Radeon Sapphire 7970 3GB VS XFX R9 380: Better for the price? 2 Crossfire or NOT 2. That is the Question x.x

[FlowPC]

I would like to know if I could have some insight on running two particular GPU's together.
I recently upgraded from a:

Which is Better for the price.
2 Crossfire or NOT 2. That is the Question x.x

Payed: $125 ___Radeon Sapphire 7970 3GB
( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202181&cm_re=radeon_sapphire_7970-_-14-202-181-_-Product )

to a new

Paying: $170___XFX R9 380 4GB GDDR5
( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150730 )

Spec wise, and based on some benchmarks I read on GPUBoss, they are heavily competing with each other.
- http://gpuboss.com/gpus/XFX-Radeon-R9-380-vs-Sapphire-Radeon-HD-7970

I'm conflicted heavily on returning the XFX card due to it's highly similar specs on the surface OR if there is a major advantage I'm overlooking, aside from 4K capability, and MAINLY am attempting a Crossfire / SLI build on my computer with these cards if compatible/ Viable.

On Crossfire
1. - Cost to Reward Ratio:
Would the performance be justified enough for the cost of these cards, or are there more cost effective combos than this combination that would provide the same / similiar / BETTER results.

2. - Curiosity to experiment
Would it be more worth it to buy another Sapphire 7970 3GB, as there is lately an abundance from former BItcoin miners. ( Have seen some as low as $80 )

3. - Open discussion on Crossfire / SLI combinations.



My PC Specs, if that helps:
- FX 8320 Processor
- Zalman CNPS9500AT CPU cooler
- OCZ Solid State w/ 2T Caviar Black Slave drive
- 16GB Corsair Vengance DDR3
- GIGABYTE GA-990FXA-UD5 Motherboard
-
- Sapphire Radeon 7970 3GB DDR5 ( In PC atm )
- XFX R9 380 4GB GDDR5 - In Box ( Awaiting possible return )


Any and all help is GREATLY APPRECIATED

 

[Gam3r01]

The R9 380 is ~10% faster than a 7970GHz, It also supports future software (such as DX12) better.
Overall, its faster but not fast enough to be a worthwhile upgrade from a 7970.

If you can find a second 7970 (that isnt burned out, which is hard to find) that would be the cheapest way to get higher performance.
The "best" option would be a single strong card, like a 970.

 

[Sinistercr0c]

You can run a 7970 with an R9 280x:

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/63551-will-crossfire-r9-280x-hd-7970-scaling-tested.html

 

[BadActor]

The 7970 outperforms the 380 in almost every benchmark. With the cost of adding another being so cheap, I can't see a single card that would touch the Xfire at that price range. For instance, in BF4, the 7970 does 33.3 FPS. Say it scales at 80 percent in XFire, you would then get 60 FPS. The cheapest single card that can get 60 FPS in BF4 is the GTX 980Ti, currently around 600 bucks.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1495?vs=1591

 

[FlowPC]

Thank you all for the discussion. I appreciate the input, and I think I'll use the extra cash to lookout for another 7970