Nvidia Launches GTX 980 And GTX 970 "Maxwell" Graphics Cards ($549 & $329)

I have to say that I'm slightly disapointed in the performance of my 970 in the context of new releases like DA or AC:Unity (ok, it's Ubi...) or Evil Wtihin...don't get me wrong, the card itself is great, cool and silent and quite strong and runs almost on 980 level but it seems like it won't be enough for nextgen ports at 60FPS. And that's what I bought it for. Lastgen Games ran at 60FPS on my 660TI already....

There is no GPU on the market which will give you max settings at 60fps in future releases. You will obviously need to tone down a few stuff to hit your target.
If you're gaming at 1440p you will have even more sacrifices to make.

I'm fine with 1080p for the moment as I don't feel confident any GPU can truly do the job at 1440p. I'm talking about near or max settings (except AA) and 60fps.
My 780 is unfit for max settings + 60fps in the latest games but I knew that long before I bought it.

If you ask me you should not feel robbed that your 970 will struggle to keep 60fps in the most demanding games, remember that PC games (even multiplats) will necessarily scale above what you have and that's a good thing.
 
I have to say that I'm slightly disapointed in the performance of my 970 in the context of new releases like DA or AC:Unity (ok, it's Ubi...) or Evil Wtihin...don't get me wrong, the card itself is great, cool and silent and quite strong and runs almost on 980 level but it seems like it won't be enough for nextgen ports at 60FPS. And that's what I bought it for. Lastgen Games ran at 60FPS on my 660TI already....

The 970 is a great replacement for your 660ti. Whereas the 660ti with rocking med-high settings at 60fps for all "last gen" games, the 970 will rock high-ultra at 60fps for all new gen games. At the price I wouldn't be (and am not myself) disappointed at all. Even the less than stellar UBI jobs are giving me 60fps with "reasonable" high-ultra settings. You won't have all the bells and whistles but the games still look VERY good.

The 660ti would be struggling at low-med with these same games. And we don't know what's around the corner. Whatever it is, it's probably very expensive for the performance.
 
I'm running both FC4 and DA:I at 50-80 (mostly above 60) at mostly Ultra settings on my OC'd 970 which seems fine to me. A clear improvement over my 660 Ti.
 
There is no GPU on the market which will give you max settings at 60fps in future releases. You will obviously need to tone down a few stuff to hit your target.
If you're gaming at 1440p you will have even more sacrifices to make.

I'm fine with 1080p for the moment as I don't feel confident any GPU can truly do the job at 1440p. I'm talking about near or max settings (except AA) and 60fps.
My 780 is unfit for max settings + 60fps in the latest games but I knew that long before I bought it.

If you ask me you should not feel robbed that your 970 will struggle to keep 60fps in the most demanding games, remember that PC games (even multiplats) will necessarily scale above what you have and that's a good thing.
I don't think he's so worried about max settings necessarily. I think he's just looking at the performance people are noting in the PC performance threads and seeing that even people with 970's aren't able to do a solid 60fps(which he is *very* picky about).

The games are seemingly CPU-limited, though. And I'm not sure its something that can be dealt with so easily by upgrading your CPU, cuz its often a matter of poor spread of performance over the 4+ cores or threads.
 
I don't think he's so worried about max settings necessarily. I think he's just looking at the performance people are noting in the PC performance threads and seeing that even people with 970's aren't able to do a solid 60fps(which he is *very* picky about).

The games are seemingly CPU-limited, though. And I'm not sure its something that can be dealt with so easily by upgrading your CPU, cuz its often a matter of poor spread of performance over the 4+ cores or threads.

Perhaps I misunderstood what he meant. It should be noted that many users here are overclocking their cards so that might explain the FPS difference. If you're going by various benchmarks the 970 does about what you'd expect at 1080p but 1440p is another story.
CPU limitations are indeed very hard to come by and it's getting worse now.

DX12 can't come soon enough.
 
about to build my first pc soon, was thinking of waiting for the Poseidon 980, but probably wont mess too much with water cooling on my first try so went ahead and got a 980 Strix, anyone that has one here what's your impressions on it?
 
I have a 780ti. Is it worth upgrading to the 980 or should I just wait for the next batch of cards? I should still be able to run everything on Ultra until the next batch hits right? I'm fine with 30fps though obviously prefer 60. So basically can I get at least Ultra settings at 30fps until the next wave of Nvidia cards.
 
I have a 780ti. Is it worth upgrading to the 980 or should I just wait for the next batch of cards? I should still be able to run everything on Ultra until the next batch hits right? I'm fine with 30fps though obviously prefer 60. So basically can I get at least Ultra settings at 30fps until the next wave of Nvidia cards.

