Time to upgrade, looking for advice

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cicatriz63

Weaksauce
Joined
Oct 9, 2009
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So the time is finally here where I upgrade my aging gtx 460. I had a code for Assassins creed unity that I finally got around to installing and it made me realized just how insufficient my card has become. So, here is my dilemma. Nvidia has the witcher 3 bundle which I am pretty interested in playing, so I'm leaning towards Nvidia. I would like to keep it in the $200-$250 range so naturally I was looking at the gtx 960 and debating between the 2gb or 4gb. I'm also considering saying screw it and just splurging for a gtx 970. I play at 1920x1200 so the 970 may be overkill but also will provide some future-proofing.

Now from what I gather the 4gb 960 is not a very good value, but with the witcher 3 thrown in does that make it any more appealing? Does anyone have an idea how long the witcher promotion will last? Ideally I would just wait until the game came out to see some benchmarks if it would actually make a difference, but I would hate to do that just to see they no longer offer the bundle. Also, is there any new word on a possible 960 ti version?

I also understand that the R9 290 offers way better performance over the 960, but I don't think my PSU can handle it and also considering it does not include any games I'm interested in. I'm still running a corsair hx520 which is getting pretty old but has been rock solid for me.

What are some peoples thoughts on this?
 
That HX520 is indeed a bit borderline in that it maxes 18A on each of its rails, but Corsair's documentation says this:
"Triple 12V Rails provide independent reliable power to the CPU, video card and other components with a combined rating of 50A (40A on 520W) maximum! Advanced circuitry design that automatically enables power sharing between the triple +12V rails in an event of overload on any single +12V rail."

You should be fine even with a 290. It takes about ~20-25a, max.
 
970 is like faster then 960 sli.. case closed there. 970 cooler and way less power then the 290.Using an older power supply that is worn might be way less then it's rated power output by now. If it locks up or black screens you'll know it's most likely the power supply.

Amd is far behind on drivers. Months without a new release.Check them out for yourself.

All combined I'd say 970.
 
Get a Sapphire R9 290X Tri-X or R9 290 Tri-X. R9 290X is USD 300 after USD $20 off w/ promo code NEWAPR75, limited offer (USD 280 after mail in rebate). R9 290 is USD 260 (USD 240 after mail in rebate)

www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202145
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202143

If you only want a GTX 970 then go for MSI GTX 970 Gaming

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127850

stay away from GTX 960. R9 290X, R9 290 and GTX 970 crush the GTX 960. 55 - 65% faster.

http://www.sweclockers.com/recension/20193-nvidia-geforce-gtx-titan-x/18#pagehead
 
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eclypse said:
970 is like faster then 960 sli.. case closed there.
Click to expand...

I have to say I didn't believe you! But, I went and had a look around at some of the 960 SLI reviews and I must say I'm surprised at just how poorly 960 SLI seems to perform compared to the 970... :eek:
 
There is a pretty big gap there. If you buy the 970 you probably won't need to buy another card for a long while.
 
Yeah, I glanced at the 960...but it's crazy how little you get for that $200 price. It's half of a GTX 980 (literally) hardware-wise. Whereas the GTX 970 is like 90% of a GTX 980 hardware-wise. Yeah, it's $130 more (which is a ton of money in that segment) than a 960 but I think you will find it worth it. I am pretty sure there are cards that are like $315 after rebate on NewEgg. I just bought an EVGA GTX 970 SSC (ACX 2.0+), so I've been doing some pretty fresh research if you decide to go the 970 route. I think it's worth it.
 
sk3tch said:
Yeah, I glanced at the 960...but it's crazy how little you get for that $200 price. It's half of a GTX 980 (literally) hardware-wise. Whereas the GTX 970 is like 90% of a GTX 980 hardware-wise. Yeah, it's $130 more (which is a ton of money in that segment) than a 960 but I think you will find it worth it. I am pretty sure there are cards that are like $315 after rebate on NewEgg. I just bought an EVGA GTX 970 SSC (ACX 2.0+), so I've been doing some pretty fresh research if you decide to go the 970 route. I think it's worth it.
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That is the 970 I was considering if I were to go that route. It's quite frustrating that there is nothing really to fill that $130 gap between the 960 and the 970. Have they said anything about a TI edition lately? I fear if I do go with the 960 that it won't even be able to play the Witcher 3 without substantially turning down the settings.
 
cicatriz63 said:
That is the 970 I was considering if I were to go that route. It's quite frustrating that there is nothing really to fill that $130 gap between the 960 and the 970. Have they said anything about a TI edition lately? I fear if I do go with the 960 that it won't even be able to play the Witcher 3 without substantially turning down the settings.
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I have not heard anything about a GTX 960 Ti.

