Upgrade two 980sli units
Upgrade two 980sli units
You're considering different paths for your build. For the R5 3600, you'll need to decide between a x470 or x570 board while keeping your 980 SLiM. Upgrading to a cheaper B450 and swapping the GPU is another option. Which direction feels best for your goals? Let me know what you think!
You don’t require an x470 or 570 board; a B450 tomahawk should suffice for a 3600 unless there’s a specific need for PCIe 4.
That's not necessarily true. Even with an upgraded GPU setup, there may still be limitations or other factors affecting performance.
I switched from two 2x GTX 980s to one GTX 1080. While the 2x models are noticeably quicker—about 10% faster with current drivers and 30% faster with older ones according to my tests—the extra VRAM and overall design upgrades are highly valued. I believe a GTX 1080 Ti is roughly 30% faster than a GTX 1080, making it a solid direct upgrade. Although the Ti has fewer CUDA cores, the Pascal architecture improvements more than offset that. Plus, managing just one card simplifies power and cooling concerns compared to handling two.
The 5700 XT seems to match up well. It's definitely quicker than the GTX 1080, but a bit slower than the GTX 1080 Ti (though performance varies by game). The RTX 2070 appears to be in a close race with it. Any of these graphics cards would seem like a strong option.