VRam Issues, Titan Black, and Current Build.

[Nannaki13]

Not really sure if this is the right place for this, or if there's even a forum for questions like this on the Skyrim Nexus.

 

So I built my current rig a little over a year ago, and it's been great. Lately though, I've been getting into modding Skyrim. That started out well, but it consumed me rather quickly, and before I knew it I was chasing all the top of the line texture mods looking for the most immersive experience. I'm currently rocking the GTX 680, but unfortunately it's not able to support all those graphic changes with it's 2gb of VRam.

 

I'd like to replace my 680 with a Titan Black to support my new habit of modding games. I almost considered a 4gb card which was much cheaper, but I see where this habit is going. Some people say they are able to exceed 4gb of Vram usage with a lot of high end textures.

 

Would I need to upgrade any other pieces to properly compliment the addition of a Titan Black in my build?

 

Currently my specs are:

 

CPU: i5-3570k

CPU Fan: Hyper 212 evo (not sure if this is relevant or not)

PSU: Corsair AX750

Mobo: ASRock Z77 extreme 4

RAM: Samsung 8gb (2 x 4gb) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)

 

Currently I'm using a Viewsonic (VX1932WM) monitor, but hoping to upgrade to a ROG Swift when it comes out. (So I'll be playing at 1440p if that helps with any advice)

 

As the computer is only a year old, I'd rather not upgrade the whole thing - but I certainly don't want to hold back the GPU if I'm going to spend a grand on it

 

Also, I'm having some trouble finding any Titan Blacks in stock, is this normal? Any reliable sites other than Newegg I could purchase this? And one last question, is there a particular brand I should be considering, or does this even matter? ("Titan Black is a Titan Black is a Titan Black"?)

 

Thanks guys, sorry about the loaded post.

Edited May 30, 2014 by Nannaki13

[vgchat]

Personally, if I were in your shoes, I would just go ahead & grab the new 295X2. That thing will probably last for a good 5 years or so before you need a replacement for it. Sapphire makes some of the best amd cards on the planet so that's what I've linked you to.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?gclid=CjgKEAjwtZucBRD77aiiq_v4xnASJABkAg8J-4s4Xtb_5DN_R_LBQ77325QT7ImK_oUnUqF23-GJmvD_BwE&Item=N82E16814202108&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwords&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-_-pla-_-Desktop+Graphics+Cards-_-N82E16814202108&ef_id=U1ZTgAAABTNqg3pI:20140530040611:s

 

Also, I would suggest you upgrade that ram, I'm on 16GB and considering getting 16GB more.

Edited May 30, 2014 by vgchat

[darklogrus]

Personally I think your system is fine for the GPU, only thing I would ask if your were running games and OS on a SSD.

[Nannaki13]

Question about the 295X2, is it an actual 8gb in the Vram department, or is it 4gbx2? Because I have a feeling i'll be going over 4gb of Vram the the way i'm headed with texture mods, and from what I understand the game doesn't know the difference between 4gb and 4gbx2 as far as loading textures goes.

 

What ram would you suggest?

 

And Darklogrus, were you saying the system was fine for the Titan, or my system is fine in general, including my current 680? Because the 680 is def not enough to do what I want as far as modding goes. And I'm currently running everything on one 256gb SSD. But by rule I only have one game installed at a time, and very little else on the computer to bog it down. Why do you ask?

 

::Also, thank you both for your replies!

Edited May 30, 2014 by Nannaki13

[Breems]

I seriously doubt you're going to need more than 4GB of VRam. I would install of the mods you like as of now and monitor your VRam usage. Make your new purchase with that in mind and allocate some wiggle room.

 

Don't get caught up in the RAM game. It's snake oil for computers. Look at how much RAM you utilize on a daily basis and perhaps do a few performance benchmarking tests while running Skyrim and other intensive tasks. Some of these 32GB RAM setups are waaaaay too excessive. At some point, you're just wasting money for diminishing returns.

[vgchat]

  On 5/30/2014 at 4:28 AM, Nannaki13 said:

Question about the 295X2, is it an actual 8gb in the Vram department, or is it 4gbx2? Because I have a feeling i'll be going over 4gb of Vram the the way i'm headed with texture mods, and from what I understand the game doesn't know the difference between 4gb and 4gbx2 as far as loading textures goes.

 

What ram would you suggest?

 

And Darklogrus, were you saying the system was fine for the Titan, or my system is fine in general, including my current 680? Because the 680 is def not enough to do what I want as far as modding goes. And I'm currently running everything on one 256gb SSD. But by rule I only have one game installed at a time, and very little else on the computer to bog it down. Why do you ask?

