Choose the best GTX 780

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FlyerDragon

FlyerDragon

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Oct 19, 2013
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Hi guys,
I've been thinking about an upgrade for my old graphic card since few months and I'm going to decide soon. However before making this big money commitment, I'd like to hear your opinion.

I've waited because I wanted to see how Mantle performed, since Battlefield 4 is one of the game I play the most, however it doesn't seem to be a huge deal.

Here are the things you should consider:
1) NOISE is a huge concern for me, I don't want a jet in my case and neither an irritating video card suffering from COIL WHINE.

2) I live in Italy and prices follow a 1$ = 1€ trend despite the official change, moreover I cannot buy from USA because i have to pay a 21-22% tax which makes it unconvenient for purchases above 100-130$. I don't want to spend more than 450€, 500€ at the most.

3) I'd like to upgrade my monitor in the future, I'll go either with an higher resolution 60Hz monitor, or with a 1080p 120Hz. In both cases I'll keep my current monitor and run a dual monitor setup, but I don't intend to use it for gaming purposes.

4) My computer specs:
Intel Core i5-2500K
Asus P8P67 PRO Rev3.1
Corsair XMS3 DDR3 3x2Gb
Ati Sapphire HD 5770
Kingston SSD 64Gb (OS)
Samsung EVO 120GB (Games)
WesternDigital HD 300Gb (Media and other games)
XFX 850W Bronze 80+
LG Flatron W2253V 23'' 1920x1080

And here are my thoughts, please DO comment them!
- R9 290x is out of my price budget and seems to perform like the GTX 780 while running a bit hotter and being much more noisy.
- R9 290 could be considered for the price, but should be worse than the GTX 780.
- GTX 770 is a very good price/performance deal, but the lightning edition costs like a Gigabyte GTX 780.
- GTX 780 Ti is out of range.

These consideration made me consider the GTX 780 as a good choice. About the possible versions: keep in mind that the noise is my first concern.
- MSI Twin Frozr 3GB = 445€
- Asus DirectCU II OC 3GB = 425€
- Gigabyte Windforce OC 3GB = 430€
- EVGA ACX Cooler Superclocked 3GB = 475€

What are your thoughts? What would you suggest me?
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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Oct 9, 2006
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Since you are on a budget, I think a GTX770 superclock would be a good upgrade.
It will run any 1080P monitor well, and is a significant upgrade over a 5770.

The R9 cards are overpriced, at least in the US because of the bitcoin mining demand. They also run hotter and noisier at full load.

If a GTX780 is within your price range, by all means go for it.
I have never regretted an expensive graphics upgrade.
Not getting enough has been more of a regret.

I like the stock titan cooler versions from EVGA. They keep your case cooler and are largely inaudible.
You will get fair value from the slight price premium of a superclock version.

I have no problems with both a 2560 x 1600 monitor and a side 1920 x 1200 monitor.
 
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Eladku

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Mar 8, 2014
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I face almost the exact same decision :) wanting to upgrade my card and I narrowed it down to either Gigabyte GTX780 OC 3GB GDDR5 (Windforce) or the Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 OC 4GB GDDR5 (Windforce)

Price difference is negligible

It seems to me that mantle would tip the balance in favor of the r9. I'm planning this with Star Citizen in mind btw...
 
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alannm37

alannm37

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Mar 7, 2013
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Go for the MSI Twin Frozr 3GB, would be the coolest option in terms of temperatures and if you want to Superclock it like the EVGA, then you can by using the Software that will come with the MSI Graphics Card. (Even though I see no need to).

Source: Experience.
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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Oct 9, 2006
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Performance is similar if you let the R9 run with a high fan speed which will be noisy.
Otherwise it will downclock and you will get less performance than advertised.
The heat issue is why all the R9 cards have non stock coolers.
The bitcoin miners is why they are currently expensive.
The GTX780 will run cooler and quieter.

And... ignore mantle. I think it is a smokescreen. I see no reason for adding to the difficulty of programming by enhancing low level code. Even if it is effective, the benefits do not accrue to those with decent quad cpu's like you would use with a GTX780 or r90290x. The benefits show up on less capable cpu's which is why AMD is pushing it.

 
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Eladku

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Mar 8, 2014
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The thing is.... my CPU is ~ 4 years old. i7, though, but last gen.

I don't remember the exact model, I'll check when I get back home.

This is probably why my system will benefit the r9 mantle.


p.s.

I'm thinking about the 290 OC, not the 290X OC
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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Oct 9, 2006
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Your cpu will not benefit from mantle.
Your 2500K is within 20% of the capability of the newest i5-4670K, arguably the best gaming cpu chip available today.

On a single 1080P monitor, you will be very pleased with a GTX770. I have no problem with going stronger, but it would not seem necessary. Go stronger if budget is not a problem. You will get a massive jump over a 5770.

If you are a die hard AMD fan, then by all means go with a card like the comparably performing R9-280X.
The R9-280X will win you average FPS benchmarks. The downside will be noisier operation and more heat. Possibly more inconsistent frame rates as the card tries to balance heat vs. performance.
Most like the nvidia drivers better. It has been a while that I have use amd graphics, so I can't personally comment and I assume the drivers have improved since then.

Look for some reviews of the R9-280X vs. GTX770. Review sites have better means to do a valid comparison.
 
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nikoli707

nikoli707

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Jan 4, 2012
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the asus dc2 has a digi+asp1212 voltage controller and is completely locked. the msi tf3 780 uses elpida memory that doesn't overclock well. the gigabyte wf3 780 has an ncp4208 voltage controller and is very good compared to the evga acx 780's stock ncp4206 which is also good. like said above, the evga classified is by far the "best" but out of your price range.

i personally would go with the evga if all things are equal. if your never going to overclock, the get whichever one is cheaper which in this case is the asus. if your going to overclock, the gigabyte is the better out of the bunch and has the most air flow capability but not necessarily the quietest. the msi twin frozr and the asus are the quietest... but mainly because they are clocked the lowest out of the bunch and create less heat in turn so the fan speed isn't automatically higher.
 
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FlyerDragon

FlyerDragon

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Oct 19, 2013
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I'm planning to buy a GTX 780, but I still have doubts on which brand get. As you said the cooler comparison should be done with all the cards running at the same frequency and with the same load, but I don't think that something so specific can actually be found.

Can you link me some fair benchmark to take the decision?
 
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nikoli707

nikoli707

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techpowerup.com has a review for each of the cards you are looking at, although like said, these cards are clocked differently and since higher clocks/higher voltage creates more heat and load on the fans. to be honest, all those cards should be able to overclock to about 1200mhz core at the very least. thats what i would call a modest overclock. if you don't plan on going any higher than that, or at all… just get whatever card is quietest and cheapest.
 
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