SLI GTX 970 vs. Single GTX 980 for new build

[lehtv]

What's 3 more months after already waiting 2 years...

It's another 3 months.

3 months is nothing in 2015's market.

3 months is a huge amount of time when you need the performance now.

 

[Headfoot]

3 months is not a huge amount of time when the last flagship came out 2 years ago

 

[Arachnotronic]

3 months is not a huge amount of time when the last flagship came out 2 years ago

It's a huge amount of time if you need to buy something now.

I can't imagine being stuck on, say, Intel HD graphics for 3 months as I wait for a new GPU. I'd go and buy the best thing that makes sense given my financial situation at the time and then use it until it's no longer adequate.

 

[Headfoot]

Are all of you assuming he's already bought the rest of the parts? I see no indication of that in his posts. Only that he has selected which parts he's going to buy.... I don't see how it's difficult to forestall purchasing a computer for a few months. If he's sitting on a built computer that just needs a GPU, that's a different story...

 

[guy93]

I'm headed over to NCIX tomorrow since they are 20 min drive away from me, I only get things from them because they are close and they price match other sellers. Getting things from there is much more convenient so if I come across issues I can always go back to them.

I honestly may just stick with a 970 instead since I'll be on 1080p, I didn't realize the performance difference between the 980 and 970 doesn't justify the cost, especially when you can SLI 2 970s.

And Headfoot, I understand what you are saying but I just want a new build right now so I can actually play new games and such. BF4, GTA 5 soon, etc. Current gen card would be completely fine for me, and then 2 years down the road I can always upgrade, that's not an issue. I am currently running an i7 920 @ 3.2ghz with a 560ti, and 6GB ram. BF4 is unplayable due to the stutter, heck, I can't even run H1Z1.

Aside from that, I have a younger brother who wants a computer to play games like LoL and stuff so my current computer would be going to him.

 

[Arachnotronic]

I'm headed over to NCIX tomorrow since they are 20 min drive away from me, I only get things from them because they are close and they price match other sellers. Getting things from there is much more convenient so if I come across issues I can always go back to them.

I honestly may just stick with a 970 instead since I'll be on 1080p, I didn't realize the performance difference between the 980 and 970 doesn't justify the cost, especially when you can SLI 2 970s.

970 is a great card, so this is also a good choice.

 

[Riceninja]

I'm headed over to NCIX tomorrow since they are 20 min drive away from me, I only get things from them because they are close and they price match other sellers. Getting things from there is much more convenient so if I come across issues I can always go back to them.

I honestly may just stick with a 970 instead since I'll be on 1080p, I didn't realize the performance difference between the 980 and 970 doesn't justify the cost, especially when you can SLI 2 970s.

And Headfoot, I understand what you are saying but I just want a new build right now so I can actually play new games and such. BF4, GTA 5 soon, etc. Current gen card would be completely fine for me, and then 2 years down the road I can always upgrade, that's not an issue. I am currently running an i7 920 @ 3.2ghz with a 560ti, and 6GB ram. BF4 is unplayable due to the stutter, heck, I can't even run H1Z1.

Aside from that, I have a younger brother who wants a computer to play games like LoL and stuff so my current computer would be going to him.

dude, buy from american site and then ship it to a parcel service in blaine/sumas. costs like $2.50 per package and saves you almost $100 on the GPU alone. canadian prices for parts are ridiculous with no deals of any kind going on.

 

[Headfoot]

If you must buy today, an R9 290 is significantly less expensive than a GTX 970 and only 5-10% slower. The Sapphire Tri-X version runs extremely cool and is overclocked out of the box. It's the best bang for the buck high end card at this time. It's today's 8800GT

For balls-out performance, you could check prices on the R9 295x2. Here in the US it's only $50 more than a 980 ($600 vs $550) and it's significantly faster on average

 

[DownTheSky]

If you must buy today, an R9 290 is significantly less expensive than a GTX 970 and only 5-10% slower. The Sapphire Tri-X version runs extremely cool and is overclocked out of the box. It's the best bang for the buck high end card at this time. It's today's 8800GT

For balls-out performance, you could check prices on the R9 295x2. Here in the US it's only $50 more than a 980 ($600 vs $550) and it's significantly faster on average

Yes but 500W.

 

[GuinnessGuy]

970 now. Later on buy another when they drop in price if you need it. Performance vs price doesn't add up for the 980.

 

[Headfoot]

Yes but 500W.

?

His build on the first page includes an 850w power supply, which is more than enough for a 290. 295x2 would likely be okay. 300-50w for everything else is enough, especially given the lower power consumption of Intel CPUs these days. Plus he chose quite a nice power supply, those Gold EVGA ones have been very well reviewed