Upgrade from AMD 290

[GothicGhost]

I got the 290 about 3/4 years ago for £215 so I definitely got my money's worth I think.
But 4GB vram not so good anymore.

My options seem limited to a 1080 if want to see a big performance boost?

My budget I would like to spend is £350 if I can get something that much better then a AMD 290 or keep saving.


My specs are.
Windows 10 64bit.
MB GA-Z170XP-SLI.
Phanteks PH-TC12DX CPU Cooler
Team Group Elite 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-19200C16 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit
i5-6600k @4.2 - This pre OC bundle from OCuk.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/defc...ghz-overclocked-skylake-bundle-bu-069-og.html

MSI R290 graphics card with latest drivers.
EVGA 850 80+ GOLD
Seagate 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache HDD

Thanks for any advice.

 

[LeMson]

Members market 1080 or 1070ti

 

[GothicGhost]

Forgot about the MM lol
Good idea thank you.

 

[Marine-RX179]

I got the 290 about 3/4 years ago for £215 so I definitely got my money's worth I think.
But 4GB vram not so good anymore.

My options seem limited to a 1080 if want to see a big performance boost?

My budget I would like to spend is £350 if I can get something that much better then a AMD 290 or keep saving.


My specs are.
Windows 10 64bit.
MB GA-Z170XP-SLI.
Phanteks PH-TC12DX CPU Cooler
Team Group Elite 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-19200C16 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit
i5-6600k @4.2 - This pre OC bundle from OCuk.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/defc...ghz-overclocked-skylake-bundle-bu-069-og.html

MSI R290 graphics card with latest drivers.
EVGA 850 80+ GOLD
Seagate 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache HDD

Thanks for any advice.

Vega64 is on par with the GTX1080 at stock and both about 80%+ faster than the 290. If disregarding power consumption, overclocked performance the Vega64 will pull quite a bit ahead of the GTX1080 (partly due to the GTX1080 is power limited by the single 8-pin external power vs two 8-pin external power on the Vega64).

Nvidia cards generally age worse than AMD's offering after EOL; you just need to look at the 290/290x vs the 780/780ti in new titles to get an idea. Also at the moment the Vega64 card comes with 3 games:
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/giga...hbm2-pci-express-graphics-card-gx-19n-gi.html

I don't think you can sell the codes, but it still sweeten the deals considering it is brand new and with full warranty vs 2nd hand 1080 that probably won't go for less than at least £350.

Just curious what res are you gaming at anyway?

 

[GothicGhost]

Thanks for that great information
Even now my 290 not bad card for it's age but with VR and few other games I would like the settings a bit higher.

I am gaming at 1080.
This will not change for a long time I think.

When it comes to spending £250+ I like having that warranty just incase.

I have bought off the MM before but never over £100.
Thanks.

 

[kration]

Vega64 is on par with the GTX1080 at stock and both about 80%+ faster than the 290...

80% is quite an upgrade. But, regardless, it just goes to show what a decent card the 290 was if that's the upgrade a 1080 can offer.

 

[chaotic_uk]

what res do you game at ?

 

[DONOHUE07]

In the same boat mate, I bought my 290 on release and struggling to part with my money, the 290 is still going strong, but I would like something that would allow me to crank up the settings the newer more graphically demanding VR games.

I also game at 1080p and the 290 is still happily playing everything

 

[Marine-RX179]

IMO 290 is still plenty quick enough for 1080p.

I only upgraded from the Vega64 from my previous 290x just 2 months ago, and even back then I was running at 3440x1440 res, I only moderately turned down some graphic settings in games down to high and it still managed to do 50fps+ in generally, and only some occasion severe dip down to 38fps. However because my monitor has Freesync support, so the dip is not really as bad as the numbers suggest.

Also I don't really think 4GB vram on the 290 is going to be any issue for 1080p for 95% of the games.

Funny thing was 2 years ago I was in the same position as you, still at 1080p res and also looking at upgrading my graphic cards. I was waiting for the launch of the GTX1080 expecting it to be not much higher than GTX980's launch price at £400...then Nvidia launched the bloody thing at average or £600+.

I gave Nvidia the finger, and drop the £600 on buying my Acer XR341CK 34" Ultrawide Adaptive Sync 75Hz instead and never looked back. It was the best £600 I have spent on for PC gaming...that's how good Freesync (Adaptive Sync) is ((and also the increase is res of course).

On Nvidia side they have Gsync as well, but for Gsync monitor people would have to pay a price premium of average £150~£300, so it is quite steep.

 

[GothicGhost]

With my 1080p TV, I get stutters if the fps not fixed.
I would love to upgrade to a better monitor but I need a better GPU first I think.

 

[Lokken86]

Normally I would say Vega 64 but for VR the 1080 is the better choice.

 

[Panos]

Forgot about the MM lol
Good idea thank you.

There is a vega 64 liquid for 400 atm in MM.

 

[Marine-RX179]

There is a vega 64 liquid for 400 atm in MM.

I would have happily bought that if I not already got a Vega64

 

[Panos]

I would have happily bought that if I not already got a Vega64

The response was for OP And you are show off....

 

[Marine-RX179]

Normally I would say Vega 64 but for VR the 1080 is the better choice.

I think the key point to consider is "for how much longer"? Driver performance and optimisation will only going to downhill from here on out.

I am considering building another PC for gaming on the 75" 4K TV downstair and want to get a 1080Ti instead of Vega64 for a bit more grunt, but looking at the recent posts about the 1080Ti performance it's a bit worrying, and I refused to buy 2080Ti at that ridiculous price, and the 2080 to me new techs and features or not, it is a lower tier/quality AND higher price card comparing to the 1080ti.

 

[Marine-RX179]

The response was for OP And you are show off....

It's not showing off, there's a different between wanting something and needing something.

At the moment it is a "want", but if I didn't already have a Vega64, it would be a "need"

 

[Panos]

It's not showing off, there's a different between wanting something and needing something.

At the moment it is a "want", but if I didn't already have a Vega64, it would be a "need"

That is why if that vega doesn't go until tomorrow night is mine... Because I want one.... For science.....