Planning on getting the r9 295x2 (concerns)

[mald]

I am planning on getting an r9 295x2 from a friend, and I was wondering how good the card run on most games, given the fact that it is a dual GPU card. I ran a Crossfire 7950s in the past, and while on paper it sounded excellent, in practice the scaling was lacking, how does a single card with dual GPUs compare? I Is 2 GPUs in one card better optimized by default?

Also, I can get the EVGA 120-G1-1000-VR (1000w) PSU from another friend which I believe I need to support this new card (would this PSU have the appropriate connectors?); as I believe that my current PSU is lacking.
Lastly, I have never installed a water block on my HAF 12, which is what I believe the 295x2 comes with, would I be able to fit that thing into my case; how would I be able to attach it? I haven’t made any mods to my case, the only thing I have done is replace the stock i7 cooler with the Hyper 212, and I have a driver bay on the bottom right corner of the case as can be seen on the pick below. Is it feasible to fit the 295x2 in there?

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/hs_HAF912_121.jpg - In my case I only have the bottom drive bay, and I removed the little drive bay on the left and put it on top of the bottom bay. I could take a picture later.

Forgot to mention that I play at 1440p.

Monitors: Asus PB278Q27 (1440p) & Acer G276HL (1080p)
Current Specs (From the top of my head):
XTR Series 750W PSU
Z97 MSI 5 Gaming motherboard
32 GB of DDR3
GTX 970 (Stock)
I7-4770k (Stock)
Haf 912
4TB HHD
2x SSDs

Thoughts?

 

[ATMINSIDE]

If you don't mind me asking, what are you paying for the 295X2?
At 1440p I expect you could spend the money better.

The 1000W will be plenty, never heard of this "XTR Series 750W PSU" though.

 

[Janus67]

To answer your question on the scaling/crossfire parts, running a dual gpu single card is essentially the same as running two single GPU cards in crossfire. Scaling/etc should be within margin of error. If you are planning to play games that don't have crossfire profiles setup (sadly fewer and fewer do these days) I would rather recommend spending on a single fast GPU like a Fury/FuryX/980ti type card.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

To answer your question on the scaling/crossfire parts, running a dual gpu single card is essentially the same as running two single GPU cards in crossfire. Scaling/etc should be within margin of error. If you are planning to play games that don't have crossfire profiles setup (sadly fewer and fewer do these days) I would rather recommend spending on a single fast GPU like a Fury/FuryX/980ti type card.

Exactly this. Forgot to address this in my post.

 

[EarthDog]

1. If the HAF 12 has a 140/120mm fan on the back, you can mount it back there, yes.
2. Scaling is, as these guys above mentioned, no different than two separate GPUs. Its is CFx on a single stick.
3. The 295x2 is a LONG card. I believe nearly 12"... make sure you have that room in your case.


My thoughts are to, unless you are getting a crazy deal on the card. Go with a single card for 1440p. A 980 or 980Ti. At that resolution, I just do not feel that it is worth the hassle and expense for that card.

 

[mald]

1. If the HAF 12 has a 140/120mm fan on the back, you can mount it back there, yes.
2. Scaling is, as these guys above mentioned, no different than two separate GPUs. Its is CFx on a single stick.
3. The 295x2 is a LONG card. I believe nearly 12"... make sure you have that room in your case.


My thoughts are to, unless you are getting a crazy deal on the card. Go with a single card for 1440p. A 980 or 980Ti. At that resolution, I just do not feel that it is worth the hassle and expense for that card.

A brand new 980ti would cost me $900(Cad x 1.13 tax) so over $1000, I have tried looking second handed but no one is selling these yet. The 295x2 would cost me $600 used.

 

[mald]

If you don't mind me asking, what are you paying for the 295X2?
At 1440p I expect you could spend the money better.

The 1000W will be plenty, never heard of this "XTR Series 750W PSU" though.

http://www.ncix.com/detail/xfx-xtr-750w-gold-single-ac-78946.htm

 

[EarthDog]

Its an XFX. Typically solid. XTR is the model, XFX is the brand.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Take the money you're using for the 295X2 and accompanying PSU, then go buy a used 980Ti or FuryX.
You'll have plenty of PSU for either of those cards and won't have driver issues with CrossfireX.

 

[mald]

Take the money you're using for the 295X2 and accompanying PSU, then go buy a used 980Ti or FuryX.
You'll have plenty of PSU for either of those cards and won't have driver issues with CrossfireX.

Well putting everything into consideration one setup would cost me 600(295x2) while the other costs me 800 (980ti), and the 295x2 often beats the 980ti when the CF is working decently, so idk.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Well putting everything into consideration one setup would cost me 600(295x2) while the other costs me 800 (980ti), and the 295x2 often beats the 980ti when the CF is working decently, so idk.

And putting into consideration that you still have the following issues:
- New PSU because your 750W most likely isn't enough
- As Janus said, CrossfireX support is becoming less common these days
- Lots of new titles aren't supporting CrossfireX at launch, for a number of weeks
- Double the heat and double the power of the 980Ti
- Microstutter from using a multi-GPU configuration
- 4GB vRAM instead of 6GB vRAM on the 980Ti (which helps on high details at 1440p)

 

[Janus67]

Well putting everything into consideration one setup would cost me 600(295x2) while the other costs me 800 (980ti), and the 295x2 often beats the 980ti when the CF is working decently, so idk.

