Need Advice on Radeon R9 290 (290X) vs. GTX 770 (780)

DrSmitty · Jul 1, 2014

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: The closer the better, i hope to purchase within 10 days

BUDGET RANGE: USD 400$ After Rebates (may be willing to stretch and extra $50)

USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Intense Gaming (Max graphics @ 1080p) FPS, RTS, MMORPG, RPG games such as Battlefield series, COD series, Diablo 3, Metro last light, and Bioshock Series. Recording gameplay at good frames and not much lag. Small game server and web page hosting (nothing to major just small game servers for friends and web page server support for coding). Video Editing/ Rendering and Programming/Debugging (nothing to intense just casual editing, coding/debugging and rendering at good to decent speeds). Watching and Streaming Movies

CURRENT GPU AND POWER SUPPLY: Current GPU- EVGA nVidia GeForce GTX 570
Current PSU- Thermaltake Toughpower TP-1350M 1350W ATX 12v v2.3 (80 Plus Silver)

OTHER RELEVANT SYSTEM SPECS:
CPU- Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000
Motherboard- ASUS P8Z77-V
Memory (RAM)- G. Skill Ripjawz Z Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2400 (PC3 19200) Destop Memory Model F3-2400C10D-8GHZ
Case- NZXT Guardian 921 RB 921RB-001-BL Black SECC steel chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case (Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM)
Cooling- COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU cooler Compatible Intel

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com, tigerdirect.com, amazon.com, ncixus.com (What ever you recommend, not very certain of good sites for parts so im open to new websites) (I also live in the U.S.)

PARTS PREFERENCES: I like Nvidia at the moment because of there awesome software but still do not know if AMD or Nvidia cards are better (open to suggestions with reasons). I do like Gigabyte Windforce 3x, EVGA, Sapphire, PNY, and MSI Twin Frozr (once again, since i know very little about these models, i am open to all suggestions with reasons)

OVERCLOCKING: Yes

SLI or CROSSFIRE: Maybe

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080 (60Hz)

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I want this card to last me a good time period and plan to play games at max graphics with smooth framerate @ 1080p (no higher). Giftcards / Promotional Deals and Free shipping are good extras but are not necessary.

DECENT DEALS IM LOOKING AT:
MSI GeForce GTX 770 OC Twin Frozr IV 1098/1150MHZ 2GB 7GHZ GDDR5 2xDVI HDMI DP PCI-E 3.0 Video Card - See more at: http://www.ncixus.com/products/?sku=84358&vpn=N770%20TF%202GD5%2FOC&manufacture=MSI&promoid=1226#sthash.hSgCVglm.dpuf

PNY VCGGTX7704XPB-OC2 GeForce GTX 770 4GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 SLI Support Video Card - See more at: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133499

GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 770 GV-N770OC-4GD 4GB GDDR5, PCI-Express 3.0 (x16), Overclocked - See more at: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=8680807&csid=_61&rrpl=item_page.content1&rrstr=ClickCP&rrindex=4

Zotac ZT-70304-10P GeForce GTX 770 Graphic Card - 1059 MHz Core - 4 GB GDDR5 SDRAM - PCI Express 3.0 - 7010 MHz Memory Clock - 2560 x 1600 - SLI - Fan Cooler - DirectX 11.1, OpenGL 4.3 - HDMI - DisplayPort - DVI - See more at: http://www.nextwarehouse.com/item/?1424815_P:SP

SAPPHIRE TRI-X OC 100362-2SR Radeon R9 290 4GB 512-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 Video Card - See more at: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202080&cm_re=r9_290-_-14-202-080-_-Product

GIGABYTE GV-R929WF3-4GD Radeon R9 290 4GB 512-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 HDCP Ready Video Card - See more at: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125505&cm_re=r9_290-_-14-125-505-_-Product

GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 770 GV-N770OC-2GD 2GB GDDR5, PCI-Express 3.0 (x16), Overclocked - See more at: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=8680808&CatId=7387

Asus GeForce GTX 770 OC Video Card - 2GB GDDR5, PCI-Express 3.0 (x16), 1x Dual-Link DVI-D, 1x Dual-Link DVI-I, 1x DisplayPort, 1x HDMI, DirectX 11, SLI Ready, Dual-Slot, Fan, - GTX770-DC2OC-2GD5 - See more at: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=8245492&CatId=7387

