Hi all,

 

I currently own a GTX580, which for P3D v2 seems to be pretty low-end. I am considering upgrading to either a GTX780ti or GTX Titan, but I am not sure what would be the better option.

 

From a couple of benchmark tests, the 780ti seems to outperform the Titan and is a bit less expensive. However, its VRAM is 3GB as opposed to the Titan's 6GB. So I was wondering, how important is this difference in VRAM and what does this practically mean in terms of performance?

Should I also expect a performance boost going from a 580 to either of these two cards with P3D being far more dependent on the GPU? I am aware that P3D v2 has been released only yesterday, but if someone could help me that would be great  ^_^

 

Thanks!

I don't have P3D (yet) but according to most's reactions the performance highly depends on your video card and its amount of VRAM, therefore you can definitely expect an improvement going from a 580 to a 780Ti. According to many, the program uses more than 2 GB of memory so 3GB should be enough, but I'd still get at least a 4 GB card just in case, as you never know how it will develop in the future.

It's good that P3D makes better use of our videocards, but there isn't much of a point if the performance overall is lower. A high-end CPU is much cheaper than a high-end GPU too... Just my $0,02.

Thanks for your response.

So based on your post, I should choose either the Titan or perhaps even a GTX770 with 4GB of VRAM. The 780s all have 3GB which may or may not be only just about enough. As stated in another topic in the P3D subforums, we should know if either speed or memory benefits P3D v2 most. 

 

EDIT: I just found the following comment on the official p3d forums from one of their developers:

 

"We do use more video memory in v2, but 2GB is probably safe assuming you're not running a ton of monitors and views. We need to do some more optimizing and bug fixing before we can get real benchmarking done, but a high end 2 GB card will likely run better than a low end 4GB card."

 

This does look in favor of the 780Ti, although this comment seems far from conclusive  ^_^

I have the 3GB 580 and was hoping the extra VRAM would mean I could put off upgrading my GPU for a while but I'm thinking that might not be the case. If you do upgrade your card post back your results!!

However, its VRAM is 3GB as opposed to the Titan's 6GB. So I was wondering, how important is this difference in VRAM and what does this practically mean in terms of performance?

 

I think the answer may in part depend on how much total resolution you're sending to, i.e. your monitor(s) max resolution you run.   I have the 6gb Titan and see only 2.33Gb is used so far in a few test flights, however I am running one 1920x1200 display.  My entire machine was built in preparation for P3D V2 and even XP64 so wanted headroom in case I added more display space as well.

Its a shame that ASUS discontinued the GTX680 with 4GB. I was going to buy another and go SLI but they are now unavailable. Too bad because that card is pretty incredible.

The GTX680 4GB is selling for $350 and up on ebay. I could sell my GTX580 3GB for $150 and it would only be a $200 upgrade for me. That might be worth it... 

I think the answer may in part depend on how much total resolution you're sending to, i.e. your monitor(s) max resolution you run.   I have the 6gb Titan and see only 2.33Gb is used so far in a few test flights, however I am running one 1920x1200 display.  My entire machine was built in preparation for P3D V2 and even XP64 so wanted headroom in case I added more display space as well.

 

I currently own a monitor at 1920x1080 and I might be playing at higher resolutions later on if I decide to go for a new monitor. However, I do not intend to add any more displays so that won't be an issue. However, your VRAM usage is already nearing 3GB (max of the 780Ti) and I am not sure what the effect will be when I start using complex add-ons such as the PMDG planes once they are available for P3D. 

Let me chim in here:

 

Performance is little different between the two cards.

 

I would recoment to take the Titan or try a R9 290x with 4 GB once they are available with two or three fans (should arrive in the shops next week).