I'd wait without a doubt. 780ti to either of the 900 cards is not good value for the money.

Now if you are incredibly wealthy and like to update every gen then go ahead :)
 
I have a 780ti. Is it worth upgrading to the 980 or should I just wait for the next batch of cards? I should still be able to run everything on Ultra until the next batch hits right? I'm fine with 30fps though obviously prefer 60. So basically can I get at least Ultra settings at 30fps until the next wave of Nvidia cards.

I think you're fine with the 780ti, it's a worthy upgrade if you have a 600 series card or less.
 
There is no GPU on the market which will give you max settings at 60fps in future releases. You will obviously need to tone down a few stuff to hit your target.
If you're gaming at 1440p you will have even more sacrifices to make.

I'm fine with 1080p for the moment as I don't feel confident any GPU can truly do the job at 1440p. I'm talking about near or max settings (except AA) and 60fps.
My 780 is unfit for max settings + 60fps in the latest games but I knew that long before I bought it.

If you ask me you should not feel robbed that your 970 will struggle to keep 60fps in the most demanding games, remember that PC games (even multiplats) will necessarily scale above what you have and that's a good thing.

I don't care for utra settngs and 1080p is good enough for me. All I want is stutter free motion, 60FPS. And so far I feel like I have way more problems to achieve that when back then in 2011 I got my 560TI...
 
Obviously. 2011 was 5 to 6 years after the console launches, and a 560ti was ~6 times faster than the GPUs in last-gen consoles. A 970 is about twice as fast as a PS4 in raw numbers (quite a bit better than that in practice of course), and when you are talking about a game that runs at 20-30 FPS on a PS4 at 900p, then getting it to a locked 60 FPS at 1080p ain't gonna happen, even disregarding higher settings.

Math!
 
I have to say that I'm slightly disapointed in the performance of my 970 in the context of new releases like DA or AC:Unity (ok, it's Ubi...) or Evil Wtihin...don't get me wrong, the card itself is great, cool and silent and quite strong and runs almost on 980 level but it seems like it won't be enough for nextgen ports at 60FPS. And that's what I bought it for. Lastgen Games ran at 60FPS on my 660TI already....
These games are just crappily coded. Even in the PS4 these games run like poo poo. Ubusoft games have been infamous for being horribly coded while Japanese games not by Capcom tend to be shitty ports.
 
Obviously. 2011 was 5 to 6 years after the console launches, and a 560ti was ~6 times faster than the GPUs in last-gen consoles. A 970 is about twice as fast as a PS4 in raw numbers (quite a bit better than that in practice of course), and when you are talking about a game that runs at 20-30 FPS on a PS4 at 900p, then getting it to a locked 60 FPS at 1080p ain't gonna happen, even disregarding higher settings.

Math!

Yeah, I should've done the math before buying it. You are right. Well.
 
I don't think he's so worried about max settings necessarily. I think he's just looking at the performance people are noting in the PC performance threads and seeing that even people with 970's aren't able to do a solid 60fps(which he is *very* picky about).

The games are seemingly CPU-limited, though. And I'm not sure its something that can be dealt with so easily by upgrading your CPU, cuz its often a matter of poor spread of performance over the 4+ cores or threads.

Worst thing about cpu performance is lack of hope in the future - gpus can scale almost endlessly with lower production process but with cpu we will be happy if we get 20% increase with Haswell.
 
Actually, engines built for the ground up for next-gen consoles should scale better to multiple cores, and we are now getting 6 and even 8 core (Intel) CPUs in the end-user market (though still somewhat pricey). So I don't think the outlook is all that grim.

I'm pretty happy with my 6 Haswell-E cores at 4 GHz, never felt CPU limited so far ;)
 
Anybody have experience with a 980 paired with an overclocked 2500K? Mine's currently OC'ed to 4.4 ghz. Would that be enough to 100% full force a 980?
 
Actually, engines built for the ground up for next-gen consoles should scale better to multiple cores, and we are now getting 6 and even 8 core (Intel) CPUs in the end-user market (though still somewhat pricey). So I don't think the outlook is all that grim.

I'm pretty happy with my 6 Haswell-E cores at 4 GHz, never felt CPU limited so far ;)

You are when you play GTA4 though ;)

I'm really hoping we won't be with GTA5... but I think it's misplaced hope.
 
You are when you play GTA4 though ;)

I'm really hoping we won't be with GTA5... but I think it's misplaced hope.

