n00b Q: how much GPU do i need?

[jho]

hi all. i'm jay and i'm a n00b, at least compared to most of you folks. i've just built a new system (details below) and i'd like to add a video card and try a bit of gaming, have no clue how much GPU i need in order to play what i want to play.

i used to be a big Elder Scrolls fanboy back in the Morrowind days and that pretty much sums up my gaming interests: Skrim, Witcher, maybe Thief, the Wasteland reboot looks good, Fallout: New Vegas maybe.

i'll only play at 1080p, probably single monitor, but i do like things to be beautiful so higher/highest settings are probably where i want to go.

so what should i be looking at? GTX760? 770? 780? the new 750ti?

any guidance would be much appreciated, would especially like to hear from folks who have first-person experience with the games mentioned.

in case it matters here is my new rig:
ASRock Z97 Extreme6
Intel Core i7-4790
G.Skill RipJawsZ DIMM kit 16GB, DDR3-2400, CL9
Crucial MX100 512GB
HGST Deskstar NAS 4TB 7200rpm
Cooler Master HAF XB Evo Cube
Noctua NF-P14s redux-1200 PWM 140mm (x2)
be quiet! Shadow Rock Slim
Super Flower Leadex Gold 650W

i'm sorry to say that i'm not much of an OC guy, as you may have guessed from my CPU choice. in spite of that i've learned a lot from what you guys do so i hope you won't mind my hanging around.

 

[Mjolnir]

Gtx 760 should do well, but naturally the higher the card the better. If you can find a 770 4gb on the cheap, grab that.

 

[jho]

thanks! may i ask why the 4gb? i'd heard that only mattered if one was running a 4k screen or the like, but i wouldn't know.

 

[Stratus_ss]

The increased memory is better for SLI in the future or multiple monitors. Basically for SLI, if my understanding is correct the memory shared across the GPUs is equal to the amount of ram in a single card.

I.e if the card has 4G of ram and you do SLI, you will share 4G between both. Or 2G of ram per card.

An additional benefit is "future proofing". Most games only use up to 2G of video ram (though there are a few that go up to 3G) but this will shift in the future as the amount of available ram grows

I play most of the games you mention on a 460GTX, though not maxed. Still looks good. Myself, I just grabbed a 660GTX on the cheap (like $130 for a EVGA FTW addition) Newegg currently has a refurb 660 GTX for $149.

I am also kind of stalling until the 8xx series comes out but thats because I want an 870 or 880

 

[jho]

excellent info, thank you. i don't expect that i'll be dual-carding for the forseeable future but you never know. dual monitors i can see myself doing sooner than later and i hear you about the future-proofing thing so yeah, 4gb sounds good.

thanks again!

 

[Mjolnir]

I suppose the only 'issue' with grabbing a 4GB 770.. Is that you're slowly creeping up to GTX 780 prices .

Some 1080p games are indeed using more than 2GB VRAM now, and especially some specific games like Skyrim with heavy mods will easily chew that up.

If budget is less of an issue, grab a 780 and be done with it for a good few years. That said the 770 4GB is no slouch either way, but at least here in Aus, an extra 100 bucks gets you the cheapest 780 over the cheapest 770 4GB, where some 770 4GBs are only 50 bucks less than the cheapest 780 here.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

I'd look at a GTX 770 or higher from NVidia (3GB minimum vRAM) or an R9 280X or higher from AMD (All those are 3-4GB).

 

[EarthDog]

The increased memory is better for SLI in the future or multiple monitors. Basically for SLI, if my understanding is correct the memory shared across the GPUs is equal to the amount of ram in a single card.

I.e if the card has 4G of ram and you do SLI, you will share 4G between both. Or 2G of ram per card.

1st part, correct. The second, let me clarify. If you have two cards each with 4GB of ram, you still have 4GB available, not 8GB as sometimes people tend to think.

+1 to 760/770/280x.

 

[jho]

thanks all for the input. fwiw i'm thinking it'll be 770-4gb or 780. i'd like this rig to be good for the next few years so future-proofing is a non-trivial consideration. i'm in no rush for the GPU, i reckon i'll sit tight and grab a good deal when it comes along in the next few months.

 

[EarthDog]

Few months? New gpus may be out then. Let's review at that time as the landscape with be different.

 

[jho]

good point. i had just assumed that totally new gear would take some time to iron out the wrinkles, bleeding edge and all that. but if you guys are game to discuss it further then i'm certainly game to learn more on the day.

 

[GTXJackBauer]

Welcome to OCFs.

There are rumors and speculation already that the 800 Series (Maxwell) might be out late 2014, if you're not in a hurry. Other than that a GTX 780 6GB should future proof you for sometime or 2 GTX 770 4GB in SLI.

 

[jho]

duh! just been reading up on Maxwell and the impressive efficiency and running temps of the 750s. see what you mean about the months ahead could bring serious changes to the scene. live and learn.

 

[GearingMass]

Skyrim at that resolution with max settings and maxed AA & AF will produce roughly the following fps:
gtx 760: ~100 fps
gtx 770: ~120 fps
gtx 780: ~145 fps
gtx 780 ti: ~160 fps

Also, you have great taste in games. You'd be great with any of those cards, and at those frame rates, I'd humbly suggest modding to leverage that kind of power on Skyrim/Fallout, but that's a personal choice

Like they said, if you're in no rush, you can try and wait for the 8xx series to drop and then either grab one of those or purchase a 7xx series card at a reduced price, or just jump on a 7xx series card now - up to you!

 

[EarthDog]

Skyrim at that resolution with max settings and maxed AA & AF will produce roughly the following fps:
gtx 760: ~100 fps
gtx 770: ~120 fps
gtx 780: ~145 fps
gtx 780 ti: ~160 fps

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2013/06/25/nvidia-geforce-gtx-760-2gb-review/6

 

[GearingMass]

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2013/06/25/nvidia-geforce-gtx-760-2gb-review/6

Gracias, forgot that

 

[jho]

many thanks guys, exactly the kind of info i was hoping for.

and yes, the plan now is to wait for one or more of the 8xx cards to arrive and make a choice then based on the pricing structure that results.

thanks to the info in this thread i'm now confident that a good 770 or 780 would do me nicely, but the improved power efficiency and operating temps promised by Maxwell GPUs is a bit of a siren call for me. my entire rig has been designed with "cool and quiet" as the guiding principle so Maxwell is sounding like a very good match, prices permitting of course.

ps. thanks for the tip re modding, hadn't occured to me to look into that. will do so now.