Buy a used GTX 780 for Tri Sli

[skulkingghost]

Hey Guys,
I currently game on a single monitor at 2560x1440. Or on my Oculus rift. I am wondering if I should go for another used 780 (see them under 200 all the time) and go Tri-sli, or sell my current cards and upgrade to something new... any recommendations? I'd like to stay Nvidia. Playing Battlefront the game was very smooth but did see dips to the low 40s.

I have seen the performance here that seems like it may be a worthy upgrade:
http://us.hardware.info/reviews/463...ew-geforce-gtx-760770780-in-sli-and-3-way-sli

However I worry with more games having wonky SLI profiles / performance I'd be better off going to a single card. I'd be willing to spend an additional 4-500 on top of the sale of my current cards (so maybe 800ish budget) for a new card if I will see huge performance improvements. If I won't and its better to wait I am open to that too.

Current Rig
i5-4690k @3.5ghz
16gb Ram
Dual EVGA 780's in SLI
Windows 10 x64

 

[crisium]

I don't see why you wouldn't get a single 980 Ti. I can see 3x780 beating a single 980 Ti, but only in games that are near perfectly SLI optimized. Even then you risk extra stutter and a 3GB VRAM limit vs 6GB on the 980 Ti, and you will have much higher power consumption.

The website you linked to has 3-way 780 averaging 74.2% over a single 780. This makes sense as some games will scale excellent and others hardly at all which bring down your average. In a recent Sweclockers review, a 980 Ti is 72.8% faster than a single 780 at 1440.

The numbers for SLI will be all over the place, vs consistency with the 980 Ti (and the power consumption, VRAM benefits). Since you're willing to to spend that much ($650-$700 for most 980 Ti models) I think you have a no brainer option here.

 

[Headfoot]

Agreed with crisium. 2 card SLI is pretty good and pretty reliable as far as multi card goes. The same can't be said for tri-sli, it will be very inconsistent. A single maxed overclock aftermarket 980 Ti would likely serve you better. It'll reduce CPU load as well (sli takes more CPU than single card), which may be an issue since your 4690k is not overclocked all the way

 

[skulkingghost]

I don't see why you wouldn't get a single 980 Ti. I can see 3x780 beating a single 980 Ti, but only in games that are near perfectly SLI optimized. Even then you risk extra stutter and a 3GB VRAM limit vs 6GB on the 980 Ti, and you will have much higher power consumption.

The website you linked to has 3-way 780 averaging 74.2% over a single 780. This makes sense as some games will scale excellent and others hardly at all which bring down your average. In a recent Sweclockers review, a 980 Ti is 72.8% faster than a single 780 at 1440.

The numbers for SLI will be all over the place, vs consistency with the 980 Ti (and the power consumption, VRAM benefits). Since you're willing to to spend that much ($650-$700 for most 980 Ti models) I think you have a no brainer option here.

I like this, I am seeing used 780s selling for around $250 each on forums / ebay, does that seem reasonable?

 

[Jacky60]

Don't do it the 3gb ram will limit you very quick, better sell the 780tis buy 980ti. In UK new 980ti £550 used 780ti £250 sell both 780s buy 980ti keep change old cards lose value quicker. Also your 4690 needs overclocking.

 

[RussianSensation]

Specifically for SW:BF, 780 SLI, especially if both are overclocked should actually outperform a 980Ti at normal 100% scaling but at 150% scaling, 780 SLI really struggles.

I think upgrades you would be happy with are 2x 980Ti SLi or 2x 16nm GPUs. I would not go a 3rd 780. If you can manage to sell the 780 for $200 a piece, then with your $800 budget, you'll be at $1200 and that's almost enough to buy 980Ti SLi.

But I personally think you should MAX overclock those 780s before anything to see what happens.

780 gains a decent amount of performance when overclocked.

If you overclock each 780 and the CPU, you might coast until summer of 2016 when you can go all in on 16nm GPUs.

 

[dogen1]

Probably not worth the two extra frames of latency(one for each GPU).

 

[raghu78]

Either get a custom 980 Ti after selling both your 780s or wait it out till 16/14nm FINFET GPUs launch in late 2016. No point in going tri SLI. very inconsistent scaling after 2 GPUs . Its a classic case of diminishing returns in terms of perf scaling after 2 GPUs.