GTA 4 is uniquely bad. It actually performs much worse on my new PC than Assassin's Creed Unity does. I can actually maintain a 60+ fps framerate with AC Unity with max settings except with FXAA 95% of the time. GTA 4 manages to have inexplicable prolonged drops into the low 40s with draw and detail distances set to 50%. I still have hope for the PC version GTA V, though. I have managed to not play a second of that game yet. Hopefully, they honestly take the time to port the game correctly.
 
Worst thing about cpu performance is lack of hope in the future - gpus can scale almost endlessly with lower production process but with cpu we will be happy if we get 20% increase with Haswell.
Like Durante said, I'm sure it'll get better. DX12 should mean much better potential performance in CPU limited situations as well.
 
You are when you play GTA4 though ;)
Good thing I haven't been interested in GTA since 2 :P

Honestly, considering the types of games I mostly enjoy playing -- my top 5 this year are M&MX, Divinity II, Dark Souls 2, Wasteland 2 and Shadowrun Dragonfall -- my PC is massive overkill. But I like it that way. (And I don't just use it for gaming)
 
Craaaaaap. The 970 I had my eyes on is now unavailable.
Yesterday it says in stock 11/26 but now I would have to wait two weeks.
 
Crashing even at +50 seems strange to me. Have you tried it while only boosting the memory and leaving the core at stock? I assume you've made sure your power supply is up to the task too? Memory has always been the easiest thing for me to overclock over the past few years; core is where I usually don't get very far.

It really could be a case of the memory just not being able to handle it at the current voltage/power settings, which would be a shame, but not the worst thing to be dealing with. You've still got a great core overclock going that seems stable from what you've mentioned.

I've just been reading this;

https://forums.geforce.com/default/...80-instability-in-low-utilisation-situations/

So I might give Kboost a go tonight while playing and see if it helps. I'm only hitting 80% TDP and 70C temperatures.
 
Good thing I haven't been interested in GTA since 2 :P

Honestly, considering the types of games I mostly enjoy playing -- my top 5 this year are M&MX, Divinity II, Dark Souls 2, Wasteland 2 and Shadowrun Dragonfall -- my PC is massive overkill. But I like it that way. (And I don't just use it for gaming)

M&M X ran like crap though, lol

But was an awesome game
 
Good thing I haven't been interested in GTA since 2 :P

Honestly, considering the types of games I mostly enjoy playing -- my top 5 this year are M&MX, Divinity II, Dark Souls 2, Wasteland 2 and Shadowrun Dragonfall -- my PC is massive overkill. But I like it that way. (And I don't just use it for gaming)

I'm in the same boat, except on top of that I spend a very large amount of time playing old ass DOS games on my freaking i7-4770k, 32 GB RAM, Geforce 980 rig lol.
 
I'm in the same boat, except on top of that I spend a very large amount of time playing old ass DOS games on my freaking i7-4770k, 32 GB RAM, Geforce 980 rig lol.
Well, this year I also played Icewind Dale in coop. Really stretching that hardware muscle.
 
Returned because of fan issues.

What model was it ? It's important.
I was hesitating between the ASUS Strix and the MSI. I'm aware both suffer from various issues (coil whine, fans not spinning or spinning too fast) but hopefully the latest batch will not be as faulty.

The Gigabyte G1 is too long for my case.
 
What model was it ? It's important.
I was hesitating between the ASUS Strix and the MSI. I'm aware both suffer from various issues (coil whine, fans not spinning or spinning too fast) but hopefully the latest batch will not be as faulty.

The MSI Twin Frozr Gaming. I loved the card and I almost didn't want to part with it, and I've been waiting for another one to come in stock. I'm also hoping the new batch doesn't have the issue (and if it happens with a new card then I'm going to assume there is a compatibility issue with my motherboard or something, and will be forced to choose another card).

The Gigabyte G1 is too long for my case.

Same here (it technically fits if I remove a drive cage, but I don't want a card that big anyway, would limit my future choices of cases). I would jump on the G1 if it wasn't too long (and if it was stock, which it isn't). Only ones I can find in stock now are the vanilla Zotac, the vanilla EVGA, and the non-G1 Gigabyte.

Along with the MSI Gaming, the retailer is also getting a batch of the cheaper MSI card (blue box with tiger). But I'm going to stick with the Twin Frozr one.
 
Does the Gigabyte G1 fit in a Fractal R4? or would I have to remove the drive cages? Cause that absolutely sucks and is a huge pain in the ass (how i broke my first SSD)
 
General question --

I have an old 60 hz LCD. Would it be best to globally set Frame Limiter in Nvidia Inspector to 60? Is there any negative to doing that?