 

::Also, thank you both for your replies!

 

the 295X2 is pretty much two 295x cards slapped onto one as far as I can tell, so you'll have 2x4GB.

 

As for upgrading the ram itself, the golden rule is to buy a matching pair from the same vendor, same goes when dealing with multiple sticks... you want the same type from the same vendor... all 4 or however many slots of ram you have.

[Nannaki13]

With my current mod load I also doubt I'd need even 4gb of VRam. However i've really only just begun. There are plenty of higher res texture mods i'd like to implement, and a lot of mods are continuously being updated/upgraded to a higher quality. Texture overhauls and replacements are constantly being added to the nexus, and I'd hate to eventually turn some of those down because of GPU limitations. This is why I'm not only looking for something that will get me through today, but also 6 months from now, a year from now. I'm trying to overkill, at least a little bit.

 

I've heard claims that some people are currently using up to and over 4gb of VRam in their game. I'd also like to 'future-proof' the rig for modding other games that I may play in the future.

 

I'll admit, I know very little about this stuff. I only 'know' what I've seen discussed around here. I don't want to come across like I'm challenging any of your opinions. Just want to get across that I'd like to run my current mod load flawlessly, as well as leave a little wiggle room for bigger and better mod updates/releases and future games.

 

Thanks for replying guys!

[darklogrus]

I was only asking about the SSD because 4secs to load is alot better then 45secs lol.

 

I think your system will be fine with the GPU upgrade. As for the GPU it really depends on what games you plan on running. On 1 game it might run well, but on another game it might run avg so the cost to performance ratio is questionable.

 

As for Ram, as a gamer you really wont see anything out of it after 8Gb, unless your an advid 3d modeler or video editer. Then i would suggest increasing it. As for the 1600Mhz thats fine as well. An as far as a gaming Pc, you really wont see much by upgrading it to say something like 2400Mhz

[Novem99]

At first: If you are willing and liquid to spend so much money (I don't know how much it will cost for you, here the Titan costs converted 1363$) then go and get it. But don't think a 1300$ card will do the job twice as good as a card for 650$ (I won't comment the suggestion to buy a 295X2, such a suggestion is just ridiculous). Sometimes it's even the opposite.

 

When we talk about Skyrim there are several benchmarks test showing the Titan is in terms of performance on par with the GTX 780ti. In some cases it's even inferior:

 

http://media.bestofmicro.com/5/G/408436/original/skyrim-fr.png

http://www.pcgameshardware.de/screenshots/original/2014/02/GTX-Titan-Black-Review-Extrem-Benchmark-Mod-Skyrim-pcgh.png

http://www.hardwareluxx.de/images/stories/galleries/reviews/2013/asus-gtx780ti-dc2/diagramme/skyrim-1920aaaf.png

 

You see more money won't bring you more performance. Again this is good for Skyrim. In other newer games the result may differ in favor of the Titan.

 

  Quote

 

There are plenty of higher res texture mods i'd like to implement, and a lot of mods are continuously being updated/upgraded to a higher quality.

 

I know and I'm really laughing when I have to read comments like "my Skyrim textures folder alone is 30GB". Yes and of the 30GB the game uses at the end 10GB and the rest is overwriting each other. A 4GB card with a high and fast memory bus width should cope with ALL the HD texture mods that will come in the future.

 

If you still want the Titan go and get it but you will not have a better game experience compared to the 780ti that costs a lot less.

 

The rest of your rig is fine (especially the CPU). RAM is enough (Skyrim can only handle 3.1GB). But the suggested SSD would be an improvement. If you go for the 780ti you can easily spend the saved money for it ;-)

Edited May 30, 2014 by Novem99

[Nannaki13]

Hm, I may consider the 780ti then. I read somewhere that they released a 6gb version of this for only ~$50 more, but I can't find it online.

 

Main thing is, we probably have at least another 4 years before another TES game is released. Mods add replay value to Skyrim, and who knows what kind of overhauls will come out in the future. I don't really have a doubt that a 780ti will give me the same performance as a Titan Black, i'm just trying to prepare myself for things to come.

 

However, I know so little about VRam usage and mods, that I only rely on what I've heard. I can already tell you know much more than I do. If you're sure that a Titan Black will never truly be taken advantage of through the modding of games (not just skyrim, but future games as well - Fallout 4 maybe?) Then I'll probably just grab the 780ti.

 

Just wanted to clarify a few things before I make a $$ purchase. Thanks for lookin out for my wallet! :)