MSI Geforce GTX 770 Video Card - 2GB GDDR5, PCI-Express 3.0 (x16), 1x Dual-Link DVI-D, 1x Dual-Link DVI-I, 1x DisplayPort, 1x HDMI, DirectX 11.1, SLI, Dual-Slot, Fan, (N770 TF 2GD5/OC) - See more at: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=8201546&CatId=7387

Gigabyte GV-N780OC-3GD (rev. 2.0) - Graphics card - GF GTX 780 - 3 GB GDDR5 - PCI Express 3.0 x16 - 2 x DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort - See more at: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=8514969&CatId=28

ASUS GTX780-DC2OC-3GD5 GeForce GTX 780 3GB 384-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - See more at: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121779R&cm_re=gtx_780-_-14-121-779R-_-Product

kalijaga · Jul 1, 2014

Get a 290 or 290x with a good cooler from a known brand, I think you will be happy. I suggest MSI twin frozr as it is the cheapest around my place.

DrSmitty · Jul 1, 2014

kalijaga :

Do you think that 4GB of VRAM is necessary for 1080p Max settings? Plus is the 290/290X have better performance compared to a GTX 770 with 4GB of VRAM?

kalijaga · Jul 1, 2014

performance of the 290x will be better than 770 or even 780. The 4GB will come in handy for newer games. As you said, you want something to last a bit longer.
Just my feeling....

grimmjow660 · Jul 1, 2014

Yea I plan to get the R9 290 Sapphire Vapor X. It's as good as the 780 but cheaper and has an extra gig of ram.

DrSmitty · Jul 1, 2014

Okay, any other suggestions? Will the Radeon R9 290 or 290X be able to handle the usage i have described above? Also is the rest of my setup compatible with the graphics cards that are listed?

jtledoux · Jul 1, 2014

DrSmitty :

The 290X will be able to handle all you mentioned above, and may even be overkill for 1080p. One thing you should pay attention to is that the 290X cards are very noisy and power hungry even on manufacture custom cooled cards. The fans blair on this card when under decent load, so much so that i can be unpleasant. Now this may not be an issue with 1080p, but thought i should warn you anyways. If you get one you could always water cool it later if you would like.

The 780 is a great quite card. It is extremely powerful just like the 290X, though it is a lot quieter. This card will also handle everything you throw at it, and will work great up to 1440p by itself.

DrSmitty · Jul 1, 2014

jtledoux :

DrSmitty :

The 290X will be able to handle all you mentioned above, and may even be overkill for 1080p. One thing you should pay attention to is that the 290X cards are very noisy and power hungry even on manufacture custom cooled cards. The fans blair on this card when under decent load, so much so that i can be unpleasant. Now this may not be an issue with 1080p, but thought i should warn you anyways. If you get one you could always water cool it later if you would like.

The 780 is a great quite card. It is extremely powerful just like the 290X, though it is a lot quieter. This card will also handle everything you throw at it, and will work great up to 1440p by itself.

Can you recommend a certain model of the GTX 780 or the 290X?

jtledoux · Jul 1, 2014

DrSmitty :

EVGA is hands down the best card for the Nvidia GTX 780 series. I would recommend the one below with the ACX cooler on it.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CUIVSNS/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00CUIVSNS&linkCode=as2&tag=steam08-20&linkId=4DDYFCJMRD4NA4UE

For the AMD Cards I personally like MSI cards. They perform extremely well, and are decent at over clocking. Again almost every card is noisy in the 290X series, so if you are capable of installing it I would recommend water-cooling. Here is a nice MSI model.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HPS4AHE/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00HPS4AHE&linkCode=as2&tag=steam08-20&linkId=DQXHCWWMVFLUNXFU

If you are also interested in water-cooling i have a tutorial on my site below. It will add another $130 to your GPU, and it will void your warranty, but man do they run quite and cool after.

http://steamoctane.com/2014/07/water-cool-gpu/

DrSmitty · Jul 1, 2014

jtledoux :

Thank you sir on you advice. You have helped me alot with my GPU decision! I greatly apperciate your knowledge and insight, i will definetly be choosing the GTX 780, although im a bit tore on the price! i wish i could get the price down to 460 to 470 (USD). Would you recommend staying away from refurbished and open box models?

jtledoux · Jul 1, 2014

It depends on the retailer. If they offer a full warranty or a good return policy i would say go for it. I picked up 2 returned 290x's for around $380 each so i saved around $300 doing it. One suggestion is if you normally shop through amazon look at their warehouse deals on the GPU. That is basically just someone didn't like it and returned it, they tested it and passed and they resell it for cheeper. It is defiantly worth a look at.

