I currently have a Sapphire R9 270x (2GB), however i've noticed extreme stuttering on my 4K monitor with the higher settings. Would a GTX 970/980 be a good upgrade or should I wait?
Hey James,
I can definitely see where your 4K gaming is dwindling, as you're using the underpowered SAPPHIRE R9 270X 2GB card, but a new card from NVIDIA would definitely see you gaming at 4K 60FPS without a problem.
You've mentioned the GeForce GTX 970 and GTX 980, and I would recommend either. Sure, there are the VRAM issues on the GTX 970, but that's only if you fill the 3.5GB fRAMebuffer. If you wanted to maintain 60FPS at 4K, you're going to need to dial down some details anyway - and if you didn't, then you'd have to buy the GTX 980 Ti which is going to cost quite a bit more.
To escape those VRAM issues, the GTX 980 also has 4GB of fRAMebuffer without the 3.5GB problems. I would be happy with recommending the GTX 980 for 4K gaming, but I would recommend pushing the details down a little. In today's games, even running them at Medium settings is fine, and you don't notice too much of a change in graphics quality. Some of the AA is gone, but that really strains a GPU. Most of the textures remain the same, but you'll find a sweet spot to maintain 60FPS.
You did say "should I wait", and ultimately, that's up to you. Next-gen GPUs won't be here for at least 3-4 more months, and they will be expensive. You could buy a GTX 970/980 now, and then sell it when the new cards are here, and upgrade again. But, it's up to you if you can wait, gaming at lower resolutions/fRAMe rates for the next few months.
Hopefully we've helped you on your purchasing decision!
Last updated: Nov 3, 2020 at 07:10 pm CST