4GB R9 290 Upgrade time?

[slipd]

Hi guys,

As above, the last couple of newish titles I've played have started to give me tearing and a slight bit of lag... I think it's time

|I probably won't be upgrading much else in my rig, see sig, but what sort of thing should I be looking at for a bit of noticeable improvement?

Budget-wise, I usually hang around the £350 mark.

Thanks.

 

[Supernova]

What resolution and FPS are you targeting? If 1080p60, I'd be looking at a new cpu first.

Edit: I say that because I have an R9 290 and with a 4.5GHz 6600k it will run "newish" games without any issues at that res and frame rate.

 

[slipd]

Yeah, I'm still on 1080p gaming. I've been really lucky with my setup and more than had my $$$'s worth but maybe it is time to start thinking about the complete overhaul.

I was just thinking there might have been a quick fix

 

[iBSOD]

The RX480/580 and 1060 aren't worth upgrading to imo. The cheapest 1070s I've seen are about 375 atm. I don't like saying wait for hardware to be released, but its youre best bet unless you find a 1070 in budget. Vega is due in a month or two

 

[malachi]

Sell the 290 now because of the mining craze and put the money towards Vega when its out

 

[slipd]

Thanks people!

Sell the 290 now because of the mining craze and put the money towards Vega when its out

Mining craze?

If I was looking to buy today, a 1070 would be the obvious choice right?

 

[Surfer]

I think a lot of people are waiting and watching like hawks for 1070s and 1080s to appear on the MM. Good 2nd hand prices there. (e.g. a 1070 sold within 15 minutes recently) Better prices than ebay tbh mainly.

I wouldnt buy new (unless incentives or discount) at the moment. Buy 2nd hand but still inside warranty.

Ballpark prices i consider reasonable for me anyway
used GTX1070 £270-£310 for new i wouldnt pay more than £370

*i believe the 1070 is overpriced atm due to mining and low stock shoving the price up**

used GTX1080 £350 - £420 ish for new i wouldnt pay more than £459

also depends on what card. e.g. if its a FE, blower, zotac extreme etc

I have seen a NEW GTX1080 going for £459 and the place does have stock (just came in today i had a email alert) i cant mention because competitor. Its an MSI aero GTX1080 and i think MSI are still doing their scheme where you get cashback for around £43 or something. So if true that would bring price down further to £413 ish.

 

[DONOHUE07]

I wouldnt buy anything yet, and I'm in a similar position, my GPU has just died on me, but there's no way I'm buying at these inflated prices, also the 1070/1080's have been out for ages, I think it's pointless buying a GPU so long into its release window, there something better on the horizon in Vega and Volta.

My advice is too keep hold of what you have, or better yet, cash in on the mining craze get £200 for your 290 and borrow or use an older card for some 'lighter gaming' until new cards come out

 

[five8five]

With the way prices are going, I'd grab a 1070 if you can get a deal. It'll probably hold it's value for a while.
I don't think mid-range Vega is going to be very good value for money based on current price rises and the pre-launch prices of Vega Frontier Edition.

 

[slipd]

Sorry, not trying to seem dense, but what is the mining craze?

 

[Surfer]

I don't think mid-range Vega is going to be very good value for money based on current price rises and the pre-launch prices of Vega Frontier Edition.

Agreed 100% Unfortunately i dont have a graphics card atm so will be buying within around a month. Probably a 1080 unless i get an amazing deal on a Zotac AMP extreme 1070.
I wont pay the inflated prices though lol.

 

[five8five]

Agreed 100% Unfortunately i dont have a graphics card atm so will be buying within around a month. Probably a 1080 unless i get an amazing deal on a Zotac AMP extreme 1070.
I wont pay the inflated prices though lol.

Snooze you lose at the moment

 

[Surfer]

plenty more fish in the sea

 

[malachi]

Sorry, not trying to seem dense, but what is the mining craze?

http://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/043014/what-bitcoin-mining.asp

 

[Supernova]

Worth considering. Go to 8m15s. This is ~5 months old now.

 

[Phixsator]

Many say that the rx 480/580 is not a worthy upgrade to the r9 290 but having had both (just sold the rx 480 due to insane resale prices) and currently using my old r9 290 i can say there is actually a very big difference between them. Now if you just look at charts then the difference will look minimal but in actual gameplay the rx 480 stutters a lot less and gives a much improved overall experience. Now with all that out of the way it really doesnt matter cause there is not stock and if you are lucky to find any it is most likely marked up fair bit making it a silly purchase so if you are buying right now the 1070/1080 might not be that bad to look into. Heck you can even get the cheapest 1080ti for the same money the 1080 launched at. If it were me though I would wait and see what vega brings even though it's been a painful wait so fare.

 

[ShiWarrior]

from a 290 the difference between a 290 to a 1060 isnt enough,, i would go for a 1070 or Vega if you want AMD

but now isnt the time really

 

[BS Dave]

Sell 290 buy 2nd hand 980ti

 

[malachi]

Sell 290 buy 2nd hand 980ti

Even 980ti's are coming hard to find 2nd hand. I paid the extra and get a 1070 instead.

 

[Marine-RX179]

Depending on the games you are playing...the drop in frame-rate might actually be CPU related rather than the 290.

The easiest way to check is keep an eye on GPU usable while frame rate dips to see if they are at 99%, or are they dipping down to something like 80% or lower; alternative try lowering resolution HD to see if you are still struggle to hold a solid 60fps...and if it does, then it would mean for the particular game the CPU is not keeping up, thus now ultilising the graphic card to max usage.