GPU Upgrade

Paladine · 23 Sep 2015 at 21:25

Hey peeps,

I currently have an HD7870 GPU (non-reference design) and whereas I am generally happy with the performance for the games I play (I am 1080p) I am looking to do an upgrade.

I want a GPU that I can put a water block on and preferably one that will support DX12.

From What I have seen I need to either look at the AMD R300 series or NVidia GTX980.

The problem I am having is finding a card which is reasonably priced, has a waterblock available for it and doesn't consume massive amounts of power.

I know the R9 390 has a huge TDP but is it cheaper than the GTX980 -but- waterblocks seem to be much more common for the NVidia Cards than they are for the AMD cards.

So really what I would like is some advice (preferably without it turning into a fanboy anatomy waving contest) on what would really be the best bang for my buck and still allow me to watercool?

Game-wise, I mostly play Elite Dangerous and Black Desert Online but I also play Project Cars and will absolutely be buying the new Need for Speed game when it is released - so ideally I want a card which will give me great performance and future proof me for another 2 years.

The reason I want to fit a block is because I want to go from a closed Corsair CPU liquid cooler to a full custom loop and to be honest that is one of the main drivers behind the decision for the upgrade.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Rustyone · 23 Sep 2015 at 21:44

Look for a used card with a block, or a used one and stick a block on it.

MrMD · 23 Sep 2015 at 22:24

Best bang for buck and water-cooling thats a worthwhile upgrade from a 7870 is probily a used 290x+a block.

If your buying new.You can grab a 390 but their are no fullcover blocks for them and you would have to use a universal block like a Thermosphere and use heatsinks for the VRMS and memory.#

970 is the same price as 390(more or less) with similar performance,but their are fullcover blocks for pretty much all the 970's tho.

If you can stretch to a 980ti that would be the best option but pricey.A regular 980 is bad value for money if your buying new.

Paladine · 24 Sep 2015 at 00:51

MrMD said:
Best bang for buck and water-cooling thats a worthwhile upgrade from a 7870 is probily a used 290x+a block.

If your buying new.You can grab a 390 but their are no fullcover blocks for them and you would have to use a universal block like a Thermosphere and use heatsinks for the VRMS and memory.#

970 is the same price as 390(more or less) with similar performance,but their are fullcover blocks for pretty much all the 970's tho.

If you can stretch to a 980ti that would be the best option but pricey.A regular 980 is bad value for money if your buying new.

I just got a 270X upgrade for my fiancee (from a GTX 550Ti) so yes I have been considering the 290X the supplier I was looking at had it listed as DirectX 11 support but I have just investigated further and discovered it does actually support DirectX 12 so that sounds like a good option. So now I just need to find one with an available block.

My local supplier here in Poland only has the Sapphire 11226-16-40G & 11226-16-20G neither of which are showing on EKWB site as having a full block available or plans to make one.

So I guess I need to find a supplier with an Asus or Gigabyte reference design and work from there.

Thanks for the help.