genthug :
I would need to know what condition the 980Ti is in used to have it for $250. Even with the release of Pascal that's pretty low for a 980Ti used. But, of the three, price/performance is going to be highest on a $250 980Ti. Without knowing anything else about that PSU I would scared to put a 980Ti paired with it. It would likely be just fine, it has 2 8pin PCIe cables, has enough power via the 12V rail, but it's throwing me off that there is no certification on it and it is not even semi modular. Those two facts point towards it being either older or not of good quality, and that is a bit off-putting.
If that 15 is bank-breaking, then go with what you can get within your price range, but for that 15 you're getting a new GPU, 4GB more of VRAM, and most likely a warranty. From launch to now many games have seen a 5-10% increase in performance on an RX480--just because of software optimization. AMD will likely be continuing that trend, and AMD cards are Async compute enabled for DX12.
Out of all of that, however, I would look at the warranty most closely. If you're getting the card used with a no warranty/no return policy vs getting the card new with a warranty/RMA policy, I would spend the $15 PURELY for that warranty.
Basically: 980Ti will be best price/performance but I am scared of your PSU given that a 980Ti can draw around 300W (average will be lower). Otherwise, I am still a fan of the new card because of perks you get for buying a new card over a used card.
Hmmm... Good answer! Will take into consideration! Yes, it is an old (er) PSU, though it is advertised towards gaming on a reputable online shop in Spain, as well as towards SLI, so far I've had no problems with it, then again no graphics card inserted in the PC, so...! The 980 ti is, as stated and also shown through pictures, in near perfect condition, simply missing the box and "things", 250 is the initial bid, yet nobody bid so the advert was finished, or shown as ended, have thought of contacting the person selling it and asking if he'd still be interested, then again, being Spain, I expect some kind of angry self righteous retort, lately morality has been haywire all around hereabouts, don't know if it will be worth the bother (haha chuckle)...
As for the RX 480 nitro+ OC, I've thought the same as you, as well as a line of thought similar to yours behind the 980 ti PSU compatibility, then again, my stubbornness tells me, I could remove the DVD drive, to even lower in even the slightest the consumption, to allow for better power distribution to reach the card, rather than useless things as those... Hmmm... Also, they have a few of the nitro models in sale, though I've detected some sneaky business going on, since apparently there's three different models with similar denomination, yet different factory clock speeds. At a first glance, they all seem the same, but then by looking at the model number, the are in fact three separate ones. In addition they sell a refurbished like new one of the supposedly higher clocked one (1342 or something like that), model number ending in 01 (11260-01-20G-RAS), as well as something I hadn't seen anywhere else, a RAS denomination after said model number... Fishy, really fishy... It comes with the 2 year warranty, but in a neutral package minus the usual extra, possibly not useful at all contents. It goes for 247. Alas, 980 ti would be a wonder, but maybe safe side, is "thee" best play at the moment, considering the extremely close cut budget line, as well as, "NEED OF THE MOMENT". Ha... Long winded I guess, I needed to talk it all with someone, as I was going a bit bonkers, you know?
In any case, I think I'll see if the price goes down a little tomorrow for the new properly boxed versions, if not, I might bid on some card on eBay, or just give it a break for a day or two.
Many thanks for your extensive and lighting fast answer, Genthug, amituofo (for lack of words in the father language hehe!
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