R9 280x worth the wait? Or should i go for gtx 770

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Jens123

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Jan 9, 2014
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Hi,

I've ordered a new pc a few weeks ago (18 december to be precise) but the graphics card i ordered was out of stock (His RADEON R9 280X iPower IceQ X2). Now, i've been waiting for a few weeks already and just got news that there is still no estimated date of arrival.

Now there are 2 other cards back in stock: xfx 280x double dissapation (wich is a lot noisier under load than the HIS model) and the club 3d royalqueen (lower clock speeds).

Now i'm at a crossroad: either i buy one of the available cards, or i wait for the model i ordered.

I'm getting kind of impatient since i'm already waiting more than 20 days, so i've been considering a gtx 770 as an alternative. But i'm kind of worried that the 2gb vram will be a bottleneck in the near future.

Now my actual question:

I will be gaming on a single monitor at 1080p, most likely my 42 inch TV.

What would you guys do:

a) wait another few weeks for the model i ordered

b) buy one of the available models from XFX or club 3 D (if so wich one and why)

c) buy a gtx 770 if so, wich one would you recommend from this list:
Gainward gtx 770 phantom (2gb)
inno3D gtx 770
palit gtx 770
ASUS GeForce® GTX 770 DirectCU II OC

temps and noise are more important than 2-5 extra fps. These are the only options available at the store i'm buying the other parts, they are 25€ more expensive than HIS 280x (full list here: http://www.power4pc.be/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=gtx%20770&page=1&sort=5a but i would only buy a more expensive one if its worth it)

How likely is it that the 2gb vram will be a bottleneck by the end of 2014? I'm trying to futureproof as much as possible, hence the reason i went with the r 280x. i've been reading that some games already need more than 2gb vram in some conditions.

Any advice would be aprreciated!
 
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AlexSmith96

AlexSmith96

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No, the 770 will not be bottlenecked, at least 3-4 years in future. But the stock 770 has 3 gb of memory. I think you might be mistaken.Even,The extra memory only matters if you're playing at higher resolutions(2560x1440 or 4k) or using multi monitor setup.
As per my choice, I will buy the GTX 770 ,as its performance is 4% better than R9 280x (source: game-debate.com) My Choice- GTX 770 Direct CU II by ASUS (as asus's cooler is the best cooler around)
Lets compare :
R9 280x vs 770
In terms of overall gaming performance, the graphical capabilities of the Nvidia GeForce GTX 770 are marginally better than the AMD Radeon R9 280X.The GeForce GTX 770 has a 196 MHz higher core clock speed but fewer Texture Mapping Units than the Radeon R9 280X.altogether the GeForce GTX 770 manages to provide 25.1 GTexel/s better texturing performance. The GeForce GTX 770 has a 196 MHz higher core clock speed than the Radeon R9 280X and the same number of Render Output Units. This results in the GeForce GTX 770 providing 6.3 GPixel/s better pixeling performance.
Therefore, 770 is better and is worth buying.
 
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B

bnn

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buy the 280x toxic it outperforms 770 and is only slightly slower than a 780 and cost a lot less!! don't listen to nvidia fanboys they will always praise their own stuff even when the opposit is true, no offense :)
 
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Trimax

Trimax

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The R9 series card has massive heating problems they run at like 95dergrees that's not healthy for the GPU or the rest of your rig. The 770 runs at under 70 degrees in my rig on 100% and I use stock cooling I just have good airflow throughout my system!

The GTX 770 is like 5 fps slower in some games It's back and fourth. Nvidia also has CUDA so is better for rendering!

I would rather spend an extra £30 and get the better card ;)
 
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bnn

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95 degrees? interesting considering my toxic run 67 degrees under full load :) unless you have actually tried an R9 it's bullshit talk you heard from others, just like benchmarks, in benchmarks R9 280x is suppose to have 45fps on max settings in BF4 yet i have between 90-130fps on same settings they use for bench (ultra msaax4 1920x1080), benchmark and reviews are all misleading and useless :) and with Mantle coming soon it's gonna get even better :)
 
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Trimax

Trimax

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I want to see if before I believe it ... :sarcastic:
 
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GameOfMoans

GameOfMoans

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I would urge you to wait for the card you want, than settle....I've had both Radeon and GTX cards...and I've settle with Nvidia because they run cooler and I love the new shadow play for recording game play....does a nicer job than FRAPS.....and dunno for me Nvidia cards just seem to work better with Intel CPUs !!!1
 
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L

Lethal-Injection

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Not to mention the new mantle api from amd looks promising. At CES they said you get a 45% increase in performance in Battlefield 4 (patch for it on the way) and 20 upcoming games are already in development using it.
 
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Pr3di

Pr3di

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Sorry for the expression, but... are you crazy or something? Please refer to the R9 290x stock if you want to make this affirmation regarding the 95C.

My R9 280x Matrix never passes 75C why playing BF3 or BF4 on Ultra at 1080p.

@OP, what do you plan to play? I get about 1.8 Gb of RAM usage in BF3, didn`t check in BF4, so I could not state that 2Gb of VRAM will be enough for the next 3-4 years like others here do.

Please search competent comparisons between the two, because it seems that you get very subjective opinions around here.
Also, think about the price difference, and try to go for one of the well known manufacturers, like EVGA, Sapphire, Asus, MSI, Gigabyte.
 
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Jens123

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thanks for the replies so far!

@alexsmith96: where do you find gtx 770 with 3gb vram? All the versions i saw are 2gb or 4gb.
The performance difference between the 280x series and the gtx 770 doesn't really matter to me, since different cards perform different.

