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Need a GPU now - which to get?

M

Maineiac12

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Oct 27, 2013
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I've built a system with an i7-4770k that will be OC'd and the last piece of the build is a GPU. I need to make this purchase in the next 2-3 weeks, though.

I will be running 1920x1080 @ 120hz (27" monitor). I mostly play FPS and MMO games. BF4 will be my main game for the next year or more. I'm looking for the smoothest gameplay with as much eye candy as possible. My budget is up to $500. I'd like this card to last at least 2 years.

I'm no fanboy of either side but I'm currently looking at an R9 290 for $399 or an EVGA 780 SC for $529 (I will sell the games and get the price down to $470ish.)

What would you recommend?
 
Buy 2 used 7970s if you want to max out @ 120hz for $500.

If you dont care about the highest settings, get whichever you feel suites your needs. Both are great cards. If noise/temps/power is an issue, get a GTX780 DCu2. If its not an issue, go with the 290 and save yourself $100.
 
Maineiac12 said:
I've built a system with an i7-4770k that will be OC'd and the last piece of the build is a GPU. I need to make this purchase in the next 2-3 weeks, though.

I will be running 1920x1080 @ 120hz (27" monitor). I mostly play FPS and MMO games. BF4 will be my main game for the next year or more. I'm looking for the smoothest gameplay with as much eye candy as possible. My budget is up to $500. I'd like this card to last at least 2 years.

I'm no fanboy of either side but I'm currently looking at an R9 290 for $399 or an EVGA 780 SC for $529 (I will sell the games and get the price down to $470ish.)

What would you recommend?
Click to expand...

290, don't have to deal with selling games...
 
Yeah, but for $80, you will get a card thats quieter and can overclock alot further at the same time.

Or you can buy a 290, and an aftermarket cooler and see what an overclock yields. Of course this doesnt matter if you wont be overclocking.
 
Yeah go with the 290.i like the 780 but i just cant recommend it over the 290.and hey that extra gb of ram will serve you well as time goes on.14-15?
 
Just an fyi I have an i52400 and 7970ghz edition and at 1080p (60hz ) I can max everything out and the game runs great. Not sure what the extra 60 hhz would make limit your eyecandy to if you went that route... I have seen the gpu memory levels above 2gb so you might take that into consideration. That being said it is really hard to recommend a slower card in the 780gtx that costs more over the 290. the 780ti is supposedly a titan killer if you have the cash to burn.
 
I think if the 290 AIB cards were to come out soon it would be a no brainer. I guess I'm nervous about the quality of the reference cooler and its OC potential.

This will be my first 120hz monitor so I don't know what kind of extra horsepower I'll need to drive it.
 
Well, if you want to see 120hz, youll need to get 120fps.

That said, on Ultra settings in BF4, my overclocked 780 averages in the mid to upper 60's. No single card will get you there. Your best bet would be used 7970's in crossfire. Or you can up your spending limit or play on lesser settings (probably need Medium to hit 120fps with any of the newer cards).
 
How future proof are two 7970s though? I would say one 780 now and add another later if needed.
 
I only have a 650w PSU since I built my rig under the assumption that I would run a single card.

Can a single card run a 1440p monitor at 60 fps and above?
 
Since you have a little time to spare, I'd try to wait for Black Friday. That's what I'm doing because I have a strong feeling that a decent number of AMD board partners are going to try and clear out their remaining hd 7970 inventory for pretty cheap. If they do I'm just going to buy 2 of them as opposed to a single 290 or 290x. By then companies will have released their r9's with their third party coolers. I think that would be the best time to decide, when you have full selection available to choose from.
 
Maineiac12 said:
I only have a 650w PSU since I built my rig under the assumption that I would run a single card.

Can a single card run a 1440p monitor at 60 fps and above?
Click to expand...

Depends on which card and game. No single card will stay above 60 in all games.

I now run a EVGA 780 SC (OC'd to 1280) at 1440 and stay on average above 60 in Batman AO and Bioshock.

In the limited playing of BF4 I stayed at 60 with Ultra & 2x MSAA. 1440 is forgiving on AA and you can get away with a lower setting. ARMA 3 required a drop in MSAA as well.

Metro, Crysis, and FarCry 3 won't lock at 60. Quick testing last night FC3 on Ultra and 2xMSAA seemed to stay in the high 40's low 50's for the most part.

So it really depends on the games you want to play.
 
I would recommend 780. Sell the games to reclaim about 60 bucks or something.
 
If no CUDA\PhyX go with the 290 + Aftermarket cooler .. still cheaper than 780 after selling the games (available on steam for <$50). Heck you can prob pick up a 2nd hand 7970/280X cooler in any watercooling forum for dirt cheap..
 
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