Best card for 4800x900 gaming

First post here, looking for some advice.

I am a huge fan of surround screen gaming, but I haven't had a good enough setup for it. I am looking to run most games at high settings at least.

I have a $600 budget and I am looking for 3 1600x900 monitors (I am looking at the HP 20xi) and I need a graphics card for them.

I am considering a GTX 760, though I am not sure if it has enough power to run smoothly. I know the 770 drops in price occasionally, but it is a bit out of my budget. Also, I was looking at the 270x and 280x, but they seem under-powered compared to their competition.

Thoughts?

If you want to do Surround or EyeFinity right, you'll need SLi or Crossfire.

With what you are planning, you might be able to power that set-up with a single R9 290X, but you'd have to sacrifice some IQ settings.

I have two set-ups, one 290X Crossfired in 5760 x 1200 and one GTX 780 SLi. The 780 is a little weak believe it or not, the 290Xs are beasts.

Honestly, with either of your GPU choices above you are essentially buying re-Branded last gen GPUs....the 280X is a 7970 and the GTX 770 is a GTX 680. My son uses a GTX 680 4GB Sli set-up on a 24" monitor to be able to run full IQ details.

For triple monitors you may want to look at 280x/gtx770 minimum and this may even be inadequate if you want to crank up the settings.

GPUwise, 270x < 760 < 280x/770 < gtx780/290 =< 290x =< 780ti

Maybe some of the guys running surround can help out on a nice GPU.

Also, for 600$, you could probably get 3 1080p monitors. That will mean you need an even beefier GPU though.

IF you're in the US, the only 3 cards in the 300$ and under budget would be the 270X, GTX 760, and perhaps a 770 which is on sale. The 270X is the slowest of the bunch: the price is also creeping up to 230-240$ due to the mining craze.

Benchmarks across 12 games: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/R9_270X/26.html

The GTX 760 is the next option. 250-260$ MSRP. Performs about 12-15% better than the 270X. The 770 is the last option in that price range, and will obviously perform the best, but it may cost a bit more than 300$. Probably around 330$ or so. If you can afford it, the GTX 770 would be the best bet. The 270X at around 200$ is okay, but it is slower than the 760 and 770. The 760 is more or less the middle ground, performs between the 270X and 770. I think the GTX 760 or 770 would be the best bet at 250$ and 330$, respectively, depending on how much cash you're willing to spend.

You basically can't buy the 280X at reasonable prices in the states - it is around 400-420$ in the US while being the same speed as the GTX 770. Also, AMD's crossfire framepacing isn't fixed in DX9 and surround yet. I don't know if you plan to add cards down the road, but something to consider if so. Based on my experience I would strongly recommend NOT using crossfire with AMD. Frame pacing also is not completely fixed on 280x and prior cards yet. So they're a no go if you plan to crossfire down the road; the only working crossfire solution that AMD has right now is the 290 and 290X. The 290 costs 530$ due to the mining craze, which is basically a ripoff and 130$ over MSRP.

Why waste money on such low res monitors? Youre better off buying one 1440p screen or 3x 1080p screens.

mda said:

For triple monitors you may want to look at 280x/gtx770 minimum and this may even be inadequate if you want to crank up the settings.

GPUwise, 270x < 760 < 280x/770 < gtx780/290 =< 290x =< 780ti

Maybe some of the guys running surround can help out on a nice GPU.

Also, for 600$, you could probably get 3 1080p monitors. That will mean you need an even beefier GPU though.

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And that is the issue. If I want surround gaming, and decent frame rates at native resolution, with my budget, 3 20" monitors is the best I can do.

Domini said:

Why waste money on such low res monitors? Youre better off buying one 1440p screen or 3x 1080p screens.

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Honestly, because of my budget. A 1440P screen is going to run me minimum $400, probably more. I would love to get a single 21:9 monitor, but those things run minimum $600 new.

Also, I'd like to point out that you get more screen real estate from 3x900p over one 1440p.

I currently am running a single HD6850 and a cheap 1080P monitor. The monitors I have listed there are IPS and have much better picture quality despite being lower resolution.

From what you all are mentioning then, I am leaning towards the 770, but that one isn't for sure...

xoleras said:

IF you're in the US, the only 3 cards in the 300$ and under budget would be the 270X, GTX 760, and perhaps a 770 which is on sale. The 270X is the slowest of the bunch: the price is also creeping up to 230-240$ due to the mining craze.

