Will 970 SLI Be Enough?

[cheshgoalie21]

Hey Forum

In a couple months I will be buying a Curved 34" 3440x1440p Ultrawide monitor that runs at 75hz. Right now I have one EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB FTW Edition card which is an absolute beast but I'm only running a 1920x1080 monitor. I'm just wondering and curious to whether or not throwing in another card in SLI will be enough to handle the workload. Thanks for the help!

[Big-G]

@ 75... single GPU should be fine, but if you got a 100Hz+ monitor... I'd say SLI or DIE!

[Savir]

Depends on the games/tasks you will be doing. I would personally sell the GTX 970 and buy a GTX 980ti. SLI can be glitchy in some games. But SLI should perform decently on most games

[Low_Battery]

3 minutes ago, cheshgoalie21 said:

Hey Forum

In a couple months I will be buying a Curved 34" 3440x1440p Ultrawide monitor that runs at 75hz. Right now I have one EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB FTW Edition card which is an absolute beast but I'm only running a 1920x1080 monitor. I'm just wondering and curious to whether or not throwing in another card in SLI will be enough to handle the workload. Thanks for the help!

Depends...what games, settings, target fps...

[EarthboundHero]

3 minutes ago, GidonsClaw said:

@ 75... single GPU should be fine, but if you got a 100Hz+ monitor... I'd say SLI or DIE!

Single card at 3440x1440 75Hz? No, at 1080P sure. 

[cheshgoalie21]

15 minutes ago, Low_Battery said:

Depends...what games, settings, target fps...

I'm going to college for computer science, programming and such, I also do dabble with some graphic design (illustrator/Photoshop) here and there but its just for fun. Adding to that I also game a lot, mostly playing CS:GO, ARMA 3, Battlefield 4, GTA V, Fallout 4, and other titles like that. If you have anymore questions just ask.

[cheshgoalie21]

16 minutes ago, Savir said:

Depends on the games/tasks you will be doing. I would personally sell the GTX 970 and buy a GTX 980ti. SLI can be glitchy in some games. But SLI should perform decently on most games

In the post above I specify what I primarily do and what I will be mostly doing in the future. But I feel like I would only be able to get like $250 if not less for the card since i've had it for over a year and it would cost me more to get the 980ti when in the tests I've seen the 970 SLI has done better than a single 980ti, so that's just what my thought process is. Tell me what you think, thanks!

[App4that]

1 minute ago, cheshgoalie21 said:

I'm going to college for computer science, programming and such, I also do dabble with some graphic design (illustrator/Photoshop) here and there but its just for fun. Adding to that I also game a lot, mostly playing CS:GO, ARMA 3, Battlefield 4, GTA V, Fallout 4, and other titles like that. If you have anymore questions just ask.

Fellow computer science student. Honestly I wouldn't SLI the 970 if you plan on running 1440. That really needs more VRAM if you want the setup to last. My advice is sell the 970 and get a 980ti.

[App4that]

2 minutes ago, cheshgoalie21 said:

In the post above I specify what I primarily do and what I will be mostly doing in the future. But I feel like I would only be able to get like $250 if not less for the card since i've had it for over a year and it would cost me more to get the 980ti when in the tests I've seen the 970 SLI has done better than a single 980ti, so that's just what my thought process is. Tell me what you think, thanks!

Here's a 970 SLI setup up against a bunch of high end cards, including some AMD offerings.

 

 

 

[Savir]

1 minute ago, cheshgoalie21 said:

In the post above I specify what I primarily do and what I will be mostly doing in the future. But I feel like I would only be able to get like $250 if not less for the card since i've had it for over a year and it would cost me more to get the 980ti when in the tests I've seen the 970 SLI has done better than a single 980ti, so that's just what my thought process is. Tell me what you think, thanks!

Well yes it depends on how much you can sell it for. The GTX 970 when SLIed still only has 3.5/4 gb of Vram which can be limiting. This is why I would prefer the GTX 980ti, which has 6gb. And in the future if you want to upgrade your screwed if you have 2 GTX 970s. On the other hand, when you need more performance you can get a 2nd 980ti. You may spend more now, but it will pay off in the future. 

