the information about the second GPU standby status when idle I'm very concerned about using stuff that does waste power, so knowing about this is very helpful, since I was worried about the power consumption when going with CF. I may still need to look at a pretty powerful power supply, since AMD has a problem with limiting the power consumption of its cards.

 

Having trouble confirming, so ignore my statement due to lack of conclusive data, I have 1 chart showing 64 fps but they didn't show their settings in game and after looking at other benches I think that the 980ti has trouble with witcher 3 60 fps at 1440p ultrawide

 

Don't worry about it thank you for taking the time to look into it though!

 

EDIT: Anyone here, who would explain how using CF influences the need for an even more powerful CPU or not to avoid bottleneck problems ?

[don_svetlio]

Thank you very much for the information about the second GPU standby status when idle I'm very concerned about using stuff that does waste power, so knowing about this is very helpful, since I was worried about the power consumption when going with CF. I may still need to look at a pretty powerful power supply, since AMD has a problem with limiting the power consumption of its cards.

 

 

Don't worry about it thank you for taking the time to look into it though!

 

EDIT: Anyone here, who would explain how using CF influences the need for an even more powerful CPU or not to avoid bottleneck problems ?

An i5 4460 is fine for CF or SLI - you don't really need an i7 for that since most games make proper use of only 4 cores. Some do use 6 and 8 but those aren't that many, not currently at lease. i5 is more than sufficient.

As for PSU - 850W is fine for 390X CF - if you want extra peace of mind then go for 1000W but that's a tad bit overkill if you ask me. a 390X draws about 340W and the rest of the system usually pulls 120W so about 680 + 120 = 800W max all stock voltage/power target. If you want heavy OCing with voltage and power changes though, 1000W is where I'd look

[Throko]

An i5 4460 is fine for CF or SLI - you don't really need an i7 for that since most games make proper use of only 4 cores. Some do use 6 and 8 but those aren't that many, not currently at lease. i5 is more than sufficient.

As for PSU - 850W is fine for 390X CF - if you want extra peace of mind then go for 1000W but that's a tad bit overkill if you ask me. a 390X draws about 340W and the rest of the system usually pulls 120W so about 680 + 120 = 800W max all stock voltage/power target. If you want heavy OCing with voltage and power changes though, 1000W is where I'd look

 

Thank you very much for your quick response, I now have a better idea on where/what I need to look for

[don_svetlio]

Thank you very much for your quick response, I now have a better idea on where/what I need to look for

No problem - I'd say get a good 1000W unit if you plan on OCing or have an OCed CPU - 850W if you plan on staying stock or only bumping clocks a bit.

[battossi]

What is the ETA for pascal? Because the waiting game is all nice and good, but once pascal is here, there will already be something even newer around the corner

 

 

 

Can you confirm this? Because from all the reviews I've been reading up until now, it gets around 65fps on 2560x1440 without hairworks, but I don't know which drivers they were using.

 

So as I see it right now, the 970 SLI is out of the question. So either Crossfire or 980 Ti... hmhm maybe I'll look at the 980 Ti and sacrifice the FPS a bit and upgrade once the prices drop.

 

 

somewhere between q1 2016 and take my money.