Benchmarks across 12 games: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/R9_270X/26.html

The GTX 760 is the next option. 250-260$ MSRP. Performs about 12-15% better than the 270X. The 770 is the last option in that price range, and will obviously perform the best, but it may cost a bit more than 300$. Probably around 330$ or so. If you can afford it, the GTX 770 would be the best bet. The 270X at around 200$ is okay, but it is slower than the 760 and 770. The 760 is more or less the middle ground, performs between the 270X and 770. I think the GTX 760 or 770 would be the best bet at 250$ and 330$, respectively, depending on how much cash you're willing to spend.

You basically can't buy the 280X at reasonable prices in the states - it is around 400-420$ in the US while being the same speed as the GTX 770. Also, AMD's crossfire framepacing isn't fixed in DX9 and surround yet. I don't know if you plan to add cards down the road, but something to consider if so. Based on my experience I would strongly recommend NOT using crossfire with AMD. Frame pacing also is not completely fixed on 280x and prior cards yet. So they're a no go if you plan to crossfire down the road; the only working crossfire solution that AMD has right now is the 290 and 290X. The 290 costs 530$ due to the mining craze, which is basically a ripoff and 130$ over MSRP.

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+1 for most helpful post.

I didn't realize the cost inflation due to Bitcoin mining, and that really makes me lean towards nvidia, unless there is a huge sale...

Why not a single 27" IPS Korean 1440p monitor? They have Samsung panels and are high quality. Here is one on Amazon that is $339 with free shipping. If you go on Ebay you can get them for even less. Inquire on the monitor subforum about features as they make a difference in input lag.

X-Star 27" IPS 1440p is $329 on Amazon.

cageymaru said:

Why not a single 27" IPS Korean 1440p monitor? Here is one on Amazon that is $339 with free shipping. If you go on Ebay you can get them for even less. Inquire on the monitor subforum about features as they make a difference in input lag.

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Thus gets my vote. I've run 3x20", 3x27" and 3x24" eyefinity/surround setups, and the 20's weren't nearly as fun as the bigger monitors. Even though you have more real estate than a single 27, your focus is on the center monitor which is much smaller, obviously.

1440p and gtx770 would be a nice setup.

257Tony said:

Thus gets my vote. I've run 3x20", 3x27" and 3x24" eyefinity/surround setups, and the 20's weren't nearly as fun as the bigger monitors. Even though you have more real estate than a single 27, your focus is on the center monitor which is much smaller, obviously.

1440p and gtx770 would be a nice setup.

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Agree 100%. A 280x should be within his price point also, but the mining craze has drove the prices through the roof.

Jeez I am running 5760x1200 and I want bigger. Couldn't imagine 4800x900. Buy a single 27" now and save up to get more. No sense in just buying the 20's just because that's all you can afford at this moment.

Stinger07 said:

Also, I'd like to point out that you get more screen real estate from 3x900p over one 1440p.

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While you are correct on this i feel like the vertical resolution is way to small for that wide of a setup. You might as well squint your eyes on a single monitor.

If the OP were to put those monitors in portrait mode he'd get 2700x1600 for far less than the cost of a 1600p monitor. But a 1440p monitor would be about the same price.

Quartz-1 said:

If the OP were to put those monitors in portrait mode he'd get 2700x1600 for far less than the cost of a 1600p monitor. But a 1440p monitor would be about the same price.

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True, but portrait with 3 monitors has a terrible "screen to bezel" ratio, as I call it. Much more visible bezel than landscape, IMHO of course.

I would highly recommend going 3x1920x1080 over 3x1600x900. I used to run 4320x900 and then upgraded to 5760x1080. At 900 vertical, you start really wanting more height. And that's just in games. Work wise it's even harder. You should keep your 1080p monitor and put it up top.

I went from this:


To this (another 1440x900 monitor on top):


To this (3x1080p screens):


And then from there, I went insane, but that's for another story. Just look at the mouse and keyboard for reference. It's a huge jump. the 1440x900 are 19" and the 1920x1080 are 23".

257Tony said:

True, but portrait with 3 monitors has a terrible "screen to bezel" ratio, as I call it. Much more visible bezel than landscape, IMHO of course.

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Also, that HP has no VESA mounts, so it would be a custom job.

OP may want to look at this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824005533 it's a 21:9 monitor for $449.99.

I run 3x 1440x900: it is roughly the same amount of pixels on-screen as a single 2560x1440 monitor. I (currently) run a 280x and it runs most everything at highish settings. I'm pretty sensitive to stutter and whatnot, so when I say 'highish' I'm saying 'high-to-ultra while maintaining minimum FPS over 40' the only thing I turn down to 'medium' levels is AA.

I'm with you guys in that bigger screens will result in a better gaming experience. But, he essentially didn't ask for advice on that front. Don't get me wrong. If he has the money, that is the way to go.

