4k video card

[GSTARR]

Alright, so no need to convince me of some other card;

I've chosen the 980ti

But I don't know which one to get, i.e. MSI lightning which has better specs {on paper} or the Kingpin etc.

 

Which one would yall recommend, I'm new to overclocking so I'm going to start of slow first, which sort of make the lightning look like a ridiculous choice, however I would like that option available to me in the future, so please don't kick it out because of that.

 

Here's my build :

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/4rb4bv

[Oshino Shinobu]

Kingpin is the best in terms of raw performance and overclocking capabilities, but it's damn expensive. I'd personally just go for an EVGA ACX 2.0 card (any of them, really, main differences are the default clock and single or dual BIOS) for the warranty, support and good cooler. 

[TheRandomness]

Are you getting that build or already have it? Plus, if you want smooth 4K, 2 Fury (X or non X?)s or 2 980Tis would be better as a single card to play 4k AAA games at max settings smoothly is non existent yet. (Correct me if wrong)

 

EDIT: @Fate thanks for the tip

[don_svetlio]

you need 2x 980 Ti/Fury X for 4K.

[Fate]

as a single card to play 4k games smoothly is non existent yet. (Correct me if wrong)

Should add AAA titles at max settings to that. Everything else will run perfectly smooth.

 

@OP why are you going with X79 over X99?

[VirtualDemon]

I use this model, it's dead silent and performs great. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487139&cm_re=evga_4992-_-14-487-139-_-Product

[Sauron]

In my opinion you should buy the cheapest non reference design from a reputable brand.

 

Are you getting that build or already have it? Plus, if you want smooth 4K, 2 Fury (X or non X?)s or 2 980Tis would be better as a single card to play 4k games smoothly is non existent yet. (Correct me if wrong)

 

Single card setups include dual gpu cards, so technically you'd be incorrect - an r9 295x2 or devil13 r9 390 would be perfectly capable of a smooth 4k experience at close to max settings. Besides, if you're content with somewhat less than ultra settings (which believe me, doesn't make a huge difference) even a single r9 390 can give you a pretty good experience at 4k.

[GSTARR]

Are you getting that build or already have it? Plus, if you want smooth 4K, 2 Fury (X or non X?)s or 2 980Tis would be better as a single card to play 4k games smoothly is non existent yet. (Correct me if wrong)

Yes, but I like my games on ultra. and on ultra, gta v already uses 16gb of vram;

so we're already stretching the limits. the only reason I chose not to sli two titan x's is I'm close to affording this and am impatient ;-;

I will sli the 980 ti i get in the future, however from what I've seen one will do just fine till then

[GSTARR]

Should add AAA titles at max settings to that. Everything else will run perfectly smooth.

 

@OP why are you going with X79 over X99?

Because I haven't done research into the x99, the x79 was recommended. I'm open to changes if you think the x99 offers more with the current parts

[don_svetlio]

Yes, but I like my games on ultra. and on ultra, gta v already uses 16gb of vram;

so we're already stretching the limits. the only reason I chose not to sli two titan x's is I'm close to affording this and am impatient ;-;

I will sli the 980 ti i get in the future, however from what I've seen one will do just fine till then

1 980 Ti @ 4K ultra can barely hold 30 fps - Fury X is actually superior @ 4K

[Sauron]

Yes, but I like my games on ultra. and on ultra, gta v already uses 16gb of vram;

so we're already stretching the limits. the only reason I chose not to sli two titan x's is I'm close to affording this and am impatient ;-;

I will sli the 980 ti i get in the future, however from what I've seen one will do just fine till then

 

GTA V doesn't use 16gb of vram, it's impossible - especially because there isn't a single card on the market with that much available vram for games. Vram doesn't stack in multi-gpu setups.

[GSTARR]

Are you getting that build or already have it? Plus, if you want smooth 4K, 2 Fury (X or non X?)s or 2 980Tis would be better as a single card to play 4k AAA games at max settings smoothly is non existent yet. (Correct me if wrong)

 

EDIT: @Fate thanks for the tip

12gb of vram***

[GSTARR]

GTA V doesn't use 16gb of vram, it's impossible - especially because there isn't a single card on the market with that much available vram for games. Vram doesn't stack in multi-gpu setups.

Sorry, I corrected it too late

[knibbs1325]

Alright, so no need to convince me of some other card;

I've chosen the 980ti

But I don't know which one to get, i.e. MSI lightning which has better specs {on paper} or the Kingpin etc.

