Video card upgrade

[Bert Pieke 7,585]

does make a performance difference if youre using a matching stick compare to a single stick? im also using a single stick ram 1x 8gb. and im not having a performance issue yet.

 

If you do not have a problem, you do not have to change anything..

 

But, yes, i7 and i5 processors are set up to use dual channel memory which means a pair of memory sticks for best performance.

[Richard Avenido 5]

If you do not have a problem, you do not have to change anything..

 

But, yes, i7 and i5 processors are set up to use dual channel memory which means a pair of memory sticks for best performance.

so I  searched about having dual channel memory on an i7 system. it does make a difference. 3-5fps compare to a single stick. by the way thank you for this info. it is very interesting and helpful

[JohnsonPBX 8]

Indeed, thank you for the info, Bert. I wasn't even aware of that! It was already in my plans to get a second 8GB stick anyway. Regards.

[JohnsonPBX 8]

Hello guys, I think this is it. After reading a lot of reviews this weekend, I almost made my mind for the GTX 980. However, after investigating a little more, I decided that the price difference of $249 USD (that'd be a 63% percent increase compared to the GTX 970) does not justify the performance difference. With the current conversion rate of the dollar, the GTX 970 is $394 while the GTX 980 is $643 at local stores. Ordering online is not a practical option as import taxes would make them way more expensive.

 

This becomes even more true when the main use I will give it is FSX (not planning to migrate to P3D yet), GTA V when it is released for PC, and a FEW other videogames I might like on the run. I was never a hardcore gamer nor do I have the time to become one now because of my job, so latest videogames are not my main focus.

 

Therefore, I decided that the GTX 970 is my best option right now. Now the question is, which manufacturer and why? Right now the two options I have are the ASUS Strix version, and the Gigabyte Gaming G1 one. EVGA ones are pretty much sold out. Even though I like ASUS' cooling system, which seems to be one of the most efficient, I'm leaning towards the Gigabyte one as I have read very good reviews about it (both for the 970 and 980), and it seems to be the most powerful one right out of the box. Has any of you had either? I'd appreciate any input.

 

I am planning to get the card tomorrow if I leave early from work.

 

Thanks!

[PMDG777 231]

 

 

Therefore, I decided that the GTX 970 is my best option right now. Now the question is, which manufacturer and why? Right now the two options I have are the ASUS Strix version, and the Gigabyte Gaming G1 one. EVGA ones are pretty much sold out. Even though I like ASUS' cooling system, which seems to be one of the most efficient, I'm leaning towards the Gigabyte one as I have read very good reviews about it (both for the 970 and 980), and it seems to be the most powerful one right out of the box. Has any of you had either? I'd appreciate any input.

 

To be honest, they are both incredible cards and you won't be disappointed whichever way you go. You most likely wont ever see the marginal clock increase of the G1 over the Strix . I'd lean to the ASUS only because I think it looks awesome  B)

[Jude Bradley 659]

The 970 is a way better deal than the 980 - it's an amazing card, get one of those.

I was thinking the same Ryan, I'm still at the 580 which is showing it's age now - didn't realise how old the card was.

[nugat 1]

While this almost certainly makes no difference to FSX or P3D, it's worth taking into account that 970 has 3.5GB of "usable" video memory while the 980 has 4GB. This came to light a few weeks ago when people noticed that the last 500MB of memory on a 970 runs so slow it's effectively useless. There has been plenty written about it on the internet regarding the technicalities.

 

This doesn't mean that the 970 isn't a great card though, for the price arguably there's nothing better. Just make sure that you're not using more than 3.5GB of video ram otherwise you may run into stuttering problems :-) At the present time this is unlikely unless you're running multiple screens and/or very high resolutions.

[Jude Bradley 659]

While this almost certainly makes no difference to FSX or P3D, it's worth taking into account that 970 has 3.5GB of "usable" video memory while the 980 has 4GB. This came to light a few weeks ago when people noticed that the last 500MB of memory on a 970 runs so slow it's effectively useless. There has been plenty written about it on the internet regarding the technicalities.

 

This doesn't mean that the 970 isn't a great card though, for the price arguably there's nothing better. Just make sure that you're not using more than 3.5GB of video ram otherwise you may run into stuttering problems :-) At the present time this is unlikely unless you're running multiple screens and/or very high resolutions.

Yes, I came across that posting recently somewhere too.

Still 3.5GB is better than 1.5, right?

[Jamesie79 9]

Your current PSU will be fine. Since it's a CoolerMaster it'll be 80+. Lots of people go overboard with PSU's.

[wanabflyer 53]

  Has any of you had either? I'd appreciate any input.

 

I have the ASUS Strix 970 on my gamer (retired, so have the time to play games between flights) and it is a great performer. Runs cool too.