I wouldn't see any visible difference above 60 fps on my monitor, right?
 
General question --

I have an old 60 hz LCD. Would it be best to globally set Frame Limiter in Nvidia Inspector to 60? Is there any negative to doing that?

I wouldn't see any visible difference above 60 fps on my monitor, right?

Actually yes, you will see screen tear if you let it run free.
 
General question --

I have an old 60 hz LCD. Would it be best to globally set Frame Limiter in Nvidia Inspector to 60? Is there any negative to doing that?

I wouldn't see any visible difference above 60 fps on my monitor, right?

Isn't enabling Vsync effectively the same thing? And is Adaptive Vsync better?
 
Using a frame limiter won't sync your framerate to your monitors refreshrate and could actually result in terrible tearing every frame. Vsync will take care of tearing. Double buffer vsync will only run in factors of your refreshrate 10-15-20-30-60. Triple buffer with vsync will run at other framerates but will result in judder when between factors of the refresh rate. Adaptive vsync disables vsync when the framerate goes below 60 resulting in tearing, I believe. Gsync adjusts your monitor's refreshrate to basically display the current frame when it's ready which eliminates judder and tearing and allows variable framerates with consistent motion.
 
Actually yes, you will see screen tear if you let it run free.

Isn't enabling Vsync effectively the same thing? And is Adaptive Vsync better?

Using a frame limiter won't sync your framerate to your monitors refreshrate and could actually result in terrible tearing every frame. Vsync will take care of tearing. Double buffer vsync will only run in factors of your refreshrate 10-15-20-30-60. Triple buffer with vsync will run at other framerates but will result in judder when between factors of the refresh rate. Adaptive vsync disables vsync when the framerate goes below 60 resulting in tearing, I believe. Gsync adjusts your monitor's refreshrate to basically display the current frame when it's ready which eliminates judder and tearing and allows variable framerates with consistent motion.

thanks for the info

I forgot about vsync and the different types. Actually I've always turned vsync off in every game, because I'm sensitive to input lag and generally don't care about tearing
 
The MSI Twin Frozr Gaming. I loved the card and I almost didn't want to part with it, and I've been waiting for another one to come in stock. I'm also hoping the new batch doesn't have the issue (and if it happens with a new card then I'm going to assume there is a compatibility issue with my motherboard or something, and will be forced to choose another card).
Damn I never had any issue with MSI cards thus far. But given that it's not available yet I pulled the trigger on an ASUS Strix. I don't have much hope I won't run into coil whine as it seems widespread regardless of brands.
 
I'm looking to upgrade and I'm heavily leaning towards a 980(it's still the fastest single card solution right?) but I need to know about the coil whine. Is it fixed yet? How loud is it? Is there any brand less likely to have it? I need to know because I have tinnitus and I really don't need anything else whistling in my ears.
 
I'm looking to upgrade and I'm heavily leaning towards a 980(it's still the fastest single card solution right?) but I need to know about the coil whine. Is it fixed yet? How loud is it? Is there any brand less likely to have it? I need to know because I have tinnitus and I really don't need anything else whistling in my ears.

Brand does not matter and it's completely random across all 970/980

Seems like it's 50/50 chance
 
Damn I never had any issue with MSI cards thus far. But given that it's not available yet I pulled the trigger on an ASUS Strix. I don't have much hope I won't run into coil whine as it seems widespread regardless of brands.

You garbbed a 970? You bastard!
 
You garbbed a 970? You bastard!

Yes, I suffer from upgraditis. :/
The worst is that I know the 970 is more a sidegrade from my 780 but I can't help.

I don't like ASUS cards usually (I had a DOA gtx 670 from them) but it's not a bad deal and the Strix is a slick card.
 
It is?

I thought 970 was faster in benchmarks than a 780

It's not that clear cut.
In Lords of the Fallen a 780 is faster, not by much.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/8714/benchmarked-lords-of-the-fallen
In games like AC Unity a 970 is a few fps faster :
http://www.pcgameshardware.de/Assassins-Creed-Unity-PC-258436/Specials/Test-Technik-Benchmarks-1142550/
In Crysis 3 it's 2fps faster than a 780 :
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2014/09/19/nvidia-geforce-gtx-970-review/8

It's 10fps faster in FC4, Shadow of Mordor and plenty of older games such as Splinter Cell Blacklist, Tomb Raider, AC Black Flag.

I bought it because 3gb of VRAM bottlenecks me in Unity, Lords of the Fallen and future games surely.
 
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