Another 290 vs 770 thread

[helmut4lyfe]

I was originally sold on purchasing the gtx 770 but since the release of the r9 290, I've been back and forth.

What I currently have purchased for my new build
750W ATX 12V 2.3 & SSI EPS 12V 2.92 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2400 Mhz
White Steel / Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case
I7-4770k Haswell Processor
M500 240GB SATA 2.5" 7mm (with 9.5mm adapter) Internal Solid State Drive

I haven't yet purchased my motherboard yet, but I'm very convinced I'll be purchasing the Asus Maximus iv Hero. Also I have planned on buying the h100i cooler for my i7 as I will be overclocking it.

The only thing left is my gpu. I have 3 monitors atm plus a TV I use for my netflix/youtube/etc. At this time I only plan on using one monitor for gaming (asus 144hz). The extra monitors+tv are currently just used for multi tasking.

Help me decide what GPU to get. I really don't have a price limit, although I'd like to keep it under 500, which is why I've narrowed it down to the gtx 770 and the r9 290.

 

[cookybiscuit]

290 is alot faster, but you'll want to wait for aftermarket coolers, the reference one is worthless.

 

[monsta]

If you can afford 500 for a card I would go for a GTX 780, will run quieter and cooler than a 290, and they overclock really well.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130918

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130942

 

[helmut4lyfe]

Thank you for the fast response. I'm aware the 290 runs hot, but is there any negative effects of this? If it's built to run around 90 degrees celcius, why should it be a problem if it does?

 

[enemy1g]

Problem with the new r9s being made to "run hot" is that it also brings up the ambient temperature of everything inside of your case as well. Something I'm not a huge fan of. If you can hold out for a non-reference r9 290, that would be the best option.

 

[monsta]

The problem is that it is quite loud, the fan has to run at a high speed due to the high temps , which is the draw back and it raises the temps in your case.
If you really want the 290 it would be worth waiting for the non reference models. I just don't like noisy pc's, its a personal preference really so it depends if you are ok with it.
The GTX 780 is a great card for $500, if you want high performance without the heat and noise.

 

[cookybiscuit]

Thank you for the fast response. I'm aware the 290 runs hot, but is there any negative effects of this? If it's built to run around 90 degrees celcius, why should it be a problem if it does?

The problem of it running hot is that its also extremely loud. If it were to run at 80C and be loud, you could turn down the fans so it would be quiet, and let it run at 95C. It's right on the edge of its thermal limits and still loud, not worth buying in my opinion.

If you want comparable performance without the noise, as others have said take a look at the 780.

 

[helmut4lyfe]

Performance wise, how does the 780 compare with the 290x? It's to my understanding that the 290x is basically a "fixed" 290 with a proper heat management.

 

[monsta]

Here is a good review of the 290, 290X and 780 benches, in the end the 780 beats them when they are all overclocked, without the heat and noise issues

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9k5_f_gsxJw

 

[cookybiscuit]

290X uses the same cooler, it's still a leafblower.

 

[17seconds]

Quotes:
"Please note that the dBA scale is not linear but logarithmic. 40 dBA is not twice as loud as 20 dBA, as a 3 dBA increase results in double the sound pressure. The human hearing perception is a bit different, and it is generally accepted that a 10 dBA increase doubles the perceived sound level.

As soon as you play any games on the card, though, the experience becomes extremely noisy. The card's noise will overpower any other component and possibly your game's audio; that is, unless you play with headphones or increase the volume.

AMD released a second driver, which we used, after the initial driver provided to reviewers. It yields additional performance to beat the GTX 780 by increasing maximum fan speed from 40% to 47%. The fan is unfortunately also much noisier, so much so that noise output might actually turn into a real dealbreaker for many."
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/R9_290/25.html