Need help with GPU decision before sale ends

RustCohle

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Nov 12, 2014
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Please help, my eyes are bludgeoned from research, I know it's basically a coin flip but I rarely get to build a new rig.

Stuck deciding between a Gigabyte 5700 XT (OC) or it's 2070 OC cousin (Gigabyte as well, non-super). I paid $400 for the xt off amazon but now the 2070 is on sale for the same. From what I can tell, the 2070 might be a few % faster (negligible tho). I have a 4k 42" and a 38 ultrawide (freesync) and play FPS primarily (and watch/encode 4k mkvs).

I've only ever had AMD GPUs so I cant speak on Nvidia really. I know people that love them. The thing that worries me about the 5700 xt now is that some claim the drivers from AMD are a hot mess. And also, the temps. The 5700xt seems to run hotter. I leave my PC up for days, it's basically a server + some games. Just want the best longevity and stability.

The 5700 has pci 4.0 going for it (which I'll never use) and is a newer card/chip, which is why I opted for it. But now with the 2070 being the same price...I dont know.

What would you all advise?
 
I have a RTX 2070 non super. I've been very pleased with it at 1440p, it runs quiet and cool and I have it running in Gsync compatibility mode with my LG 32 inch @ 144hz, no problems. I've also owned quite a few AMD / Ati cards, they have always been loud and they run hot & don't overclock worth a damn (if thats your thing too).

The question is, are you wanting to play games with Ray Tracing? I've only ever played BFV on my with RTX on , its nice I guess but really I don't see myself buying a game just for Raytracing.

Choose the fastest card for what you can afford would be my advice ultimately.
 
They are pretty much identical in performance. I've always run Nvidia cards because of the better driver support. But it's really personal preference.

In terms of power consumption the 5700 XT is slightly more power hungry 204 vs 166 under load according to this chart.

Either card should perform fine for 1440p. Good luck, let us know what you decide.
 
Thank you so much for getting back to me!

I primarily play FPS, some turn-based, Nba2K, really what ever is out and appeals to me. Anything from Witcher to Madden I guess, lol. Some are nvidia engine, others AMD, it's really whatever hits my fancy. Both cards seem capable, either way.

I realize getting down to it is splitting atoms, a frame here, a frame there, I just have a sneaking worry that AMD might, in the long run, not be as "stable"/supported than the nvidia. I was blown away by all the hype of the 5700xt, it certainly matches the 2070. But the temps/power do make me weary, as does the hearsay of driver issues (as a brand).

And while I don't usually play in 4k, I've read that the 2070 does handily outperform the 5700xt in this matter.

Now that both these are the exact price, I'm wondering if it might behoove me to switch for cooler temps/"better" drivers (and hopefuly more stability) in lieu of pci 4.0, that new car smell and the freesync-ability?
 
Well just to make your choice harder, now Nvidia offers freesync support for most monitors. Just double check their 'approved' list if you are worried about compatibility.

PCIE 4.0 is an advantage but current gen video cards don't currently take advantage of that extra bandwidth. So between those 2 cards, the performance will be equal pcie 4.0 notwithstanding.
 
Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd it's gone. Back up to $499.

Had the tipple fan OC in my cart, was ready to swap em out. They still have the dual fan model for 400, but prefer triple fans.

Really hope, if I am "saddled" with the 5700xt that I'm not missing out, for the same price. Why is nVidia marked up so much?? Yet they sure do seem well regarded, why didnt I just pull the string?!?!

All day. signs started pointing to nVdia and they still are, just...man. Regret not getting it.

Really hope something comparable comes along for the black friday alooza.

What a weird way to feel like I made a wrong choice of $400.
 
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i think op made a fine choice and is also second place for time between registering and first post. :)
 
Hey, thanks fellas, I really appreciate your feedback. And yeah, sorry for being such a lurker, this is a great community, I plan on taking way more part in it, /PCmasterrace is a little biased and get the wheels cranked at times.

