Update! Twin HD 7870s to GTX 970 - W/Benchmarks! :: Hardware and Operating Systems

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VanGoghComplex 5 ENE 2015 a las 6:37 a. m.

Update! Twin HD 7870s to GTX 970 - W/Benchmarks!

Original Post:

My machine has two XFX Radeon HD7870 GHz Edition cards in Crossfire. I would like to stick with a single card for my next upgrade, but I'm not familiar with the R9 series cards. Where do you folks think I should start looking, to see a noticeable improvement? R9 270? 280?

Update!

My aim was a single-card solution on par with the performance of my double-card headache. Below are Unigine Valley benchmarks, on the Ultra HD setting, 1920x1080.

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Old: XFX AMD Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2-way Crossfire

FPS: 55.5
Score: 2322
Min FPS: 21.5
Max FPS: 105.1

No comment here. This is where I was. Managing crossfire
support for my games was a hassle, the fans were crazy loud.
It was generally a headache, and there was no overclocking
headroom on these cards.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New: MSI Nvidia GTX 970 Gaming 4G

FPS: 54.7
Score: 2288
Min FPS: 24.4
Max FPS: 107.5

MSI's single-card solution to my problem came in at very
comparable levels, curiously having a higher min/max, but
losing one frame in the average. Now, I had chosen this card
based on some reading about the overclocking headroom...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New+1: MSI Nvidia GTX 970 Gaming 4G (OC!)

FPS: 61.8
Score: 2584
Min FPS: 25.3
Max FPS: 121.7

After a little tweaking and testing the limits, the 970 beat my
old cards handily! This is a +180MHz clock offset and a
+490MHz memory offset, with no power threshold modification.
So, I know if I want, I can bump the power limit and get even
more out of it. The temperature delta from baseline to this OC
is about 3c.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase. This card is super quiet, nice and cool, has lots of overclocking headroom, and cleans up and simplifies my case compared to the Crossfire setup. It's pretty much exactly what I'm looking for. Thanks to all of you for your input on my decision!

Someday, SLI will probably happen to this machine. >=)

Última edición por VanGoghComplex; 14 ENE 2015 a las 4:56 p. m.

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Mostrando 1-15 de 24 comentarios

Tim Conrad 5 ENE 2015 a las 6:49 a. m.

As much as I like AMD, I'm noticing them starting to lag behind in both processors and graphics. I'd recommend the Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 (or 980 if you have a good bit of money to drop).
If you're on a tighter budget, the GTX 960 should release in the next few months.

VanGoghComplex 5 ENE 2015 a las 7:08 a. m.

The 970 was on my list, it was going to be my go-to if I decided to go Nvidia. Honestly, it's pretty appealing; most of the games I play have an Nvidia logo somewhere in the splash screen... But still, they seem really proud ($) of their hardware. Advice taken, any word on manufacturer if I go that route? EVGA, Gigabyte, etc.?

Última edición por VanGoghComplex; 5 ENE 2015 a las 7:10 a. m.

Malus 5 ENE 2015 a las 7:15 a. m.

I would go for Asus.
The Asus Strix card performs really nice, and is very quiet

_I_ 5 ENE 2015 a las 7:16 a. m.

r9 270x is a rebadged 7870 with a small ram speed boost

any single r9 card wil be a slower than 2 of those in cf
295 will beat them, but its a dual gpu card

only step forward would be a gtx 980

im impressed with the evga acx 2.0 coolers on the gtx 970/980
very quiet on full load, and very good cooling

Última edición por _I_; 5 ENE 2015 a las 7:18 a. m.

VanGoghComplex 5 ENE 2015 a las 7:27 a. m.

The Asus Strix 980 is on the very upper end of what I want to spend. But then, if I want better graphics than a $400 setup, I guess I should expect to spend more than $400.

yberkurko 5 ENE 2015 a las 9:45 a. m.

Depending on game there may not be big difference to that crossfire with gtx980 even. But those games that don't behave well on dual card configurations get big boost for sure. To be honest if i were you i would wait and see what AMD 3xx series and nvidia big maxwell (based on GM210 or what ever it will be called) brings.

Última edición por yberkurko; 5 ENE 2015 a las 1:37 p. m.

VanGoghComplex 5 ENE 2015 a las 10:19 a. m.

On further reading given all your fine suggestions, I'm looking at a GTX 970. If it doesn't have enough oomph, I can SLI it with another later, but that I've seems to be the best dollar for performance card.

Última edición por VanGoghComplex; 5 ENE 2015 a las 10:44 a. m.

yberkurko 5 ENE 2015 a las 1:35 p. m.

Yes GTX 970 is best performance for dollar in high end at the moment; remember to check that your mobo supports sli (not all crossfire mobos have sli support) if one card feels too weak.

VanGoghComplex 5 ENE 2015 a las 1:51 p. m.

Publicado originalmente por yberkurko:
Yes GTX 970 is best performance for dollar in high end at the moment; remember to check that your mobo supports sli (not all crossfire mobos have sli support) if one card feels too weak.

Thanks, yes my mobo has SLI support as well. =)

DeadPhoenix 5 ENE 2015 a las 2:32 p. m.

MSi GTX 970/980 Gaming is a nice choice too. very quiet under load.

#10

VanGoghComplex 5 ENE 2015 a las 3:47 p. m.

While we're on the topic, how is SLI compared to crossfire? The whole reason I want to go to single GPU is to get out of the frame stutter/dodgy driver support that has plagued my crossfire setup since day one. If SLI is no better, I might save up for the 980 instead of the 970.

#11

DeadPhoenix 5 ENE 2015 a las 3:52 p. m.

Publicado originalmente por VanGoghComplex:
While we're on the topic, how is SLI compared to crossfire? The whole reason I want to go to single GPU is to get out of the frame stutter/dodgy driver support that has plagued my crossfire setup since day one. If SLI is no better, I might save up for the 980 instead of the 970.

SLI works pretty good for most games. but stick to a more powerfull single GPU. it runs way more stable compared to 2 way setup. a GTX 980 is a excellent choice. what resolution are you playing at?

#12

yberkurko 5 ENE 2015 a las 3:59 p. m.

Still it's about 15% extra performance (single 980 vs single 970) for 40% more money so price/ perf ratio is way weaker (ofcourse price premium is to be expected from fastest offering).

Not sure how long it will take for nvidia to launch big maxwell that likely will be arround same price range as gtx 980 is now (unless they make it titan like version first for max profit) and when and how good are amd's 3xx series offerings. I would wait if gtx 970 doesn't seem fast enough.

Última edición por yberkurko; 5 ENE 2015 a las 4:06 p. m.

#13

Charlie 5 ENE 2015 a las 4:24 p. m.

I would be looking at the GTX 970, 980 and the 960 when that comes out. As for AMD I would wait until the R9 300 series comes out. Look at benchmarks and ultimately decide what GPU you like the most.

#14