Which AMD graphic card should I buy? Or should I wait?

ArielElia95

Distinguished
Oct 20, 2013
96
0
18,630
Hello,
This is my computer rig:
Intel Core i7 860@2.93GHz
GIGABYTE GA-P55-UD3L
Sapphire ATI Radeon HD5870
G.Skill Ripjaws-X 2x8GB DDR3 1600Mhz
WesternDigital 1TB
650W SeaSonic
CoolerMaster CM690
Windows 7 Ultimate x64

I want to buy a new graphics card. I have very good experience with AMD so my next card will be theirs also.

Now, there's the R9 series with the 290X at the top (not including the x2 versions).
Also, I'll buy the Sapphire version too, unless you recommand (and why) other companies.
My questions are:
1. Let's say I buy the 290X in one of it's versions (vapor-x etc), will it fit in the case without a problem? and what about the PSU?
2. Are there new cards from AMD that will be released soon? If yes, is there anything known about them? Should I wait for them?
3. There's no bottleneck with i7 right?

If you have anything else to add or explain about, it'll help alot.

Thanks
 
to be quite frank I would not waste your money on the X version or the fact of going AMD at all right now. Nvidia's GTX 970 series are proving a treat for price/performance and are certainly the way to go. I prefer AMD graphics cards but as of now Nvidia are in the lead. This isn't all bad news for AMD users like me, which is why I urge you to wait as of now. Soon AMD are releasing their 20nm R9 390/X cards and they'll be something that'll put maxwell cards to shame, as the flagship maxwell card currently is 28nm. It is leaked to not be as power efficient as maxwell but more performance punch then any current car to date, leaked at a speed of 448GB/s bandwidth for the R9 390X (Though not confirmed, and certainly can't be true as of our limited sources.).

Leaked info here though note: Nothing can be considered true and nothing is confirmed spec wise about these cards, though they are expected to be released early next year.

http://www.gamespot.com/forums/pc-mac-discussion-1000004/r9-390x-r9-380x-specs-31231765/
 

ArielElia95

Distinguished
Oct 20, 2013
96
0
18,630


So you're saying I should wait.
Now, does the 390X will fit in my computer case? And what about the PSU?
 
Sizes are unconfirmed, but I wouldn't expect a big card.

No power specs are confirmed, I cannot also answer that.

For me, it is worth the wait, but also if you do not like the new cards the R9 290/X cards will receive price cuts.
 
You would be one of a very few to make the leap and buy a 290 or 290x these days after the release of Maxwell. The R9's just don't make any sense at all now. The 390x is due in the 1st half of 2015, which could be anywhere from January through June. If you really must go AMD, your best bet is to wait for a price drop. Even then you'll still be missing out on Maxwell's energy efficiency, DirectX 12 support, and graphics settings like DSR, MFAA, PhysX, Adaptive VSync, and HBAO+.
 

ArielElia95

Distinguished
Oct 20, 2013
96
0
18,630

About power, can I put the 290X? And will it be like really close to the top that I can or I can put it without a problem?
It's not about not liking the new cards haha, they are better and expected to be super strong with 20nm etc.



I can wait for the new cards so I think it's more worthwhile because of the reasons I mentioned up.
 
The R9 290X uses lots of power, but your power supply can handle that card well. I would not consider jumping, but as you said if you can wait, that would be best. I am very excited for AMD's new cards, I just hope that they finally bring competition into the market for a change, since lately both platforms have been only slightly edging each other.