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HD7990 Replacement...GTX780 OC or 290X

jrodga2k5

jrodga2k5

jrodga2k5

Soldato
Joined
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Scotland
So...I recieved my Aerocool Dead Silence Case...it's RED btw...and I am thinking of chucking the HD 7990 as I a) Don't really need it and b) can fetch a tidy sum on the Bay!

Without looking to spend the full cash I will recoup from the sale I have a decision to make...now bearing in mind the case looks like this:

3ie1.jpg


I have got it down to one of two options...both on offer!

The MSI GTX 780 OC
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-209-MS

of

HIS Radeon R9 290X Boost 4096MB GDDR5
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-085-HS


Gaming at 1920x1080 and looking to keep things as quiet (the 290x I know right?!) as possible but really just the best performance for <£400

State your case without this turning into a flame war, I am kinda leaning towards the 780GTX for Physx and how well it overclocks...plus how quiet it is or should I go for the slightly more powerful 290X which has Mantle coming and True Audio.
 
If you "don't really need" a HD7990, then you don't need to pay the premium for a 290X over a 290 either IMO.

Between the two cards you listed the R290X will give better performance, but like you said at the expense of PhysX, so it depends on how many of your games use it. The R290X will obviously run hotter and louder, also as your case has ample airflow for a HD7990 is will also be fine for any other card so the benefit of a blower card is kind of non existent here).

Personally as the pre-order for the R290 non-X Gaming is only £10 more than the GTX780 gaming is, I would choose between them, with PhysX/Mantle personal preference being the decider.
 
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Its not an easy but i have just got the 780 lightning and am very happy with it. A huge improvement compared to my old ref 680. I will say its its pretty big and heavy which causes it to sag a little, no probs on your setup.
 
Cheers for the suggestions guys, I was reading up on the 290x which does seem like a much better compromise in terms of the price/performance aspect.

Physx is of course a good aspect when it comes to the Nvidia side and Mantle is an unknown quantity right now.

It's actually quite the dilemma as I've swapped sides all the time here so have no real preference.

Fogo...glad to see I'm not the only one :p

What swayed you to the 780 if you don't mind me asking?
 
jrodga2k5 said:
Fogo...glad to see I'm not the only one :p

What swayed you to the 780 if you don't mind me asking?
Click to expand...

It's silent (~1300rpm IIRC) and cheaper :p
If there was a custom cooled 290X for a similar price I'd go with that.

My situation is slightly different: I have a 780ti on Step-Up with EVGA. It will probably be a few more weeks before I hear anything though, and I'm impatient :o
 
If you are looking at a GTX780 then I would recommend this one.
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-234-MS&groupid=701&catid=1914&subcat=1341

Also if you are looking at R9 290X then this one is the same price but a far better warranty.
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-222-MS&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=1752

Right now R9 290X is overpriced compared to R9 290. So I would recommend if you are prepared to go reference R9 290/X go with this one.
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-243-MS&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=1752

Overall considering the price the GTX780 Lightning looks like the best option. Runs much quieter and should be a very good overclocker.
 
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thefogo said:
It's silent (~1300rpm IIRC) and cheaper :p
If there was a custom cooled 290X for a similar price I'd go with that.

My situation is slightly different: I have a 780ti on Step-Up with EVGA. It will probably be a few more weeks before I hear anything though, and I'm impatient :o
Click to expand...

The silence is pretty much a good selling point although when moving into my new flat it's going to be mainly headphone gaming for me...

I've just come across a 290 @ £312 which looks really tempting to be honest, although stock cooler.
 
thefogo said:
ICDP do you have the Lightning?
Click to expand...

No, I have an R9 290 flashed to 290X.

I did have 2 of those MSI Gaming GTX780 cards and I will be honest they weren't great overclockers. Stock R9 290X was as fast as either of my 780 Gaming overclocked. The only way to get decent overclocks (over 1200 core) was to use the special voltage modded BIOS. The VRAM on both was Elpida and would not go beyond 180 offset which seriously limits GTX780 overclocks.

Just thinking, I am assuming the Lightning has better VRAM than Elpida as standard, so maybe it isn't a good idea to assume. :)
 
jrodga2k5 said:
The silence is pretty much a good selling point although when moving into my new flat it's going to be mainly headphone gaming for me...

I've just come across a 290 @ £312 which looks really tempting to be honest, although stock cooler.
Click to expand...

Is your monitor 60Hz and do you use Vsync?

If you do then the cooler will rarely get over 45% which is loud but not horrendous. If you don't use vsync and want your GPU to run flat out at max FPS then avoid R9 290 reference coolers.

They are only barely acceptable (IMHO) when capped to your 60Hz monitors refresh.
 
ICDP said:
Is your monitor 60Hz and do you use Vsync?

If you do then the cooler will rarely get over 45% which is loud but not horrendous. If you don't use vsync and want your GPU to run flat out at max FPS then avoid R9 290 reference coolers.

They are only barely acceptable (IMHO) when capped to your 60Hz monitors refresh.
Click to expand...

Interesting points...gives me much to ponder...going to stick the HD7990 on now and give it a couple of days to make the decision. Some more reading required it would seem :p
 
jrodga2k5 said:
The silence is pretty much a good selling point although when moving into my new flat it's going to be mainly headphone gaming for me...

I've just come across a 290 @ £312 which looks really tempting to be honest, although stock cooler.
Click to expand...

I'm quite sensitive to noise so I couldn't put up with a 290 :p Even my 7990 is louder than I would want.
 
I think I've narrowed things down to one of two options now...

So yeah the R9 290 with 3rd party coolers comes out now...but worked out I can get an R9 290 + Accelero Hybrid for approx £380 all in or the MSI GTX 780 OC @ £359.99

So if we're saying cooling then becomes a non issue it will be a VTX 3D 290 which is the one that potentially mods to a 290X correct?

Looking at the benchmarks online it appears the 290 just about nudges ahead overall but then the GTX 780 can overclock like...well I won't say it...but both really are a lottery a guess!

It's a ruddy confusing time :p
 
eyetrip said:
ARGH!

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

While I wanted a "proper" 780 lightning to go with my current, I didn't want to pay the £450 for it, so got a 780 classified.

If I had known I could have got this for less than £400 now, I would have waited, even being an LE version :(
Click to expand...

would have sold you mine for a good price ;)
 
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