290x or gtx 970?

Based on the specs in your sig (esp the cpu), I'd bite the bullet and get the 980 if at all possible.

Otherwise, go with the 290x.
 
I think waiting is a better option. It should be about 2-3 months until the new cards come out for AMD and then Nvidia will follow suit. On top of that 16nm or 14nm or what ever new process will be used should be coming out by the end of this year or early next year (so sayeth the rumours.)
 
If planning on staying at a lower 1080 resolution for the next few years the 970 should handle most games OK, with maybe a dialed down setting or two to help keep the vram usage lower. Otherwise the 290x will have more horsepower and vram to plough through higher resolutions.
 
Do you plan on buying a g-sync monitor?

Otherwise given the prices that 290x go for now, 290x seems to be the choice.
 
290x unless you want Phsyx (gsync is a gimmick to me more so than Physx).
With Free sync gsync isn't big deal anyhow.
It's cheaper with more ram and equal or better preformance.
 
The 970 and 290X perform very similarly, with a slight edge to the 290X in my testing. With current pricing favoring the 290X, I'd go that route. If you can find a excellent deal on a good 290, that is a good choice as well. I actually just sold my GTX 980 to move to a 290X while pocketing $250 and have 0 regrets as the performance is so close at the 2560x1600 resolution I play at.
 
IceDigger said:
Which would be a good upgrade from a gtx 760?
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I would go with a 290X. It's better for 4K or 1080P with lots of AA, has support for Mantle and FreeSync. Although you would be best waiting either way as the new AMD cards are out in the next little while.
 
290 would be more than enough for 1920x1080 but 290x would let you crank up the AA even higher.
 
yeah im waiting 6-12 months still running my 580gtx but missing out on some nice quality
 
if heat and/or power consumption are of any concern, definitely go nVidia. GTX 980 if you can swing the price, or GTX 970 if not.

i just recently got an eVGA GTX 970 and i love it for 1080p/120hz and maxing out the settings in the games i play (WoW, Skyrim, GW2, D3).

just today i tested out my GPU with FurMark for 10 hrs. to see what it can do, after upgrading my PSU to a 1kW eVGA unit (used to have a 550w PSU)...here are the results:

STOCK:
GPU: 1190
Boost: 1342
VRAM: 1753

OVERCLOCK:
GPU: 1300
Boost: 1452
VRAM: 2013

ACTUAL OC READINGS (via GPU-Z sensors):
Boost: 1514.4
VRAM: 2008.8
GPU Temp: 55°C
Fan Speed: 45%
VDDC: 1.243v

this is all with an ASIC quality score of only 67.1%, and is just my first run at finding max stable OC after upgrading the PSU.
 
The answer depends on whether you want best bang for buck and if you care about power draw and thermals at all.
 
I have to admit the 290/290X are great bargains right now. Just not my cup 'o tea.
 
{NG}Fidel said:
290 would be more than enough for 1920x1080 but 290x would let you crank up the AA even higher.
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What is "more than enough"? Playing games at 1080p with g synch on an over clocked 970 is a significant upgrade from a 290.

Get a 970 and give it a 20% overclock without even changing the heatsink.
 
Arct1c0n said:
Drivers alone for one
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edit: Please do not stress yourself to answer. I noticed in another thread you have posted you have troll like tendencies. After looking at your other posts I see you wear green tinted glasses and are unable to carry on a reasonable conversation without sounding like a child. A response is not needed as I will be unable to see anything you post moving forward.
 
I was upgrading from a GTX 670 and went with a 290x because of the coil whine and memory issues with the 970's. They're both great cards but I felt the 290x would have the least potential headaches.
 
I just made this decision and went with the 970. Just too many issues with the 290x drivers online. I understand the memory issues, but when it comes down to it I decided that I would rather bump the textures down to only "high" as opposed to "Ultra" if the memory usage gets above 3.5 GB than deal with flickering or some of the other shit i've seen discussed in the AMD section. I should also state that right now with Ultra textures i'm still not getting above 3.1 GB of video ram usage at the resolution I play (3440x1440).
 
Gtx 970 is a good choice. I have one and it is smooth. I never have issues with gaming.
 
For me, I chose the 970 mainly because they offer it in ITX/short form factor and also because of lower power/noise.
 
Raize said:
I just made this decision and went with the 970. Just too many issues with the 290x drivers online. I understand the memory issues, but when it comes down to it I decided that I would rather bump the textures down to only "high" as opposed to "Ultra" if the memory usage gets above 3.5 GB than deal with flickering or some of the other shit i've seen discussed in the AMD section. I should also state that right now with Ultra textures i'm still not getting above 3.1 GB of video ram usage at the resolution I play (3440x1440).
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I've had my card about 3 months and haven't had a single problem with the drivers and see no flickering in any games I've played. Is this something happening on a certain game?
 