I think i read somewhere that certain games already dip into 2.2gb of vram on single monitor, not sure if its correct. But heavy AA and other stuff uses vram too, not only the resolution (iirc)

My options for 280x models is very limited. Every webstore i tried in my country (or holland) don't have them in stock and most don't have an estimated date of arival, making me believe it could be a decent while before they are available.

@bnn: i didn't go for the toxic card since its a little noisy under load. Went with the HIS edition (or would like the asus dcu2 top) since they are cool and quiet. Both don't go over 63°C under load.

@trimax: i don't know wich 280x card you are referring too, but the models i would like (and that have been out of stock for nearly a month) run @ 63°c tops under 100% load. So if that is the only thing why you recommend the gtx 770, do you still feel its a superior card, even with only 2gb vram?

@gameofmoans: what do you mean with settle? If i'm waiting for the 280x (for 2,3 weeks?) thats the card i'm going to get. How hot does your 770 run? Cuz like i said, in reviews both the asus 280x top en the his 280x only go o around 60°C.

what i need to know is: do you think 2gb of vram will be sufficient? Like pre3di said, bf 3 already goes up to 1.8gb. I plan to play bf4, some free fps and new releases, thats why i want to futureproof at least a little. I'm wondering if i do this by going for a 280x 3gb chip or with a slightly faster 770. Ram or speed, wich is more important.
For those recommending the 770, opinions on these cards:
Gainward gtx 770 phantom (2gb)
inno3D gtx 770
palit gtx 770
ASUS GeForce® GTX 770 DirectCU II OC
wich would you pick?
 
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Trimax

Trimax

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I feel you should go for the card. It's a excellent card for performance and for temperatures at load and is also future proof. You should be able to get it somewhere online.
If I was you I would get the Gigabyte GTX 770 2GB card. (It has the best cooling in my opinion)
 
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bnn

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toxic isn't noisy? i can't even hear it under load, where did you get that false information from :)
 
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Amangoel23

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As A proud owner of the msi r9 280x,I must say this card is an absolute beast.It can run any game out there at maximum settings with an exception of few(metro last light,etc)In Most of the modern fps games,the r9 280x will suit you better at 1080p.In games like bioshock infinite,metro last light the obvious winner will be gtx 770 due to its physix.As far as the temperature goes both of them avgs around the same with the aftermarket brands(evga,msi,gigabyte etc).For the noises you will have to find it out on your own as each model has different fans and cooling heat pipes which differs in noise and heat level.
 
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Pr3di

Pr3di

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Well, now that I noticed how much VRAM BF3 needs, I would in no way buy a 2Gb card for gaming if I had to choose again.
Also, regarding the temps, for me it`s a bit higher because I`m using a Small Form Factor build, and the parts are kinda cramped in there.

At the same time, if you will not void the waranty, and want to do this, you can change the thermal paste on the GPU, because quite a lot of them have badly applied TIM, which will take you a bit lower still with the temperature.

If you have available, and with no big price difference, you could go for a GTX 770 4Gb.
Still, wait a bit and see also what Mantle brigs to the table, as you might want to be taking advantage of it with AMD cards.
 
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Jens123

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@ bnn, noisy might be an overstatement, but http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-r9-280x-third-party-round-up,3655-5.html says its about 8db louder than the cards i'm interested in. This is not a big deal, but would still make it the loudest component in the config i'm building.

pr3di: one thing im confused about is if 4gb cards are worth it for the 770. I've been reading (conflicting) information about how the 256bit bus limits the amount of ram you can effectivly use, and that the 770gtx will run out of horsepower before it ever uses 4gb. Any input?
 
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Pr3di

Pr3di

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@Jens123, you are correct about the 4Gb and the bus.
You will not be using the 4Gb most likely, it will just allow you not to hit the wall at 2Gb.
I just wanted you to know both options.

What I would do (and did) is go for R9 280x.
I`m not regretting it one bit.
 
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Jens123

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i would love to wait a little longer, but as things are looking now, the only available cards (until february) are the 280x royalqueen (slower than most 280x) and the xfx wich is 50db at load, wich is a little noisy for my taste.

wonderin if i should end the waiting and go for the xfx model and deal with the noise, go with the 770 gtx and hope the 2gb cap doesnt limit me. Can't justify a gtx 770 4gb since its €75 more expensive than my current card, and 350€+ brings me awfull close to the cheapest r9 290, wich performs way better (but is a noisy and hot card)
 
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Pr3di

Pr3di

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Well, since a lot more green fanboys seem to be on the forum than the red ones, I did notice a lot of the green ones spread false accusations towards AMD GPU`s. You can see this even in this thread:
3Gb 770`s
R9 280x at 95 degrees Celsius
2Gb 770`s are future-proof for next 3-4 years

Really, I`m not a fanboy even if I`m an AMD owner since recently, but all this lying has to stop. Talking s*** about AMD just to prove that Nvidia rules and they made a good choice buying an Nvidia GPU.
Un-biased members are a rarity on this forum.
 
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Mousemonkey

Mousemonkey

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I think there are more of these members on the forums than people realise.
 
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GameOfMoans

GameOfMoans

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Well I have flipped between AMD and Nvidia over the years and I just want the best card to suit my purposes. The AMD cards DO run hotter, so I installed 2 case fans on my door, that sucks in air from ourside and directly onto the GPU's when I had 2 7870s...worked well. I've just changed to a GTX 780Ti, and it is a beast...if AMD are better when I have funds to upgrade, I'll flip back.

At the end of the day, you'll get a good gaming experience with both brands....you're splitting hairs to pull out a clear winner.....as long as you get a good gaming experience, then who cares if it's AMD or Nvidia, I don't !!!!

I am also into Photography and you get the same fanboy arguments about Canon vs Nikon......back in my School days it was Atari ST vs Amiga 500.....Zzzzzzzzzz

 
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