need advice upgrade system to SLI or no

[EntropySG]

Hello my fellow pilots,

 

I would like to ask for your advice, as I'm pretty skill-free with computers.

My system is about 3 years old now,

 

here are my specs which I use for the A-10C:

 

- Intel I7 4770-K Haswell CPU (overclocked using this intel OCing utility to 4.3 GHz)

-16 GB RAM

-EVGA GTX 970 (had to upgrade from my old GTX780, which simply died)

 

I run 4 screens (3 1920x1080, bezel corrected to 6020x1080) plus a 4th USB screen for Helios below that.

Game runs fine with (mostly) max settings, including the ultra-high visibility mod (what a game changer!!) at about 40fps.

Im happy except for the occasional mini-stutter, which I notice when I turn my head around fast, or roll in during a popup attack with guns.

 

Since Im not really sure how to reliably figure out whether the GPU or the CPU limit my fps to 'only 40' and cause the micro-stutter (which are rare and not really that bad), I wanted to ask you guys.

 

Would you expect a noticeable performance increase if I added a second GTX 970 and run in SLI? Or should I not waste any more money and simply enjoy what I have right now?

 

Or would a CPU upgrade even be recommended?

thanks for your help!

[cichlidfan]

I wouldn't touch it until EDGE comes out.

[Gladman]

A fellow in my squad runs sli 970's and said the performance was significant.

I run dual 780's and it was most definitely a performance upgrade. I can see better than 100fps on a three screen setup. Never below 45 low to the ground with max settings.

 

What happens with EDGE I don't know but at this time, yes it is worth it.

 

Dale

[Greekbull]

I'm running dual 970s in SLI driving a 4K display and a secondary 1080P display for my MFCDs. I'm getting 70-90 Fps. Up from 30-45fps with one gtx 970. It was actually a huge jump in performance for me.

[hannibal]

+1 for you to wait till EDGE also, to see what the benchmarks will be..

[Gladman]

The only problem I have with the wait for EDGE crowd is how long do you wait?

By no means am I taking a shot at ED, I understand the complex nature of the work they are doing but the reality is that it may or may not be some time before we see EDGE.

Any upgrade you do now will only help you in the future. SLI will help with FPS no matter the version of DCS or EDGE, more is always better. I've never seen a person say, gee I wish I hadn't upgraded my computer for video games.

 

Dale

[EntropySG]

Thanks a ton guys for your replies! I will upgrade to SLI then can't harm for EDGE ( whenever it will come)

 

Btw I've read conflicting info about this, will a 650W power supply cut it for two 970s?

[Gladman]

I think the card uses around 145W. I'm no expert on this type of thing but if two are using 145W (not sure this is how it works) then you are at 290W plus your CPU, hard drives, Ram, USB devices, etc. You should probably do some more research on the topic.

I run a Corsair 1000H, you may need an upgrade, especially on a overclocked system.

[Chief1942]

Gladman,

 

You are right about waiting for 2.0. Although you have a capable system, those of us who want to ring the most we can out of these sims are continuously looking at potential improvements via the upgrade route. I was running 2 GTX780s in SLI and was getting very high frame rates (often over 100FPS) with everything on "High". I changed those two cards out for a single NVIDIA GTX TitanX. I haven't noticed much of an improvement over the SLI setup, but I am more than satisfied with the change as at the same time I went to a 4K monitor with G-Sync (ACER XB280HK) and using G-Sync I pay little attention to actual FPS as it runs very smooth in all situations. I pulled the trigger on these upgrades as I anticipate that 2.0 and those changes in the future WILL require reasonably cutting edge systems. Call it "future-proofing" if you wish but also be aware that no one really knows what 2.0 is going to be like on the diverse amount of individual systems out there, not even ED. We ALL will simply have to wait and see and respond accordingly. I sense much will change as DCSW 2.0 goes through it's alpha release and beta phases. We'll see.

Edited May 4, 2015 by Chief1942

[Gladman]

Chief, fair response.

 

I have based my comments on the system specs provided by "Glowing Aamram", a tester for EDGE alpha. He is getting 60fps down low and fast with the following.

 

GTX 780Ti

16 GB RAM

Intel Core i7 4930K Cpu 3.40 GHz

Win 8.1 Pro.

 

If that is the case, and if quite obviously is, the sli will be a very good upgrade.

 

Of course, every system has its own way of behaving but in general, everything should work well together.

[Dusty Rhodes]

DO NOT skimp on the power supply! Buy a good one with plenty of power and you will not have to buy another for several upgrades. Pay now to save in the long run and also ensure you have enough power.

[Chief1942]

What settings?

 

Chief, fair response.

 

I have based my comments on the system specs provided by "Glowing Aamram", a tester for EDGE alpha. He is getting 60fps down low and fast with the following.

 

GTX 780Ti

16 GB RAM

Intel Core i7 4930K Cpu 3.40 GHz

Win 8.1 Pro.

 

If that is the case, and if quite obviously is, the sli will be a very good upgrade.

 

Of course, every system has its own way of behaving but in general, everything should work well together.

 

Yes I saw his system specs, but what I don't think he posted was whether or not he had all in game settings to "Max". DCSW2.0 may not even have such settings although I think such would be required for those with less than optimum systems. I have everything on my current system set to "Max", even "Bird Count" and it is great being able to take the sim to it's current ultimate. What ED gave us is simply amazing and like most, I believe 2.0 is going to be every bit as good if not better in all aspects. Again, until we all get to install 2.0 on OUR systems, none of us yet know how it's going to meet OUR desires/wishes.:music_whistling:

[Gladman]

lol, if that wasn't max settings, i don't think I'll care because man, it looked SWEEEEEEET!!!!!

 

:)

 

Dale

[Chief1942]

lol, if that wasn't max settings, i don't think I'll care because man, it looked SWEEEEEEET!!!!!

 

:)

 

Dale

 

Oh it's is a thing of beauty for sure and I am fully prepared to have it blow me away, as have many of the videos Wags has shown us. Onward and upward:thumbup:

[Greekbull]

Really the only place you could go wrong and short yourself would be if Nvidia came out with a new line of cards before DCS 2.0 releases. It looks like that won't be the case as ED has stated they intend to get 2.0 by around June. Also the OP stated he already had a GTX 970 so short of upgrading his existing card to something different which would really cost alot it would definitely be a pretty safe bet to upgrade to SLI as ED had already started that we can expect 2.0 to run faster on existing system setups because it does a much better job utilizing modern hardware.

 

I guess in short if you intend to get the longest life out of your setup SLI is the way to go. You'll be faster than anything else available with the exception of going GTX 980 SLI or Titan. The 4770K is a great chipset and certainly doesn't need upgrading. I'm running SLI Now off of a Rosewill 750W Gold Power Supply and it runs great. Not sure on 650 though.

Edited May 4, 2015 by Greekbull

[tothesky]

I cant see waiting. Esp when most of my hardware is 3 years old. No major releases planned by video card manufactures. Video card resale value on ebay looks to be very high these days. Why wait?

[EntropySG]

Lots of great advice in this thread, thanks so much for your feedback, I do appreciate it!

[Demon_]

What is your pc spec?

What is your power supply model?

 

i7 4770K= 85w (OCing +10w)

Gtx970= 145w (12a)

Motherboard= 40-50w

Ram (1.5v)= 5w per module

Fan= 4w each

HD= 8w each

Edited May 4, 2015 by Demon_

[Chief1942]

Yes power supply is important. One can calculate the minimum requirement and go with the basic minimum to get the job done. But if you're looking down the road, buying a bit more than you need currently is probably a good investment.