Raize said:
I just made this decision and went with the 970. Just too many issues with the 290x drivers online. I understand the memory issues, but when it comes down to it I decided that I would rather bump the textures down to only "high" as opposed to "Ultra" if the memory usage gets above 3.5 GB than deal with flickering or some of the other shit i've seen discussed in the AMD section. I should also state that right now with Ultra textures i'm still not getting above 3.1 GB of video ram usage at the resolution I play (3440x1440).
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That was the deal breaker for me too. I upgraded from R9 270 Crossfire to a 970 and the difference in drivers alone is night and day. Nearly every game had some glitch with it graphically. And many games I play had no Crossfire profiles at all. I realize Crossfire had something to do with it, but come on AMD, you advertise performance but you should also at least place a small asterisk letting people know how shitty your drivers can be. Due to that experience I won't be buying anymore AMD cards.
 
All these posts about drivers and driver problems. I mean come on guys, I just sent my 780 in for a second RMA and I am using a 7850. It plays all the games the Nvidia card did with no problems. The only real driver problem I had was with Nvidia drivers where some of my games would not play after I updated my drivers. As far a crossfire or even sli I stay 2 miles from that stuff, imho it is a waste of money for most users.
 
Main reason I'll probably go Nvidia next is the awful lack of CFX support recently. It's almost pointless to buy two cards right now if you're looking to play new games.
 
GTX 970 (look for one without the coil whine). 290X is too loud and hot for minimal performance and quality improvements. The 970 does better in certain games anyway, like the newly released Total War title (don't know if it's drivers or architectural advantage). AMD's drivers for the 290X were fine since release, but their driver team must be a skeleton crew at the rate they release new ones. So if you run into driver problems with a newer game, it's anyone's guess when they'll have a fix for it.
 
I actually just returned my GTX 970 from newegg for a full refund. I'm back to my old 6870 and I think I'm going to wait it out till March-April or whenever the R9 390 comes out. Or if I could find a cheap GTX 980 that would be nice too. So I'd say wait a little bit if you can I guess.
 
Ive had both, and I am happier with my 970s than the 290x's I had.
 
{NG}Fidel said:
290 would be more than enough for 1920x1080 but 290x would let you crank up the AA even higher.
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Cabezone said:
What is "more than enough"? Playing games at 1080p with g synch on an over clocked 970 is a significant upgrade from a 290.

Get a 970 and give it a 20% overclock without even changing the heatsink.
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I was pretty clear in my post...
At 1080P the 290 is a great option. The 290 would allow you to crank the settings to the max while enjoying perfect frame rates. He would also get Freesync and could also OC his GPU. It would not reach GTX970 levels but it would provide ample performance at 1080p and it would do the least damage to his wallet.
Now for above 1080P I would recommend the 290X as it saves you money while giving you equal or better performance depending on the title and resolution. He would not need to change a heatsink as custom designs from MSI, Asus, Gigabyte, etc are all still cheaper than the GTX970 while providing great cooling. He would also get the full 4GB of VRAM.

dmonkey said:
GTX 970 (look for one without the coil whine). 290X is too loud and hot for minimal performance and quality improvements. The 970 does better in certain games anyway, like the newly released Total War title (don't know if it's drivers or architectural advantage). AMD's drivers for the 290X were fine since release, but their driver team must be a skeleton crew at the rate they release new ones. So if you run into driver problems with a newer game, it's anyone's guess when they'll have a fix for it.
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The 290X is not loud, that depends on which model you purchase. Just like you admit that some GTX970s have an annoying high pitch coil whine and the consumer must look for the quieter models. So that kind of throws your first sentence out the window. As for the heat, yeah its hot no argument here. Drivers? Really are we not done with this cliched line lol! Look at the Nvidia forums and check all the driver issues occurring right now, with that info I could go around acting like Nvidia drivers are terrible as well. The reality is neither set of drivers are 'Good' they both fluctuate and have problems.
 
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filip said:
All these posts about drivers and driver problems. I mean come on guys, I just sent my 780 in for a second RMA and I am using a 7850. It plays all the games the Nvidia card did with no problems. The only real driver problem I had was with Nvidia drivers where some of my games would not play after I updated my drivers. As far a crossfire or even sli I stay 2 miles from that stuff, imho it is a waste of money for most users.
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Its fascinating, somehow video cards became very political. Reading a simple recommend me a card thread usually descends into tea party level canned talking points and nonsense. :eek:

Right now probably the best thing to do is wait a bit, see what the new gpu offerings are no doubt they will bring prices down even more. If you cant wait im sure you would be pleased with either a 290x or 970. If money is a factor 290x is cheaper.
 
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