What should I upgrade my Graphics Card to?

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unklej

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Dec 28, 2013
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I am looking tp upgrade my graphics card from my 7970 as games like Crysis 3 are killing me. When I play Crysis 3 with the advanced graphics on High/Very High I get 29-30fps with dips and it just doesn't "feel" great. When I stick it on Medium I get a solid 60fps but it doesn't look all that great and it is starting to annoy me so ... Is it time to upgrade?

My rig:

I7-3770k OC'ed to 4.2ghz
16GB RAM
Radeon HD7970 Ghz Ed.
2560x1440 monitor capped at 60fps

Thanks.
 
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Waghzufel

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Nov 28, 2013
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Hi,

If you do wish to upgrade, I suggest you get either a r9 290 or a r9 290/gtx 780 ti.
Those are the best gpus on the market.
Alternatively, you could buy a second hd 7970 and crossfire it with the other one. It does require a PSU of over 750W atleast however.
I would say go for a r9 290x HIS/MSI or ASUS version (it will cost somewhere around 520-560 dollars I believe).
Hope this helps^^
 
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unklej

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Dec 28, 2013
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Thanks for the reply. I understand the fundamentals of Crossfire but I am aware that 7970's are kinda expensive right now (around £250 for a used one) as Bitcoin/Litecoin is huge right now and these cards are great for it so I would rather spend the 300+ on a newer upgrade than pay £250 for a used one.

What are the big differences between the R9 290 and R9 290X? Apart from £120 ha
 
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Francisco Costa

Francisco Costa

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Nov 16, 2013
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Not much: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/R9_290/12.html
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/R9_290/18.html
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/R9_290/22.html
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/R9_290/14.html
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/R9_290/6.html
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/R9_290/16.html

The R9 290 is the high-end price/performance relation champion. I highly recommend it. But PLEASE buy one with a non-reference cooler because the AMD reference one is really really bad.
Get something like this when it gets available. And buy it fast because of all the bitcoin madness: http://www.anandtech.com/show/7601/sapphire-radeon-r9-290-review-our-first-custom-cooled-290
 
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unklej

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Dec 28, 2013
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Thanks for the help guys. I would probably go with the 290 as there doesn't look like much between them. My main concern is that the card runs at 95o ... Although AMD say that this won't affect the life of the card, don't you guys find that hard to believe? I REALLY wanna just jump in and cop it but I kinda need confirmation of this first as I don't wanna encounter any problems.

This one looks like it would provide sufficient cooling but it is an extra £150 ...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SAPPHIRE-TRI-X-OC-R9-290X-4GB-GDDR5-100361-2SR-Brand-New-Limited-Supply-/161184737633?pt=PCC_Video_TV_Cards&hash=item25875be961

Thoughts?
 
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Francisco Costa

Francisco Costa

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Nov 16, 2013
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Well, you need to get a non-reference cooler, because the reference is crap, but no one should pay that much for a cooler... Just wait a bit longer and they will hit the stores.
 
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unklej

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Dec 28, 2013
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Non-reference = Stock?

Excuse my lack of knowledge.

How long until the market is flooded with better cooled cards because there is like 1 on eBay?

 
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Francisco Costa

Francisco Costa

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No, non-reference is like the one on e-bay, is not the reference cooler made by AMD.
The problem is... the R9 290 is usually $400-420, but now, with the bitcoin madness, the cheapest one is like $500...
If you want to upgrade now, your best choice would be a GTX 770 or a GTX 780. If you're willing to wait a couple of months, then you should get an R9 290 for the regular price by then.
 
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auedawen

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Nov 2, 2011
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Well the biggest problem i see is that you're trying to power a QHD screen with only 1 card. You could get by playing most games at ultra, but games like Crysis are meant to destroy computers. 1440 will pay much require a second card. The 780ti would suffice for now, but you'll just run into another game next year that will be too much.

I'd buy a second 7970/280x. Your system will be more powerful that any single card set up and cost you 1/3 of the price of a new capable card
 
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Francisco Costa

Francisco Costa

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The problem is that Crossfire isn't known for its stability...

unklej, I'm so sorry I didn't remember your graphics card was a 7970 and you had a 1440p monitor... In that case, you either buy a 780 ti or another 7970/r9 280x. But as I said above, Crossfire configuration isn't very stable and you might need to buy a new PSU...
 
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unklej

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Dec 28, 2013
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I have a TX650 and as far as I am aware the R9 290 requires a 750w PSU or better? I don't really wanna go down the crossfire route as I have heard not so great things and I understand a whole new more powerful card would work better than crossfired cards? And also, on eBay right now, 2nd hand 7970's are going for £250 ... I paid £300 for mine around 6 months ago. That's CRAZY. All because of this Bitcoin, Lytecoin etc. madness. A reference cooler R9 290 (brand new) would cost me around £320 and if I sold my 7970 for around £250, that's only like 70 quid for an upgrade haha.

I would need to buy a new PSU, would this be easy to fit? I am a hardware newbie soz. Any recommendations? I am on a budget. Obv the cheaper the better.

Thanks for the help guys. It is appreciated.
 
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Francisco Costa

Francisco Costa

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No, that's a bad idea... Exclude the reference R9 290 option, the cooler is really bad... If you want a significant upgrade now, you're better off with the £550 780 ti. If you sell your 7970 for £250, that's a £300 investment.
 
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unklej

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Dec 28, 2013
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AMD have said that the 290 is fine running at 95o with load and it will not alter the life of the card but nearly every enthusiast on forums doubts it so I dunno what to do.

What about this then?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SAPPHIRE-TRI-X-OC-R9-290X-4GB-GDDR5-100361-2SR-Brand-New-Limited-Supply-/161184737633?pt=PCC_Video_TV_Cards&hash=item25875be961

Better than the 780ti and cheaper with sufficient cooling?
 
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Francisco Costa

Francisco Costa

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It's a bit overpriced in relation to the regular price, but if you want to upgrade now, then go for it
 
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unklej

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Dec 28, 2013
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It certainly is. I do want to upgrade right now but I am not willing to be ripped off, I will just have to be patient.

When do you estimate the market to be flooded with these cards with better cooling then?

 
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Francisco Costa

Francisco Costa

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That's a bit hard to predict... Maybe 1-2 months.
 
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cst1992

cst1992

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Nov 8, 2013
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The dip in the price of the bitcoin may be a good news for gamers.
The bad news is there are around 60 cryptocurrencies out there and people could switch to another one(although I'm not sure if all of them can be mined or just are meant for online transactions).
 
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