Is this a good graphics card?

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Rapajez
Yes, it's a great card for the current $299 price. It also does great in CrossFire, as it expels most heat outside of the case.

That said, what is the rest of your PC specs, and what is your monitor's native resolution? It may be overkill, or you're Power Supply may not be strong enough to support it.
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Rapajez

Rapajez

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Yes, it's a great card for the current $299 price. It also does great in CrossFire, as it expels most heat outside of the case.

That said, what is the rest of your PC specs, and what is your monitor's native resolution? It may be overkill, or you're Power Supply may not be strong enough to support it.
 
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conor vickers

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heres my full specs, Case: Corsair 200R
Power supply: XFX 650W XXX Edition 80+ Bronze Semi-Modular Power Supply
Optical drive: Asus DVD-RW DRIVE
Motherboard: Asus H97M-E Motherboard (H97, DDR3, S-ATA 600, Micro ATX, 1x PCI Express 3.0 x16, HDMI, USB 3.0, Socket 1150)
CPU: Intel i5 4460 Quad Core CPU (3.20GHz, 6MB Cache, 84W, Graphics, Turbo Boost Technology, Socket 1150)
Graphics card: Sapphire AMD R9 290 TRI-X OC Graphics Card (4GB, HDMI, PCI-E)
RAM: 8GB DDR3 RAM (4X2)
Hard Disk Drive: WD 1TB 3.5 inch Internal Hard Drive
Keyboard: Aula Bundles Blue LED Keyboard+ Mouse Illuminated Backlit Multimedia Gaming Combos
Mouse mat: SteelSeries QcK Gaming Mouse Pad (Black)
Headset: Turtle Beach Ear Force Z11 PC Headset - EU
Operating system: Windows 7 home premium
Wireless adapter: TP-Link TL-WDN4800 450Mbps Wireless N Dual Band PCI Express Adapter
Total: £817+..... All from amazon Uk
 
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Rapajez

Rapajez

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Ok, that's a solid PSU for either card. How about your monitor's resolution? Anything less than 1080p, and they're both overkill.

Assuming 1080p or higher, go for the GTX 970, if you can afford the extra $30-50. It's slightly faster, more efficient, and some special features you can Google. Otherwise, the Tri-X R9 290 is a solid card (especially if they're throwing in 2 $60 games right now).
 
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Rapajez

Rapajez

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Also a solid Build, consider Windows 8.1 if it's the same price out there. Windows 7 will go end of life sooner, and may not support the new DirectX, which is supposed to drastically improve gaming performance. You can also disable most of the annoying features in Windows 8 now, if that's what's holding you back.
 
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Rapajez

Rapajez

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The important part (for choosing a GPU) is the native resolution (e.g., 1920x1080, or "1080p"), not the size. All games should be set to the native resolution, to avoid squishing and mashing of pixels around. The higher the resolution, the more money needs to be directed at the GPU, and vice-versa.

If you're buying a new monitor, also read up on IPS vs TN panels, VESA mounts, and user reviews.
 
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Outlander_04

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Monitor resolution is critical . More pixels means more graphics power needed , but IMO you should not consider monitors with a resolution lower than 1080p

The radeon or the gtx will both game well at 1080p

But if it meant I had $30 more to spend on a bigger monitor I would buy the radeon . With a 21.5 inch screen its a bit like tyou are lookin in to the game . When the screen is 24 inches and above it starts to fill more of your peripheral vison and you feel more like you are IN the game

Buy a 24 inch + monitor
 
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mike1996

mike1996

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the 290 and 290x has much better permanence and is cheaper as far as power consumption it will a 970 will save you $15 at most on your energy bill a year.

if you need to look at power consumption it should be to determine the power supply you need not how much money you will save on your power bill
 
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Rapajez

Rapajez

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It varies, but either should be able to max out just about any game at 1080p for a few years to come. The 970 is a little more powerful, and should max out games just a little longer.

"the 290 and 290x has much better permanence and is cheaper"
Click to expand...

The 290 is slightly slower than the 290X, and the 290X is slower in some games than the GTX 970. They trade blows, but the GTX 970 is $70 cheaper, and has newer features. I wouldn't agree with your statement. http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1355?vs=1056

I do agree that power consumption isn't a concern in this instance. The power difference is equivalent to a light bulb. :)
 
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