DrSmitty · Jul 2, 2014

jtledoux :

Could you check these deals out and tell me if they are trustworthy or similar to a amazon warehouse deal?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487014&cm_re=gtx_780-_-14-487-014-_-Product
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487022&cm_re=gtx_780-_-14-487-022-_-Product
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487013&cm_re=gtx_780-_-14-487-013-_-Product
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487033&cm_re=gtx_780-_-14-487-033-_-Product

jtledoux · Jul 2, 2014

DrSmitty :

Refurbished units are fine as well. It basically means these cards were broken, Upgraded (through step up) or dead on arrival and returned to EVGA. EVGA has great support so i do not think you can go wrong buying a refurbished model from them.

DrSmitty · Jul 2, 2014

okay thanks for all your great help and advice!

DrSmitty · Jul 3, 2014

jtledoux :

DrSmitty :

Refurbished units are fine as well. It basically means these cards were broken, Upgraded (through step up) or dead on arrival and returned to EVGA. EVGA has great support so i do not think you can go wrong buying a refurbished model from them.

Will my cooling system and PSU be able to handle the Graphics card? also will this GPU be bottlenecked compared to my other specs?

kalijaga · Jul 3, 2014

The PSU you have should be more than enough even for 780s in SLI.
The CPU should be good enough for gaming, but even if you want to upgrade the system later, the two 780s can be used again int he new system.

Thanks.

DrSmitty · Jul 4, 2014

kalijaga :

What about my cooling system? will it handle the Graphics card at a decent temperature?

kalijaga · Jul 4, 2014

I have no experience with that case, but if it large enough for airflow, and enough intake and exhaust fans, you should be good to go.
I have cm hafX myself, and it is good enough for me.

DrSmitty · Jul 4, 2014

kalijaga :

well i have a total of 4 fans including the one on the cooler master heat-sink, not very sure if the airflow is good enough.Thats why im asking the community for help and advice

kalijaga · Jul 5, 2014

You should be okay then. I have to say sometimes it is very individual, in terms of cooling. I you have good airflow and low ambient temp, I feel you are good to go.

beninu · Aug 1, 2014

DrSmitty :

I agree that EVGA are one of the best solutions for GTX (nVidia) cards .... up until GTX680/690 and i always used them as they were the only ones that never crashed or malfunctioned on me. .... BUT!!! .....

In all burn-in and comparison tests it now seems that ASUS is the best card for GTX780Ti OC2 3GB cards. ASUS are absolutely alone with ntheir new cooling technology that are MUCH MORE silent and at the same time keeps on avg. a 40% cooler GPU. That was my reaon for choosing a setup w. 2 x GTX780Ti OC2 3GBDDR5 from ASUS in DUAL SLI configuration. They are so quiet combined with my cabinet with only SSD disk 4 x SAMSUNG EVO 840 1TB SSD (DATA) + 2 x SAMSUNG PRO 840 512GB (OS) and a Core i7 4760X @4.0GHz.

The only thing I regret is overkilling with the CPU. I could have saved 3-400$ buying the Core i7 4730K and it is still a 6 CORE/12 THREAD processor and the only difference is 12MB in sted of 15MB L2 Cache, and I would probably not notice any difference.

This setup runs as quiet as a small laptop, and the fan on the GPU cards never goes above lowest speed even on extreme gaming for hours. I've never tried anything like these ASUS GPUs before, and I've normally been a comlpletely devoted EVGA guy! But this is hands down the most quiet and coolest (litterally) solution I have ever seen during extreme gaming on some of the same games you mention and among other games, AC4, Max Payne 3, Watch Dogs (which is know to be notoriously hard on your GPU) and all runs at an extreme/ultimate setting on all settings and NO LAG whatsoever is experienced.

I believe you would be happy with whatever these other gentlemen have suggested as well, but I just thought I'd give you my experience to give you as much input as possible, in the case you haven't been buying anything yet. Otherwise I wish you all the best of joy with your new rig, and happy gaming.

Best Regards,

B. Andersen
DENMARK

Need Advice on Radeon R9 290 (290X) vs. GTX 770 (780)

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