BUT.

He wants to spend around 300-400 bucks from what i'm gathering (correct me if i'm wrong, OP). So if he gets 3x 1080p panels, that's 600-800$ right there. A new GPU on top of that? 900-1100$. Or he could get a 1440p panel. I like that option, as I use a 1600p panel (dual monitors) myself. That's 300$-1000$ depending on how good of a screen he wants. A GPU on top of that? 600-1300$. Perspective dudes. I'm sure he's aware that bigger screens are the better experience. He's not completely oblivious. He wanted a GPU recommendation for his budget - new screens would be great, i'm totally with you guys there, but isn't what he asked for. I assume it would put him way over budget, but I could be wrong.

What you guys are suggesting, essentially, is that he go over his budget by twice his limit. However if he just wants a GPU in the 200-400$ range - the 270X is the best one for a 200-230$ budget (as long are you never crossfire), GTX 760 for 250$, and the 300$ mark for the 770.

xoleras said:

I'm with you guys in that bigger screens will result in a better gaming experience. But, he essentially didn't ask for advice on that front. Don't get me wrong. If he has the money, that is the way to go.

BUT.

He wants to spend around 300-400 bucks from what i'm gathering (correct me if i'm wrong, OP). So if he gets 3x 1080p panels, that's 600-800$ right there. A new GPU on top of that? 900-1100$. Or he could get a 1440p panel. I like that option, as I use a 1600p panel (dual monitors) myself. That's 300$-1000$ depending on how good of a screen he wants. A GPU on top of that? 600-1300$. Perspective dudes. I'm sure he's aware that bigger screens are the better experience. He's not completely oblivious. He wanted a GPU recommendation for his budget - new screens would be great, i'm totally with you guys there, but isn't what he asked for. I assume it would put him way over budget, but I could be wrong.

What you guys are suggesting, essentially, is that he go over his budget by twice his limit. However if he just wants a GPU in the 200-400$ range - the 270X is the best one for a 200-230$ budget (as long are you never crossfire), GTX 760 for 250$, and the 300$ mark for the 770.

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If you live in the US, and have patience, you can get much better monitors on eBay, for the same prices.
It took me about 2 months of serious looking and a tight rein on my spending, but I got three Dell 2410s for around 300 each over that time frame.....same could be said for waiting out for a 30" monitor.....and I'll bet 24" monitors are even cheaper currently.
Then spend the bucks on a good GPU or two.....but that's where the money comes in no matter what you use, that plus the PSU to drive a beefy GPU, and a good CPU/MB.

Honestly, if you want quality gear and an enjoyable gaming experience, it's going to be over a thousand.(providing your base components are pretty current.)

xoleras said:

What you guys are suggesting, essentially, is that he go over his budget by twice his limit. However if he just wants a GPU in the 200-400$ range - the 270X is the best one for a 200-230$ budget (as long are you never crossfire), GTX 760 for 250$, and the 300$ mark for the 770.

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Exactly. Budget is a big concern here. Most I am willing to do is $700, but I really would like to stay under $600.

With that, I am considering a Ultra-wide monitor in place of the 3 1600x900s.

I just found this AOC monitor that looks nice, but part of me wants to still go for the triple screen.

As for GPU, I think I will go for a 760 if I got for the 2560x1080 screen (more expensive screen, less expensive card, also lower res so I can go for slightly less performance in the card). If I go for the 3x1600x900 I will probably go for a 770.

I honestly wouldn't mind 3 1280x1024s, for the better screen height, but the only place I am getting those is used on ebay. I honestly wish they still made those things.

With regard to the GPU, what about 2x R7 260X?

Quartz-1 said:

With regard to the GPU, what about 2x R7 260X?

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Why would you suggest that for eyefinity? The only fully functional crossfire solutions ATM for eyefinity are 290 and 290X. 280X/79xx and prior cards still have tearing and microstutter in crossfire eyefinity. And microstutter in crossfire DX9. Those cards just have too many issues software wise for surround. The 290 is an option of course, but that is out of the budget range.

GTX 760/770 would be a better buy for that price range. OR a single 270X if he's absolutely sure he will never use CF.

Stinger07 said:

First post here, looking for some advice.

I am a huge fan of surround screen gaming, but I haven't had a good enough setup for it. I am looking to run most games at high settings at least.

I have a $600 budget and I am looking for 3 1600x900 monitors (I am looking at the HP 20xi) and I need a graphics card for them.

I am considering a GTX 760, though I am not sure if it has enough power to run smoothly. I know the 770 drops in price occasionally, but it is a bit out of my budget. Also, I was looking at the 270x and 280x, but they seem under-powered compared to their competition.

