HELP for new GPU for triple monitor 1080p gaming setup?

[GammaLazer]

So I'm here again in search of a new Stop Gap GPU for triple monitor 1080p gaming setup.

I have done away with the R9 390x finally as I have returned it back.

Those who don't know about that long story read here, esp last fout Pages.
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?p=37689283

So i want to play games on my triple monitors from Dell 1080p with good playable framrates.
I have shortlisted gtx 970 sli or a single gtx 980.

My current rig
i5 3570k stock
16GB Corsair Vengeance Pro 1866Mhz DDR3
Asus P8Z77-M Pro MoBo


What do you guys suggest?

 

[lehtv]

R9 390 8GB? R9 Fury? GTX 980 Ti?

Single GTX 980 is hardly a good idea, R9 390 is just as good on that resolution but costs much less. GTX 970 SLI technically has more horsepower than 980 Ti but 3.5GB VRAM for 5760x1080 doesn't sound like a very good idea.

What is your power supply?

 

[GammaLazer]

600 W corsair CX series.
My max budget is 650 USD. Also cards here in my country are much costlier than in US.

 

[lehtv]

I would use a single GTX 970 with that PSU since it's not that good quality. Technically, R9 390 should work, however.

The problem there is that you're not going to get very good framerates with just a GTX 970 (nor with an R9 390). For a single 1080p monitor - good. For triple 1080p monitors - barely playable? An optimal setup would be 980 Ti SLI for high/max settings (but SLI would be a bad idea on a microATX board, FWIW).

Personally I'd settle for a GTX 970 and game mostly on a single monitor, and dabble about with triple monitors in games that are lighter on the hardware. Save the rest of the budget for a PSU+GPU upgrade down the road.

Link to the shop you're buying from?

 

[GammaLazer]

I also have a spare cx 750 available. Not using it in system right now but I can definately use it.
Would love to play on triple monitors though.
Would be buying directly from the distributer so the prices from online stores here vary. You can ask me for prices.

 

[lehtv]

Okay, good. Buy one of the cheaper R9 390 8GB cards, e.g. XFX Core Edition, PowerColor PCS+, Sapphire Nitro if possible. And use the CX750.

Or sell both of your CX units and buy a good quality 650 watt unit with Gold rating and Japanese caps. E.g. Seasonic G-650, XFX TS 650W, Corsair RM650x, EVGA 650 GS, EVGA 650 G2.

 

[GammaLazer]

Would a single 390 be enough for triple monitor 1080p?
I can buy a 390x even or a 980!

 

[lehtv]

As mentioned earlier, R9 390 is practically just as good as GTX 980 for such a high resolution. GTX 980 has 4GB of VRAM and slower memory bandwidth, which reduces its performance relative to R9 390, the higher the resolution:

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Powercolor/R9_390_PCS_Plus/30.html

980 is 18% faster on 1600x900, but only 6% faster on 4K (which is practically what you're running).

R9 390X does not make sense to me, its performance is just marginally better than that of R9 390, but it typically costs a lot more. Also 390X consumes even more power, and I'd rather keep performance per watt at a decent level when using a low tier power supply.

 

[GammaLazer]

Sorry it was TX750 not cx.
Alright, will gta v, Witcher 3, phantom pain, Skyrim be playable with R9 390?
Should I also OC my CPU?

 

[lehtv]

Sorry it was TX750 not cx.

TX750 is better :thumbsup:

But it's a discontinued product so it must be many years old - possibly already past its 5 year warranty?

Alright, will gta v, Witcher 3, phantom pain, Skyrim be playable with R9 390?

Since your 5760x1080 resolution is practically the same as 4K, we can just look at 4K benches. These are at the highest settings:





You'll be able to increase framerates a lot by toning down the graphics settings, to the point where it'll be more or less playable, you'll probably end up between 40-50 fps average on low-mid settings. Hopefully.

Phantom Pain is similarly demanding, perhaps a little less so. Skyrim is so old at this point that it should run perfectly at decent settings.

Should I also OC my CPU?

It's not going to have an effect on framerates because you'll be 100% GPU-bound. But it will help a little if running a demanding game on a single 1080p monitor, which you may want to do from time to time to enjoy 60 fps on higher image quality settings. Do you have a decent CPU cooler?

 

[GammaLazer]

Yeah i have a very good CPU cooler.
Its Deepcool Lucifer V2. You had helped in selecting that too.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2428322&highlight=

The PSU is about 4 Years old and so i had replaced it with cx600. Its still lying in garage but it works.

Benchmarks clearly suggest that I should not go for a triple monitor setup!!

