Price aside GTX 780 or R9 290?

Gregster · 14 Apr 2014 at 14:52

4737Joker said:
Whats all this "hassle" and "tweaks" etc etc people say need to be done to an AMD card to get it to play games?

Remove drivers, restart, install new drivers, restart, play games...

I'd love to see a list of these tweaks because i have never had to mess about with either brand and i find it odd people are saying they had to do things to get AMD cards to work but don't state what.

I know theres been quite a few RMA threads posted about the 290 series but Gibbo said himself the returns for both camps is approx 5%.

I had to run MSI AB and set the power target to +20 to get stability in games or it would just CTD on my last AMD card (3 months ago).

LtMatt · 14 Apr 2014 at 14:53

Gregster said:
I had to run MSI AB and set the power target to +20 to get stability in games or it would just CTD on my last AMD card (3 months ago).

Why couldn't you just do that in CCC? What were the cards stock clocks?

Silent_Scone · 14 Apr 2014 at 14:56

AMD cleanup still doesn't work on Windows 8 either. But apparently I was a 'noob' for not knowing that after it broke the power schemes.

There are still a list of grievances for definitate. Things that granted are correctable at user level but there none the less.

LtMatt · 14 Apr 2014 at 14:58

MjFrosty said:
AMD cleanup still doesn't work on Windows 8 either. But apparently I was a 'noob' for not knowing that after it broke the power schemes.

There are still a list of grievances for definitate. Things that granted are correctable at user level but there none the less.

It did say it only supported Windows 7 on their website at the time though.

I can't laugh too much though as it got me as well many months back. Serves me right for not reading though i suppose.

shankly1985 · 14 Apr 2014 at 14:58

MjFrosty said:
AMD cleanup still doesn't work on Windows 8 either. But apparently I was a 'noob' for not knowing that after it broke the power schemes.

There are still a list of grievances for definitate. Things that granted are correctable at user level but there none the less.

Clean up does support Windows 8 now, the problem is people miss use this for a GPU clean up tool which it isn't. Its a AMD clean up meaning it will clean everything AMD in your System. People then fast to blame it wiped there drivers.

LOL simple user error nothing more.

LtMatt · 14 Apr 2014 at 15:01

shankly1985 said:
Clean up does support Windows 8 now, the problem is people miss use this for a GPU clean up tool which it isn't. Its a AMD clean up meaning it will clean everything AMD in your System. People then fast to blame it wiped there drivers.

LOL simple user error nothing more.

That's true actually. It also cleans up AMD chipset stuff and other things. I don't think people are fully aware. Well the people that don't bother to read that is. Myself included lol.

Gregster · 14 Apr 2014 at 15:03

LtMatt said:
Why couldn't you just do that in CCC? What were the cards stock clocks?

I probably could have done but that isn't what I was responding to and was showing what I had to do to get games to run properly. That worked for me but I don't want to have to fiddle or set sliders prior to gaming.

Another bit was the temps when plugging in a second monitor rose from 26c idle to summit like 50c idle. All these things are quite annoying.

Silent_Scone · 14 Apr 2014 at 15:04

More to the point why didn't it support Windows 8? This is what I'm talking about people justifying gripes continually. Not to mention why does it let users use it on W8. Takes two seconds to block execution on checking OS.

It's a driver/software cleanup tool Shanks, I know what it is thanks lol.

LtMatt · 14 Apr 2014 at 15:05

MjFrosty said:
More to the point why doesn't it support Windows 8 yet? This is what I'm talking about people justifying gripes continually.

Gripes can be avoided by reading though. Or just uninstalling drivers normally, or using DDU. DDU is the best driver tool ive ever used.

shankly1985 · 14 Apr 2014 at 15:07

MjFrosty said:
More to the point why didn't it support Windows 8? This is what I'm talking about people justifying gripes continually.

It's a driver/software cleanup tool Shanks, I know what it is thanks lol.

Didn't say you never lol talk about twisting my post.

Silent_Scone · 14 Apr 2014 at 15:17

I'd hate to work at LtMatt ltd

drakioned · 14 Apr 2014 at 15:22

4737Joker said:
Whats all this "hassle" and "tweaks" etc etc people say need to be done to an AMD card to get it to play games?

Remove drivers, restart, install new drivers, restart, play games...

I'd love to see a list of these tweaks because i have never had to mess about with either brand and i find it odd people are saying they had to do things to get AMD cards to work but don't state what.

I know theres been quite a few RMA threads posted about the 290 series but Gibbo said himself the returns for both camps is approx 5%.

Some examples of tweaks:
AMD brightness problem
More AMD brightness issues
Any of the stuff on AMD Enduro
Any of the stuff on AMD Crossfire frame pacing

Now I know some of the problems are fixed now, but, by way of example, some of the frame pacing problems were fixed only in Catalyst 14.1 beta, and this was the problem first reported January last year. Enduro also took months to resolve, and one of my friends with an Enduro laptop has games they can't play due to Enduro as it's still not totally fixed.

shankly1985 · 14 Apr 2014 at 15:27

drakioned said:
Some examples of tweaks:
AMD brightness problem
More AMD brightness issues
Any of the stuff on AMD Enduro
Any of the stuff on AMD Crossfire frame pacing

Now I know some of the problems are fixed now, but, by way of example, some of the frame pacing problems were fixed only in Catalyst 14.1 beta, and this was the problem first reported January last year. Enduro also took months to resolve, and one of my friends with an Enduro laptop has games they can't play due to Enduro as it's still not totally fixed.

