Looking for a new video card

Rybo · Aug 14, 2014

So I'm looking for suggestions for a new video card. I'm stuck looking at mid end items around 200$ and less as my CPU will bottleneck for sure most of the GPUS. I have an i3 2130 and I already have plans of upgrading to an i5 in the next 3 months.
I'm currently looking at three cards.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202090
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202050
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127756
Any input is much appreciated!

TopLuca · Aug 14, 2014

The 270X probably is your best bet , however there's a deal on the 280X for 239.99 if you can afford it get it !

yoyodolo · Aug 14, 2014

buy SAPPHIRE Radeon R9 270X 2GB boost OC, this one is the best gpu in your mentioned gpus

Rybo · Aug 14, 2014

TopLuca :

I'd love to purchase that 280x, now I could actually afford it, problem is...... I only run a cx500 power supply so im limited with my options. And I can't purchase a psu and a 280x, more money than I have to spend right now.

Greybeard Croft · Aug 14, 2014

What is your budget?
You could grab a 280/280x and save having a low/mid end card with your i5.

photonboy · Aug 14, 2014

Rybo :

That PSU supports graphics cards up to 2x8-pin so it's not an issue. A GTX770 for example uses a 6-pin and 8-pin.

SUMMARY BENCHMARK for card performance:
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/R9_270X_Direct_Cu_II_TOP/26.html

The R9-280X is 27% faster than an R9-270X but proportionately more money (about $240 versus $160 for similar coolers). The XFX R9-270X seems a good value:
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-video-card-r9270xcdfc

Whereas the Asus R9-270X may cost more but it's got a better cooler and is overclocked about 10% higher in default: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-r9270xdc2t2gd5

CPU:
I recommend the i5-3570 since it can get 3.8GHz in Turbo. The i5-3570K is a little more but also needs a good cooler if overclocking as well as a motherboard that supports that so keep in mind.

JUICEhunter · Aug 14, 2014

I would up budget $20 for a 280(non x) which is a lot faster than all those cards, perfect for your PSU and also great with your i3 and/or i5 upgrade.

Greybeard Croft · Aug 14, 2014

^Agreed

photonboy · Aug 14, 2014

JUICEhunter :

The Gigabyte R9-280 seems a good choice at $200. It sits between the R9-270X and R9-280X:
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/6573/gigabyte-radeon-r9-280-windforce-3gb-oc-video-card-review/index9.html

It also has 3GB of VRAM for when/if this becomes an issue:
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-video-card-gvr928wf3oc3gd

I'm roughly estimating up to 20% better on average than an R9-270X of similar cooler but it's closer to $40 IMO if comparing similar quality cards.

So the VALUE appears to be roughly identical (20% higher cost and 20% better performance).

yoyodolo · Aug 14, 2014

r9 280x is overkill to your requirements, just grab r9 270x and you will never get disappointed also you can save some cash and it doesn't required bigger and costlier PSu .

Rybo · Aug 14, 2014

Thoughts on this? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150706
I'm curious do you know if this monster would fit inside a cooler master n200? I travel with my pc every month so the smaller pc chassis I have is nice, if worse comes to worse I can use my old thermaltake level 10 GTS

Rybo · Aug 14, 2014

If I do decide to go for the 280 it would take me an extra week of saving but oh well. Tbh the 280 would last me far longer than my 7770, I've been using the 770 for about a year and a half and im already in low to medium settings on most games, naturally I run a 1080p res.

Rybo · Aug 14, 2014

yoyodolo :

I'm almost tempted to do what you suggested purchase this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150686&cm_re=r9_270x-_-14-150-686-_-Product
then go ahead and begin savings and when holiday rolls around upgrade to a 4th gen i5 and snag a new lga 1150 mobo.

Would it be worth saving the basically the 40$ so I can get the 4th gen i5(and lga 1150 mobo), or spend the 40$ get the 280, then on holiday get a 3rd gen i5?

TopLuca · Aug 14, 2014

Rybo :

yoyodolo :

I'm almost tempted to do what you suggested purchase this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150686&cm_re=r9_270x-_-14-150-686-_-Product
then go ahead and begin savings and when holiday rolls around upgrade to a 4th gen i5 and snag a new lga 1150 mobo.

