1440p 144hz freesync monitor with 2xRX480 or GTX 1070?

[RyanRazer]

Hey good people of anandtech. I once again come to you for advice.

So i just bought asus cg278q a 27" 144hz 1440p monitor. It cost me an arm and a leg but i said the hell, you only live once. I sold my R9 290 a while back in hope of getting vega or good performing polaris. Now that polaris is out, i recon it won't be able to drive 1080p games with 144hz and strugle with 1440p gaming let alone drive 1440p above 100fps... So it comes down to this: should i get dual rx480 and suffer some stuttering and bad scaling at some games or rather go for gtx 1070 and sacrifice freesync feature of my monitor?

I really liked the idea of enjoying high end gaming for the first time in my life so i invested some serious money (at least for me). My budget is somewhere 500-550$/€.

I play AAA games like doom, bf4 and bf1 etc etc...


Thanks in advance guys

Edit: wrong monitor label. It's MG278Q https://www.asus.com/Monitors/MG278Q/

 

[boozzer]

2x480 is great when it works but when it doesn't 1070 beats a single 480 easily. I am 99% sure no setup can push 144 fps in 1440p with decent settings within your budget.

you need to do some research yourself and find out if the games you want supports xfire or not. personally, if your budget is 500+, a good 1070 AIB is what you want, especially 1440p. single card always beats xfire or sli imo.

or 3rd option, wait for vega and 1080 ti.

 

[Bacon1]

Which monitor? I can't find anything on Asus CG278Q. Do you mean the PG278Q? If so that is a GSync monitor so I'd recommend 1070 100% since GSync doesn't work with AMD cards.

 

[RyanRazer]

Which monitor? I can't find anything on Asus CG278Q. Do you mean the PG278Q? If so that is a GSync monitor so I'd recommend 1070 100% since GSync doesn't work with AMD cards.

My bad, wrong model number. It's a freesync.

 

[tweakboy]

Weak Res,, Just run 1080p gl

 

[Bacon1]

My bad, wrong model number. It's a freesync.

Ok saw your edit, so yeah that is a FreeSync (Adaptive-Sync) monitor which means you'll have better experience with AMD cards. You might want to wait for Vega then, maybe a single 480 (custom board?) until we hear more about them.

What card do you have right now?

 

[RyanRazer]

Ok saw your edit, so yeah that is a FreeSync (Adaptive-Sync) monitor which means you'll have better experience with AMD cards. You might want to wait for Vega then, maybe a single 480 (custom board?) until we hear more about them.

What card do you have right now?

That's an option. Custom board 480 till Q1 2017 and see what vega has to offer. I had R9 290 but i sold it. Now i am card less

 

[Kenmitch]

Which monitor? I can't find anything on Asus CG278Q. Do you mean the PG278Q? If so that is a GSync monitor so I'd recommend 1070 100% since GSync doesn't work with AMD cards.

MG is freesync also.

 

[Zstream]

1070 by far - I'd only go 2x 270 if I'd go crossfire.

 

[wilds]

FWIW I just bought a 1070 instead of 2 480's. I haven't sold my R9 290 yet, I'm not sure when I will. It's definitely a safer choice to go with the 1070.

This list is usually ~2 months out of date, but it is something to check out:
http://amdcrossfire.wikia.com/wiki/Crossfire_Game_Compatibility_List

Since you have a freesync monitor, 2 RX 480's may be a better choice, but only if you play games that support crossfire. Tough decision.

 

[Eymar]

I would buy one AIB 480 and lower some settings or oc to get 70+ fps. Since 480 has 32 ROPS that means FXAA also lowering Ambient Occlusion to SSAO and shadows. Stuff you don't notice at high fps and fast moving games anyways. If you don't pay attention to FRAPs you should like the performance you're seeing. If not, then resell it once Vega comes or add another 480.

 

[Erenhardt]

I would hunt for cheap used fury. There are probably some people jumping to 1080 from Fury right now. Could be sweet upgrade for 1440p freesync until vega comes out.

 

[Arachnotronic]

Fury X on discount. Faster single GPU is better than two slower ones.

Something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150742&cm_re=fury_x-_-14-150-742-_-Product

 

[lehtv]

Fury X on discount. Faster single GPU is better than two slower ones.

Something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150742&cm_re=fury_x-_-14-150-742-_-Product

You call that a discount? 1070 is 10-20% faster on average, and that's reference 1070. Fury X would have to be well under $400 to be worth it, something like $350 would be fair when considering additional downsides of lower VRAM amount, 100W higher power consumption, practically no overclock headroom, older release date.

 

[RyanRazer]

Fury X on discount. Faster single GPU is better than two slower ones.

