400$ budget, looking for Video card and HDD

SmurfSGTChris

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I'm looking to upgrade my current AMD HD7770 as its just not making the cut with my needs anymore and i was currently looking at the a few cards already (links below) and was really just hoping to get the best bang for my buck which is why i'm here.
Ideally i'm looking to spend around 400 for both a HDD and video card although i'm willing to go a little above and i'm easily willing to downgrade the HDD to upgrade the GPU if the price is worth it. any advice would be appreciated even if its about how important certain specs are other than memory speed, engine speed, and Vram size.

Quick info
Location: Ottawa,Canada
Budget: around 400
Specs:

GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD5H
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128545

i5-3570k
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504

PS:I am also looking for a few 4 pin fans (got lots of 3 pins but as i don't wanna never be able to turn them off or buy a controller for them i need 4 pins) and possibly a upgraded power supply if the video card will require it (got a crappy 550w i believe, i would have to open it up and check), however these things i figure i could easily just walk into Canada computers and pick a em up for around 100 all in all so if there is no amazing deals its not a problem.

Links to what ive looked at mainly:
http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=43_1200_557_558&item_id=072569
http://www.ncix.com/detail/powercolor-radeon-r9-280x-oc-5c-108831-1483.htm
http://www.ncix.com/detail/seagate-barracuda-3tb-7200rpm-sata3-04-66009-1483.htm
RADEON R7 370 4GB for 250$ from http://www.laurier.com/new/new/showvid

also slightly partial to Canada computers as i can go drive to pick up the card, no shipping.
(sorry for the extra long post for a simple question)

 
Solution
I shop at Canada Computers all the time and I can surely help.

A little bit confused with your HDD desire as I'm not sure what kind of one you want whether it be an OS drive, or an extra one but the Seagate Barracudas are just fine and you can pick some up at Canada Computers for around 60 to 65 for the 1TB models. I got one for 50 on a sale, but that's that. That's IF you can spare with only a single TB because I feel like they're sufficient for my needs, but it depends by person.

Canada is now notorious for the rise in GPU prices, but with the remaining 300 dollars plus the extra bit after that we can reserve for taxes, a GTX 960 is fine from ranges 250 for the PNY ones to 320 for the 4GB ones. These should fit your budget (a bit...

Zuhayr378

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I shop at Canada Computers all the time and I can surely help.

A little bit confused with your HDD desire as I'm not sure what kind of one you want whether it be an OS drive, or an extra one but the Seagate Barracudas are just fine and you can pick some up at Canada Computers for around 60 to 65 for the 1TB models. I got one for 50 on a sale, but that's that. That's IF you can spare with only a single TB because I feel like they're sufficient for my needs, but it depends by person.

Canada is now notorious for the rise in GPU prices, but with the remaining 300 dollars plus the extra bit after that we can reserve for taxes, a GTX 960 is fine from ranges 250 for the PNY ones to 320 for the 4GB ones. These should fit your budget (a bit above but hopefully that's fine) considering the 4GB 960s fare a bit better in games.

I would say you can grab a 280 or 280x for $230 to $270, but AMD drivers aren't doing so swell recently and the 300 series exist too (the 380 and 380x) but those aren't doing so well either - quite disappointing boosts in performance compared to the older generation.

So the final verdict is Seagate Barracuda 1TB with a 960, but an AMD 280/280x/380 if you're hoping AMD can get into the driver game. Hope it all works out.

If you really want the 2TB or 3TB drive for around the 100 dollar mark for 2Tb at CC, then you can get the 960 2GB. It works JUST as well as the 370 if not better considering the much better drivers. I own one and they work like a charm even after all the stupid hate.
 
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MakoRuu

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I would like to point out that this is only my OPINION. <--

But honestly, you could save a heap on a hard drive if you avoided solid state drives. There's probably going to be half a dozen people in here suggesting them.

I have a Seagate Barracuda 7200 1TB drive and it's perfect for what I need. My windows boots in at about 28 seconds. My read and write speeds are fine, too.

Unless you absolutely must have blazing read and write speeds, go with a disc drive. You get much more space for the price, and Seagate offers a 4TB version. (Though they're pricey at $130.)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148840 The 1TB are $50 on Newegg right now.

As for the GPU, the 370 is a monster. But it's just a rebranded R9 285 with a mild factory overclock and some more video memory. $250 ain't bad and it would be a solid GPU for the next three to five years, at least.

However, if you're an Nvidia guy the GTX 970 is a bit more performance for another eighty bucks, and offers 4 GBs of memory. And it will consume A LOT less power than the Radeon cards.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500362

Both are solid GPU's and should play every game you have at 1080p without a single problem. (And some even at 4k.)
 

InfernalSurge

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I'd avoid Canada Computers for most hardware as they tend to charge more than online retailers. Instead, try shopping on Newegg.ca or NCIX. I know there's the shipping cost, but you can sign up for a free 30 day trial on Newegg.ca and then cancel it when you're done ordering all your components.

