4GB GTX 770, 3GB GTX 780, or 6GB GTX 780 for 1440p

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Ltor

Limp Gawd
Joined
Sep 7, 2010
Messages
159
So I'm looking to finally get a shadowplay capable card that can run and record games in 1440p on my UltraSharp U2713HM. I didn't want to spend more than $400 but after some reading I'm starting to wonder if I shouldn't bite the bullet and get the 780. A few points I've seen mentioned that perhaps you could correct.

The 4GB 770 has more Vram but the slower bus means it's inferior to the smaller but faster 3GB bus of the 780.

The 780 actually runs quieter than the 770 even more so if you buy the EVGA version with the ACX cooler.

The EVGA 6GB version of the 780 that was just announced is going to cost $550

The 3GB 780 only offers about a 10% performance boost over the 4GB 770 at 1440p

Nvidia might announce big maxwell news tomorrow which could spark some sales on current cards.

So I'm essentially looking to record 1440p on a card that's good and quiet for a decent price. What do you think is the way to go? If I went 770 I'd likely get the GIGABYTE Windforce Newegg's almost always gonna be the cheapest for me since there's no sale tax. Going off newegg prices what versions would you recommend for the 780? Is the 6GB worth waiting for or will it be more than 3 years before we see single 1440p set ups needing that much vram?
 
No reason to fool with a 770 4gb for single card use as that money could be put toward a 780. And a 780 is exactly what I would get too. 3gb is not going to be an issue anytime soon so I would not worry about the 6gb model.

And I don't know why you think a 780 is only 10% faster than a 770 at 1440. The 780 is easily 20-25% faster and will extend that lead even more when both cards are oced since it has more headroom and scales a little better.

I would certainly oc that 2500k as its going to be nearly pegged trying to push a 780 in some games. In fact it will choke the 780 a bit in some spots of Crysis 3 if you are picky about staying at 60fps. If you are not running vsync though then it likely wont be noticeable at all.
 
3GB 780, preferably a custom OC model. You don't need 6GB for 1440p, not even close.
 
Shadowplay only records at 1080p 60fps max I believe. So that kind of throws a monkey wrench in your recording method.

Recording at 1440p with a card that's under $400 and getting playable frame rates will be pretty difficult. Bandicam would probably be your best option but its not as simple as Shadowplay. Buy the best card you can afford frankly if you want to record at 1440p which would be the 780 GTX. The 6GB version of the 780 I don't think you'll get a big benefit from. If you were going to SLI 780's then it might be worth buying the 6GB version for it otherwise a regular 3GB version should suit you.

But that brings us to the final problem .. the 780 GTX is at minimum $499. You won't get it cheaper (other than used) so I would recommend saving an extra 100 and buying it for recording at 1440p.
 
misterbobby said:
And I don't know why you think a 780 is only 10% faster than a 770 at 1440. The 780 is easily 20-25% faster and will extend that lead even more when both cards are oced since it has more headroom and scales a little better.
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Oh alright I couldn't find any comparisons between the two at 1440p I knew it was about 25% faster than the 2gb version at 1080 but i thought it scaled better. Looking at the current newegg offerings which oc'ed version of the 780 would you go with?

xoleras said:
3GB 780, preferably a custom OC model. You don't need 6GB for 1440p, not even close.
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That seems to be the sentiment, should I go for the EVGA OC'ed version with the ACX cooler?

Godmachine said:
Shadowplay only records at 1080p 60fps max I believe. So that kind of throws a monkey wrench in your recording method.
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Yeah I forgot it only does 1080p currently, I'd have to think they will add that in the future, it's still considered beta software right? I can still play at 1440p while recording at 1080p and that's good enough for me for now. Now I just gotta figure out whose version of this 780 to go for. Hopefully tomorrows announcement results in some immediate price drop on current cards.
 
