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New GFX Card Dilemma

deadfolk

deadfolk

deadfolk

Associate
Joined
28 Jan 2005
Posts
237
Location
Ireland
Hi All,

It looks like I'll be able to pick up a new graphics card soon as payment for some work I'm doing. :)

So...here's the thing. I'm looking at about £400-£500, but it will have to be in the next few weeks, I suspect. I can't wait for a custom 290X.

Any recommendations? I've been AMD for a while, but I have no particular allegiance. Mantle has me interested, though, and I don't really want less than 4GB ram, as this card is going to have to last a while!

I could go for a stock 290X, but I'm concerned about excessive noise/heat. How easy/expensive/warranty-wrecking is it to fit a third-party cooler?

Is the 290 (non-X) as loud/hot as the X? Is that a better option?

Thanks for any guidance,

DF
 
I would see how the non-reference R9 290 cards look in the next month or so. Having said that all the high end single GPU cards are around your budget(the GTX780TI is another £50 or more). You have a decent budget!!
 
Before fitting my waterblock, i didn't find the 290x as loud or hot as people said. It was either one or the other and not both. The reference cooler wasn't too bad and i think the noise is exaggerated quite a bit. If you go for a MSI or Sapphire card, as long as you put on the original OEM sink before you RMA there isnt a problem with warranty (so long as the fault isnt yours).

Removing the cooler was easier than removing any motherboard or RAM sinks i have had to remove in the past. Not one screw was thread-locked and it was easier to install than the vast majority of CPU air coolers.

I think bang for buck value, go for a 290 and stick something like an mk26 on it if you have room. Or grab a pre-flashed 290 to 290x!

The 290 prices are so good that if you ever wanted to crossfire, it wouldn't cost you an arm and a leg to do so! I really recommend some decent cooling as these chips can be clocked a fair bit without much effort. Last night i had a play around with my card and got it to 1233/1500 on Sapphires stock Bios using afterburner.
 
SoundDoctor said:
I'd either wait for the custom cooled 290x cards or get a 780. Maybe even a 780Ti if you can stretch your budget a bit.
Click to expand...

Thing is, I can't wait. It's not impatience (although I have my share of that) - it's just that someone else is doing the buying.

arc@css said:
Despite not meeting your vram wish, I'd consider the 7990 - assuming you have a good cpu to pair up with it :

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-327-AS&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=1515


Failing that, I'd look at one of the 780s.
Click to expand...

I dunno - I'm just not sure about the memory. I'm going to be stuck with this card for a while - I'm currently still on a 5870, so you can see the length of my upgrade cycle!

CPU-wise I think I'm sorted. 4770K at stock (currently). Do dual-GPU cards have all the same issues as actual Xfire?
 
I just got my 780 Classified and I highly recommend it, performance is excellent, really silent and cool, and I haven't done any overclocking yet. It is supposed to overclock like a beast! :D

Edit. Ah nvm, just read that you want 4GB VRAM, in that case either a 290 or 290X would be more than enough for a few years :)
 
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Thanks for the input, folks.

I'm thinking maybe I should just go with a Sapphire or MSI 290X and if the noise is really that bad, I can get a third-party cooler later. My 5870 is pretty loud sometimes, so maybe it won't be much worse!
 
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teejay73 said:
This http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=gx-227-ea&groupid=701&catid=1914&subcat=1341

and a review: http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/evga_geforce_gtx_780_classified_review,1.html

Edit: That was for the 780 class and not the ti.

This is the ti Classified http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-235-EA and at a BIG price too!
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Thanks - I had found the products, but not the review, so I had no idea what was special about them. From the review, it seems that they're just a non-reference board/cooling & factory overclocked version made by EVGA. Is that about right?
 
deadfolk said:
Thanks - I had found the products, but not the review, so I had no idea what was special about them. From the review, it seems that they're just a non-reference board/cooling & factory overclocked version made by EVGA. Is that about right?
Click to expand...

Yeah pretty much, Though it is probably a more stable card for overclocking and voltage increase. I would choose a evga card over any other though, Due to their warranty.
 
teejay73 said:
Yeah pretty much, Though it is probably a more stable card for overclocking and voltage increase. I would choose a evga card over any other though, Due to their warranty.
Click to expand...

Thanks - that's good to know. I think I'll see what my budget comes to and just grab the best EVGA 780/ti I can get for the price.
 
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