Your concerns are very valid, I'm in a similar boat, but I currently have 2 290xs in my system. Right now I wish I had a single 980ti for more consistent performance, but I admit that it is hard to drop down to a 980ti for the circumstances that the 290x crossfire and scaling is working and performs better than a single 980ti.

That said, I can't make the decision for you, all I can say is that I would be lucky to get $500 if I sold both of my 290x cards together and I'd still have to shell out $150-ish for a 980ti and I personally have considered it to get rid of the extra noise, heat, and random performance issues. But knowing that you would have to go $300 above and beyond the 295x2 makes it more difficult to make the recomendation.

 

[EarthDog]

And putting into consideration that you still have the following issues:
- New PSU because your 750W most likely isn't enough
- As Janus said, CrossfireX support is becoming less common these days
- Lots of new titles aren't supporting CrossfireX at launch, for a number of weeks
- Double the heat and double the power of the 980Ti
- Microstutter from using a multi-GPU configuration
- 4GB vRAM instead of 6GB vRAM on the 980Ti (which helps on high details at 1440p)

Your concerns are very valid, I'm in a similar boat, but I currently have 2 290xs in my system. Right now I wish I had a single 980ti for more consistent performance, but I admit that it is hard to drop down to a 980ti for the circumstances that the 290x crossfire and scaling is working and performs better than a single 980ti.

That said, I can't make the decision for you, all I can say is that I would be lucky to get $500 if I sold both of my 290x cards together and I'd still have to shell out $150-ish for a 980ti and I personally have considered it to get rid of the extra noise, heat, and random performance issues. But knowing that you would have to go $300 above and beyond the 295x2 makes it more difficult to make the recomendation.

Yeah, that 1KW PSU you want (though 850W will be ok so long as you are not overclocking both the GPU and CPU to their limit) is going to make using a single 980Ti much more attractive price wise.

 

[mald]

And putting into consideration that you still have the following issues:
- New PSU because your 750W most likely isn't enough- I can get that PSU from a buddy pretty cheap + what I make out of selling my current one.
- As Janus said, CrossfireX support is becoming less common these days – I doubt that it has gotten any better or worse in the last year, got any prove?
- Lots of new titles aren't supporting CrossfireX at launch, for a number of weeks - True
- Double the heat and double the power of the 980Ti - the water cooler that comes with the card keeps it pretty cool even under load (69c based on the reviews I’ve seen), however I assume that my room would be a different story. Max TDP is 300 vs 500, so not exactly double.
- Microstutter from using a multi-GPU configuration - Didn't notice this when I had my two 7950, and from what I hear it is much better on the 295x2
- 4GB vRAM instead of 6GB vRAM on the 980Ti (which helps on high details at 1440p) – TBH rarely games reach 4GB on my gtx 970, so I doubt that would be an issue for now.

Not trying to go negate all your points, however based on what I have experienced and research they aren't all necessary true. Red means I don't agree, orange means I agree somewhat, and green means you are right lol. It is a tricky decision.

I am starting to think that I should just wait a year or two.

 

[EarthDog]

Sounds like you really want the 295x2. Go for it.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Not trying to go negate all your points, however based on what I have experienced and research they aren't all necessary true. Red means I don't agree, orange means I agree somewhat, and green means you are right lol. It is a tricky decision.

I am starting to think that I should just wait a year or two.

- You still have the extra cost of the PSU, no matter how you slice it. I expect you're talking about an extra $100 right there after selling yours.
- I don't have links for this, I've just noticed more people lately having issues (especially early) in a game release with AMD drivers and Crossfire.
- The TDP is 250W vs 500W. http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-980-ti/specifications
-- That's enough to effectively double the amount of heat the system dumps into the room, which isn't fun.
- Microstutter is better than it was, but still happens.
- http://www.tweaktown.com/tweakipedia/90/much-vram-need-1080p-1440p-4k-aa-enabled/index.html

 

[mald]

- You still have the extra cost of the PSU, no matter how you slice it. I expect you're talking about an extra $100 right there after selling yours.
- I don't have links for this, I've just noticed more people lately having issues (especially early) in a game release with AMD drivers and Crossfire.
- The TDP is 250W vs 500W. http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-980-ti/specifications
-- That's enough to effectively double the amount of heat the system dumps into the room, which isn't fun.
- Microstutter is better than it was, but still happens.
- http://www.tweaktown.com/tweakipedia/90/much-vram-need-1080p-1440p-4k-aa-enabled/index.html

Well I can get the PSU I talked about for $125, perphaps I can sell mine for around $70 which around 1/2 of what it cost me originally a few months ago. Plus the difference between cards is $225, as the cheapest 980ti I found is a reference card for $825, so overall the new PSU should cost me around $30 considering everything else.

Nevertheless, some of the other points you made are valid, some depend on the situation such as the VRAM usage, but still need to be considered. I think that I will just wait for 1.5-2 years for the 980ti to cost what the gtx 780ti costs now, which is $350(CAD rupees) used.

 

[mald]

A question I forgot to ask, has anyone here actually moved from the 295x2 to the gtx 980ti or vice versa? Or from the TITAN X to the 295x2 or vice versa?

 

[EarthDog]

I did exactly that at 1440p. I'll never look back. While I didn't really notice a lot of stuttering, going to a single card showed me how buttery smooth things could be.

For example, I play battlefront at ultra plus resolution scale set at 130% and I float around 60 fps. Without resources scale I am around 70-80.