 

[lehtv]

Benchmarks clearly suggest that I should not go for a triple monitor setup!!

True, if you want to run demanding games on high settings. Less demanding games like Skyrim should be fine, so it's not all for nothing

 

[GammaLazer]

I got the triple monitor idea from youtube after seeing people running triple monitor with a single 970 and playing gta v.
But i think my plan is going into vain.
Which card would you suggest for a single 1080p monitor. Bang for buck right now.

 

[lehtv]

GTX 970 or R9 390 high/ultra. R9 290(X) if you can find them for considerably cheaper than R9 390. R9 380 4GB for medium/high.

 

[GammaLazer]

Getting zotac gtx 970 (non amp) for 300$, R9 390 for 400$ and 390x for 450$.
Nothing on 280 or 380

 

[lehtv]

GTX 970 is the best deal by far. The Zotac card doesn't have the best cooler but it's still completely fine and you'll get 5 year warranty on it with registration

 

[GammaLazer]

Is it performance wise good for latest games?
One more advice, should I sell off the three monitors? Or should I keep them to increase productivity. I am a programmer.
I would only keep them if a 16nm card would help me play on triple monitors easily.

 

[lehtv]

Is it performance wise good for latest games?

Yes

One more advice, should I sell off the three monitors? Or should I keep them to increase productivity. I am a programmer. I would only keep them if a 16nm card would help me play on triple monitors easily.

If you would only keep them to play 5760x1080 in the future then it hardly matters that you're a programmer.

Even a current 980 Ti isn't bad for triple monitors, so it's not like we have to wait for new technology. But you may have to wait for cheaper technology.

 

[Headfoot]

I run 3x1080p on a single overclocked (1100 core/1250 memory) 290 + 2500k @ 4.5 right now. GTAV I have to set to medium/high in order to get 45-60 FPS.

Most modern games I want to run 3x1080p I have to turn down to medium if I want to maintain 60fps.

So its definitely doable but you wont be able to max it and keep 60 fps. The only card you could get close to doing that with would be aftermarket overclocked 980 Ti.

 

[GammaLazer]

If you can do with 290 then I think I may be able to to do it with 390/390x stock and I i5 3570k at about 4.2 GHz. I would be happy if I get playable fps with medium to high settings.
I just do t want the fps to drop below 30.

 

[borderdeal]

With older games a 290 can keep with 4k and lower settings. The thing is a lower resolution with high settings looks better. So 1440p with high settings looks better than 4k with low or medium settings and I assume it will be the same for 5760x1080. Something to think about. You need SLI or CF for 4k and even then depending on the game you might not be able to run Ultra settings

 

[RussianSensation]

Getting zotac gtx 970 (non amp) for 300$, R9 390 for 400$ and 390x for 450$.
Nothing on 280 or 380

At those prices, 970 is the best option. At such a demanding resolution (3x1080P monitors), there is no point buying a more expensive 390/390X/980 since they do not have the raw horsepower to do much better.

If the performance of the 970 doesn't meet your needs down the line, just sell it and buy a faster 16nm GPU in 1-2 years. I would not consider 970 SLI because at that point it's better to just buy a 980Ti outright and not deal with SLI profiles/scaling.

If there are used 780Ti/290X cards for much cheaper than a new 970, that could be a great stop-gap option too for your use case. Otherwise, the 970 at $280-300 US seems like a sweet spot based on your prices.

 

[dogen1]

R9 390 8GB? R9 Fury? GTX 980 Ti?

Single GTX 980 is hardly a good idea, R9 390 is just as good on that resolution but costs much less. GTX 970 SLI technically has more horsepower than 980 Ti but 3.5GB VRAM for 5760x1080 doesn't sound like a very good idea.

What is your power supply?

nvm rethought my post

 

[Headfoot]

With older games a 290 can keep with 4k and lower settings. The thing is a lower resolution with high settings looks better. So 1440p with high settings looks better than 4k with low or medium settings and I assume it will be the same for 5760x1080. Something to think about. You need SLI or CF for 4k and even then depending on the game you might not be able to run Ultra settings

imo 5760x1080 > 4k. Its so much more than just a resolution bump, you actually get an in game benefit in a lot of shooters because you have tons of peripheral vision.

Where I would not go to 4k and turn down settings really ever, in some games its visually more impressive to turn down settings in order to get to 5760x1080 imo. Also 3x1080p is less demanding than 4k by some but not a lot (it's 75% of 4k)

 

[tweakboy]

Your CPU is bottlenecking ..... Best card for you is a 760 GTX. thx