Opinions please! Thinking of changing my setup in a big-ish way

[1kca]

So as the title says, I want to change my setup a fair bit but I'd like some opinions. This is going to be a bit long-winded so let me just say sorry from now

Currently, my relevant specs are:

• i7 4770K @4.4GHz (AIO - Kraken x61)
• 2x R9 290 (Kraken G10, Kraken x41)
• EVGA SuperNova 1000 P2
• Phanteks Enthoo Primo

*Can't post images just yet*

I'd like to switch to either dual 980s (one now, one later) or dual 980 Tis (one now, one much later).
The reasons for the changes are noise, power consumption and really just a desire to go back to standard air cooling. I currently use 3 displays but only play on one 144Hz 1080p display but I intend on buying a 120/144Hz 1440p display as soon as I can get one that ticks the rest of my boxes.

There are currently 14 fans running in the system excluding the PSU fan and as you can imagine, they're noisier than I'd like. That also doesn't include the pumps and whatnot for the 2 Kraken x41s and 1 Kraken x61 AIOs. I've set custom fan profiles so the fans run slowly but, compared to my other system at least, they're still too loud.


What do you guys reckon? 980s or 980 Tis? I don't like the idea of spending more than 350-400ish on a GPU alone but if it made the most sense then I would consider it


**EDIT**

Sorted. Thanks again everyone

[jjgreenwood]

I had a reference 980 and it was very cool and quiet, I then got excited and then bought a reference 980ti which was either cool or quiet. I then broke my computer which is another story. In my experience the 980 sli will probably fit your planned usage better. You don't mention your case but I'm assuming its quite big and if thats the case a couple of secondhand reference or otherwise 980's will probably give you the high fps you crave while still being quiet and cool.

All that said if you upgrade your display 980ti will be better.

[1kca]

Thanks for that. The case is a Phanteks Enthoo Primo and the monitor upgrade is guaranteed, but only after when they release a 120Hz IPS, 1440p 27-30" monitor with 5ms or lower response. Doesn't seem to be too far off now so maybe a 980 Ti would be better. It's just that price tag tho..

Do you reckon dual 980s would be able to max out games at 1440p, 120/144Hz for the next 2 to 3 years or so?

[Obie]

Thanks for that. The case is a Phanteks Enthoo Primo and the monitor upgrade is guaranteed, but only after when they release a 120Hz IPS, 1440p 27-30" monitor with 5ms or lower response. Doesn't seem to be too far off now so maybe a 980 Ti would be better. It's just that price tag tho..

Do you reckon dual 980s would be able to max out games at 1440p, 120/144Hz for the next 2 to 3 years or so?

What do you mean? It's already here
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ultra-Low-MG...ds=asus+mg279q

I think a single 980ti would be the better move.

[1kca]

Sooo close. That monitor uses freesync and as far as I know, it doesn't work with Nvidia cards yet. Also that monitor caps out at 90Hz with freesync on

[Obie]

Sooo close. That monitor uses freesync and as far as I know, it doesn't work with Nvidia cards yet. Also that monitor caps out at 90Hz with freesync on

Silly me, sorry didn't even realise it was freesync.
How about this one? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Acer-XB270HU...s=acer+xb270hu

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

The new 15.7 drivers are meant to improve performance somewhat and the GTX980TI,although a faster card,is not realistically consume much less power if any than a single R9 290.

[1kca]

Silly me, sorry didn't even realise it was freesync.
How about this one?

Could be a winner. Ticks all the boxes but the reviews are a bit hit n miss. A lot of comments about backlight bleed. If i can get a deal on it though then looks like that might be my next monitor.

Thanks!

And it looks like I'll be pairing it with a 980 Ti. Hopefully I can find a good deal on one

Thanks again

[1kca]

The new 15.7 drivers are meant to improve performance somewhat and the GTX980TI,although a faster card,is not realistically consume much less power if any than a single R9 290.

I have the 15.7 drivers already and they're solid. The thing about the 290s is that they consume a fair bit alone, without the AIOs. The 980/Tis would be air cooled so they would be quieter and consume less.

[Agrippa]

I use a stock GTX 980 Ti and have only ever heard it during stress testing/benchmarking, never during gaming. Like you I have a fair few fans, although I make do with a measly 11 of them. Specifically 7 x 12cm & 4 x 14cm, all low noise models. The machine gives off only a low, comfortable hum regardless of what I'm doing. As far as the lack of noise from the 980 Ti goes, compared to what others are reporting, I put it down to the quite decent air flow in the case.

Performance-wise the 980 Ti runs everything I play @ 60 FPS on my 1440p screen with only slight sacrifices in the graphics settings department in the most demanding games. Whether or not two 980s would be better down the line I have no idea, as I've never tinkered with SLI, but the 980 Ti is a great card and in a well ventilated case I think noise is not something to worry overly much about.

[1kca]

Nice one. 980 Ti it is. If you're having to make some minor sacrifices with your setup then the standard 980 will be making a few more. I know future proofing doesn't necessarily apply to PC parts but the Ti just seems like the better bet if I'm looking to hold onto it for a while and switch to 1440p 120Hz+

[dirtylautrec]

Go for the 980 Ti's. The 980's at this point are pretty much obsolete in my opinion. If the Ti's are too expensive then I would suggest looking at the AMD Fury (aircooled version) it's a little more expensive but it is pretty damn awesome and HBM seems to stack from what I have heard and seen and so you would get a lot more VRAM as with the 980's you would be locked to 4gb.

[1kca]

Go for the 980 Ti's. The 980's at this point are pretty much obsolete in my opinion. If the Ti's are too expensive then I would suggest looking at the AMD Fury (aircooled version) it's a little more expensive but it is pretty damn awesome and HBM seems to stack from what I have heard and seen and so you would get a lot more VRAM as with the 980's you would be locked to 4gb.

Thanks man, I've actually already bought the first 980 Ti. I considered the Fury but I managed to get the 980 Ti for £450 delivered

[dirtylautrec]

In that case then you made an awesome choice. Can I ask what model you got? And how did you get is so cheap?

[dirtylautrec]

980 Ti is an awesome card, picking one up myself when I scrape together enough pennies

[1kca]

In that case then you made an awesome choice. Can I ask what model you got? And how did you get is so cheap?

I went for the reference card. I figured it would do a bit better in SLI, especially if i end up changing my case back to something smaller.

And I found it on ebay believe it or not. Found a cheap one and jumped on it. Just looking for a custom backplate for it now