Considering an upgrade to an R9 390

dakrazeedude · Mar 7, 2016

Hello everyone,
I am currently considering replacing my current GPU (an MSI GTX 760) in favor of an R9 390, yet I am not sure if my PSU (Seasonic ECO 550w, bronze rated) is sufficient. In similar case I've read about it seems to be borderline - yet should I get one I will undervolt it (the article published here about undervolting the r9 Fury caught my attention) it might be sufficient.
Can you please advise?
thank you in advance.

My specs:
CPU: core i5 4670k@ 4.3 Ghz (currently 1.232 on vcore) - I am willing to drop the overclock
Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Gene
PSU: Seasonic ECO 550w, 80+ bronze rated
RAM: Corsair xms3 1600mhz
GPU: MSI Twinfrozr GTX 760

RCFProd · Mar 7, 2016

I didn't know a Seasonic Eco 550 watts model existed. Do you have a link?

geofelt · Mar 7, 2016

Here is a chart with psu requirements for various graphics configurations.
http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm

Your PSU brand is excellent so if your psu has the necessary 6 and 8 pin power leads, you should be ok.

Or, you can consider a similarly performing GTX970 which will use the exact same power as your current GTX760.
You could even use a stronger GTX980.

dakrazeedude · Mar 7, 2016

Thank you for your rapid answers!
Sadly, I don't have a link, yet I have the voltages it can supply (sticker on the side of the PSU) if it helps.
As for the GTX 970, I have considered it (and I did not rule it out) yet I want something more future proof and the r9 390 seems better in this regard. As for the 980, I can stretch the budget but since I'm gaming on 1080p it seems a bit overkill...
EDIT: Suprisingly, the sticker on the PSU says it's 600 watts. Strange...

turkey3_scratch · Mar 7, 2016

I see pcpartpicker listing an ECO 430W here http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seasonic-power-supply-ss430st but I don't see a 550W, but I'll take his word for it.

RCFProd · Mar 7, 2016

Yeah there is a Seasonic ECO 600 watts. That should run fine with an R9 390.

dakrazeedude · Mar 7, 2016

To be honest, now I'm not sure.
At the store I was told it was a 550w ECO, but checking the sticker now it is a 600w unit. Very strange!
As it is, it is a 600w, 80+ bronze unit.

geofelt · Mar 7, 2016

dakrazeedude :

Likely 550 is continuous watts, and 600w is peak.
The important metric is the total amps or watts on the +12v rails.
That is what modern graphics cards and the cpu will use.

If your psu has a 6 and a 8 pin power lead, it will be able to deliver sufficient power to run them.
Some highly overclocked versions of the R9-390 cards will need two 8 pin connectors, so watch for that.

Nothing is future proof.
Neither GTX970 Nor R9-390 will have a problem with current an new games.
Ignore the VRAM fud.
VRAM has become a marketing issue.
My understanding is that vram is more of a performance issue than a functional issue.
A game needs to have most of the data in vram that it uses most of the time.
Somewhat like real ram.
If a game needs something not in vram, it needs to get it across the pcie boundary
hopefully from real ram and hopefully not from a hard drive.
It is not informative to know to what level the available vram is filled.
Possibly much of what is there is not needed.
What is not known is the rate of vram exchange.
Vram is managed by the Graphics card driver, and by the game. There may be differences in effectiveness between amd and nvidia cards.
And differences between games.
Here is an older performance test comparing 2gb with 4gb vram.
http://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Video-Card-Performance-2GB-vs-4GB-Memory-154/
Spoiler... not a significant difference.
A more current set of tests shows the same results:
http://www.techspot.com/review/1114-vram-comparison-test/page5.html

And... no game maker wants to limit their market by
requiring huge amounts of vram. The vram you see will be appropriate to the particular card.

Both nvidia and amd are due to come out with new gen cards this year, Pascal and Polaris respectively.

turkey3_scratch · Mar 7, 2016

I'm sure it's a fine unit. Only review of an ECO PSU is here http://www.tweak.dk/review/Seasonic-Eco-430W-stroemforsyning/2379/2/1 which should not even be considered a legitimate PSU review. Using software to read voltages what a sad joke, but at least it has 4 shots of the internals, in which the caps seem to be quality (I see Chemi-con and what looks to be a primary Rubycon).

dakrazeedude · Mar 7, 2016

It should be a quality unit. As for the future proofing, I am aware of the misconception about VRAM and it is not my reason. It just seems the r9 performs better (albeit marginally) at higher resolutions and seemingly dx12.
But I'm not locked onto anything, and I am also considering waiting for Pascal and Polaris...

geofelt · Mar 7, 2016

dakrazeedude :

What resolution are you playing now?
Is performance ok now?
What is your motivation to upgrade?
Do you plan on gaming at a higher resolution?