Would it be worth saving the basically the 40$ so I can get the 4th gen i5(and lga 1150 mobo), or spend the 40$ get the 280, then on holiday get a 3rd gen i5?

3rd to 4th gen you wouldn't see much difference however the 280 is a lot faster than the 270X

Rybo · Aug 14, 2014

Well it looks like I have much considering to do! I'll do some looking and see what I decide thanks for the input I'll decide best answer soon!

JUICEhunter · Aug 14, 2014

Greybeard Croft :

Rybo :

Not bad! Did you see this one that has a slightly higher clock for the same price:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125515&cm_re=amd_280-_-14-125-515-_-Product

Rybo · Aug 14, 2014

JUICEhunter :

Greybeard Croft :

Rybo :

Not bad! Did you see this one that has a slightly higher clock for the same price:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125515&cm_re=amd_280-_-14-125-515-_-Product

Yeah, the reason I linked the XFX model is its lifetime warranty, which if i buy the r9 280 I'll probably have it for 4 years before I change it out.

Rybo · Aug 14, 2014

I found this for a pretty great price, though its refurbished, should I even bother with this or spend the extra on the r9 270x or 280?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130863&cm_re=gtx_660-_-14-130-863-_-Product

Greybeard Croft · Aug 14, 2014

JUICEhunter :

This isn't a bad card either;
http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Version-PCI-Express-Graphics-11227-00-40G/dp/B00HJOXUKC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407998275&sr=8-1&keywords=sapphire+tri-x

Rybo · Aug 14, 2014

photonboy :

JUICEhunter :

The Gigabyte R9-280 seems a good choice at $200. It sits between the R9-270X and R9-280X:
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/6573/gigabyte-radeon-r9-280-windforce-3gb-oc-video-card-review/index9.html

It also has 3GB of VRAM for when/if this becomes an issue:
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-video-card-gvr928wf3oc3gd

I'm roughly estimating up to 20% better on average than an R9-270X of similar cooler but it's closer to $40 IMO if comparing similar quality cards.

So the VALUE appears to be roughly identical (20% higher cost and 20% better performance).

I would like to pick this as well, sadly I can't pick two best answers, sorry!

JUICEhunter · Aug 14, 2014

Rybo :

A great $150 GPU for sure, I think the 280 is worth the extra $50 but I'm the guy who bought a 780ti OC when it went on sale for $660 because I couldn't max everything with my 670.

TopLuca · Aug 14, 2014

JUICEhunter :

Rybo :

A great $150 GPU for sure, I think the 280 is worth the extra $50 but I'm the guy who bought a 780ti OC when it went on sale for $660 because I couldn't max everything with my 670.

We're all that guy

JUICEhunter · Aug 14, 2014

Rybo :

TopLuca :

photonboy is always spot on and has the best breakdowns!

photonboy · Aug 16, 2014

Refurbished?

1) 1-Year vs 3-Year WARRANTY
(the new Gigabyte is probably a 3-year Warranty)

*Also you can get a BRAND NEW version with 3-year Warranty for only $10 more (after MIR):
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-02gp42662kr

2) Possibly louder card (blower style)

3) Lower performance. I estimate the GTX660 at about 77% of the R9-280:
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/R9_280X_OC/26.html (hard to find info on single chart. You can look back at the TweakTown link I found showing the R9-280 roughly 20% at times faster than an R9-270X, and the fact that the GTX660 sits BELOW the R9-270X. Anyway, I'm pretty close.)

4) 2GB vs 3GB

NVida advantages:
- PhysX, TXAA, Shadowplay (desktop/game recording with minimal impact), G-Sync (needs a new monitor)

Summary:
Absolutely do NOT get a refurbished card that saves you $10, has been used, and reduces your Warranty to a third of what it was.

Anyway, you should have everything you need by now to make a decision.

Rybo · Aug 17, 2014

photonboy :

I actually ordered a 7870 for 130$ after rebate brand new by XFX
Was such a good deal, did my research and it was only a few frames slower than the pricier rebranded r9 270x.

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