970 or 980 for 1200p gaming?

Hi all. I haven't bought a graphics card in quite a long time. Actually I haven't gamed in a while, but I'm starting to get back into PC gaming. I recently overhauled most of the internals of my PC so I could run my Plex server better. I need a new graphics card though.

I only use one monitor (1920x1200). I've been playing Cities: Skylines and notice a significant frame drop on my old HD 4890, so I think it's time for something new. Plus I want to get GTA 5.

I guess my question is should I go for a 970 or a 980? Is the extra ~$200 worth it? I'm a single-slot GPU kind of guy and typically never run SLI/Xfire. I also tend to use my components for a long time before upgrading. I'd like a GPU that can run games well for the next few years, maybe even get into 4K in a few years as well. Would the 970 carry me through that or would the cost of a 980 be worth it for future-proofing?

The GTX 980 can't even play 4K games well today, and in 3 years games will likely become more demanding of hardware. So if you do plan on going to 4K in a few years, you'll likely want the strongest GPU at that point in time - so I'd recommend buying a GTX 970 now and upgrade the GPU when you jump to 4K to a newer generation GPU.

If you don't end up getting a 4K monitor, I think the GTX 970 will be a better buy in terms of performance/price. Personally I bought the GTX 980 (also running 1200P) because I could afford the increase in price, even though the performance increase doesn't scale nearly as well.

I'd agree with badbonji. Don't think ahead to 4K gaming right now, a GTX 970 will be plenty powerful to rock any existing game at your stated resolution. When you reach the point where your 970 is no longer powerful enough to run new games, it's likely the GTX 980 will also be to weak.

The 970 is plenty for you at 1200p.
I'd suggest getting it for now, then selling and upgrading when you go 4K in the future.

Awesome, this makes it easy. Thanks all!

Any time!

For most people right now, 4k is completely unnecessary. If you're happy at 1200p, stay at 1200p and only upgrade when you aren't happy any more, or the monitor dies.

I'm at 1440 and a 970 is more than I need, and the price is wonderful.