[Low_Battery]

8 minutes ago, cheshgoalie21 said:

8 minutes ago, cheshgoalie21 said:

In the post above I specify what I primarily do and what I will be mostly doing in the future. But I feel like I would only be able to get like $250 if not less for the card since i've had it for over a year and it would cost me more to get the 980ti when in the tests I've seen the 970 SLI has done better than a single 980ti, so that's just what my thought process is. Tell me what you think, thanks!

In the post above I specify what I primarily do and what I will be mostly doing in the future. But I feel like I would only be able to get like $250 if not less for the card since i've had it for over a year and it would cost me more to get the 980ti when in the tests I've seen the 970 SLI has done better than a single 980ti, so that's just what my thought process is. Tell me what you think, thanks!

Cost to keep your current 970 and buy another = ~$330 = ~60 to 70 fps in 4k best case

 

Cost to get a good 980ti = $680 - $250 = $430 = ~50 to 70 fps in 4k AND reliable, more usable RAM, less power, less glitches / better support, better upgrade potential

 

Is the $100 worth it? Your call...

[cheshgoalie21]

1 minute ago, App4that said:

Fellow computer science student. Honestly I wouldn't SLI the 970 if you plan on running 1440. That really needs more VRAM if you want the setup to last. My advice is sell the 970 and get a 980ti.

 

1 minute ago, Savir said:

Well yes it depends on how much you can sell it for. The GTX 970 when SLIed still only has 3.5/4 gb of Vram which can be limiting. This is why I would prefer the GTX 980ti, which has 6gb. And in the future if you want to upgrade your screwed if you have 2 GTX 970s. On the other hand, when you need more performance you can get a 2nd 980ti. You may spend more now, but it will pay off in the future. 

 

1 minute ago, Low_Battery said:

Cost to keep your current 970 and buy another = ~$330 = ~60 to 70 fps in 4k best case

 

Cost to get a good 980ti = $680 - $250 = $430 = ~50 to 70 fps in 4k AND reliable, more usable RAM, less power, less glitches / better support, better upgrade potential

 

Is the $100 worth it? Your call...

Probably should mention that I will be upgrading to pascal in October when I get the money from my birthday/ with money saved up and most likely SLIing that, but that's of course only if it's out by then which I think its rumored to be out by the end of the summer anyway. But the 970 in SLI should hold me over till then right? Also Low_Battery you say 4K but I thought 4k was 3840×2160, I'm only really looking to game at 3440x1440.

 

Just for haha's where would be the best place for me to sell my 970, ebay?

[cheshgoalie21]

Also jsut wanted to say thanks for every ones input on this!

[Savir]

3 minutes ago, cheshgoalie21 said:

 

 

Probably should mention that I will be upgrading to pascal in October when I get the money from my birthday/ with money saved up and most likely SLIing that, but that's of course only if it's out by then which I think its rumored to be out by the end of the summer anyway. But the 970 in SLI should hold me over till then right? Also Low_Battery you say 4K but I thought 4k was 3840×2160, I'm only really looking to game at 3440x1440.

 

Just for haha's where would be the best place for me to sell my 970, ebay?

Honestly I would just wait for Pascal/Polaris. You said you are getting the monitor in a couple months? The new GPUs will be out and other people will look to buy last gen cards. Then you can get a 1080ti or what ever it's called. Just save some extra money to give yourself some options. Be patient and it might pay off.

Edited February 17, 2016 by Savir

[App4that]

Just now, cheshgoalie21 said:

 

 

Probably should mention that I will be upgrading to pascal in October when I get the money from my birthday/ with money saved up and most likely SLIing that, but that's of course only if it's out by then which I think its rumored to be out by the end of the summer anyway. But the 970 in SLI should hold me over till then right? Also Low_Battery you say 4K but I thought 4k was 3840×2160, I'm only really looking to game at 3440x1440.

 

Just for haha's where would be the best place for me to sell my 970, ebay?

