Two 7870's, One R9 280X, or One 7970?

[tnick771]

Hi guys,

Just gathering my thoughts about how to upgrade my build... Along with adding some nice Noctua fans, I've decided I wanted to improve my graphics performance.

This is the current system:

CPU: i5-3470

MoBo: Biostar TZ77B (wouldn't recommend this MoBo to anybody, the Bios is terrible and all the programs they have for it suck, really wish I went the ASRock route but was talked into it)

GPU: Sapphire Radeon 7870 GHz Edition

SSD: Samsung 840 Edition 120 GB

HDD: Hitachi Deskstar 1TB 7200 RPM (AWFUL, will be replacing soon as well)

PSU: Corsair CX500

Case: Shinobi Window Black

Display: LG27EA63 (27" IPS Monitor with 1920 x 1080)

I've bolded things I would think are relevant to this but I've included everything just in case.

Issue is I won't be doing 1440p/4k gaming so I'm not interested in the R9 290X. So given these choices what should I go with?

Or should I even be considering upgrading my card?

 

[renz496]

7870 CF is the fastest option but as usual cross fire performance depends heavily on driver. Also you need better PSU for it. Without looking at the cost R9 280X will be the best option for you.

 

[tnick771]

7870 CF is the fastest option but as usual cross fire performance depends heavily on driver. Also you need better PSU for it. Without looking at the cost R9 280X will be the best option for you.

With your current setup you will want the Sapphire Radeon R9 280X http://amzn.to/18lIk6K Crossfire is out of the option unless you get a larger PSU. The R9 280X is plenty for your resolution and is the equivalent to an HD 7970 GHz.

Alright I didn't consider how weak my PSU was. Good point, plus I hear that crossfiring is never the "best" idea.

How much of an improvement over my 7870 would I see? Would it be considerable?

 

[renz496]

You can check this review and decide if the extra cost are going to worth the upgrade:

http://www.techpowerup.com/mobile/reviews/Gigabyte/R9_280X_OC/26.html