 

[moonbogg]

If you get a single 980ti, gameplay might be a little smoother and maybe minimums might be better if you OC the crap out of it, but it won't really be an upgrade. This is the price we pay for having two high end GPU's in SLI. The only way to really upgrade is to buy two more high end GPU's.

 

[happy medium]

Mabe you can sell your 2 780's and buy 2 used gtx 980's and overclock the 980's and your CPU. I've seen used 980's for 380$ a piece. That would be a decent upgrade and a extra gig of video memory.

 

[tential]

Mabe you can sell your 2 780's and buy 2 used gtx 980's and overclock the 980's and your CPU. I've seen used 980's for 380$ a piece. That would be a decent upgrade and a extra gig of video memory.

980ti is better than what you proposed and cheaper and less hassle.

 

[happy medium]

980ti is better than what you proposed and cheaper and less hassle.

980ti is not an upgrade (like others have said), so what makes it better?
2 980's will give you 120$ more performance than a single 980ti and cost about 120$ more.
The guy has had sli already and does not seem to mind it considering he was gonna go tri sli.

2 980's should be a good 35% faster than his 780 sli setup , run cooler and use less power. ANd 980's should give better overclocking also.

2 card SLI is pretty good and pretty reliable as far as multi card goes.

780 SLI, especially if both are overclocked should actually outperform a 980Ti at normal 100% scaling

I think upgrades you would be happy with are 2x 980Ti SLi or 2x 16nm GPUs.

If you get a single 980ti, gameplay might be a little smoother and maybe minimums might be better if you OC the crap out of it, but it won't really be an upgrade.

 

[crisium]

It always seems questionable to SLI cards if they are not the fastest or nearly fastest single GPU option. A 980 is more cut back compared to a 980 Ti then a 780 is to a 780 Ti. 980 Ti actually offers the same performance per dollar over a 980 anyway so it's nothing like 2x560Ti for the price of a 580 or other deals back in the olden days. Also the 980 Ti is available here and now already. If someone bought a 980 a year ago and wanted to SLI it now that'd make more sense.

I think to just get a single 980 Ti or to stick with 2x780 and ride it out until Pascal are his best options.

 

[thesmokingman]

I would just sit tight and pocket the cash for 16nm...

 

[Headfoot]

I would stick with the 780s if they havent been overclocked yet. You can get quite a bit more mileage out of them at max overclock

 

[tential]

It always seems questionable to SLI cards if they are not the fastest or nearly fastest single GPU option. A 980 is more cut back compared to a 980 Ti then a 780 is to a 780 Ti. 980 Ti actually offers the same performance per dollar over a 980 anyway so it's nothing like 2x560Ti for the price of a 580 or other deals back in the olden days. Also the 980 Ti is available here and now already. If someone bought a 980 a year ago and wanted to SLI it now that'd make more sense.

I think to just get a single 980 Ti or to stick with 2x780 and ride it out until Pascal are his best options.

I'll update that to say single 980ti, 780sli, and if you get a single 980ti and it's not an upgrade enough get a second one. Gtx 980 sli just makes me lol. Such a poor choice compared to a single 980ti

 

[happy medium]

Gtx 980 sli just makes me lol. Such a poor choice compared to a single 980ti

Still have not said why.......

 

[tweakboy]

Get a 980 Ti ....... and sell your 780's . 980 Ti will pown a 780 SLI ,,,, gl

 

[Headfoot]

Single card is generally preferable to dual because you can avoid all SLI issues altogether. SLI/CF are pretty good but still sometimes scales poorly, or you have to wait for drivers, or it microstutters (doesn't scale properly in terms of frametimes). If a single card is close to a dual card setup at the same price its pretty much always better to go single card. I wouldn't go 2x980 before 1x980 Ti since a 980 Ti is basically double a 980 in and of itself.

 

[tential]

Still have not said why.......

Read the thread for why 980 sli is a bad choice. It's been stated so many times in not repeating it.
Read this forum even.
This concept is even explained in the post above.

Happy reading!

 

[littleg]

With tential on that. 980 SLI is just a silly choice.