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Graphics Choosing between an R9 280x Cross or a 770 sli (possibly 290/780ti)

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by RagingMadman, 19 Apr 2014.

  1. RagingMadman

    RagingMadman What's a Dremel?

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    Hi guys!
    I'm looking at picking up 2 new cards
    I was originally considering getting a 780ti/r9 290x but for that price point i figured I could snag
    something along the lines of 2x 770/r9 280x's
    I know the heat will increase significantly as well as the power draw on 2 cards v.s but
    1. electricity isn't a bill i have to pay plus I have an 850 Gold PSU so i figure what the hell?
    2. I'm about 95% sure that with all of the cooling im running (2x AF 120s, 2 SP120s, 1 AF 140, 1 cougar 140, case 120s, plus the CPU is cooled by the h100i) can handle 2 cards. Case temps are pretty low if not cool.
    I'm currently running 2x 1920x1080 monitors with the intent to either add ATLEAST 1 more of the exact same monitor, or a 2560x1080 monitor in the relative future. I have a 7970Ghz 3G that ran the dual setup perfectly fine. But in testing my friends 2G 770 my gameplay keeps getting interrupted with windows asking me to resort to basic so the card can keep up. (Pretty sure this has to do with 2G v.s. 3G capacities?) Either way, in having issues with 2 monitors at 2G, will I not have the same issue with 2x 2G cards? Same allotted memory... I'm not sure if I'm understanding it 100%. Either way, I have about $700-$750 USD... $800 if I want to push it due to the fact I will be able to reclaim atleast $200 from my old 7970 if I decide to sell it.

    So Basically what I'm asking is:
    1. Are there any other draw backs to having 1 beastly card v.s. 2 pretty good cards? (room for further SLI is not an issue as my board supports up to 4x as well as the most I'd ever be able to afford would be 3x)

    2.will 2x 2G support 3x 1080 monitors? or more? or should i look to the R9s simply because of the 3g memory cards?

    At this point i'm simply not convinced that it will be more beneficial to buy a 290 or 780ti over 2x 770 or 280.


    Any and all help is appreciated. Sorry if the thread is kinda cluster****y
     
  2. Guest-44432

    Guest-44432 Guest

    Hi, if you plan on going triple monitor's, then 2GB Vram won't cut it at maximum settings with AA.
    Most of the games I play use anything from 2.1GB vram upto 3GB. (More if I run HD textures etc).

    Personally I would be looking at 2 R9 290's as that is the equivalent to my 3x GTX 670 4GB's in performance, which runs pretty much anything at 60fps.

    As AMD cards require you to use one display port to one of your 3 monitor's, does your monitor have DP? - If not then you will also need to buy an active DP to DVI adapter.
    Nvidia surround, you can use any combination of connections.

    I Hope this helps, and answers your questions. :)
     
  3. Pete J

    Pete J Employed scum

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    Si gives sound advice (as usual). If you're intending to game beyond 1080p, you need more than 2GB VRAM. 3GB will see you through anything at the moment (4K etc).
     
  4. RagingMadman

    RagingMadman What's a Dremel?

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    Well that's one of the things I was wondering.
    If I understand it correctly, your memory isn't increased when using
    2x 2G cards so any problem I would have with more extreme resolutions
    Etc.... Would not be reduced with an sli. This leads me to and for cards simply
    As I'd be looking at 430+ per card for a 4G card. At that point I'm splitting hairs
    Towards a 290 instead of 280. Where as 2 280s would put me with the right price
    Point as well as 3G memory without having to pay a premium.

    Also, all side from cooling, power consumption, and compatibility, are there no other
    Benefits to 1 card vs 2?
     
  5. Guest-44432

    Guest-44432 Guest

    Thanks Bro! :thumb: (I'm not an AMD fanboy, with me recommending these R9 290's, just they have the best bung per buck.) £600 to have the same performance as my 3x GTX 670's is awesome!
    Plus you can flash the BIOS on those to unlock the extra cores and make them R9 290X.

    If the GTX 770's had 3GB VRAM, then hands down I would be recommending that to him. :)

    That's correct, so if you have say 2x 2GB graphic cards, they don't combined into 4GB of usable VRAM. So you still only get 2GB of usable VRAM.

    You can use 2GB graphic cards at extreme resolutions, but newer games you will have to turn setting down.
    BF3 for example will run out of VRAM with 4xMSAA on Ultra at 5760x1080. Dropping off the AA, and it becomes playable.

    So if you want to maintain the eyecandy and play at extreme resolutions, your budget is what it all boils down too. :thumb:

    No single GPU will run games maxed out @ 5760x1080 @60FPS. So unfortunately, multi GPU is the only way. But that is not such a bad thing, as of late, Nvidia and AMD have seriously address major issues with drivers in multi GPU setup's. So microshuttering/Lag is a thing of the past.
    Monitors are now what can cause you lag with the frame time buffering, but Nvidia have address this issue with G-sync enabled monitors.

    This video will explain what I mean.

     
  6. RagingMadman

    RagingMadman What's a Dremel?

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    Thanks guys! I've decided to go with 2 Asus 3G gtx 780 cards
     
  7. Pete J

    Pete J Employed scum

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    Awesome! You won't be disappointed!
     
  8. Guest-44432

    Guest-44432 Guest

    Good choice mate! - Don't forget to post pics of your rig! ;)
     
  9. RagingMadman

    RagingMadman What's a Dremel?

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    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    INB4; WTF? Molex connectors? I've had the PSU for a year and couldn't find the last PCI-E connector. Buying a new PSU (new thread posted for it) better connections coming soon.

    Corsair C70 Vengeance
    ASUS MAXIMUS VI EXTREME
    Intel i7 4770k @ 4.5Ghz
    Corsair H100i
    16GB G.Skill Ripjaws X @ 1866
    ASUS GTX 780s DCUII x2
    ASUS Xonar DX 7.1
    OCZ 850w ZX 850 Gold plus
    240G SSD Intel 330 - Boot/Games
    WD Caviar black 1TB - Recording drive
    WD Caviar black 2TB - Media Drive
    2x Corsair SP120: Performance in push on the H100i
    2x Corsair AF120s: 1 in push for the drive cage, 1 exhaust fan top left
    1x Corsair AF140: intake by PSU from bottom of my case (bottom is on hard wood w/ standoffs and a screen)
    1 Cougar 140: window fan
    2 BitFenix Alchemy Connect LED-strip 60m super glued to the edges of my case
    1 cheap ass disc drive

    Peripherals:
    2x ASUS VS Series VS247H-P (awaiting a 3rd monitor, not sure if 21:9 1080, 1600p, or 144 1080p for 3rd monitor, regardless, I'm going apeshit with this)
    Logitech G700 mouse (battery life is shorter than my genitalia)
    Logitech G430 headset
    Corsair K70 Cherry MX reds (stop reading and go buy one of these now)
     
    Last edited: 27 Apr 2014

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