Review my gaming build?

[Thor.]

 

I'll be saving for the new 4790k and probably go with the 780 to, just to try to make it less obsolete proof.

 

Cards generally get obsolete when their feature set no longer covers everything, rather than when their performance is no longer sufficient. Simply put, 2 years down the line, the 15% difference between 780 and 780Ti won't make one of them any more or less obsolete. But the difference between say GTX 960 that supports DirectX 12 and 780Ti that's only DX11 will make the latter obsolete.

 

So, the rule of thumb is to put as much money into your GPU as you plan to spend on GPU upgrades every 2 years (or more often). High-end and midrange GPU become obsolete at the same time - people who buy high-end cards don't do it because they're willing to put up with 30 fps and half the eye candy disabled.

 

Now, no disagreement with the choice of 780Ti, just that the reason for picking would be higher resolution or third-party graphics mods or other heavy tasks, not that it lasts longer.

 

Directx 12 is going be backwards compatible, and may work like mantle like performance.

 

http://www.extremetech.com/gaming/178904-directx-12-detailed-backwards-compatible-with-all-recent-nvidia-gpus-will-deliver-mantle-like-capabilities

Edited June 7, 2014 by Thor.

[FMod]

Only some part of DX12's feature set will be "supported" on legacy GPU. This is basically done by making every new feature optional, so you can claim support on anything. The only feature that is so far certain to be supported is one that no one will take advantage of (hardware specific optimization... right, are you going to spend dev time to get small performance gains on old cards?), so it won't make any difference.

 

DX12 is the API current-gen consoles were meant to use. We aren't sure yet what features will be there, but unified memory addressing isn't out of the question, since it is what console hardware has. A number of features is already said to require new hardware. We'll learn more later, but miracles are largely out of the question.

 

With Windows 8.1 updated not sucking anywhere as hard as original Win8, and many people used to the new UI by now (I don't even notice it on my laptops), the uptake for Win9 is likely to be high. It's also going to be supported on Win8, though not necessarily with full features.

 

Oh, and new cards will be using the 20nm process already. And if we're talking about NVidia, note how even on 28nm Maxwell has barely more than half the power draw of old cards (this comes again at the expense of GPGPU, but Kepler's GPGPU capabilities are pathetic enough to disregard already).

 

So say again, why would you, come 2016, rather have 2x GTX 780, two years old, with cracking solder, dried-out capacitors, half a kilowatt between them and just out of warranty, than a shiny new GTX 980 with 90% the performance at half the power consumption, every new feature there is to have, quieter cooler, and a fresh warranty complementary with new car smell?

[Thor.]

Hopefully in the year or two we'll see some of those card come to light, maybe ces or something next year. The thing with Video cards, they never give any indication when they will launch a new brand until the last minutes or month of release literally. Until then its all speculation.

Edited June 7, 2014 by Thor.

[D0cR0ck]

So it sounds like I should wait for the 790 in that case.

[FMod]

GTX 790 is going to be just two GTX 780's on one board, for a price of probably $1,200, more than that of two GTX 780's. It's not going to have new features or anything.

 

Also, you'd have to either spend over $2,000 or save on more important components to fit it in.

[Thor.]

i would wait and see, the prices of single two sli gtx780 ti's vs the gtx790 is price point and comparison, if its going to be the same as the titan z, it will be cheaper to sli a gtx780 ti instead. Or 3 way gtx770.

 

The problem with video cards, they simply don't come out with new models fast enough.

Edited June 7, 2014 by Thor.

[D0cR0ck]

Alright I miss understood.

 

So for the best price to future proof ratio the 780 to its the way to go. That way I can later but a second and so I them?

[Thor.]

if you wish, but waiting will take forever, and the uncertainty of the time frame when it might come out, will drive you maaddd!!!... :teehee: So which would you prefer, madness or sane build and better time frame, that you govern yourself.

Edited June 7, 2014 by Thor.

[FMod]

 

but waiting will take forever

 

The idea is not to sit and wait till the card you want is out. The idea is that if you're building a PC now, you buy the video card you need now.

 

When games come out that call for another video card - be it for new features or more performance - then you sell it (step required) and buy a new one; or, if there's no new monster card, buy a second card like the one you have.

780 is almost the top dog and 780Ti outright one, their capabilities in 1080p won't be outpaced by the gaming industry for a while.

 

Alright I miss understood.

So for the best price to future proof ratio the 780 to its the way to go. That way I can later but a second and so I them?

 

For resolutions up to 1920x1200, and for games that don't have "cry" in their name even 2560x1440, a single card is the way to go today.

 

In the future, it can either be replaced if something much better comes out, or a second identical card bought (a used one with warranty will go for about half the initial price) if more performance is required. Replacement is usually the better way. 2560x1440 is the minimum where SLI generally makes sense.

 

AMD's cards are good value, but they're noisier and may require a bit more work to get everything optimal, basically more for a power user. 780 and 780Ti are the primary choices.

 

As to which one to get, it's hard to tell. But you can get a good 780 for $470 - http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-n780tf3gd5oc - while a similar 780Ti will cost $670 - http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-gtx780tigaming.

That's a 42% price difference while the performance difference is about 20%.

 

Considering that 780 and 780Ti are nearing the end of their product lifespan, a replacement should become available in not too long a time. I can't tell if the replacement will include a similar "monster chip" or only an upper-midrange version like 680. Anyway, in 1080p resolution, a base 780 maxes out the framerate pretty much everywhere, with only select exceptions such as Crysis 3.

 

Best time for a replacement card would probably be late 2015 to early 2016, when DX12 will be out, new cards will use 20nm process, and a "monster chip" is likely to skip a generation (GTX 880 etc) and come right about early 2016. Or it might not skip it and 20nm cards might come out in 2015, no information.

 

Anyway, bottom line is, if maximum performance without SLI is paramount, 780Ti is currently it. If SLI is an option in case more power is necessary (at 1080p, unlikely), or if just sufficient performance is enough till you upgrade, 780 is the way to go. Either way you won't go wrong. As it stands today, unless you're a Crysis 3 fan, 780 generally makes more sense.

[dave1029]

 

The 780 Ti is fine, but if you wanted to be future proof, you should get a dual GPU. It really depends on what resolution you plan to play at, and how much *eye candy* you want. If it's just 1080p and you don't mind turning down your graphics as time goes by, then get the 780. If you want to keep graphics maxed and only be turning down the resolution as time goes by, then get a dual GPU.

 

Remember: the night DX12 is released, however cool your GPU are and however many of these you have, there will be a "poof" and a cloud as they turn into pumpkins.

They'll still fetch a few dimes on the dollar on craigslist from people who just want a cheap beater, of course, but so can real pumpkins be cooked and eaten.

 

The only situation where buying 2 cards buys you more time until upgrade than 1 is when a game is about to be released tomorrow (as in, very very soon), and you have it on preorder, and you you know with confidence that it will not run well in your current resolution on a single GPU.

 

Currently for 1080p such games do not exist.

If you might buy a new display later, see above about how your cards might go "poof" before you actually buy the screen.

If you think they're going to start developing such a game and you might want to play pone of them, see above, except your cards will definitely go "poof" well before the game is out.

 

If you want to be future proof, set up a personal fund for instantly preordering the next top GPU as soon as it's announced.

If you have to feel future proof, but it's mandatory that you do so without upgrading your components, lock yourself up in a bunker without internet or TV so that you don't learn about any new developments.

 

You do know that the HD 7900 series (AMD) through present, and the Gtx 600 series (Nvidia) through present, will be getting Dx 12 support?