Thoughts?

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'


I had a similar setup like that but with a gtx 680. note you cna get these for under $300 used.
the 680 is between 760 and 770 (more close to 770).

Now i looked at those monitors when i was building my set up and ..... the ms response time is... well no.

I ended up returning my 3 1600 x 900 monitors taking a 20% loss on top of return shipping (so around 35% loss) and buying a 1440p QNIX. I love my qnix. Consumes less power than 3 of those. Les cables to worry about etc.




I really enjoy more a good high res display than three lower res ones. you CAN tell the difference when i swapped.

a single r9 290 drives my 5760x1200 setup just fine even in games like BF4. If you don't mind the price gouging it would work fine. I had planned on picking up a second but with the price jump and the fact that 1 is working fine I'm in no rush.

xoleras said:

Why would you suggest that for eyefinity? The only fully functional crossfire solutions ATM for eyefinity are 290 and 290X. 280X/79xx and prior cards still have tearing and microstutter in crossfire eyefinity. And microstutter in crossfire DX9. Those cards just have too many issues software wise for surround. The 290 is an option of course, but that is out of the budget range.

GTX 760/770 would be a better buy for that price range. OR a single 270X if he's absolutely sure he will never use CF.

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I have used Crossfire since it was launched and EyeFinity since it was launched.
At times (even still) AMD has had driver issues, but I never have had or do have any of those issues you are so passionate about......I've found performance disappointing from time to time, but no real IQ issues.

Currently the 290X in Crossfire is just plain hard to beat.

magoo said:

I have used Crossfire since it was launched and EyeFinity since it was launched.
At times (even still) AMD has had driver issues, but I never have had or do have any of those issues you are so passionate about......I've found performance disappointing from time to time, but no real IQ issues.

Currently the 290X in Crossfire is just plain hard to beat.

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I don't know about tearing and micro stutter (I've been using eyefiity and xfire just fine since the 5xxx series)but AMD has a well documented frame pacing issue that has not been fixed for resolutions above 2560x1600 in all cards but the r9 290 and 290x. This results in a lower frame rate being displayed than the FPS detected by software. It was a pretty big deal, you should be able to look up plenty of tests from the big review sites proving it.

magoo said:

I have used Crossfire since it was launched and EyeFinity since it was launched.
At times (even still) AMD has had driver issues, but I never have had or do have any of those issues you are so passionate about......I've found performance disappointing from time to time, but no real IQ issues.

Currently the 290X in Crossfire is just plain hard to beat.

Click to expand...

Unfortunately this is an issue that has been objectively tested by a significant amount of websites on all 79xx and 280x and older cards, and has been proven to exist. AMD has also admitted to this problem existing (after being pestered by numerous tech websites, AMD finally fessed up.) Anyway - frame pacing is still not fixed for CF-eyefinity and DX9 on all Tahiti and older architectures. So while someone who is visually impaired may not see it, AMD has already admitted to the problem. Actually, this problem has been around for nearly 3 years. Gotta love AMD's negligent software team letting bugs like that slip through and existing for years on end.

So this is why I told the OP to avoid crossfire, unless he's getting 290CF (1000$+ in the US) or 290XCF (1200$+ in the US). Those are the only AMD cards with fully functional crossfire, while older cards still have outstanding software issues. Or he could just get the nvidia card that has none of those issues. Anyway, both 290CF and 290X CF are beyond his budget of around 300$ for GPUs or 600$ for a 1440p screen + GPU. This is all beside the point though. Look at the context of what this thread is about.

You didn't even read the OP's question, don't give me a suggestion, give him one. I already have my SLI cards. To answer the OP's question , for the 300$ price range the GTX 760 and 770 are the highest performing cards he can buy, and 200$ would be a 270X if he's sure he will never use crossfire. The 290X isn't even in consideration. The 290 isn't in consideration. Those cards cost 500$+ in the US so it would be beyond his budget. Had you read the OP you'd be aware of this. So don't tell me 290X CF is great, read the OP and suggest something to the OP for the 200-300$ price range for a GPU with surround. Or perhaps a 1440p monitor in the 300$ price range with a GPU in the 300$ price range. Pretty sure he could get a Korean 1440p screen for that with a 770GTX.

Okay all. While I haven't made up my mind on the monitor solution I am going to use, I think I am going to go for the 760 or 770, depending on what monitor(s) I buy. If I got for a 21:9, I'll definitely get the 760. If I end up getting a cheap 1440P or a 3x900P, I'll go for the 770.

Thank for all of the suggestions!