Well I can only speak from personal experience on the MSI Twin Frozr Gaming 780. It is super quiet and even oced only goes to low 70s in my setup. I dont like Gigabyte as they have had some weird and inconsistent bios issues over the years. The Evga ACX looks nice but I have seen quite a few complaints about the fans making noise. Not sure about the ASUS DirectCU cards but I am sure someone else will have an opinion on those.
 
So I'm ordering from newegg and I'd like a card that is quiet and comes pre-overclocked so i don't have to fuss with any of that stuff ever. I don't see the twin Frozr on newegg any other suggestions?
 
Ltor said:
So I'm ordering from newegg and I'd like a card that is quiet and comes pre-overclocked so i don't have to fuss with any of that stuff ever. I don't see the twin Frozr on newegg any other suggestions?
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I was really genuinely surprised at the noise level of the stock reference blower Titan-style coolers you'll find on the EVGA 780 Superclock. It's very quiet when not overclocked. Spooky quiet. It's helped out with cooling in general, for me, as I have 2 in SLI (which magically somehow the bottom one gets 1 degree hotter than the top--the top one I bought NIB from a guy I'd like to hug here on [H] for 450 and they both exhaust a good portion of their heat directly out the pci shield. This is super convenient because I then have a nice Vornado fan that pushes that air over towards a BlueAir 203 purifier that pretty quietly circulates all the air in the room about 5 times an hour. I consider myself a proud member of the "Beethoven" crowd, which is not to say that I really go around listening to classical music all day, but I need a quiet workspace, and that includes a place to relax and enjoy myself playing games.
 
Ive owned the 4gb 770, and the 780 SC ACX. I sold the 770 for the 780.

I play on the same monitor. 780 by far...
 
jmilcher said:
I play on the same monitor. 780 by far...
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Camberwell said:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127746
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GameHard6 said:
The EVGA GTX 780 SC w/ ACX 3GB would be the best choice if you don't want to go the 780Ti route.
You don't need more than 3GB VRAM (currently) for 1440p resolutions.
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So I ordered the 780 but it's come to my attention I'll likely have to flash my mobo (Z68A-GD55 (B3)) to run this card, after which I wont really be able to overclock my sandy bridge cpu very effectively. (see post here) I'm not reay to drop another $500-600 on a mobo and cpu so my questions:

1. How much of a performance hit will the 780 take with this old sandy bridge CPU and mobo?
2. In the next year or so when is generally the best time to upgrade cpu's and mobos?
 
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GIGABYTE GV-N780GHZ-3GD GeForce GTX 780 3GB GHz Ed.

Reviews.
http://www.techspot.com/review/738-gigabyte-geforce-gtx-780-ti-ghz/page3.html
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2014/03/14/gigabyte-geforce-gtx-780-ghz-edition-review/3
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2014/01/21/gigabyte_gtx_780_ghz_edition_video_card_review/

Order
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125488
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GGM6RB2/?tag=extension-kb-20

I ordered one yesterday.

Edit: Ltor, I just noticed you posted 1 minute before I did that you ordered the MSI Gaming. You may want to try and cancel that order for the Gigabyte I listed, or not. I've been researching the R9 290 and 780/780Ti's for the past week and IMO the Gigabyte Ghz Ed is the best bang for the buck.
 
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The MSI gets great reviews too, so IMO get which ever one is the cheapest. Outside the shipping clocks, there is very little difference if you are manually overclocking anyway.

The Sandy Bridge chip should be just fine, the bottleneck if any should not be too big a deal. I would try running the card in your board before trying to flash just to see if it will work. Even if it only works at PCIe 2.0, should still be nearly as fast as PCIe 3.0. That's just my two cents, someone else may disagree.
 
I run my 780 Lightning with my 2500K - can't really tell a difference when gaming at 1080p/120hz versus my other CPUs. It's still a fantastic CPU. Just try to OC it so it evens the score. Mine is at 4.6 Ghz.

FWIW - the MSI 780 Lightning is the best bang/buck 780 out there. Period. If you can find one on eBay for around $500, that is. :) You want brand new, so it's out of the running. It's no longer made.
 
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