 

 

 

I would recommend the galax card, it shows to be one of the better ones if you can find two of them, or get two gigabyte g1 gaming ones

[TheRandomness]

In my opinion you should buy the cheapest non reference design from a reputable brand.

 

 

Single card setups include dual gpu cards, so technically you'd be incorrect - an r9 295x2 or devil13 r9 390 would be perfectly capable of a smooth 4k experience at close to max settings. Besides, if you're content with somewhat less than ultra settings (which believe me, doesn't make a huge difference) even a single r9 390 can give you a pretty good experience at 4k.

Yeah but you don't find too many dual GPU cards at the moment (R9 295x2, PowerColor's Devil13, Titan Z (No), That Fury Gemini thingy soon...etc) and if @OP wants realllly good FPS then a single 390(x) would be pushing it, no?

[Senzelian]

Kingpin is the best in terms of raw performance and overclocking capabilities

 

I'm pretty sure it isn't.

Jay (JayzTwoCents) achieved a higher overclock on the Lightning.

Even a reference card can perform better than a Kingpin. It all comes down to the silicon lottery.

1 980 Ti @ 4K ultra can barely hold 30 fps - Fury X is actually superior @ 4K

That isn't true.

A friend of mine plays with his 980Ti at 4K and he does not have any problems playing the newsest titles.

[TheRandomness]

1 980 Ti @ 4K ultra can barely hold 30 fps - Fury X is actually superior @ 4K

 

 

12gb of vram***

And the Fury has 4GB vram over a massive 4096 bit (is that the right number?) memory bus so it's just fine at 4k.

[don_svetlio]

And the Fury has 4GB vram over a massive 4096 bit (is that the right number?) memory bus so it's just fine at 4k.

Yes, that's the correct number. The speed of the Fury X's memory is what? 4-5 times higher than the 980 Ti's and thus no real stuttering can be noted even when using the whole memory buffer.

[GSTARR]

And the Fury has 4GB vram over a massive 4096 bit (is that the right number?) memory bus so it's just fine at 4k.

So fury x > any 980ti?

[TheRandomness]

So fury x > any 980ti?

Not any, but the Fury X appears to be superior to the 980Ti (*apparently*) in 4K

[don_svetlio]

So fury x > any 980ti?

At 4K, somewhat yes.

[don_svetlio]

See for yourself

[Oshino Shinobu]

 

I'm pretty sure it isn't.

Jay (JayzTwoCents) achieved a higher overclock on the Lightning.

Even a reference card can perform better than a Kingpin. It all comes down to the silicon lottery.

 

Depends how you're cooling them and what you're actually doing with them. The Kingpin is designed for extreme cooling and custom BIOS with increased voltage, hence it's beefy power delivery. And one person getting a better overclock doesn't mean that it's not the "best" card, just that it can be beaten when you get a good chip. You're more likely to get a good chip with a Kingpin than a regular card, as they're binned a lot. 

 

 

 

That isn't true.

A friend of mine plays with his 980Ti at 4K and he does not have any problems playing the newsest titles.

You can play them, but the settings won't be great. I end up running games at 1440p because 4K is just too hard to push a lot of the time. I'd prefer good settings and framerates over 4K most of the time. 

[VagabondWraith]

Don't go with the Kingpin. It's ultra expensive and it's only real use is for LN2. If you want EVGA go for the Classified. If you want to water cool, get the reference, otherwise anything else will suffice.

[Senzelian]

Depends how you're cooling them and what you're actually doing with them. The Kingpin is designed for extreme cooling and custom BIOS with increased voltage, hence it's beefy power delivery. And one person getting a better overclock doesn't mean that it's not the "best" card, just that it can be beaten when you get a good chip. You're more likely to get a good chip with a Kingpin than a regular card, as they're binned a lot. 

 

 

You can play them, but the settings won't be great. I end up running games at 1440p because 4K is just too hard to push a lot of the time. I'd prefer good settings and framerates over 4K most of the time.

It is true that the Kingpin has usually better chips and also a better power delivery, but still there is a lot of luck. A good chip isn't guaranteed.

Cooling performance of the Kingpin isn't that great actually.

All 3-fan cooler designs usually beat it, simply because of more surface area. The Windforce cooler has by far the best cooling performance out of all air cooled cards. And there are also a few cards with AIOs that actually cost less.

To make it short: "The best card", doesn't exist.