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780 or 290

Assuming 290 @£310 and 780 @£380 (cheapest I can find). The 780 comes with a games package worth ~£20 more than the 290, making the cost difference ~£50. For the £50 difference the 780 gives you a (much) better cooler, more overclocking headroom, and very slightly lower electricity bills. Performance at stock is pretty much equal. Performance when overclocked will favour the 780 due to the stock 290 cooler choking things back.

If you already have a noisy case or don't really care about noise go for the 290.

If quiet running and overclockability are your aim go for the 780.

Alternatively wait for third-party coolers to arrive and see what happens to the 290's price and overcloability.

You are basically paying £50 more for a better cooler.
 
I don't mean to sound cavalier with someone elses money but if you were genuinely undecided and had a spare few squid get both, do the honours and return the looser back to place of purchase :confused::)
 
dbmzk1 said:
Hi,

If they were the same price, which would you get?

Mainly for BF4 to replace 5850 crossfire.
Click to expand...

Wait one week and see whether the Mantle preview at the AMD conference in the next few days,means a decent performance boost(or not) for an AMD card.

The thing is the cheaper R9 280X cards can be had for just over £200 also,so if Mantle gives another 10% to 20% boost,that would be a good option to consider. They are also some good deals on HD7970GE cards too. However,you will need to shop around.

A pair of R9 280X or HD7950 cards might worth considering on their own too.
 
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no_1_dave said:
LOL you'll be very lucky to see a 10% boost.
Mantle will give you the extra performance that DX overhead takes away.
DX overhead doesn't take away even close to 10% performance
Click to expand...

NVAPI gave Nvidia a decent peformance boost for ages in BF3,over AMD GCN cards,and that was less far reaching.

Looking at the comments from devs and even AMD themselves,it could be a decent boost,if NVAPI helped Nvidia cards. If not business as usual. I don't gain anything from Mantle like you as I have a Nvidia card too,but this is about the OP.

However,why the panicked rush?? The AMD conference is starting on the 11th. After all its about making sure the OP gets the best value for money setup to play BF4,right??;)

By the very fact they are still on HD5850 cards,it means they keep their graphics cards for a long time. Hence,panicking just for the sake of a week or so,when they keep their graphics cards for years,is just a bit silly.

I would rather have a more information at my fingertips for a longterm purchase. Heck,if I was the OP,I would probably see what pricing the AIB R9 290 cards will be in December,but I am patient,especially if I was buying a £300 to £400 graphics card. However,I also understand some people are much more impulsive. But,TBH,even a single R9 280X or HD7970GE probably would be a decent upgrade over what they have as they are VRAM limited anyway.
 
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If they were the same price the 780. If price is taken into account the 290, as the 780 is not worth £70 more then the 290.
 
I'm in no real rush, just have am option of a cheap 780. Might just wait for 290s with aftermarket coolers and see what mantle brings. When is it being showcased and released?
 
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If it was between the EVGA GTX780 Classified and a 290 with custom cooler at the same price, I might be tempted to go for the GTX780...however the problem is they are not, and most likely won't be the same price.

Regardless how some people keep trying to diss the 290, the fact is it IS generally faster than the average GTX780, and the only thing letting it down the most is just the reference cooler. Future performance potential, the 290 is simply better, even if I put aside Mantle and talk strictly driver performance improvement overtime, especially with AMD bagged the consoles, majority of the games would be better optimised for AMD than Nvidia due to their closer working relationship with the game developers.
 
Just don't rush making a hasty buy now, wait for Mantle & see how it plays outs, then wait for the non reference 290 & 290x to arrive, then decide.

I want to replace a 4870, but I'm determine to resist buying a 290x, will wait to December,even the New Year, until I see what Mantle achieves.
 
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no_1_dave said:
LOL you'll be very lucky to see a 10% boost.
Mantle will give you the extra performance that DX overhead takes away.
DX overhead doesn't take away even close to 10% performance
Click to expand...

How can you be so wrong all the time?? You post this in every thread that mantle comes up in, its not just about "dx overhead" The performance will be well over 10%. Can you please go and do some research on mantle before you post like you know what you are talking about.
 
either way, fast cards.
if one plays BF4 well Mantle is a good thing to choose amd and trueaudio if one is into sounds and games that uses it.
its more pro´s to amd 290, unless one thinks the default cooler needs to be replaced.
I still use the reference cooler on my 7970.
 
So basically they are both good cards if they were the same price there's not much in them. Makes me want to just wait for the 290s with custom coolers to be honest.
 
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