With the rigmaroles of school and work I have such little relief from stress that I spend any spare time delving deep into this new rig. It's a good distraction. But I went with the 5700 originally for a reason. I'm happy with it (still was hoping for a red devil, just per design and thermals) but I got a good deal on this one so I cant wait to fire it up and play some game it's overkill for, lol.

Happy holidays and cheers!
 
I have a 5700xt. Driver problems? Where are people getting this bs? Internet hear say? A meme? Congress? Lmao

How you liking it tangoseal? What brand did you go with? The benchmarks/reviews seem legit for sure, Im also not sure about all this negative "5700xt driver plauge" stuff; my last 3 cards have been AMD and I've had minimal problems. Hope it works out, this was my most costly card yet.
 
People have been saying ATI/AMD drivers are terrible for as long as I can remember. I have owned probably an equal number of Nvidia and AMD and never had problems with drivers on either. Just enjoy the card you have and don't worry about it.
 
I have a 5700xt. Driver problems? Where are people getting this bs? Internet hear say? A meme? Congress? Lmao

I had zero driver issues with my RX580.

I did however have a Issue with Adoble lightroom throwing an occasional black canvas (not Screen) when using HW rendering on that same card.
Never managed to figure it out. Different drivers made no diff.
 
I had zero driver issues with my RX580.

I did however have a Issue with Adoble lightroom throwing an occasional black canvas (not Screen) when using HW rendering on that same card.
Never managed to figure it out. Different drivers made no diff.

I love the 5700xt. Mine is up for sale right now. But it's a very fast and stable performer for the price.

As far as lightroom that sounds like the software itself and not drivers.

Because I own a 2080ti I can see where its not as fast but it ain't no slouch either. I'd almost considered selling my 2080ti and keeping the 5700xt but my main display is 3440x1440p gsync so it doesn't make sense to do that.
 
I love the 5700xt. Mine is up for sale right now. But it's a very fast and stable performer for the price.

As far as lightroom that sounds like the software itself and not drivers.

Because I own a 2080ti I can see where its not as fast but it ain't no slouch either. I'd almost considered selling my 2080ti and keeping the 5700xt but my main display is 3440x1440p gsync so it doesn't make sense to do that.

The Lightroom Issue was not there with my 1060 or 2070 so I didnt really pursue a fix all that hard.
 
The Lightroom Issue was not there with my 1060 or 2070 so I didnt really pursue a fix all that hard.

Yeah what I mean is that AMD cant be responsible to address every piece of software on earth inside thier drivers. Thier job is yo ensure that the card works with windows/linux etc... it's the individual vendor that must labor towards stability to a GPU i.e. Afobe has responsibility to fix issues with thier own software vs nvidia and amd.
 
The "problems" with AMD drivers are no longer stability overall. NV's higher level drivers (DX11 / OGL) historically do a better job of extracting every drop of performance from the HW. But AMD is not horrible here, just not quite at the same level.
For titles which can use DX12/Vulkan and thus put the problems in the hands of the game/engine developers - AMD typically does quite well.

Short version: the driver issue is not at all what it once was.
 
I had an old WX 5100 workstation card from AMD and the day I got it I started getting green screen glitches and it lasted for about two days and then it sorted itself out after that I told myself I would never get another AMD card and I haven’t
 
Its gray ethically to return your AMD card you already had and used and were happy with because you saw a better deal on a competitor. The manufacturer didn't do anything wrong. The reseller Amazon didn't do anything wrong, but the return fiscally punishes both. I can see price-matching a sale in your return window, when you don’t return the card. But returning a product you were happy with because a sale on a competitor? Thats on you for not finding the price you were comfortable with on the product you wanted up front. Prices will always fall on the product you bought, and new tech or competing tech will be better cheaper in the future — thats the way it works.

If I find myself in this situation, I will eat any loss by selling the product I don't want and buying the one I do — vs returning the product I no longer want at the resellers expense (return shipping, list margin on open box, lost employee time — all returns lead to higher prices the consumer ends up paying later.)

