MSI 290X Lightning or Sapphire 290x Tri-X? Or maybe Gigabyte 780ti Windforce OC

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KingFerp

KingFerp

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May 10, 2013
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Hi community.

I am buying a new GPU soon. I am able to buy the Sapphire for 514.98 EUR (that's 430.62 GBP and 716.03 USD) and the MSI I can get for 583.70 EUR (that's 488.08 GBP and 811.58 USD).

Now my question to you guys is:
Is the extra 70 EUR worth the extra perfomance the MSI lighting supposedly gives?

To complicate the matter I am wondering if the Gigabyte might also be a viable option because I can get that one for about 30 EUR more than the MSI (100 more than the Sapphire).

Please help me resolve this tiny crisis I'm in :). Thank you.
 
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Davil

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Ok first here are some benchmarks that should help you see the differences and ultimately base your decision off of.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-780-ti-review-benchmarks,3663-9.html

Now for my recommendation, I would say the windforce is going to be the best option here because it's going to be cooler, quieter, and faster than the other options. It's a stock overclocked chip so that means you're already getting a better binned chip to start with, but you're getting the benefits of a stable overclock to start off. Also the cooler will be significantly quieter than any of the 290x options which is a big selling point for me. Keeping it cool is also pretty important for performance since the hotter a card gets the slower it's going to go so windforce will win again. If money is not the problem definitely the gigabyte, otherwise choose the MSI or even look at the ASUS models which while they don't come pre-overclocked they still are a pretty quality part you can overclock yourself easily and it's like $100 cheaper than the MSI.

Keep in mind you are paying a premium for overclocking which should be a free upgrade so take that for what it's worth.
 
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Davil

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I wouldn't say that at all, you could realistically overclock any of the other GTX 780 ti's yourself and get the same performance for less than you'd pay for a windforce or the lightning. Like I said the extra 100 is essentially a premium for them overclocking it for you which is something you can do with free software that comes with just about every card.

The ASUS card i mentioned is here

And if you look it has only an 80mhz slower clock speed than the other ones you mentioned, so that's really not worth $100 more.
 
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KingFerp

KingFerp

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May 10, 2013
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So you are saying that any 290X and any 780ti is the same? and there wouldn't be a difference in performance between the two 290Xs or the two 780ti's as long as I overclock them?
 
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KingFerp

KingFerp

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May 10, 2013
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I know that the stock 780ti outperforms the stock 290x. But I am looking for someone who would have had dealings with any of these specific cards so someone who would have tested the MSI 290x Lightning and the the Sapphire 290x tri-x and who can tell me that the quiter and cooler MSI is worth the 70 extra euros.
 
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Davil

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Yes, they are essentially the same. The only difference between a card like the windforce and a completely reference card is the cooler. Paying more for the windforce is essentially paying for the cooler because the extra 80mhz on the clock speed isn't going to make really any difference and is something you could do on your own anyway. As far as the loudness yea it's quieter. I don't have any actual decibel references but it's probably at least 3db because it's noticeably cooler. However you could always get an aftermarket cooler for about any card and you'd be set. So the extra money is paying for a cooler and a slight overclock. I've bought a lot of OC edition cards in my time and I can tell you it's generally a waste of money.
 
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KingFerp

KingFerp

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May 10, 2013
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Well I guess you haven't seen this then?
Yesterday night I have done some more research on overclock.net and I have come to the conclusion that the MSI is definitely a better choice for me. I thank you for your trouble though :)
If you are curious as to how I made up my mind, read these two threads, this one and this one

Yet again thank you for your troubles
 
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Davil

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Well before you make up your mind too much I'd recommend reading the whole thread. They managed to overclock it to just under what the 780ti does by default which is not really that impressive. Most of the people in the thread are actually all saying, yea not impressive at all. You seem dead set on it though, so I don't see why you asked in the first place to be honest.
 
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