Rumors are that Pascal will be announced at GTC in April and launched at Computex in june.
Certainly AMD do what they can to have a competing response.

What is not known is the performance and the price.
If rumors are true, the very high end will be a significant boost to single gpu performance.
You can expect to pay a premium for that.
For lesser cards, they will sell at a relatively even price/performance curve.
You will get fair value at every price point.

dakrazeedude · Mar 7, 2016

I am currently gaming on 1080p - and since 2k monitors are ridiculously expensive (the cheapest one available is roughly 400 USD) I am not likely to upgrade anytime soon. However, I use plenty of demanding graphics settings so I could use the horsepower.
My goal is to get a GPU that I will enjoy now, and that will stay viable at decent (medium - high) settings on 1440p, should I ever wish to upgrade.

Currently, my GTX 760 runs ok, but not incredibly. I have to compromise on some settings and some games are just sluggish regardless of settings. It was overclocked, but it keeps declining and showing signs of instability (which were non - existent before) and one of the fan bearings is broken' making it loud under load.
I though about waiting, but I have a good deal on an R9 390 now and I doubt I'll be willing to pay the premium for Polaris or Pascal at launch -not to mention I have no notion of how long I'll wait...
But I'm open to suggestions. I am even considering investing in a Fury or a 980...

geofelt · Mar 7, 2016

What is your budget?
I have bought EVGA B stock before, they have some good deals with a factory warranty.
Here is a GTX980FTW for $399:
http://www.evga.com/Products/Product.aspx?pn=04G-P4-2984-RX

dakrazeedude · Mar 7, 2016

That is an interesting notion...
However, I live far from the US and I doubt they'll ship it as far. I will check it out, though.
I'm still not sure whether I'll buy the 390, step up to a 980 or wait... But it is good to know the PSU will handle it.
Thank you!

geofelt · Mar 7, 2016

dakrazeedude :

How do you feel about used?
I would consider buying used on ebay.
Ebay buyer protection finds in favor of the buyer in almost any case.
If you buy used from a seller with good feedback and pay with paypal, you are reasonably well protected.
You would want to buy at auction from a private individual, not from a retailer who must make a profit.

dakrazeedude · Mar 7, 2016

I have thought about it, and while I have no problem buying used shipping costs here are so high it makes the price difference very small...

AngelOfDarkness · Mar 7, 2016

How many AMPS does your PSU has in 12v?, you'd want at least 40 for a 390.

dakrazeedude · Mar 7, 2016

I have no idea which of the values here is the 12v...
There is +12v1, +12v2 and -12v, all show 24A...
That is on the DC output.
Does this mean anything to you? I really have no knowledge about PSU's...

AngelOfDarkness · Mar 7, 2016

I have seen it has 46A in 12v, so if it has one 6 pin and one 6+2 or 8 pin connector then you're good to go.

dakrazeedude · Mar 7, 2016

I know for certain it has an 8 pin and a 6 pin. Might have more - I haven't searched (my current gpu uses 6+8 pin).
So, do you think it will be safe?
Note I am planning to undervolt...
And thank you again for your rapid, helpful responses!

AngelOfDarkness · Mar 7, 2016

Yeah it should work, even though there's no reviews of your PSU i'd trust Seasonic on their listed specs, almost more than anyone in the PSU market.

dakrazeedude · Mar 7, 2016

That is good to hear, thank you!
It is very strange I can't find any model on the unit itself, though.
Thanks again for your help!

Epicness937 · Mar 7, 2016

dont upgrade a 760 can run most games at high and ultra settings at 1080p just wait for the pascal gpus later this year

dakrazeedude · Mar 7, 2016

Usually, that is not so, sadly.
Most games run on ultra (with no antialiasing - 2x at most) around 50-45 fps (it does dip occasionaly). Newer games in particular can't seem to surpass 40 FPS, despite using conservative settings (I replace MSAA with SMAA, drop the most demanding settings to medium or low' etc...). That is when the card is overclocked - and I find myself lowering it more and more often...
It may be I just received a worse sample, though.
It's not bad, but I'm not quite satisfied.

dakrazeedude · Mar 14, 2016

Hello again everyone,
Since I'm planning on buying the card in the next few days I took a look inside the PC. As it turns out, my PSU is a Seasonic ET 600. I had my eye on the Sapphire R9 390 Nitro, yet it requires a 2x8 pin connection and the PSU only has a 6+2 and a 6.

Will it be okay to run the card like this? or perhaps with an adapter?

Thank you in advance.

Considering an upgrade to an R9 390

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