I think ethically returns should be limited to defective or misadvertised items - and thats the rule I keep in my household.

Since you have the 5700XT now, enjoy it, as you have already been doing.

You cant put a price on your integrity, in the end its the only thing you really had full control over.
 
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5700 XT is a great card. You should be fine with it.

AMD drivers are good. Sure there are problems from time to time, but that goes the same for any vendor.

Maybe at some point in the past that was true, but seems like bad information now.

Also, AMD completely revamped their driver a few years ago, it lools much better visually than Nvidia (however there aren't as many options).
 
My ref RX 5700 has never been apart yet , so I made the profile more 1 to 1 scaling for fan to handle the flash and I think a water block is well wroth the investment at this point .
 
Its gray ethically to return your AMD card you already had and used and were happy with because you saw a better deal on a competitor. The manufacturer didn't do anything wrong. The reseller Amazon didn't do anything wrong, but the return fiscally punishes both. I can see price-matching a sale in your return window, when you don’t return the card. But returning a product you were happy with because a sale on a competitor? Thats on you for not finding the price you were comfortable with on the product you wanted up front. Prices will always fall on the product you bought, and new tech or competing tech will be better cheaper in the future — thats the way it works.

If I find myself in this situation, I will eat any loss by selling the product I don't want and buying the one I do — vs returning the product I no longer want at the resellers expense (return shipping, list margin on open box, lost employee time — all returns lead to higher prices the consumer ends up paying later.)

I think ethically returns should be limited to defective or misadvertised items - and thats the rule I keep in my household.

Since you have the 5700XT now, enjoy it, as you have already been doing.

You cant put a price on your integrity, in the end its the only thing you really had full control over.
Agreed, just put it on ebay at your leisure for a small loss.
 
You cant put a price on your integrity, in the end its the only thing you really had full control over.

Not sure how you got this idea but I've neither: opened the amazon box, the gigabyte box, installed it or fired it up. It's only moved from my porch to my closet, exactly as is whence delivered, untouched, sealed (in the GB box, which is inside the amazon box, brown amazon tape unbroken), collecting dust, I could charge it rent. I cant assemble my rig until after finals, I've been procuring components until then.

This wasn't about pricematching or screwing over amazon. To pass time I read a lot of forums in anticipation of assembling this rig and recently came across a lot of negative things about the drivers, thermals, BSODs and how much "better" the green team was which gave me pause. Then I started seeing 2070s/2060s and began wondering if it'd behoove me to try nvidia this go around instead of basing a large purchase (for me) based only on 2 sudo-positive reviews I've seen from Gaming Nexus and HWunboxed.

Had I opened it, installed it and played around with it like a spoiled child, then whined to amazon, sure, feel free to label me shifty or morally inept, but this is no different than had I changed my mind mid-delivery and requested a return to sender.

$400 is a large chunk of change for me, it took me a while to have the extra income to build a new rig, my last one made it 5 years, so I just want to feel just as good about the new one. I like to research and second guess decisions I guess, but I dont second guess the fact that I didnt open it at all and thus still can change my mind if so convinced.

Happiest of Holidayz.
 
Amazon accepts returns, almost for any reason, as long as you don't abuse the system.

I've bought gear before that I tried for like a week or two and found it wasn't what I wanted, and they accepted the return (I only had to pay shipping to send it back).

I agree that you shouldn't turn it into "try before you buy", however if you make a purchase and are not fully satisfied, I think it is fair to take them up on the return policy.
 
Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd it's gone. Back up to $499.

Had the tipple fan OC in my cart, was ready to swap em out. They still have the dual fan model for 400, but prefer triple fans.

Really hope, if I am "saddled" with the 5700xt that I'm not missing out, for the same price. Why is nVidia marked up so much?? Yet they sure do seem well regarded, why didnt I just pull the string?!?!

All day. signs started pointing to nVdia and they still are, just...man. Regret not getting it.

Really hope something comparable comes along for the black friday alooza.