Something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150742&cm_re=fury_x-_-14-150-742-_-Product

Fury costs 600€ here in EU. I aint dropping that kind of money.

I think I'll do as suggested by @Eymar, buy one rx 480 for now and another one later on if i am not satisfied with performance and wait for vega.
I don't think going for 1070 is a good idea since i have freesync monitor. I really hate amd for not releasing a proper card. I mean i understand the politics here but i really wish there was a 1070 like card there from amd. I'd buy it right away. 600 for fury x with 4gb of memory doesn't sound good to me.

 

[digitaldurandal]

You call that a discount? 1070 is 10-20% faster on average, and that's reference 1070. Fury X would have to be well under $400 to be worth it, something like $350 would be fair when considering additional downsides of lower VRAM amount, 100W higher power consumption, practically no overclock headroom, older release date.

Newegg threw in Totalwar Warhammer for me with the card after I talked with customer support. I get that the 1070 is overall a better buy, the issue is he has put down a chunk of money for a 144hz 1440p monitor with freesync.

If they had freesync support I would have bought a 1080 no question.

 

[Thinker_145]

People really need to stop buying things in advance with the expectation of a product performing in a desirable way. 1440p at 144Hz is really the epitome of high end gaming and AMD is pretty much non-existent for this category so FreeSync is a useless feature for such a display.

 

[bystander36]

I'd probably be more tempted by the 1070. CF/SLI is never as good as a single card when they are getting similar FPS. Especially when multi-card support is spotty.

If you aren't aware, 144hz without V-sync, or adaptive-vsync is far better than 60hz with v-sync. You might not be bothered by the lack of freesync, but you probably would be discouraged by CF more often than you'd like.

 

[Thinker_145]

144hz without V-sync, or adaptive-vsync is far better than 60hz with v-sync.

What about 144Hz WITH V-Sync?

 

[Bacon1]

What about 144Hz WITH V-Sync?

What card can handle 1440p 144hz average?

The Freesync range on that monitor is 42Hz to 144Hz, which means it works with LFC for under 42hz and he should have a great time gaming on it. Turn down a few settings (most make almost no actual IQ difference when playing) and he'll have a great time on his monitor.

 

[bystander36]

What about 144Hz WITH V-Sync?

It's actually still pretty good, but it'll be smoother without. Most people don't notice the tearing, as it gets refreshed off the screen fast, but it is there. At that refresh rate, the slight stutter introduced is also not quite apparent, so you might as well test and see what you prefer. I personally just use adaptive v-sync.

CF and SLI make the most sense for those with higher end cards, but on budget cards, it rarely is worth the trouble when you can get a single card with out the issues.

 

[mjdupuis]

What about getting the 1070 and selling it off when something worthwhile from AMD comes around? If you're gonna settle on power with the 480 (comparative to the 1070) why not consider doing without freesync for 6-8 months and going with the 1070. The high refresh rate will still give a good experience and the card will do fine til Vega arrives. The 1070 should hold its value relatively well for when you need to send it down the line.

 

[Arachnotronic]

You call that a discount? 1070 is 10-20% faster on average, and that's reference 1070. Fury X would have to be well under $400 to be worth it, something like $350 would be fair when considering additional downsides of lower VRAM amount, 100W higher power consumption, practically no overclock headroom, older release date.

The OP is locked into FreeSync.

 

[Silverforce11]

No GPU is capable of 144hz 1440p unless you play on lower image quality settings.

You need 2 x 1080s for that and you may even have to turn down MSAA etc.

Frankly, Freesync 60hz is a smooth experience, rather than have your FPS jump all over the place without FS/Gsync.

I bought 2x RX 480, delivery comes tomorrow. I had the same choice because I game at 4K and a single 1070 isn't going to cut it.

You have to figure what games you will be playing often. Me, it's TW: Warhammer DX12 for now, and soon BF1, Deus Ex and Watch Dogs 2, all of these DX12 games I am really looking forward to. So that's the only reason CF RX 480 justify themselves, here, they both together cost the same as a single 1070.

 

[giantpandaman2]

Since you have a Freesync monitor, RX 480 non reference is your best bet until Vega. In single player you're going to have lower FPS but you can still up the graphics. In multiplayer, where the higher FPS really matters, you'll have to really drop the settings to get up to 144 FPS. Most pro gamers do that anyway.

Max graphical quality at 144 FPS you'd need at 1080 overclocked at the very least. That's a whole lot of money.

Of course, personally I don't think either freesync or gsync is as important once you get past 90 FPS. I think the two technologies garner the biggest advantage when running at low FPS.