[JohnsonPBX 8]

Hello guys, thank you for your responses. To quote some of your answers:

 

To be honest, they are both incredible cards and you won't be disappointed whichever way you go. You most likely wont ever see the marginal clock increase of the G1 over the Strix . I'd lean to the ASUS only because I think it looks awesome  B)

Well if it was about the looks I would choose the one with the default nVidia case, to me that's the best looking one! ASUS' Strix does look very good, but Gigabyte's doesn't look bad at all either.

 

(...) it's worth taking into account that 970 has 3.5GB of "usable" video memory while the 980 has 4GB. This came to light a few weeks ago when people noticed that the last 500MB of memory on a 970 runs so slow it's effectively useless (...)

Oh yes, thank you for mentioning this. I forgot to do so in my previous post. Regarding this scandal, I don't really mind, as I don't think the games I'll run will go past 3.5GB VRAM. Right now I am only using a single 23'' monitor on 1080p (1920x1080). I might consider getting a second and maybe even a third one in the future, but all of them on 1080p. By the time that happens I suppose I will have upgraded my videocard again anyway.

 

Only question I have in this regard is, if I get a second 23'' monitor on the same resolution, and my plans are to have FSX in one and utilities like charts / PFPX / browser / etc. in the other, will I be fine with the 970? I suppose having a second monitor for just programs, etc. should not be that intensive and therefore not have a big impact in performance. It is for me at the moment with my current videocard however.

 

Still 3.5GB is better than 1.5, right?

In my case it would be 3.5GB is still better than 512MB! In theory, in the worst case scenario I'll have at least 7 times the VRAM amount I have right now with my 4870.

 

Your current PSU will be fine. Since it's a CoolerMaster it'll be 80+. Lots of people go overboard with PSU's.

Thanks. It is to note though that my PSU is about 3-4 years old now, so I am not very sure if it is 80+. Other than the videocard, however, I am not planning to add any hardware components for now though, nor am I planning to go SLI in the near future.

 

I have the ASUS Strix 970 on my gamer (retired, so have the time to play games between flights) and it is a great performer. Runs cool too.

 

This is going to be a tough decision. I suppose I'll choose it when I am at the store and see both personally.

 

Thank you all guys for your help! Greatly appreciated.

[tamascy 2]

Hello guys, I think this is it. After reading a lot of reviews this weekend, I almost made my mind for the GTX 980. However, after investigating a little more, I decided that the price difference of $249 USD (that'd be a 63% percent increase compared to the GTX 970) does not justify the performance difference. With the current conversion rate of the dollar, the GTX 970 is $394 while the GTX 980 is $643 at local stores. Ordering online is not a practical option as import taxes would make them way more expensive.

 

This becomes even more true when the main use I will give it is FSX (not planning to migrate to P3D yet), GTA V when it is released for PC, and a FEW other videogames I might like on the run. I was never a hardcore gamer nor do I have the time to become one now because of my job, so latest videogames are not my main focus.

 

Therefore, I decided that the GTX 970 is my best option right now. Now the question is, which manufacturer and why? Right now the two options I have are the ASUS Strix version, and the Gigabyte Gaming G1 one. EVGA ones are pretty much sold out. Even though I like ASUS' cooling system, which seems to be one of the most efficient, I'm leaning towards the Gigabyte one as I have read very good reviews about it (both for the 970 and 980), and it seems to be the most powerful one right out of the box. Has any of you had either? I'd appreciate any input.

 

I am planning to get the card tomorrow if I leave early from work.

 

Thanks!

 

I just got today my GTX 970.. i went with this option: GALAX GeForce GTX 970 EXOC Black Edition

 

http://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/galax-geforce-gtx-970-exoc-review,10.html

[JohnsonPBX 8]

Hello guys, 

 

I finally went for the Gigabyte G1 GTX 970. It is a neat looking card, and also gigantic—it barely fit on my case. I quickly tested a few games and they're fine. However, I preferred to uninstall FSX and start all over with tweaks, graphics enhancement programs, etc., as I had it previously configured with AMD-oriented tools and tweaks (such as ******* Altuve's Shader 3 mod), which was causing graphics corruption.

 

Today I will re-install FSX when I get back home and tweak-test it. Now the new challenge is to properly set up the videocard in regards of setting up its options from the Nvidia Control Panel. There are many options I have no idea about as I was using an ATI card for the last 6 years. Any advice about how to set it up? Also, is there any third-party program I should download in order to improve performance?

 

Thank you all for your help! I hope to have everything set up soon in order to enjoy this awesome card.

[PMDG777 231]

Have a look for the pinned nvidia inspector thread in the PMDG forums

[pcubine 143]

I hope to have everything set up soon in order to enjoy this awesome card.

I believe this is the link to the thread PMDG777 referred to. http://forum.avsim.net/topic/324786-nvidia-configuration-guide-inspector-2xxxx-drivers-version-20-explanations-of-all-settings/. At first glance it looks like it could be updated but the initial setup in post #1 are the building blocks. The rest of the thread is kind of like cement to hold it all together.

 

I setup my 780ti using post #1 and then just tried suggestions in the rest of thread that I thought might be helpful. So don't let the Jan 2012 date throw you.

It is still very useful.