GPU upgrade from HD 7870, CPU from AMD FX 4350

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TheMadTemplar

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Jun 23, 2013
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My Sapphire HD 7870 is about to die (green screen, stuttering), so I am replacing it. I might as well upgrade the card while I'm at it, and initially was looking at an r9 270 until I found out they were practically the same thing. Between the CPU and GPU I would like to stay under $550, but that's.... elastic.

Currently have 8GB ram, and an FX 4350 CPU. I will be upgrading the CPU to an i5 sometime in the next couple months, which brings me to another question

So I'm looking at a few different cards:
Sapphire Radeon R9 290, I was looking at this one because it's one of the cheapest 290's, making it attractive. My understanding is that this is a "reference" card, so it has overheating issues.
http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Version-PCI-Express-Graphics-11227-00-40G/dp/B00HJOXUKC/ref=sr_1_6?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1421265516&sr=1-6&keywords=r9+290x&pebp=1421329378267&peasin=B00HJOXUKC
R9 290x This one is supposedly great, but it's expensive, which brings me to the next question.
http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Version-PCI-Express-Graphics-11226-00-40G/dp/B00HJOKARI/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1421265516&sr=1-3&keywords=r9+290x&pebp=1421329494160&peasin=B00HJOKARI
Is a lightning, vapor, or toxic, 290, at a cheaper price than a 290x, a better investment, or is spending the extra money on the X better in the long run? Because I honestly have no idea what the different between the vapor/toxic/lightning is, or how they are different than an X? I don't overclock, never had a need to.
If it helps, I play games on a 50" monitor (well, tv) at 1900x1080 resolution.


Currently have 8GB ram, and an FX 4350 CPU. I will be upgrading the CPU to an i5 sometime in the next couple months, which brings me to another question. Is it worth keeping with an AMD gpu for Mantle (instead of getting a gtx), with an Intel processor? I've read that Intel processors get more out of Mantle than an AMD would, which is my reason for picking both. I was concerned that i5's only have quad core, when AMD goes as high as 8core, and the 8350 8 core seems like the go-to AMD processor for gaming now.
 
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bicycle_repair_man
The 290X is just an overclocked 290 and isn't worth the extra cash. You can do the overclocking yourself very easily. I would always buy a lower-tier GPU if it meant that it had an aftermarket cooler. It will help keep the card cooler and produce less noise.

Mantle tends to work better with an AMD CPU, so if you buy an i5, you won't fully benefit. That said, Mantle only works with very select games (Battlefield is one, I believe) so its loss wouldn't be a big deal.

As you have a 125W CPU and an AM3+ socket motherboard, you should consider upgrading to an FX-8320 or FX-8350 rather than an i5. Per-core performance of the FX isn't as strong as an i5, but multi-threaded performance is much better, and it's still a perfectly capable gaming...
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patrick47018

patrick47018

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Jan 14, 2013
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Go for the R9 290, it is not worth the extra for the X. And no that is a great aftermarket cooler. AMD is cost effective and performs well when you are using many cores, whereas Intel is better at single core performance. Go whichever you really want, going for an i5 of an FX-8320/8350 is both good choices.
 
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bicycle_repair_man

bicycle_repair_man

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The 290X is just an overclocked 290 and isn't worth the extra cash. You can do the overclocking yourself very easily. I would always buy a lower-tier GPU if it meant that it had an aftermarket cooler. It will help keep the card cooler and produce less noise.

Mantle tends to work better with an AMD CPU, so if you buy an i5, you won't fully benefit. That said, Mantle only works with very select games (Battlefield is one, I believe) so its loss wouldn't be a big deal.

As you have a 125W CPU and an AM3+ socket motherboard, you should consider upgrading to an FX-8320 or FX-8350 rather than an i5. Per-core performance of the FX isn't as strong as an i5, but multi-threaded performance is much better, and it's still a perfectly capable gaming CPU. You may also be able to overclock it, depending on your motherboard. In gaming terms, the i5 and FX-8xxx processors are pretty comparable.
 
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patrick47018

patrick47018

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Not true I was using mantle with my i5-3570K
 
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TheMadTemplar

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Ok, so go for a 290. Should I be looking at Vapor or Toxic or just a regular Tri X? I don't know what the difference is and they are all priced similarly (vapor is about $15 higher).
 
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hang-the-9

hang-the-9

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Remember if you get a new CPU, you need a new motherboard and a re-install of Windows. I would check for a compatible CPU that works with your motherboard higher that your 4350 which is not that hard really as many are faster from the FX 6300 and up. Even the FX 6300 will run any game out there as long as you don't go crazy with settings. I don't think there is that much difference between Medium and Ultra when you are actually in the middle of playing, especially a quick pace FPS. Who is going to count how many grass blades are being renedered or if you have full shadows when you have 20 players trying to shoot you in the face. I have the games I play on High to Ultra settings but only because my system happens to be able to handle them. If a game comes out that can't play on High, I'm not going to worry myself that I need that $300 upgrade for it, I'd just play on Medium.
 
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bicycle_repair_man

bicycle_repair_man

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Whichever is cheaper I'd say. All three have good coolers and the difference in clock speeds can be resolved with a little overclocking on your part.
 
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TheMadTemplar

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Why do I need to get a new motherboard with a new CPU? I am using the Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard
 
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RobCrezz

RobCrezz

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Its more that you get more of a benefit with worse CPUS, you should still get higher performance with an i5.
 
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hang-the-9

hang-the-9

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You said you wanted to get an Intel i5, you can not run an Intel CPU in a motherboard for an AMD CPU. That's why I suggested you just look for a faster AMD CPU so you don't need to change motherboards.
 
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