Been using crossfire for couple years now and yet to have a problem with anything you are talking about.

Geeman1979 · 14 Apr 2014 at 15:33

I tried Crossfire with a pair 7970's a few years back for Eyefinity and it ran like ****

Does it run any better now for Eyefinity btw?

Final8y · 14 Apr 2014 at 15:39

4737Joker said:
Whats all this "hassle" and "tweaks" etc etc people say need to be done to an AMD card to get it to play games?

Remove drivers, restart, install new drivers, restart, play games...

I'd love to see a list of these tweaks because i have never had to mess about with either brand and i find it odd people are saying they had to do things to get AMD cards to work but don't state what.

I know theres been quite a few RMA threads posted about the 290 series but Gibbo said himself the returns for both camps is approx 5%.

Indeed as i hate hassle, no RadeonPro and i would not use NVIDIA Inspector.
But i have used multi GPU mostly tri and quad CF plus 3-4 screens since 2006 and i have not found it to be a hassle which it should be more hassle than a single gpu on a single display but for me its been mostly plug and play.

Silent_Scone · 14 Apr 2014 at 15:41

Geeman1979 said:
I tried Crossfire with a pair 7970's a few years back for Eyefinity and it ran like ****

Does it run any better now for Eyefinity btw?

Yes trust me it's come on leaps and bounds with Hawaii drivers. You should have tried running a pair of 4870s. Absolute waste of time.

Final8y · 14 Apr 2014 at 15:42

Anyway unless i have missed another post from the OP multi GPU and multi screen are not part of the equation.

ICDP · 14 Apr 2014 at 15:46

drakioned said:
Some examples of tweaks:
AMD brightness problem
More AMD brightness issues
Any of the stuff on AMD Enduro
Any of the stuff on AMD Crossfire frame pacing

Now I know some of the problems are fixed now, but, by way of example, some of the frame pacing problems were fixed only in Catalyst 14.1 beta, and this was the problem first reported January last year. Enduro also took months to resolve, and one of my friends with an Enduro laptop has games they can't play due to Enduro as it's still not totally fixed.

So this is it, your big list of AMD GPU problems? This is a thread about R9 290 or GTX780 and you bring in laptop problems as "proof" that AMD drivers cause hassle and need too many tweaks. :confused:

Same thing with people bringing in Frame Pacing or Crossfire problems. Neither of these issues are present on the R9 290. I have used CF 290/X cards on and off and all games are plug and play unless there is no profile. Same as Nvidia in fact, if you don't get an SLI profile it won't work or needs tweaking.

The OP asked about R9 290 or GTX780.

NOT Endure/Laptop
NOT Eyefinity or Crossfire

Yet the usual suspects are banging on the BS "Nvidia = plug and play and AMD is a complete hassle". I wonder how many current Nvidia issues I can find with a quick Google search. For the record I am not claiming Nvidia = hassle, just that it is easy to find fault if you go looking.

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/answers/id-2065764/driver-problems-nvidia-geforce-updates.html

Seems like a lot of hassle and not "plug and play"
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/327414-nvidia-drivers-avoid-problems.html

http://forums.evga.com/tm.aspx?m=2142222

Ubuntu problem, but it's "proof" right?
http://askubuntu.com/questions/443818/problems-with-nvidia-gt630m-drivers

Anyone who spouts the "Nvidia = plug and play" BS is a troll pure and simple. I defy anyone here to claim they have never once tweaked their NVCP, or 3rd party NV inspector settings to get a game working better on their NV GPU.

drakioned · 14 Apr 2014 at 15:47

shankly1985 said:
Been using crossfire for couple years now and yet to have a problem with anything you are talking about.

Anandtech's write up of the problem
AMD's acknowledgement of the problem

I can find some more links, but you can google "AMD frame pacing crossfire" and find several hundred thousand results.

4737Joker · 14 Apr 2014 at 15:49

drakioned said:
Some examples of tweaks:
AMD brightness problem
More AMD brightness issues
Any of the stuff on AMD Enduro
Any of the stuff on AMD Crossfire frame pacing

Now I know some of the problems are fixed now, but, by way of example, some of the frame pacing problems were fixed only in Catalyst 14.1 beta, and this was the problem first reported January last year. Enduro also took months to resolve, and one of my friends with an Enduro laptop has games they can't play due to Enduro as it's still not totally fixed.

I know they are issues with that particualr laptop and i am not saying they don't matter. In the thread you linked it mentions the brightness button not working because drivers not bundled with the laptop had been installed too. But it doesn't really apply to what we are talking about here which is plug and play desktop graphics cards.

And we have Greg's 69xx from 2 gens ago that needed the power to be turned up a notch, probably faulty memory?

Can't say i'm convinced that AMD gpu's are not as plug and play as nvidia yet. Considering i have both i think it's nonsense tbh.