Then I have good news. In October when the new cards release DX12 should be implemented to a greater degree, this means gone are the limitations of SLI and Crossfire. So you can have a 980ti and the new 1080, or a Furyx2 if you want. All it takes is DX12 compatibility and the 980ti has it, the 970 to a lesser extent.

[Low_Battery]

3 minutes ago, cheshgoalie21 said:

 

 

Probably should mention that I will be upgrading to pascal in October when I get the money from my birthday/ with money saved up and most likely SLIing that, but that's of course only if it's out by then which I think its rumored to be out by the end of the summer anyway. But the 970 in SLI should hold me over till then right? Also Low_Battery you say 4K but I thought 4k was 3840×2160, I'm only really looking to game at 3440x1440.

 

Just for haha's where would be the best place for me to sell my 970, ebay?

 

The numbers are not exact, just a way to give a rough comparison.  There are way too many variables involved to give an accurate specific average. 

 

Ultimately you will be fine either rout, and the differences don't really matter much given the short time frame before upgrading again.  Also, if you are upgrading to pascal regardless, you also need to factor in what the best resell would be: 2 970s or 1 980ti. 

 

In regards to where to sell, just look and see what the prices and competition are on either site. It has a lot to do with what else is posted.  Ebay gives you a wider audience, but also potentially more competition.  You can also look at tech forums that have classified options. I prefer CL, but don't know that it is best per se...

[App4that]

Also remember the risk of selling on Ebay. Any customer can take delivery, do what they want to the card, and claim you sold it to them in that condition. Why I stopped using Ebay, one too many cases like that. Hopefully Linus gets the classifieds back up soon here, that was a great way to sell parts.

 

Also, how far are you in your program, are you to Boolean algebra? Can always use another person to work through problems with

[Festive]

1 hour ago, App4that said:

Also remember the risk of selling on Ebay. Any customer can take delivery, do what they want to the card, and claim you sold it to them in that condition. Why I stopped using Ebay, one too many cases like that. Hopefully Linus gets the classifieds back up soon here, that was a great way to sell parts.

 

Also, how far are you in your program, are you to Boolean algebra? Can always use another person to work through problems with

I excel in 10th grade geometry.

[App4that]

8 hours ago, Festive said:

I excel in 10th grade geometry.

 get ready to eat, sleep, and breathe math. My midterm coming up has 5-6 problems and I have two hours to complete them. If you go engineering like me it's way worse than a BA though. 

[Kryptyx]

If you plan to game on an ultrawide 1440p then you'll want 2 980TIs unless you're good with turning down the settings. Even then, you'll run into issues with VRAM. Especially since the 970 basically has 3.5gb VRAM.

[cheshgoalie21]

13 hours ago, App4that said:

Also remember the risk of selling on Ebay. Any customer can take delivery, do what they want to the card, and claim you sold it to them in that condition. Why I stopped using Ebay, one too many cases like that. Hopefully Linus gets the classifieds back up soon here, that was a great way to sell parts.

 

Also, how far are you in your program, are you to Boolean algebra? Can always use another person to work through problems with

I'm a senior in high school and will be going to the College of Saint Rose next for their dual degree program for programming and information technology which will let me get my masters in 5 years. Right now I'm in a basic programming class where we are starting out with some simple python stuff. But I'm looking forward to college big time!

[SteveGrabowski0]

14 hours ago, cheshgoalie21 said:

 

 

Probably should mention that I will be upgrading to pascal in October when I get the money from my birthday/ with money saved up and most likely SLIing that, but that's of course only if it's out by then which I think its rumored to be out by the end of the summer anyway. But the 970 in SLI should hold me over till then right? Also Low_Battery you say 4K but I thought 4k was 3840×2160, I'm only really looking to game at 3440x1440.

 

Just for haha's where would be the best place for me to sell my 970, ebay?

I'd buy the second 970 then and wait for the cut down GP100 chips (eg 80Ti) in 2017 or so when going to Pascal instead of buying the GP104 chips (eg, 70/80) that are likely to come out this year. 970 SLI should handle 3440x1440 high.