What a weird way to feel like I made a wrong choice of $400.

You made a solid choice. Those two cards will typically trade blows on most games, and the 2070 doesn’t have enough horsepower to push RTX ray tracing at respectable frame rates, so raster performance should be the primary driver in my opinion. Most benchmarks I’ve been seeing don’t justify the 2070’s price premium.

Regarding driver support, I’ve owned both AMD and Nvidia cards over the years and never really noticed any real difference. Most people complaining about AMD drivers on the internet haven’t owned one since their ATI Rage 128 card back in the day. Granted, I had read there were some quirks at launch for the 5700 XT, but that was also back in July, so I’d like to think it’s been addressed by now.
 
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You made a solid choice.

Hey thanks man! I've been obsessing, racking my brain on this build for too long. Internet chatter got in my head and I had visions of green flickery screens and PCB combustion, dancing in my head.

I jumped on the navi hypetrain and then was briefly persuaded off, lol. My last card was a 290x and, while it did have it's quips, it lasted me long and did its job well. Yeah that upcharge seems so unjustified to me (ray tracing looks cool but I can live without it, in favor of food/rent). I saw some 2060S/2070 sales and thought maybe it'd be comparable to pivot, but looks like the xt spanks them, aside from thermals (just the way AMD rolls I guess). I cant jump to a 2070S so now I'm just waiting for the PSU to get here and finals to be done so I can finally unbox and assemble them all at once.

And if only GB made a white 5700 like their 2060S, lol. That think started me second guessing, it'd match my case/board perfectly.
Next step: vinyl wrap!

Your reassurance is greatly appreciated!
 
Not sure how you got this idea but I've neither: opened the amazon box, the gigabyte box, installed it or fired it up. It's only moved from my porch to my closet, exactly as is whence delivered, untouched, sealed (in the GB box, which is inside the amazon box, brown amazon tape unbroken), collecting dust, I could charge it rent. I cant assemble my rig until after finals, I've been procuring components until then.

This wasn't about pricematching or screwing over amazon. To pass time I read a lot of forums in anticipation of assembling this rig and recently came across a lot of negative things about the drivers, thermals, BSODs and how much "better" the green team was which gave me pause. Then I started seeing 2070s/2060s and began wondering if it'd behoove me to try nvidia this go around instead of basing a large purchase (for me) based only on 2 sudo-positive reviews I've seen from Gaming Nexus and HWunboxed.

Had I opened it, installed it and played around with it like a spoiled child, then whined to amazon, sure, feel free to label me shifty or morally inept, but this is no different than had I changed my mind mid-delivery and requested a return to sender.

$400 is a large chunk of change for me, it took me a while to have the extra income to build a new rig, my last one made it 5 years, so I just want to feel just as good about the new one. I like to research and second guess decisions I guess, but I dont second guess the fact that I didnt open it at all and thus still can change my mind if so convinced.

Happiest of Holidayz.
Fine, unopened/sealed = no problem with return in stated vendor window.

Thats not how I read your first two posts. Apparently I wasn't alone. Sounded like you were gaming on it, then mentioned you were interested in that new car smell to swap out.

Not worth arguing about further, just explaining why I said what I did. Also, since you are a young pup, how hard it was for you to cough up $400 vs. the next guy is immaterial to the ethicality of the return (if opened/enjoyed/used). In this case, since unopened, the whole minor controversy is moot. Good luck on your finals, I remember those days, and shudder.
 
Hey thanks man! I've been obsessing, racking my brain on this build for too long. Internet chatter got in my head and I had visions of green flickery screens and PCB combustion, dancing in my head.

I jumped on the navi hypetrain and then was briefly persuaded off, lol. My last card was a 290x and, while it did have it's quips, it lasted me long and did its job well. Yeah that upcharge seems so unjustified to me (ray tracing looks cool but I can live without it, in favor of food/rent). I saw some 2060S/2070 sales and thought maybe it'd be comparable to pivot, but looks like the xt spanks them, aside from thermals (just the way AMD rolls I guess). I cant jump to a 2070S so now I'm just waiting for the PSU to get here and finals to be done so I can finally unbox and assemble them all at once.

