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GTX 970 upgrade
- Thread starter subbass
- Start date
Permabanned
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- 23 Apr 2014
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Yes.
No bottleneck.
VRAM be fine.
No bottleneck.
VRAM be fine.
The cpu should be fine unless you ever get two gpus in sli or crossfire but I would say the 390 is a better option atm for the 8gb of ddr5 and its cheaper. And yes it would be a good upgrade but again unless you really want a nvidia gpu I would go towards the 390 if your going nvidia I would save up some more till you can get a 980ti or get one cheaper second hand.
Soldato
- Joined
- 17 Jun 2012
- Posts
- 5,951
I'm mainly an Nv user but would probably go for a 390 if I were in the 970 market, just seems better VFM going forward, especially seeing as you like to get value out of your card by keeping hold of it for a while.
I got a good deal on a second hand 970 I had been looking at new cards and was torn between the 970 or the 390. I ended out with the 970 granted second hand but saved a load of cash.. Im well chuffed with it coming from a 7950.
does the extra 4gb vram make that much difference? what games will use over the 970's available vram?
does the extra 4gb vram make that much difference? what games will use over the 970's available vram?
The latest COD:Black OP3 uses a lot of Vram. On My 3GB 7970 I can't run the extra textures without stuttering/crashing. GTA5 also uses more than 4gb for ultra settings. If you are planning to get Fallout 4 and mod it then you will need as much vram as possible. Shadow of Mordor also uses 6GB for the HD texture pack. Generally you will find that games will use even more as you turn up the detail/AA or use VSR/DSR to run at higher resolutions.
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even in 1080p?
saying that.. for what my 970 has cost me in the long run I cant complain.. its a serious upgrade from the 7950 and Im happy with it.
Ill be in the position to upgrade and buy new in the middle of next year.
the main reason I upgraded the now is I got offered a good price for my 7950 as my mate wanted a matching card to xfire. then I got offered the 970 from someone else at a good price.. so in the long run the 970 has cost me about £20 plus my 7950...
Ill be in the position to upgrade and buy new in the middle of next year.
the main reason I upgraded the now is I got offered a good price for my 7950 as my mate wanted a matching card to xfire. then I got offered the 970 from someone else at a good price.. so in the long run the 970 has cost me about £20 plus my 7950...
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saying that.. for what my 970 has cost me in the long run I can complain.. its a serious upgrade from the 7950 and Im happy with it.
Ill be in the position to upgrade and buy new in the middle of next year.
the main reason I upgraded the now is I got offered a good price for my 7950 as my mate wanted a matching card to xfire. then I got offered the 970 from someone else at a good price.. so in the long run the 970 has cost me about £20 plus my 7950...
Win.
I'll have a look at the 390.
Any recommendation on which manufacturer?
Is the MSI R9 390 as quiet as the MSI GTX 970?
Sapphire and MSI are good.
I think the Sapphire has slightly bit better cooling due to it's Tri-X cooler. Both the following tests are open case so should be a lot quieter in a normal closed case.
Sapphire Nitro 390X noise test (same cooler as 390)
MSI 390 noise test (german) noise test at 2:20
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Call of Duty Black Ops 3 already does, several other games also.
I'd recommend the AMD 390 (8GB) over the 970 (3.5/4GB) every time, especially considering the 390 is cheaper!
Ill be looking to upgrade next year and ill see what's available then.
only game im planning on buying this year is just cause 3 which hopefully the 970 should run fairly sweet.
Im still tempted by gta5 though..
It won't, don't worry
Don't know where people get those vram figures from. I'm running GTA V almost maxed, with increased traffic/population density and I'm barely scraping 3200-3300mb AND THAT'S AT 1440p Same with Shadow of Mordor, that 6gb requiremets is pure cobblers. If you can get the 970 significantly cheaper, then it's the better option, especially considering it's overclocking potential. If you want to buy new, then go with the 390. It won't hurt to have more for the same price.
Vram is a controversial topic but I'd hazard a guess you won't be able to push significantly more than 4gb and still stay at 60fps unless you crossfire, but with a die shrink coming I don't think it's a good idea. All depends on the game, Witcher 3 uses 2gb maxed and the 390/970 won't be able to hold 60fps in that even at 1080p. Some games are more vram heavy but if you creep up to 4gb, chances are you're already dipping significantly below 60.
EDIT: Lol, didn't notice you already got a pure win deal on the 970. In that case just ride it out till the die shrink, it'll serve you nicely at 1080p.
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