R9 280x or GTX 960 or HD 7970 or R9 380?

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NoobyComputerGuy

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Jul 6, 2015
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I plan to upgrade my pc that have an i5 750 in it. i plan to play games on it. i found a build with hd 7870 playing dark souls 3 53-54 (highest setting) fps average. then i found that the gtx 960 is better (according to gpuboss) but it plays the same game on same or kinda worse fps. So i looked for a higher version of 7870 which is the 7970, and it's very good. But it also have a newer version which is the r9 280x. i only have a 500 watt psu, so i'm kinda split between the 960 or the 280x. but is picking the 7970 still relevant? the r9 380 is also the same, and newer, but is expensive. i'm aiming at around $150-180 cards, $200 max.

I'm not planning to buy a custom fan, so (i heard amd cards are hot) i wouldn't probably oc any amd cards. Could the 960 be OC ed to be as good as the 280x? or should i just go with other cards? I'm actually LEANING a bit towrds nvidia because they have better driver, lower power consumption, overclockable, Shadowplay.
 
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Sakkura
Well, AMD has supported its older cards better than Nvidia (where eg. the GTX 760 is now slower than AMD cards it used to outperform).

The 280X uses a little over 200W in games, it's only GPGPU or stress tests that make it hit 250W. The 7970 will draw a little less at stock clocks, but once dialed to the same clocks it's identical.

Whether ~200W is too damn hot depends entirely on the cooler on the card, and the airflow in the case. In a normal ATX case, 200W is no big deal. And as long as the cooler on the card is good, that's no big deal either. Nvidia has cards that use more power (while achieving more performance), so it's not like it's an obscene amount. It's just a lot more than the 960 draws.

Overclocked I suppose the 960 will...
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Sakkura

Sakkura

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Aug 22, 2011
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The 280X is a rebadged 7970 - same exact hardware, just higher stock clocks. If you overclock they're the same thing.

The 380 is like an overclocked 7950 in terms of performance (ie. slower than 7970/280X), but it's actually a tweaked architecture so power efficiency is improved and there are some newer features.

The 960 is a bit slower than the 380, but even more power efficient.

Anyway, you shouldn't really need any custom stuff to overclock any of these cards. "AMD cards are hot" is a bit of an exaggeration, it mostly applies to some of their 290/290X models with poor coolers.

AMD generally has better driver support than Nvidia these days, though it's always a matter of luck whether you run into any issues. AMD has its version of Shadowplay.
 
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NoobyComputerGuy

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Thanks for clearing it out! but the fact that it's old is still making me not want to get that card. Which one do you recommend though? i really, REALLY tight on budget, so $150-180 range, 200$ max and i'm tryin' hard not to spent that much. since your post i actually want a 280x, but the rumors of "it's too damn hot" and it's 250w power, drives me away from it. if i could OC the 960 to the same power of the 280x, i would probably roll with it. (you can obviously tell, i'm a bit biased to the green side. But if the AMD's offer better performance, i would be fine with it)
 
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Sakkura

Sakkura

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Aug 22, 2011
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Well, AMD has supported its older cards better than Nvidia (where eg. the GTX 760 is now slower than AMD cards it used to outperform).

The 280X uses a little over 200W in games, it's only GPGPU or stress tests that make it hit 250W. The 7970 will draw a little less at stock clocks, but once dialed to the same clocks it's identical.

Whether ~200W is too damn hot depends entirely on the cooler on the card, and the airflow in the case. In a normal ATX case, 200W is no big deal. And as long as the cooler on the card is good, that's no big deal either. Nvidia has cards that use more power (while achieving more performance), so it's not like it's an obscene amount. It's just a lot more than the 960 draws.

Overclocked I suppose the 960 will beat a stock 380 and narrow the gap to a 7970 or 280X, but then those AMD cards could be overclocked to even higher performance levels.
 
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NoobyComputerGuy

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Jul 6, 2015
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well i suppose i would still be going with the 960 then. I would rather get a 280x or the 380 but here in my country the 960 actually falls beneath my pricing target, and those cards didn't. although after a lot of research i would actually get a 380 but i guess the 960 is the safer route. Thanks!

Anyway, is a 380 good in anyway? is it better than the 280x? are there similar priced cards as the 960 that are better? i'm trying to widen up my options. (sorry if my english is stupid and repetitive, i'm not from UK or US)
 
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Sakkura

Sakkura

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The 380 is good. It's a little faster than the 960, but slower than the 280X. It's more efficient than the 280X, but not as efficient as the 960. Pretty good compromise between performance and efficiency, in my opinion.

That's really the main alternative to the 960 at this point.
 
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