New vid card and manufacturer

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jscynder

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Dec 16, 2011
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I am trying to find a good upgrade from a Sapphire Radeon HD 7870XT with boost.

There are 2 major things it has to be under $500 shipped with tax and it CANNOT be a Sapphire brand card.

I have had to RMA the card 3 times now at $25 a pop and the company Sapphire uses for their RMA service has just replaced the cooler each time.

I would prefer an AMD card so I don't have to carefully scrub the remnants off my HDD as my motherboard uses some of the AMD drivers. But IF there is a GOOD deal on a nvidia card I wont pass on it.

BTW I game at 1600x1200 so giant amounts of RAM (4GB+) are not necessary.
 
Solution
linckmichael
1) Asus Radeon R9 280x 3GB @ $309.99 (it runs quietest against the rest of the 280x's). Great performance and great bang for the buck!
>>> http://pcpartpicker.com/mr/newegg/asus-video-card-r9280xdc2t3gd5
>>> Noise Test: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/radeon-r9-280x-third-party-round-up,review-32817-5.html

2) Asus Matrix HD7970 GHZ Edition @ $389.99. Pricier, runs with a little better performance than the 280x
>>> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121671&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

7990, R9 290x - $$$$$$

My selection would be the Asus R9 280x 3GB. 3GB VRAM will be enough for the 1600x1200 display.
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linckmichael

linckmichael

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1) Asus Radeon R9 280x 3GB @ $309.99 (it runs quietest against the rest of the 280x's). Great performance and great bang for the buck!
>>> http://pcpartpicker.com/mr/newegg/asus-video-card-r9280xdc2t3gd5
>>> Noise Test: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/radeon-r9-280x-third-party-round-up,review-32817-5.html

2) Asus Matrix HD7970 GHZ Edition @ $389.99. Pricier, runs with a little better performance than the 280x
>>> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121671&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

7990, R9 290x - $$$$$$

My selection would be the Asus R9 280x 3GB. 3GB VRAM will be enough for the 1600x1200 display.
 
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Solution
geofelt

geofelt

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It used to be that multiple graphics drivers were not permitted. With windows 7 onward, you can have many graphics cards and drivers at the same time.
If you want a nvidia card, you can have it too.
The new pricing puts a GTX780 in your budget if you are looking for an upgrade over a 7870XT.
If you are looking more for a equivalent replacement, then look a GTX760.
EVGA has a good support reputation.

The R9 cards perform well, but tend to be very noisy.
Still, I like to buy newer tech and would prefer a r9 over older versions.

For the most part, you will get what you pay for at any price point.
 
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jscynder

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I didn't know about win 7 being able to mitigate which display driver was used, that's a good fact to know.

So it sounds like the 7970 GHZ, the R9 series, and the 780 are within the price range.

Now the second part of the problem is what manufacturer do I trust? I've not had a good experience in the past with EVGA, Powercolor,and Diamond. and recently I have had the problem with Sapphire and Althon Micro.
 
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jscynder

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Asus for silence huh? But what about warranty policy and base overclock? Do any of the 3 use better parts than the others? (I.e. MSI uses military grade components in a lot of its mother boards.) And last but not least what about extra goodies in the box like crossfire cables and case badges?

Sorry if I am being a pain I just tend to try to error on the side of caution when spending soo much of my paycheck on one item.

My tower is a Haf 932 with extra fans and sounds like a small vacuum when it starts up so sound is not my largest priority.
 
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linckmichael

linckmichael

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You can go on to YouTube to watch some videos about unboxing - that way you can find out what they come with (the goodies), or you can just look at the Specifications page on Newegg. So I choose ASUS cause I think it's one of the makers of graphics cards. MSI actually comes in behind. I'm planning to get a GTX 770 - but MSI TF.

Here's a review on a couple of R9 280Xs. There's a chart for noise. Obviously, not everyone would prioritize noise as a important factor but there is a table for you to see. And you can toggle the pages to actually listen and compare the sounds of the various models.

Table: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/radeon-r9-280x-third-party-round-up,review-32817-5.html
Videos: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/radeon-r9-280x-third-party-round-up,review-32817-6.html
 
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