Is 980M SLI a waste at 1080p with 60Hz display?

[Steven Mal]

Unfortunately I don't have the liberty to build or use a desktop so I'm considering a new laptop. I like the Sager NP9377 but unfortunately it uses a 60Hz display at 1080p. Is 980M SLI worth it at all or should I stick to a single 980M and put the rest of the budget somewhere else? Here's what I was thinking.

CPU: i7-4810MQ
GPU: 980M SLI
RAM: 16 GB RAM
SSD: 250GB Samsung 850 EVO Series mSATA SSD
HDD: Two 1TB 7200 HDD in Raid 0

OR

CPU: i7-4810MQ
GPU: 980M
RAM: 16 GB RAM
SSD: 1TB Samsung 850 EVO Series mSATA SSD
HDD: Two 1TB 7200 HDD in Raid 0

 

[azca]

depends on the games that you play. Some games do not support SLI or Crossfire and will only use 1 GPU. For example: Starcraft 2, Wolfenstein New Order, any OpenGL game etc

 

[MarioMan1337]

If you only use a 1080/60p screen, then a second GTX 980M would not be worth the price (and battery life). Having that much graphics power would only be useful for driving higher refresh rates or resolutions like 144hz at 1080p or 60hz 1440p.

 

[Zev_07]

Stick to 980M SLI. It'll future proof your purchase for years to come. As more demanding games come, you'll have no problem playing them. Which is something you should consider because you can't just upgrade the graphics card in most laptops. You'll have to upgrade the whole laptop if the single 980M starts having performance issues with games 2-3 years in the future.

 

[azca]

look at this review 75Hz with G-sync
http/www.anandtech.com/show/9465/the-asus-rog-g751-review

 

[jaguarskx]

If you are okay with only using high graphic settings @1080p, then a single GTX 980m should suffice. Click below for some benchmarks.

http/www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-980M.126692.0.html


If on the other hand you absolutely do not want to play games at less than ultra quality @ 1080p, then the GTX 980SLI is the better option. Plus it should allow you to play games with the laptop for a few more years before you decide you want something better... assuming the laptop does not die from overheating. Invest a bit of cash into a good laptop cooling pad for SLI.

http/www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-980M-SLI.129389.0.html

 

[Savoyer]

If you some kind of future proof, 980M and 980SLIs are the way to go for Laptops. Try one of the MSI series Laptops, they even have 5th generation processors and actual mechanical MX cherry keyboards. Worth to look.