Looking to upgrade GPU

[zanderman]

I am currently looking at upgrading my GPU in my system and was wondering what my best options are. I have a Sapphire 7970 3GB OC w/ Boost right now and was looking into either doing crossfire with a 280x or replacing it with a 970/300 series. If I wanted to do crossfire could my current PSU handle that? Are there microstutter issues to deal with using crossfire?

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming, web browsing, movies/shows. I want to max out settings at 1080p and 1440p in games like Witcher 3 and Battlefront when in launches
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
200-400$
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.

US - Toledo, OH
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
GPU and maybe PSU
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
3570K, 212 EVO, MSI Z77A-GD65, 8GB G.Skill DDR3 1600, Samsung 830 256GB, Sapphire 7970 3GB OC w/ Boost, Titanium HD, Antec New TP-750 Blue, LIAN LI Lancool PC-K62
6) Will you be overclocking?
Yes
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
Currently 1080p 24"
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
This week
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
N/A
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Yes

 

[cyclone3d]

Looks like that PSU should handle it just fine as long as the caps haven't degraded too much.

You can always try it, and if it gives you problems then replace it.

I would just get a used 7970 or 280x off of Ebay for ~$150 - $200.

There is a listing for your same exact card for $199.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sapphire-Radeon-HD-7970-OC-With-Boost-3GB-DDR5-/251999191084?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3aac52802c

Microstutter for the most part has been taken care of.

 

[zanderman]

Looks like that PSU should handle it just fine as long as the caps haven't degraded too much.

You can always try it, and if it gives you problems then replace it.

I would just get a used 7970 or 280x off of Ebay for ~$150 - $200.

There is a listing for your same exact card for $199.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sapphire-Radeon-HD-7970-OC-With-Boost-3GB-DDR5-/251999191084?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3aac52802c

Microstutter for the most part has been taken care of.

Ok, I'll try that out. Seems like the best value for my situation with even a brand new 280x going for $220.

 

[Dangman]

I have to disagree: I have R9 280 and a R9 280X in Crossfire right now. It runs okay but there are situations where even this Crossfire setup doesn't quite work well or perform as fast as it could be. I would still highly recommend going for a single card if possible. So wait for the 300 series if possible.

Also, I can't really recommend used cards these days, especially ones at the stupid price of $200. You can get burned by them like I did: Got a refurbished HD 7950 from a 3rd party seller that worked okay for a few months but died soon afterwards. Luckily I got that R9 280X card for free so that made sure that I could continue having a crossfire setup.

 

[cyclone3d]

I have to disagree: I have R9 280 and a R9 280X in Crossfire right now. It runs okay but there are situations where even this Crossfire setup doesn't quite work well or perform as fast as it could be. I would still highly recommend going for a single card if possible. So wait for the 300 series if possible.

Also, I can't really recommend used cards these days, especially ones at the stupid price of $200. You can get burned by them like I did: Got a refurbished HD 7950 from a 3rd party seller that worked okay for a few months but died soon afterwards. Luckily I got that R9 280X card for free so that made sure that I could continue having a crossfire setup.

Both of my 7970s I purchased used.

If a new 280x is only $220, I would go that route though.

 

[Dangman]

Both of my 7970s I purchased used.

If a new 280x is only $220, I would go that route though.

There's still an inherent unavoidable risk in buying used hardware even with your success story as it is.

Unfortunately, the 280X cards are still higher than $220 new. Even at $220 new, I still can't quite see the 280X + HD 7970 CFX setup being that much faster to warrant the extra $30 over a R9 280 + HD 7970 CFX setup. Considering that the R9 280X is greater than $220 at this point in time, the $190 R9 280 route makes more sense from a price to performance standpoint. If you still want to do a CFX setup that is.

But I'd still push for a single card solution if possible.

 

[Climber]

Yea buying PC parts used always carries an inherent risk. I stopped doing it a long time ago after getting burnt a couple times on some used purchases, just wasn't worth it to me. But if you are tight on cash and know what you're getting into then by all means proceed.

However, if you can wait I would put off a GPU purchase for a bit and see what the 300 series brings to the table.

 

[zanderman]

Looks like I am going to choose between selling my 7970 and going with a 970 or 390/x or buying a new 280/x to crossfire. Reading about some crossfire issues with project cars is concerning though since I've been playing it quite a bit along with Dirt Rally.