Any worthwhile upgrades from an R9 280x in the $200 price range?

jimthebob

jimthebob

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I've been kinda eyeing around a bit the last couple days at an upgrade from my R9 280X 3gb card. I have come across some seemingly decent to good deals on Newegg including an RX570 8gb card for $160 after rebate an some RX580 4gb cards in the same price range, around $200. I checked a few 1060 6gb cards but none cracked the $200 barrier that I saw. I'd like to return to team blue but for a casual gamer, pricing seems to be stopping me so I have stuck with the value orientated team red.

I currently have 2 1920x1200 monitors so my gaming is 1080p but of course, the more power/bang for the buck I can get the better as eventually higher res monitors will land on my desktop.

So would a 570/580 be a worthwhile, noticeable upgrade from my 280x? Are there any other cards out there you guys could recommend I check out?

My only requirements are more than 3gb of RAM (duh these days) and it be around, or preferably, under $200. Thanks gents!
 
There are deals on RX 580 8GB all the time now. Just take a look at Newegg.

But the cards are only 40% faster than what you currently own, so it's your call if that's enough performance improvement (unless you're selling the old card, that small an improvement isn't really worth the cash).

If you want better, you;re going to have to save up another hundred.
 
I upgraded from HD 7950 ($80) to 290x ($125) and it would be worth if you're able to sell your card
 
horrorshow said:
https://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/AMD-R9-280X-vs-AMD-RX-580/2192vs3923

Scroll down to the game fps section to get a general idea of what you're in for....

I tend not to upgrade unless its at least a 75% speed increase. (ie. I went from a 960 to 980 ti, pretty much double the speed)
Click to expand...

If I wait around for an overall 75% speed from my 280X (which is hanging on way better than I thought it would), at this pace I'll be waiting on AMD for a while it seems! :joyful: I just wish that nVidia stuff wasn't so pricey but you know what they say; you can wish in one hand...

Seriously though, it seems a general 40%+ increase in overall performance isn't too bad, it takes some games from borderline unplayable to playable. If I could snag a card for $200 and sell mine for around half that, may not be all bad considering how long I hang onto hardware before upgrading. Another thing I'm looking for is just a larger frame buffer. The 3gb on my 280X has been filled before by the likes of Doom which sucked. I'd go from playing great and then a shudder while data was shuffled around because my GPU RAM was full (according to the GPU Monitor I was using, MSI Afterburner iirc). I guess I was hoping that others would have some cards to suggest that fall into the rough price range I mentioned that would be better alternatives than the 580X/580X.
 
jimbob200521 said:
If I wait around for an overall 75% speed from my 280X (which is hanging on way better than I thought it would), at this pace I'll be waiting on AMD for a while it seems! :joyful: I just wish that nVidia stuff wasn't so pricey but you know what they say; you can wish in one hand...

Seriously though, it seems a general 40%+ increase in overall performance isn't too bad, it takes some games from borderline unplayable to playable. If I could snag a card for $200 and sell mine for around half that, may not be all bad considering how long I hang onto hardware before upgrading. Another thing I'm looking for is just a larger frame buffer. The 3gb on my 280X has been filled before by the likes of Doom which sucked. I'd go from playing great and then a shudder while data was shuffled around because my GPU RAM was full (according to the GPU Monitor I was using, MSI Afterburner iirc). I guess I was hoping that others would have some cards to suggest that fall into the rough price range I mentioned that would be better alternatives than the 580X/580X.
Click to expand...

For perspective, I paid $220 for the 980 Ti just 2 months ago.

I find the sweet spot for me is $200-250 and this go-around, used was the way to go.
 
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mnewxcv said:
1060 6gb? And I see used 1070s for $250 now all the time.
Click to expand...

Used 1070's for $250 new or used? If that's new, then I'd expect to find 1060 6gb cards in my price range new which would be great. Any links or sites to recommend? I wasn't finding any 1060 6gb cards for under ~$225 on newegg...
 
pendragon1 said:
are you abject to hitting the fs/ft forum? if not this guys has a 1070 for $240 that is almost double the performance, if google is to be believed...
https://hardforum.com/threads/240-e...5-j4205-itx-w-memory.1966538/#post-1043933832

edit: and if you want under $200 theres a 580 for $140 so it wouldn't be that bad, especially if you can get ~$100 for the 280x...
https://hardforum.com/threads/wts-5...aichi-2011-1366-cpus.1970585/#post-1043928084
Click to expand...

Not at all opposed to that, I've bought a few things from here before and I believe I've sold a few things here, as well.

I'll check out those links and head over there to see if there's anything else that catches my attention, thank you!
 
I would take that 570 8gb and clock it to the moon, but tbh I don't trust mail in rebate. So I would recommend getting a used 390x or a used fury. If ya go the used route remember to get new thermal pads or some paste.

Edit: or get a used 1060
 
I just upgraded from a 280x to a GTX 980, it's around a 70-75% improvement. I wouldn't go for a 480/580, it's a smaller improvement and you get less performance per $$$ than a used gtx 980. A 390x is also a decent upgrade if you want to stay AMD.
 
NinjaCat said:
I just upgraded from a 280x to a GTX 980, it's around a 70-75% improvement. I wouldn't go for a 480/580, it's a smaller improvement and you get less performance per $$$ than a used gtx 980. A 390x is also a decent upgrade if you want to stay AMD.
Click to expand...

Wat? A 580 (especially one of the decent clocked ones) is just as fast or faster then a used 980. A 580 is also 10~25% (depending on the game) faster then a 390. Its so funny hearing things from people that cannot read a simple benchmark here at [H]ard.
 
Thanks for all the input guys. I think I have found a solution, though. In the [H]ot Deals section I came across a Zotac refurb Black Friday sale deal...thing. I was going to nab a 1070 for $160 (iirc) but it was out of stock so I got a 1060 6gb AMP! edition card instead. Being a refurb and the fact that I've never had a Zotac card before, I hope this doesn't bite me in arse later on. Once it arrives, I plan on putting it through its paces then posting my existing 280X in the FS/FT section to recoup what I can.
 
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