Hardware & Technical GPU for ED in 3840x1600

[Knightshark]

Hey there,

another GPU recommendation thread, yay. So, i just got my beautiful new monitor for ED, 38 inch ultrawide and curved (LG 38UC99) - amazing thing!

However, now my first gen Titan is running out of steam, i am getting some 20-30 fps, which is a bit too low to enjoy. So, the issue is here that the monitor has freesync support, and i am wondering if that's reason enough to go with AMD this time. Unfortunately the best current gen AMD has to offer is the RX 480, and i am not sure if that's really enough. The other alternative would be the last gen R9 Fury. Benchmarks look sweet, and it is sold for just ~20 Euro more than the 480. However, it only comes with 4GB of VRAM, which could gimp the whole system. Maybe someone here can make a qualified statement about the VRAM demands of ED in 3840x1600, ideally with some SS and better texture resolution?

So these are the AMD alternatives that make use of free sync. Which brings me to the question, is free sync worth it?
If not, i could go with a 1070. That seems ideal for this resolution and brings 8GB VRAM. Should be running ED with 60 fps. It's also where my budget limit is, i.e. ~400 Euro.

So what are your opinions?

1. Are 4GB VRAM in a R9 Fury enough for ED in 3840x1600? (and remain so in the next ~2 years)
2. Is the RX 480 a viable choice?
3. Is freesync worth to stick with AMD?
4. Is the GTX 1070 the best choice?

Looking at the prices:
RX 480 comes at ~280-300 Euro.
R9 Fury comes at 310-330 Euro.
GTX 1070 comes at 420-460 Euro.

Given that the raw performance of the Fury is comparable to a 1070, the Fury seems to be the best choice. It also supports freesync.
Only downside are the 4GB VRAM.

 

[Porina]

During Distant Worlds expedition, when travelling on planet surfaces I'm seeing >4GB usage on 980Ti, 3440x1440, Ultra. Also the 980Ti was not enough in that condition to run 60fps at all times. The 1070 is slightly faster than a 980Ti but not much.

Personally I did find lower fps playable in ED, but the goal should always be to aim for decent framerates if possible. Selectively turn down graphics settings as needed to achieve that to buy more thinking time.

One more option: wait. Nvidia are rumoured to be releasing a 1080Ti, which might or might not help 1080 pricing to go down. Plain 1080 seems to be a better target for performance. AMD are also rumoured to be bringing out a 490, although that might be as horrible as crossfire 480 on a single card. Vega is where they really get interesting again, but may be far enough away to not wait for.

 

[Knightshark]

I was considering waiting, too. But i don't think i'll be willing to pay 1080 money for a GPU (more than 500 Euro). Also, FD did improve performance since earlier this year (when DW took place). However, still sceptic. I am wondering if the Fury would be a viable option for at least 1-2 years. But that's hard to say. If i upgrade, i definitively want to increase the planet texture resolution to at least 4k. So this is where the 4GB could be limiting.

 

[Porina]

I'll be going in advance tonight to the next DW meetup, so I'll try to remember to get some hardware stats then and post here. Haven't really done much since DW so don't know what might have changed since.

 

[Porina]

With 980Ti at 3440x1440 Ultra settings, I'm getting around 60fps landed on a planet (didn't try SRV) and using max 4750MB vram. Much higher fps elsewhere.

 

[CMDR MAIN SEQUENCE]

I run a 34" curved at 3440x1440 (incidentally it has an LG panel, very nice).

Is Freesync worth it? Absolutely. I couldn't go back to a non adaptive-sync monitor now. During the time when ED wasn't a stuttery mess (2.1) it was super-smooth. No stutter, no tearing. But your monitor has a rather restrictive Freesync range of 52-75. LFC won't apply so you may get some judder when FPS <52.

I have a 390X. Ultra settings except AO which is set to Low. Even though my monitor has a 75Hz refresh I run the game at 60. That together with Vsync and Freesync offer the smoothest experience (the game engine has some sort of physics/timing issue which means persistent microstutter). The only time the FPS drops below 60 is in the SRV (usually to 55 but less if there is a lot going on) and sometimes in a RES with lots going on. Last time I played without Vsync I think I was getting 120+ in space.

The RX480 will be underpowered for your resolution @ Ultra. Especially as most of the cards seem to run pretty hot.

Personally I wouldn't go with the Fury series as a) it is already last-gen b) only 4GB and c) it does not support ASW (see below re VR).

AMD will be announcing a dual-GPU Polaris card in the next 1-2 weeks. But even though they have reportedly improved the efficiency of the latest chips (at least the mobile versions) by nearly 100% I worry that this card will still run hot.

I will be upgrading my card next year once the details of Vega are known. If AMD have failed once again to produce a cool-running card then I will consider getting an Nvidia card even if it means paying considerably more for similar performance and losing Freesync.

Are you considering VR at any point? Even wait for gen 2? If yes I would urge you to get the most expensive graphics card you can afford and then some.

Despite what I've said about Freesync if I was in your shoes I think I would plump for the 1070 if you can justify the high price tag and don't want to wait to see what Vega offers.

p.s. I've now made the mistake of looking up prices and reviews of your monitor My monitor has a couple of minor issues and an even bigger screen sounds yummy! Thankfully I can't justify that sort of spend all over again after only a year and I would need to buy a bigger desk to accommodate it anyway.

 

[Knightshark]

Thank you both. Came to similar conclusions. The annoying thing is AMD brilliant strategy to pass on the high end segment this generation. All could find were rumors about Vega and dual Polaris GPU's "soon" or rather Q1/17. Freesync would be nice, but there doesnt seem to be a card with the performance for my resolution.

So, ordered a OC 1070, arrives tomorrow.
The screen will stay with me for a few GPU generations, so maybe in 2-3 years i can upgrade to AMD with freesync.