R9 290s are a great buy if you're willing to do the red team. Looks like they sold out of the Sapphire R9 290 Tri-X refurb that I was looking at...it was like $220!! As-is, you can go around $250 and get GTX 970 performance. That's your gap between 960 and 970. :)
 
sk3tch said:
I have not heard anything about a GTX 960 Ti.

R9 290s are a great buy if you're willing to do the red team. Looks like they sold out of the Sapphire R9 290 Tri-X refurb that I was looking at...it was like $220!! As-is, you can go around $250 and get GTX 970 performance. That's your gap between 960 and 970. :)
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Fair enough... So I guess if I'm planning on playing the Witcher 3 then the 970 makes sense... Does anyone know of how long nvidia usually does the bundles for? Preferably I'd like to wait and see what the benches on the 960 look as I don't really play many other graphic intensive games.
 
I'll be shocked if the 960 can even run witcher III. Only 2GB card and I've heard the 2nd game was ruff on graphics cards. If it runs it will be slow choppy and pretty ugly on low textures.

970 from your card... wow what a jump! ORDER THAT 970 ALREADY! Your gona Be in for a treat.
 
OP is definitely better off with a 290 or 970 vs. SLI 960s.

SLI 960s is pretty silly.
 
atp1916 said:
OP is definitely better off with a 290 or 970 vs. SLI 960s.

SLI 960s is pretty silly.
Click to expand...

SLI 960s was just mentioned by someone responding to the OP. To everyone's surprise - SLI 960s can't even beat a 970...

The OP is "stuck" between 960 and 970. It's a big $130 jump. Worth it, IMO...but when you consider it's $200 to $330 - that's a 65% jump in price. The 290 is an option but he has a 520W PSU (albeit a good one).
 
sk3tch said:
SLI 960s was just mentioned by someone responding to the OP. To everyone's surprise - SLI 960s can't even beat a 970...

The OP is "stuck" between 960 and 970. It's a big $130 jump. Worth it, IMO...but when you consider it's $200 to $330 - that's a 65% jump in price. The 290 is an option but he has a 520W PSU (albeit a good one).
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Yup, that pretty much sums it up. Leaning heavily towards the 970 now. I would consider the 290 if my PSU was a little newer but if it ends up not being up to the task then I'm right back in 970 territory without the free game.
 
970s have been going for under $300 recently. I think at that price point its a no brainer.
 
Welp you guys convinced me. Ordered the GTX 970 the other day, should be here tomorrow! Now another quick question. I ordered the EVGA SSC+ 04G-P4-3975-KR, which from my understanding in the 2nd gen and has some revisions from the initial release. Newegg just dropped the price on the EVGA FTW 04G-P4-2978-KR, which is the first gen version. After rebate it ends up being about $20 cheaper. Is it worth returning this one and saving a few bucks for slight bump in clockspeeds, or are the revisions they made in the 2nd gen SSC version better to have?

Edit- Ugh I just realized that newegg cut the price on the same model card I bought from Amazon, AND they are throwing in a free backplate. So I would be paying $15 less + getting the backplate. Of course I would have to pay a few bucks to ship this one back but do you think it is worth it for the back plate?
 
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I've read that many feel it's best to buy from amazon for a few bucks more then deal with neweggs crappy return policy On graphics cards.

Prob best to ask on evgas forum.
 
I agree for the most part, plus I have a prime account so it is almost always better for me to get it from Amazon. However there are a couple things making me lean towards returning this one and ordering from newegg. If I were to return the card and order from newegg it would be about $10 cheaper, plus I would get the backplate for free. Also, EVGA offers an extension of there 3 year warranty to 5 years if you register it, but only if purchased from newegg. I think the extended warranty alone might be worth it. I should have the card tomorrow and if the newegg price is still the same I might go ahead and return it.

Edit- looks like the warranty extension is only good for EU purchases. So, I guess it comes down to is the $20 backplate + $10 worth it.
 
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What are your guys thoughts on the backplates? I have never had one before so I'm pretty clueless if they are actually useful or not. Is it worth returning this one for a free backplate? Amazon has a pretty good return policy so its not much of a hassle but if they don't do a whole lot then I won't bother.
 
Welp, scratch that. Newegg's price went back up to $350 so it is not nearly as enticing now. If I were to return this one then I would end up only making out ahead paying $10 or so instead of $10 for the backplate which isn't worth the time to me.

Soooo, on another note, can't wait to get this thing hooked up! Thanks for everyone's advice.
 
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