I'd get a Western Digital 1TB Caviar Blue for HDD, it's on sale for $54.99 right now: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236339&cm_re=western_digital_1tb-_-22-236-339-_-Product

For GPU, I wouldn't get a GTX 960; it is overpriced imo and 2GB of vram simply doesn't cut it these days, even on 1080p. The 4GB version of the GTX 960 would be pointless as the card's memory is restricted by it's tiny 128-bit memory bus. The same goes for the R7 370, the card is simply not powerful enough to utilize the 4GB of vram. I'd get a R9 380 instead, preferably a 4GB version. I know the R9 300 series are not available at Canada Computers yet, but most are on Newegg.ca. I'd get this one: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127878&cm_re=r9_380-_-14-127-878-_-Product

If that MSI one is too expensive, wait for the Gigabyte G1 Gaming to be in stock: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125793&cm_re=r9_380-_-14-125-793-_-Product Of course, you could always fall back on an old R9 280x.

 

SmurfSGTChris

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not really looking for too much from the HDD going to replace my current (old) 300gb temporary HDD so anything 1tb or over will do, so really im willing to spend up to like 320 on the GPU, but id also prefer to go and pick one up as opposed to shipping due to charges that are usually incurred.
 

InfernalSurge

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Wait a few days for the R9 380s to be in stock at Canada Computers. If you shop on Newegg.ca, you could do a 30-day free trial Premier membership with free shipping on everything.
 

SmurfSGTChris

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so now i pretty much have to decide between a 680 which i agree isn't exactly up to par right now, or a 970 which anywhere around me turns out to be around 470$Ca with taxes or a r9 380 which seems worth it however there is a crazy amount of bad reviews around amd obviously, and overall they seem to be going downward.
 

InfernalSurge

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You could get a GTX 970 for $399 online, if you don't mind the shipping. Also, what do you mean exactly by bad reviews concerning AMD? Are you talking about the R9 300 series? They're still good GPUs despite being rebrands. It's hard to beat AMD's price to performance ratio in mid-range GPUs. If you have the extra money, then go for the 970.
 

Zuhayr378

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Na, not really. Yeah, they charge a bit more, but it's always been worth it in my case. It's close by, and no shipping or charges, plus there are always things in stock. Also, where I am they allow you to check for products that are dead or non-functional at the store. Except for the OEM hard drives that is. You get a 30-day in-store warranty.
 

SmurfSGTChris

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well, after reading some good reviews about the 380 and doing a bit of research i think im gonna do as you suggested infernal and wait for the MSI 380 to come in stock, i was about to just go tomorrow and grab the sapphire nitro until i noticed that there is a 500mhz memory difference without any overclocking involved, thanks for the help and being awesome enough to help me spend my beautiful moneys.


...every time i post a reply i see that there has been 3 new posts to read and think about. where did you find a 970 for 399? because personally im a bit biased to want to switch over from the AMD to see what the real difference is and that ive just found a lot more people that have negative things to say about their AMDs and a lack of people looking to say bad things about their 970s and such
 

Zuhayr378

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When he says going downward he means the drivers I'm guessing. AMD really needs to step up their game in that.

And 970 is not bad at all, just that rn in Canada the prices have gone waaay up. Gonna need to be careful because a 970 and a hard drive can put your price tag around the $500 mark and beyond.
 

Zuhayr378

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Not a bad choice at all either. Be careful with what games you play though as NVIDIA has decided they be ______s(insert curse word here) and have made games poorly optimized for AMD cards. Drivers are behind right now, and really it's a matter of risk and what happens next.

But now that you're set, good luck!
 

InfernalSurge

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You will be pleased with the R9 380 :)

If you're still interested in the 970, EVGA Supersuperclocked 970 is $404 after mail-in rebate on NCIX: http://www.ncix.com/detail/evga-geforce-gtx-970-ssc-c3-104474-1483.htm You can find some really good deals on the 970, but then again there's the shipping fee, though it's not much and I still don't think it costs as much as the one's at CC. There isn't much criticism about the 970, other than the fact that it only has 3.5 GB of vram instead of 4, though it's still a great choice for 1080p gaming regardless.

I agree that AMD is falling behind in optimization, but only a handful of games are optimized like shit and the majority will run as good as Nvidia cards. For ex. GTA V, Shadow of Mordor, etc. will do fine on AMD cards. However, there are a few games that do run like garbage on AMD cards BUT they will likely get fixed soon or later. This is exemplified by Project Cars, which didn't run good on AMD cards on launch, but after a few driver updates, it is very playable on AMD now. I'd still go with the 380, it's just that you MAY not get the best experience on day 1 launch with a minority of game, but the majority of AAA titles will run as equally as good as Nvidia cards.
 

InfernalSurge

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Yeah, it is really unfortunate how Nvidia would do such uncivilized horse**** to inhibit AMD users' experience. If you don't mind waiting for patches on a handful of titles, then AMD is still a good choice.