Price to performance sweet spot

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Kalmado

Limp Gawd
Joined
Dec 14, 2014
Messages
293
First, my soon to be new pc specs:

cpu: I5-4690k
mb: Asus Maximus Hero VI
ram: Undecided. At least 8gb obviously
psu: EVGA SuperNOVA 750 B2 80+ Bronze
case: NZXT H440 RED edition
current gpu: MSI TF GTX 770 2GB
Monitor: Will be purchasing a 1440p

I'm having a struggle finding the absolute sweet spot when looking at purchasing a new gpu. Depending on the sale price and what website is offering what current promotion, it's really hard to find a clear cut winner. I've been eyeing mainly a 290x or 970, but recently started looking at the 290s. There was even a deal on a 780 that piqued my interest.

The spread on price of a 290 to a 970 seems roughly to be anywhere from $60-$100 less for a 290. 290x to 970 at best was $60 less for the 290x, but PowerColor brand. There is a current deal on a PNY 780 for $245, but it seems the 780 isn't truly a good value compared to the 290 and 970.

hwcompare.com comparisons

290 vs. 970: http://www.hwcompare.com/18034/geforce-gtx-970-vs-radeon-r9-290/
290x vs 970: http://www.hwcompare.com/18035/geforce-gtx-970-vs-radeon-r9-290x/
780 vs 290: http://www.hwcompare.com/16200/geforce-gtx-780-vs-radeon-r9-290/

What do people think the sweet spot for price versus performance is on video cards currently?
 
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I ended up grabbing a 7990. I'm still curious to see more posts regarding this. Especially once the 960 drops.
 
Interesting... I got a PNY GTX 780 CC (arrived yesterday). Very happy with it (at 1920x1200). I sold an XFX R9 290 DD to get it. Good decision for the games I play (particularly WoW).
 
Jeffredo said:
Interesting... I got a PNY GTX 780 CC (arrived yesterday). Very happy with it (at 1920x1200). I sold an XFX R9 290 DD to get it. Good decision for the games I play (particularly WoW).
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I was looking at that one! I grabbed the 7990 for $275. It's a refurb, so I know I'm rolling the dice, but I feel good about the purchase as it's from Newegg and it's Sapphire. After reading some reviews, watching Linus's review, and a comparison video against the 780, 7970, and a titan I felt this was a good value. We'll see!
 
I'm curious what you think of that 7990 once you start using it hard. I passed on that deal after thinking it over not once but twice. Granted, it is a helluva card, but the possibility of coil whine and micro-stuttering caused me to pass. I am still holding out for a PCS+ 290X or a 970 - not interested in the cutting edge and waiting for the 380X.

The fact that it was a refurb offering a 90 day warranty and the card can run quite hot if you don't get some airflow on it is also reasons to pass and go for a new card.
 
Walkintarget said:
I'm curious what you think of that 7990 once you start using it hard. I passed on that deal after thinking it over not once but twice. Granted, it is a helluva card, but the possibility of coil whine and micro-stuttering caused me to pass. I am still holding out for a PCS+ 290X or a 970 - not interested in the cutting edge and waiting for the 380X.

The fact that it was a refurb offering a 90 day warranty and the card can run quite hot if you don't get some airflow on it is also reasons to pass and go for a new card.
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Not trying to seem like I'm defending or justifying my purchase, because I will definitely be the first to say I'm rolling the dice, but the price for performance on this 7990 seemed like a perfect opportunity. I'm thinking the H440 with 7 fans should be sufficient. I've never looked at any alternative cooling options for graphics cards. I think I may with this one. Now I need to pony up for the monitor!
 
No need to defend or justify, my man ! It's a great card, and I think if you don't get any coil whine, you are golden ! Glad you have a case that can keep it cool (BTW, I love that case !!!). Keep us updated in case they show up again on the 'Egg.
 
I just bought an open box asus r9 290 directcu ii from newegg for $229 - $25 Amex Sync promotion. Not the best price, but a decent upgrade from my 6850.

Having some of the reported Black screen problems though. Stable with no drivers installed. Mostly stable with the 13.251 drivers on the Asus site (surprised they haven't updated on the site). Black screen comes back with the latest drivers (even after running DDU and CCLeaner).

That new gtx 960 looks like it would be my choice for a steambox.
 
77Pat said:
I just bought an open box asus r9 290 directcu ii from newegg for $229 - $25 Amex Sync promotion. Not the best price, but a decent upgrade from my 6850.

Having some of the reported Black screen problems though. Stable with no drivers installed. Mostly stable with the 13.251 drivers on the Asus site (surprised they haven't updated on the site). Black screen comes back with the latest drivers (even after running DDU and CCLeaner).

That new gtx 960 looks like it would be my choice for a steambox.
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Latest driver as in the 14.12 Omega drivers? I installed my 7990 refurb and I used the 14.12 drivers without issue. I haven't performed any benches or stress testing yet. I'm waiting to get my H60 from Corsair before completing the assembly of the new rig.

VERY disappointed with the 960. I was hoping it would be a more value based card, but the price does not equal the performance in my opinion.
 
Dayaks said:
Oh btw look at actual reviews, not hwcompare. Like this one. http://www.hardocp.com/article/2014...70_gaming_4g_video_card_review/9#.VMAe9UfF98E
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For future reference, this is absolutely correct. hwcompare is (mostly) not a reliable source and neglects many important details. Reviews are for sure the way to become properly informed, in addition to getting some experienced opinions at a great (NOT a good) store and, hopefully, some hands-on experience. IMO, using hwcompare as a source is like deciding not to buy a Xeon because it has fewer GHz compared to a Celeron.
 
Kalmado said:
Latest driver as in the 14.12 Omega drivers? I installed my 7990 refurb and I used the 14.12 drivers without issue. I haven't performed any benches or stress testing yet. I'm waiting to get my H60 from Corsair before completing the assembly of the new rig.

VERY disappointed with the 960. I was hoping it would be a more value based card, but the price does not equal the performance in my opinion.
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Yes, I tried with 14.12 and 14.9. They can boot to desktop, but then the screen goes black.

With the ones I have now, I had the computer running for 8+ hours yesterday, but then turned my monitor off to let Elder Scrolls Online run the patch overnight. I woke up and when I turned the screen back on it was black.
 
I think I am going to order the EVGA G2 750w on promo at Newegg. Currently have a Rosewill Capstone 550m, conflicting reports if it is enough power.
 
77Pat said:
I think I am going to order the EVGA G2 750w on promo at Newegg. Currently have a Rosewill Capstone 550m, conflicting reports if it is enough power.
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That sounds like a good idea. I'm debating on getting a new psu as well. I *think* my EVGA B2 750w is good enough, but I would feel better with an 850 or higher.
 
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