Overclocked R9 390 vs overclocked GTX 970 with stock fans

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Lord Davidson

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I've been researching graphics cards for my new build, and the two ones that caught my attention the most are the R9 390 and the GTX 970. Apparently, the 970 overclocks amazingly, and the 390 doesn't. Without any fancy water cooling, which graphics card would run modern games, and future games better? (future games would run better on the 390, right?)
 
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elneelo

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If playing @1080p, go for the GTX 970. Amazing overclocker (especially MSI TF & Gigabyte G1). Way less power consumption, preferable drivers & Geforce experience also.

If @1440p, maybe the R9 390 is a better option. (Get MSI TF or Sapphire Nitro implementation). R9 390 would be slightly more future proofed, especially at higher resolution, but you can't go wrong with either card to be honest. Cost may also be a factor.
 
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Lord Davidson

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How long would you say it would take before a game comes out that the GTX 970 CAN'T run? (I'm hoping not to replace it for a while)
I think i'll get the cheapest. Also, would you happen to know a place that sells either card bundled with a game? I like those deals.
Thanks,
David
 
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Rogue Leader

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The 390 and 390X excell over the 970 when you go to 1440p and 4k. At 1080p its similar, and you may even be able to get the GTX 970 to go faster. So if you're concerned for the future the 390 is the way to go, if you don't care and think you'll upgrade when you want to go 1440 then the 970 is better.
 
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Rogue Leader

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It will be many years before that happens. Its more what resolution do you plan to play at both now and a few years down the line.
 
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neieus

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I agree with the above but also want to add that the 390 at 1080p they are pretty much the same but if you're playing a game for example Skyrim or Watch_Dogs with plenty of mods the extra memory works to your advantage. The same holds true when playing at 2k since the additional resolution will require more memory. It is also true that the Gtx is more power efficient which also means less heat if you have a case with good air flow the 390 won't get that much hotter by comparison. However if by future proof you mean 4k gaming don't even consider it because there isn't a modern GPU that can keep decent frames at that resolution by itself.
 
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elneelo

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Haha, you mean that the 970 absolutely cannot even play a game at the lowest settings possible @ 1080p? A LONG time, my friend ;) I guarantee that you will have replaced the card before that happens though.

As for card + game bundles? I'm not sure about those to be honest. You will have to do a bit of searching, but I cannot see any at the moment (but I'm not sure). Going for the cheaper option would be a good choice. Whatever you do, just DO NOT buy a reference design AMD card! (Unless you watercool, which you specified you won't be doing).
 
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Lord Davidson

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according to that, I think I'll go with the r9, since it has more memory and should run better on newer games. I'm playing pretty close to 1080. (my monitor has a strange resolution - 2560 x 1080. Hopefully that won't make too much of a difference.
And in response to elneelo, I was planning to go with the MSI version of the 390. Would that overheat?
 
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elneelo

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At that resolution, the R9 is an excellent choice. Make sure you buy a good PSU to handle it!

Something like: http://www.amazon.co.uk/XFX-Fully-Modular-Power-Supply/dp/B00I5HF0KU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442579346&sr=8-1&keywords=xfx+xtr+650w would do nicely. Glad we could help.

No, the MSI version will not overheat. The heatsink is massive on it. Just ensure that your case has good airflow.
 
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Lord Davidson

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Cool.
That PSU is quite expensive... of course, I've never shopped for a PSU in my life, so it may be pretty cheap compared to other options.
Excuse me for the totally irrelevant question, but where would I get a windows 10 code or disk?
 
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elneelo

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It is expensive, but the PSU is the most important part of your PC. For your own sake, do not skimp on it!

Here you go: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Windows-32-bit-64-bit-English-International/dp/B0111YEBY4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442580388&sr=8-1&keywords=windows+10

Shop around for the OS though, you may find it cheaper on other sites.
 
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