Which GPU to buy (Used)

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razamatraz

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I have a friend with a Haswell machine (4670K but it's on stock fan so not overclocked). He's got an GTX 760 2GB now that he wants to update.

For at least the next year he'll stay 1080p (technically 1920*1200 at 60Hz).

Should I buy a GTX 970 for $275, an R9 390X for $330 or a second GTX 760 for $140? There might be some negotiation room on these, on the 970 or 390X I'd sell the old 760.

Note: prices are Canadian and our used selection bad and kind of overpriced. I'm aware of that.

U.S. equivalent price is about $195 for 970, $250 for 390X and $105 for 760.

I would pick a 1060 6GB if there were any in stock for MSRP, but the cheapest I can find actually in store is about $410.
 
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Well, getting a second GTX 760 would be the cheapest route, BUT you'd need a SLI capable board (x8/x8) and in your post you didn't spec which board he has.

That being said, there's a big jump in performance and drop in power usage going from the 700 (kepler) series to the 900 (maxwell), so assuming you can get the GTX 970 for $275, offset it with the sale of the other GTX 760 ($100?) you'll be in for $170 total with an excellent card more than capable of 1080p gaming (actually, capable of good 1440p gaming with the right model). The 970 is no slouch and was the best performance for the price in the last generation of cards.

Of course, the GTX 1060/1070 are even more potent, but as you mentioned, PRICE is rather important too and IF...
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Rookie_MIB

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Well, getting a second GTX 760 would be the cheapest route, BUT you'd need a SLI capable board (x8/x8) and in your post you didn't spec which board he has.

That being said, there's a big jump in performance and drop in power usage going from the 700 (kepler) series to the 900 (maxwell), so assuming you can get the GTX 970 for $275, offset it with the sale of the other GTX 760 ($100?) you'll be in for $170 total with an excellent card more than capable of 1080p gaming (actually, capable of good 1440p gaming with the right model). The 970 is no slouch and was the best performance for the price in the last generation of cards.

Of course, the GTX 1060/1070 are even more potent, but as you mentioned, PRICE is rather important too and IF you can even find one you'll be overpaying until the supply lines stabilize.
 
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razamatraz

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Sorry, Z87-Pro which does have SLI. He's also on an 850 Watt Coolermaster gold PSU (forget which one).

No love for the 390X? I know it's a touch faster in most games than 970 but the price seemed too much higher and the Power use is almost double.

 
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Rookie_MIB

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Well, I have love for AMD, but if you want a good, cool, fast card with primary usage as a 1080p gamer, the GTX 970 is a better pick. The 390x is fast, but as you mentioned, it is also hotter and pricier. I will say this, if he was getting into possible DX12 games, the 390x would be the choice. There's a reason that the 390x is a hot chip - AMD has had to overbuild their chips to deal with their crappy DX11 (and earlier) drivers. With DX12 the AMD cards can finally quit tripping over their own feet which is why they have such a massive FPS improvement under it.
 
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Rookie_MIB

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Well, the 900 generation GTX, the new 1000 series GTX and the R9-300 series and RX series are ALL good cards, so it follows that there isn't bad tech, just bad prices. And right now the GTX-10XX series are impossible to find at MSRP, as are the RX-400 series cards. All of those are over MSRP because of supply/demand issues. So - with the R9-300 and GTX-900 series being last years tech, they're at a discount which means you'll still get good performance, just at a MUCH lower price point.
 
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Samer1970

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You will miss HDMI 2 , and will use double the power .. if you must get older GEN , get GTX 980/970 not AMD , you will get HDMI 2 and lower watt card.
 
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razamatraz

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The RX 480 here is $360 and not a single store has them in stock. The cheapest 1060 6GB are $340 so 480 is a complete no go. Those $340 1060s aren't in stock either so it's a bit moot. There are a few 470s for $280 but a 970 is a better card than that.

I ended up getting a 970 SC EVGA for $200 used which is a great deal where I live. I think it'll do nicely until he moves up to 1440p or 4K in a year or so.
 
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Rookie_MIB

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Good choice, that's a screaming good deal as long as the card is in good shape.

 
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