AMD vs NVIDIA

ben99 · Jul 24, 2014

Hey everyone, I've been on the fence on which GPU to buy. The three of these that I'm trying to decide between are the R9 290X (Gigabyte Windforce), 780 Ti (EVGA ACX SC), and the 780 (EVGA ACX SC). (Don't consider *the DIFFERENCE in* price, instead consider longevity, power consumption, and heat output)

So, including the overall power of these cards, the problem that really has me so conflicted is the software that these cards use. For instance, Nvidia has GPU Boost 2.0, and AMD has Mantle (though my CPU is fine so Mantle doesn't really matter to me), Nvidia's Geforce Experience, Nvidia's G Sync, etc.

So, with the cards and their software included, what would the best decision be?

Joseph DeGarmo · Jul 24, 2014

The GTX 780 Ti is the best overall. It's slightly faster than the R9-290x, runs cooler, and has a lot more features.

photonboy · Jul 24, 2014

NVidia.

Here is the EXACT card I recommend: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-03gp42884kr

Relative performance: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/EVGA/GTX_780_Ti_SC_ACX_Cooler/26.html

*It got the Editor's Choice here, and a 9.5/10 score.

(If you want the card quieter, or overclocked higher carefully adjust the profile for optimal results. This is likely a BINNED GPU so better on average than GPU's in lower-end models. I recommend keeping the default and slightly increasing the temp allowed to reduce fan noise.)

Jameson Clark · Jul 24, 2014

Pretty much the only reason for amd outside of price is the added VRAM, although there are nvidia cards with that as well for a bit higher price

photonboy · Jul 24, 2014

Jameson Clark :

Sure, but no benefit unless we're talking specific scenarios like TRIPLE MONITOR GAMING, but then you'd want a 2nd card.

BTW, I recommend the upcoming G-Sync Asus Swift monitor which is 27", 2560x1440 rather than 3x1080p but that's a different story.

As said, AMD's main "advantage" is Mantle however I'd far rather have the potential for G-Sync then any potential gains we'll see for Mantle and at this point Mantle is a fairly big unknown (and games take years to develop for).

SHADOWPLAY from NVidia:
I thought I should mention it. You can RECORD or STREAM games or desktop up to 2560x1440 60FPS and it works great. Minimal frame rate drop as it uses the NVENC hardware encoder. This will also allow more efficient streaming via SteamOS if you have a cheap PC hooked up to an HDTV to connect to your gaming rig. I tried SteamOS streaming but it needs some work. Will work great though.

GeForce Experience:
Don't use the automatic game settings. They are chosen to run at 40FPS with VSYNC OFF (can be higher if max settings already chosen and PC simply too powerful). That's arguably the "sweet spot" for many people especially if they don't know how to apply settings well. However, I found I could always do better myself.

For one thing, I prefer 60FPS with Adaptive VSync so I tweak towards that that. I also have a 2560x1440 monitor and it chose 2560x1440 for every game despite many looking almost the same at 1920x1080. So my resolution was high but then they might drop other quality settings. Anyway, not necessarily the best balance.

photonboy · Jul 24, 2014

GTX880 release date:

The latest rumor is that they will announce dates to come fairly soon after August 13rd. My opinion is that we'll see cards in Q4 2014 at the latest.

Having said that, I think these cards will be in very, very high demand so if the price is okay a Pre-order may be ideal such as through EVGA.

Pricing/performance:
Obviously I can't say but if pricing is reasonable then you would see either more performance at the same price, or else a QUIETER card at the same performance level as Maxwell is more power efficient.

I think it's at least worth waiting a little longer.

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AMD vs NVIDIA

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