AUD$400 - $500 GPU for next gen gaming

Placeholder · Oct 28, 2013

Hello,
Looking for a GPU that can ultra-max, next gen.
Running on one monitor at 1920 x 1080
I would prefer to one for now and then SLI/Crossfire later on.

Wil be buying the parts from mwave (www.mwave.com.au)

Motherboard: Asrock z87 extreme4
CPU: Intel core i5-4670
(In case these parts make a difference)

The two GPU's i had my eyes on was the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB OC first and with AMD's release the Sapphire AMD Radeon R9 280X 3GB TOXIC OC.

Would like to purchase ASAP, but the TOXIC is not availalbe until two weeks.

EDIT: I know that there are review articles for this price point but i would prefer some community advice.

TBC1 · Oct 28, 2013

Wait 2 weeks and get the toxic 280x (performs better than a 770).

mo · Oct 28, 2013

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/nvidia-gtx-780-price-drop,24886.html

Nvidia has dropped the price of the 780 to 499 usd now. the 770 to 329. You should see the card for ~570-600 aud at pccg soon. That exceeds your budget but if you can stretch it a bit, then it is well worth it. If not you really cant go wrong with either a 280x or a 770. (770 has a price cut too). Both cards will have enough juice for next gen @ 1080p (maybe not max out everythng but still max out most things except msaa). It comes down to your preference.

caj · Oct 29, 2013

R9 290x hands down. Trust me you wont regret the purchase.

Placeholder · Oct 29, 2013

I'm the kind of guy who goes for best performance.
So looks like i'll be sitting out for the Sapphire 280X Toxic.

In terms of future proofing, how long do we expect this card to be playing games at ultra?

caj · Oct 29, 2013

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-r9-290x-hawaii-review,3650.html

this should help you decide....

caj · Oct 29, 2013

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-r9-290x-hawaii-review,3650.html

jkteddy77 · Oct 29, 2013

Placeholder :

NO NO NO!!!!
Don't settle for 280x, even the toxic version.
If you can wait like I am, hold off for the R9 290 (non-X) release. It releases on halloween, but wait for aftermarket versions with OC and cooling solutions. Just to give you an idea of how bad of an idea a 280x is over a 290, look at these benchmarks (blurred names ar 290 and 290 OC'd; 7970=280x frames)

http://videocardz.com/47256/amd-radeon-r9-290-performance-revealed

In every test, 290 beats the 780, and has the advantage of 4gb vram and 512bit card. Its you best bet if you plan on keeping it for future tech (1440p, 1600p, eyefinity, 4k)

If you can, buy the 290x, but a simple OC'd 290 can equal the stock performance of a 290x for $100 less. Trust me, the 280x already has the 2 year old architecture of the 7970, the 290/290x is the way to go, and they're still cheaper than every nvidia they compete against.

Placeholder · Oct 29, 2013

caj :

Whilst this was helpfull, it is only the stock 280x.

caj · Oct 29, 2013

Placeholder :

agreed but i was mainly emphassing the 290x performance against the other gpus.

Placeholder · Oct 29, 2013

Whilst this sounds good, it is yet more waiting, and there is the matter of price.

iam2thecrowe · Oct 29, 2013

if your looking to go multi-card later on, wait for the price drop on the 770 and get that. SLI is far superior to crossfire, better game support, less stuttering.

Patrick Guenter · Oct 29, 2013

iam2thecrowe :

agreeing totally. mb opt for a 780.

jkteddy77 · Oct 29, 2013

Buyin a 770 is NOT the way to go if you plan on gaming in the next 2 years . . . crossfire would tie you to those even longer. only 2gb Vram (already a bad decision for BF4) and only 256bit bus, whilst the 280x has the same, if not better speeds, with 3gb Ram, 384bit bus, and it will still be the exact same price as the 770, even after the price drop, only the 280x Toxic will be 5% faster than any 770. . . . Even with crossfiring troubles, you'd be better off getting 2 toxics. Even still, a 780/290 would be the better choice over crossfire in terms of value (the cards would run out of Vram in intensive games multi-display/4k in the future) and AMD will be more optimal for higher resolutions (1440p,1600p,4k) telling you, LARGE difference between 2 to 3 to 4 GB vram.

Don't let anyone tell you to buy an Nvidia right now without backing up their facts, AMD simply has a couple months advance on the 700 sereis, and they remain about the same price. Never settle for less when you could get more for the same price.

Placeholder · Oct 29, 2013

I had already figured that AMD was probably the winner this time, but hey, it's good to see what everybody else thinks.

It seems the best course of action is to wait for the 290, and buy an OC version.

jkteddy77 · Oct 29, 2013

Placeholder :

That's my plan, I'm glad its yours too. It's ABSOLUTE TORTURE for me to wait, as I have an fx6100 and a gt640 . . . and my Favorite game, BF4 just came out today. A solid 15fps on lowest possible ettings at 1400x900 res . . . God, kill me now haha. Hope you can hold out til the end of November, cause my PC is really testing my willpower right now.

Patrick Guenter · Oct 30, 2013

Placeholder :

will just be the winner in 1 game. bf 4 is optimized for it. that's all, else its like normal.
getting beaten by nvidia since 2005

caj · Oct 30, 2013

Patrick Guenter :

nope...check the below link. 290x beats the titan & 780 in many more titles.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-r9-290x-hawaii-review,3650.html

Patrick Guenter · Oct 30, 2013

caj :

Patrick Guenter :

nope...check the below link. 290x beats the titan & 780 in many more titles.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-r9-290x-hawaii-review,3650.html

it beats the one in uber mode wit 2-3 fps.
uber mode is shit.

caj · Oct 30, 2013

well atleast we dont need another card for a TI mode or ghz edition mode, plus bang for buck? i need not say more.
why do every nvidia fanboy brainwashed to think games are played by nvidia only?? *sigh*

Patrick Guenter · Oct 30, 2013

caj :

what are u trying to say?
try to creat a proper sentence.

Placeholder · Oct 30, 2013

The 290 seems to have a much higher performance than a similar priced Nvidia.
I would prefer a Nvidia card, but really i'm a performance first kind of guy.

Looks like AMD gets my money this time around

jkteddy77 · Oct 30, 2013

Patrick Guenter :

Uhm . . . If you're gonna claim Nvidia is better, back yourself up with something liable. . . (blurred names are 290 and 290 OC)

http://videocardz.com/47256/amd-radeon-r9-290-performance-revealed

And the card was post-poned for a week to increase its performance with the new driver, projecting that its performance will increase by yet another 5% before release . . .

Really glad Placeholder is smart enough to see the bias in peoples opinions, because some of you gave awful advice. I agree, AMD wins this gen

Patrick Guenter · Oct 31, 2013

Placeholder :

that's the point. the amd ones got the best price for their power

Placeholder · Nov 5, 2013

So some Australian stores have started to list the 290 now.
What do we think?

They're retailing for 499, so right at the top end of my budget, but looks to perform way better than a 770 or even 780.

However, i've read a lot about the 290's high temps, and somewhat shoddy reference cooler.

So abot how long to we think untill we get some non-reference cards down here in Australia?

AUD$400 - $500 GPU for next gen gaming

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