gtx 770 vs. r9 280x for graphic work/games?

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Ultyonis

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As a sort of 'head's up' I'm pretty new to computer things. I got my current setup secondhand from my boyfriend's friend without any real details about it; my boyfriend is much more tech savvy than I am and assured me that the machine could do everything I needed it to (work, casual gaming). I'm still learning what everything is/how it works, so please forgive any silly questions and such.

Long story short, I ran into this problem. Basically, my computer refuses to display with my display drivers installed. So far the fixes I've attempted haven't worked and I was advised to look into a new graphics card and power supply.

My budget is $300-ish for the card and 'whatever-is-most-cost-efficient' for the power supply.
considering what I've read up so far, I was considering the following options for the card:
GeForce GTX 770
Radeon R9 280X
I'm leaning towards the gtx770, but it's $100 difference in price. Taking into account what I use my machine for, I just want to see other peoples' opinions/recommendations and make sure I buy the best thing for me.

As of right now, I'm still looking at options for the power supply, as I'm not too sure what I'm specifically looking for?

While I do frequently use my machine for games, I also use it heavily for graphics work ( UE4, zbrush, maya/3ds max, photoshop, etc.) If it matters, I usually use two screens.

These are also (I believe) my current specs
GIGABYTE GA-970A-D3P AM3+/AM3 AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
AMD FX-6300 Vishera 6-Core 3.5GHz
CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB)
xion xon-700p12n
geforce gtx 470
Western Digital Black WD6402AAEX 640GB
 
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Justin Millard
If you are on deadline just get the GTX 970. We know for sure it has very strong performance in all tasks including graphics acceleration, and will last you a long time. We can't be sure of the performance of the GTX 960. It may even be slightly weaker than the GTX 770 as its main aim is being cheap and power efficient. Plus the GTX 960 is the cut down version of the GTX 960ti.
The GTX 960 will do the job as far as GPU acceleration for work, but isn't ideal if you are a hardcore gamer.

The GTX 960ti looks like a great buy for what you want, but I can't say for sure if if it will be available to to buy this month.

I have to say that if you want a graphics card you can rely on for workloads as they shift to higher resolutions over...
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Justin Millard

Justin Millard

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There is not a big difference between the R9 280X and GTX 770. If your choice is between those two I would say get the R9 280X.

However Nvidia released a new graphics card called the GTX 970 that is a big improvement and should be the same price as the GTX 770. The GTX 970 would be my choice if you want to play new games at high settings. The other advantage of the GTX 970 is it uses less power than the other two cards you were choosing between so you can save a small amount of money on your new power supply.

However if you are not interested in playing games at high settings and this is mainly a work computer a cheaper graphics card like the R9 270X or GTX 760 is powerful enough to get the job done in graphics work. However for games they will become outdated in a couple of years.

Tried to give you a few options there. Good luck!
 
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turbopiki

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Justin Millard

Justin Millard

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turbopiki noticed you are low on RAM for a modern system as well.
Get another 2x2GB of the same corsair RAM and slot it in. It will make a huge difference to your graphics and gaming for a small price if you have a 64 bit operating system.
EG: Windows 7 (64 bit) or Windows 8.1.
 
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17seconds

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If you factor out the price, many people would choose the GTX 770 over the 280X for the driver support, game compatibility, and unique features including: PhysX, Adaptive VSync, FXAA, TXAA, DSR, Geforce Experience, Shadowplay, etc. AMD has in-development versions of DSR and Shadowplay, but the driver support, PhysX, and Adaptive VSync alone may be worth the extra cost of the GTX 770.
 
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vullneto

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Im not a huge fan of the 770, and I'd rather go with the 280x instead. That said, you can shell out for a 280x right now, or even a 970. But if you want to wait, and have the required wattage, the 380x is coming out soon which should blow out the 970/980 out of the water. But in the end, go with the 280x.
 
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Yep, I totally lost my train of thought on this one..... No way, should anyone be buying either of these cards three days before the GTX 960 is released. It's bound to be faster, with full DirectX 12 support, and there's a good chance it'll be cheaper as well. Whether it is or not, it's still best to wait and see what happens. That 280X might even end up cheaper as a result.
http://videocardz.com/54329/nvidia-geforce-gtx-960-confirmed-specifications-and-launch-date
 
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vullneto

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Probably will. I am holding off buying until AMD releases a new gpu(380x) or until Nvidia matches that. Rumors state that the 380x/390x are gonna be 40% better than the 980. If that happens, expect a MAJOR drop in GPU prices.
 
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Ultyonis

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thanks so much for the input so far!

Thank you for the information on the gtx 970! I wasn't aware of how it compared to the other two, but now I think I'll suck it up and spend a little more for the 970, or wait the few days for 960. Unfortunately, due to my current project deadlines, I need my machine up and running asap and can't really wait to see how the 380x performs.

I'll also be picking up more RAM as well. As for the power supply, I'm a bit wary of XFX because of reviews and horror stories. Other than wattage, is there anything in particular I should take into consideration?
 
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turbopiki

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That XFX PSU has great reviews it maid by Seasonic (XFX just puts their name on it inside its Seasonic) which in my opinion is the best PSU maker
 
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Justin Millard

Justin Millard

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If you are on deadline just get the GTX 970. We know for sure it has very strong performance in all tasks including graphics acceleration, and will last you a long time. We can't be sure of the performance of the GTX 960. It may even be slightly weaker than the GTX 770 as its main aim is being cheap and power efficient. Plus the GTX 960 is the cut down version of the GTX 960ti.
The GTX 960 will do the job as far as GPU acceleration for work, but isn't ideal if you are a hardcore gamer.

The GTX 960ti looks like a great buy for what you want, but I can't say for sure if if it will be available to to buy this month.

I have to say that if you want a graphics card you can rely on for workloads as they shift to higher resolutions over the next three years, the GTX 970 is your best bet as it also renders well in higher resolutions like 2560x1440 WQHD. If you are expecting your workload to start involving more high resolution work, the GTX 970 one to go for.

So if you want a graphics card you can rely on for high settings gaming for the next three years get the GTX 970.
If you are just looking for a basic card that is up to date and does its job in GPU acceleration at 1920x1080 the GTX 960 will save you money.
 
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