And if only GB made a white 5700 like their 2060S, lol. That think started me second guessing, it'd match my case/board perfectly.
Next step: vinyl wrap!

Your reassurance is greatly appreciated!

Enjoy your new build!

For further reassurance, I’m assembling a system for a friend of mine and recommended the same card. He will play a lot of RDR2, and the difference between the 2070 Super and the 5700 XT in Canada is about $140 on the low end, with very little gain. I told him the only reason to pay more for a 2070 at that point is if you want RTX features, but they result in a performance hit that basically makes the game run at unplayable frame rates. There simply isn’t enough horsepower in that card to run RTX, meaning the main considerations now have to become raster performance and price. You don’t get enough of a boost for the money going with 2070 vs 5700 XT in the vast majority of games to make it worth it.
 
Not sure about the 2070, but the 2060 was basically useless for RT.

Only tried the Star Wars demo, but that ran at the 12 fps.

The 5700 XT is a nice amount faster in normal games for not all that much more.
 
Some people do claim that AMD image quality overall is superior to Nvidia. If true, it may sway you to keep the card.
 
Some people do claim that AMD image quality overall is superior to Nvidia. If true, it may sway you to keep the card.
This is controversial, but I think it's true. Or at least it was at one point.

I ran Nvidia for a long time, and I got an AMD card to test for a review. I was playing the same games on the same computer, just with a swapped card (I think it was a GTX 470 and HD 5770).

After booting up on Half-Life 2 Ep 2 I saw a stark difference in the colors and vibrancy of the image on AMD. I didn't believe it, so I swapped cards back and forth a few times and I'm sure AMD looked better.

Granted, it may have been something simple like the HDMI range or default color profile. It was years ago and I don't remember exactly the settings. But out-of-box, with no configuration, AMD was the superior looking image.
 
Ill agree when I switched from GTX560 to AMD Fury and from AMD Vega to Nvidia 1080ti I thought the image quality was a bit better on AMD.

I couldn’t put my finger on it. Ive read people say AMD drivers add a few more percentage color vibrancy to the image in the way they work and you can end up mostly the same between the two cards by increasing digital vibrancy slider in the nvidia control panel from 50% to 55% and I agree with that, but AMD also handled blacks a bit better with my projector as well and I never figured that one out.
 
Maybe I'll take some screenshots and do a comparison (difference filter in Photoshop should work provided I can capture the exact same image in the game).
 
Once you calibrate your cards there's no difference at all. I have multiple cards from both vendors. Then again color is part and parcel to my job and I can't afford to have uncalibrated cards.
 
I noticed my Samsung Free Sync has Ultimate Engine above Standard Engine and acts like part of the driver more then ever before now and seems to add deeper colors to me ..
 
Couldn't hold out. Meet Yuki.



Havent had time to properly evaluate, and NOW i will wait for after finals, lol. Nothing like like assembly.

Had one odd full screen "snow static" freeze/forced reboot after installing drivers (the first time), that was odd. I've since gone through many iterations of acronics restores, trying to get my software layout right and have not had it happen again. Still on out of the box firmware, there's a newer version that ups the fan curve, but...I'm always apprehensive about updating bios.


Idle temps seem great (mid 40s), though the hotspot did hover around 101 under aida64, which amd claims is "to be expected". Guess/hoping it's just the nature of the xts, that seems damn hot.

Auros engine is an absolutely travesty, they should salt the earth so it can never grow again!. It is so incredibly janky (much prefer MSI afterburner).

It seems really well built/study. Still prefer the design of the red devil but I always preferred having an extra year warranty, so it's a win for me.

Really glad I popped the seal on this. I don't doubt I'd deal with issues with nvidia just the same, only, for arguably more of a price point (just hope the high hotspot temp is safe) Can't wait to kick the tires on this box! Thanks for the insight all.
 
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