I want to upgrade my graphics card, need advice.

I am looking at upgrading my graphics card so I can actually run BeamNG well. Currently I have a GTX 750, I did not buy it, it came with the computer I bought. Please don't bash me for not building my own PC, it's cheaper, I get it.

Anyway, I am looking at upgrading to a GTX 980. My cpu is an i5-4590. I looked it up and supposedly my cpu will not bottleneck the GTX 980 and vice-versa.

My questions:
Is a GTX 980 a good choice as far as amount of power vs. cost?
How well can I run BeamNG with the i5-4590 and GTX 980?

General comments on this welcome as well.

 

Refer to graphics card section of my guide: http://www.beamng.com/threads/12416-Computer-building-guide

A GTX 980 is a great card, but for a 1080p 60Hz build it's a bit overkill. The GTX 980 is 60% more expensive than the GTX 970 and only gets around 15-20% better performance.
You might have heard about the GTX 970 VRAM issues, but truth is, on 1080p their effect is null. It's only at 3x1080p or 4K that you'll have problems with them, which makes the 970 unsuitable for high-res SLI setups. That's where the 980 comes in. But for single 1080p 60Hz gaming, the 970 is more than enough for $220 less.

144Hz is a whole different story though. A 970 will not max out every game while getting 144 fps on 1080p. But then again, neither will a single 980. The only single card that could really do that is the Titan X, but it's expensive as hell. For 1080p 144Hz, the best performance/$ setup is SLI 970's, for $100 more than a 980 you get much better performance, and since it's 1080p you will have no VRAM issues. Same applies to 1440p 144Hz, although SLI 970's or a single Titan X might not hold a stable 144 fps.

As for BeamNG performance, my GTX 970 gets a rather unstable 40-60 fps depending on map, but I have to blame it on Torque since I can run far more demanding games at a stable 60. A 980 might not be much better. No CPU bottleneck with a stock clocked 4690K.

 

As said by BlueScreen, get a 970. If you are planning higher resolutions such as 1440p the go for the 980, if you are planning 4k then a high end SLI setup is required such as 2x 980s. But for the price, the 970 is worth it for 1080p but the 980 is not. Just listen to BlueScreen, he's smarter than me and better at explanations.

 

Actually, SLI 970s are better for 1440p. You won't have any VRAM issues, and they are more powerful.

 

Much thanks to you two! You guys saved me quite a bit of money on the 970 reccomendation. I appreciate it! And yes to answer the uncertainty I am just planning on doing a 1080p settup.

Thanks again!

 

Since I upgraded from my GTX 750 ti to a GTX 960, I can tell you that the FPS you will get in BeamNG will be *Drum Roll* 10FPS! Yup! only 10, why? BeamNG very CPU heavy, if you want an upgrade for the FPS on BeamNG you will need to look at the CPU, I have a i7 4770 (no k D and the FPS I get is mainly 60 with both cards, just stutters less on the highest settings.

 

An i5-4590 is more than good enough for a stable 60 FPS with any vehicle except for the T75. Should do up to 4 cars just fine too.

I actually experience GPU bottleneck with dynamic reflections and maxed out settings on my GTX 970 on dense maps, FPS dropping to 45ish at its lowest.