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GTX to R9. Is this upgrade really worth the money? ..

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  • Gtx
  • Graphics
  • Graphics Cards
  • Geforce
  • Radeon
Last response: in Graphics & Displays
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July 31, 2014 2:31:57 PM

Hey, I'm looking to upgrade from my GTX 660 Ti 2GB GDDR5 to the new Radeon R9 280X. I've done quite a bit of research on the two cards and on paper (bench). It does look like a pretty significant improvement.

It's just the fact that some people are saying not to go with AMD due to crappy driver support etc etc. And if I'm gonna go spend over $300 for this card, I want to be damn sure that the difference will be noticeable to me.

I have an Intel i5 3570k OCd to 4.4Ghz, 8GB DDR3 and a Corsair 600W PSU.

First, is my power supply good enough for it and will I guaranteed see a noticeable improvement? Or is this upgrade not worth the $350-400 I'm gonna have to dish out..I need to be sure before spending that kind of money..

More about : gtx upgrade worth money

a b U Graphics card
July 31, 2014 2:40:11 PM

Well the 660TI ( have one) is plenty good enough at the moment, but it's not as powerful as the 280x. You should get the card, and a Corsair 600W should be fine, but there are better options out there like EVGA or Seasonic. You should see an improvement in games that are GPU intensive, but you may not see as big a difference in games that you can already max out that are CPU intensive.
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a b U Graphics card
July 31, 2014 2:41:19 PM

I'd say try increasing you budget another $20 or so and get the GTX 770. It's fantastic and beats the R9 280X in most every game, plus you don't have to feel shy about driver support (though AMD driver support is far better than it used to be, from what I hear). It's only $320 USD.
http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=GA-N770O2G&c=C...

UPDATE: Yes, you'll also see a considerable improvement, and you have plenty of wattage overhead -- almost 200 W of overhead to be precise.

Source: http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.js...
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July 31, 2014 2:44:08 PM

Most 280x are around $300 but if you're willing to go up to $400 and dont feel like switching manufacturers get a 770. The only problem is that the X versions of AMD cards are known to occasionally get artifacts. I have a 280x myself and have never experienced this but there are people who have and thats one major turnoff people have along with the cards running hotter.

If your PSU isnt a CX series then it should be fine, if not then CX series are tier 3 and are poorly made and should not be put in gaming rigs theyre for office builds. So long as you dont OC since thats were the CX series tend to give up then you should be fine putting this card in. Improvement side of things im not 100% sure, I never had a 600 series card but from what I could find a 660 performs around the same as a 750 ti which gets left in the dust by a 280x
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July 31, 2014 2:52:49 PM

i would recomend the 280x that your chosing over the gtx 770 due solely for the 3Gb vs 2Gb, new games are requiring over 2Gb more and more, for future prof you will be better surved with the amd, nvidea alwaws cheap out on vram forcing an earlier update
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a b U Graphics card
July 31, 2014 2:54:13 PM

or better yet, don't upgrade at all, and wait for the new 800 series of NVidia to come out. As soon as one releases, it's 700 series counterpart will drop like a brick in price.
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a b U Graphics card
July 31, 2014 2:57:25 PM

Deus Gladiorum said:
I'd say try increasing you budget another $20 or so and get the GTX 770. It's fantastic and beats the R9 280X in most every game, plus you don't have to feel shy about driver support (though AMD driver support is far better than it used to be, from what I hear). It's only $320 USD.
http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=GA-N770O2G&c=C...

UPDATE: Yes, you'll also see a considerable improvement, and you have plenty of wattage overhead -- almost 200 W of overhead to be precise.

Source: http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.js...


I agree with this. :) 

Shadowblade also has a good point, if you can wait until around November you could pick up a brand shiny new GTX 860 or a GTX 770 for cheap. :) 
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July 31, 2014 3:57:45 PM

xTempered said:
Most 280x are around $300 but if you're willing to go up to $400 and dont feel like switching manufacturers get a 770. The only problem is that the X versions of AMD cards are known to occasionally get artifacts. I have a 280x myself and have never experienced this but there are people who have and thats one major turnoff people have along with the cards running hotter.

If your PSU isnt a CX series then it should be fine, if not then CX series are tier 3 and are poorly made and should not be put in gaming rigs theyre for office builds. So long as you dont OC since thats were the CX series tend to give up then you should be fine putting this card in. Improvement side of things im not 100% sure, I never had a 600 series card but from what I could find a 660 performs around the same as a 750 ti which gets left in the dust by a 280x


Shadowblade2652 said:
or better yet, don't upgrade at all, and wait for the new 800 series of NVidia to come out. As soon as one releases, it's 700 series counterpart will drop like a brick in price.


My 660 Ti Overclocked Performs about on par with a stock 670, Which performs the same as the 760 etc etc. So all that money spent would be the difference between the 760 and the 770. I think I'll take your advice and wait for the 8 series to come out, Not only that, will give me some extra paychecks in the meantime and by the time they do, I can drop enough to pull of the 870 or at least, the 860. Thanks for the help guys, I had no idea the 8 series release was so close. I'm gonna wait it out and get an 860 or 770 when the price drops. Thanks for all the replies and help, you guys know your stuff.
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July 31, 2014 6:56:20 PM

The 800 series cards aren't too close. Nvidia stated that the soonest Possible release date would be Q4 this year and that would be if they went without any problems. Realistically you should expect the next series cards to come out late Q1 2015- early Q2 2015
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a b U Graphics card
July 31, 2014 7:01:19 PM

xTempered said:
The 800 series cards aren't too close. Nvidia stated that the soonest Possible release date would be Q4 this year and that would be if they went without any problems. Realistically you should expect the next series cards to come out late Q1 2015- early Q2 2015


I disagree. We should see them out before the end of the year, or even in November if we're lucky.
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