Specs I need in a GPU

[ChAIn3D]

Hi guys,

I've been searching through numerous threads, trying to have a basic understanding what I should be looking for when purchasing a graphics card and to be frankly honest, I'm more confused than ever!

My budget is around £400 (but am flexible). I have looked at various cards; Nvidia 780, AMD R9 280/290 and AMD HD 7970/7990, what am I exactly looking for in a graphics card? Am I paying more attention to the core and shader clock rather the memory size and speed? I have been told EVGA and Gigabyte are good cards?

I know many people have their own opinions but if someone pointed out a few options to consider then it may help me purchasing the right graphic card for me.

Also, I have an Enermax Infiniti 720W EIN720AWT ATX2.2 Modular SLI Compliant PSU, if I purchase any of the above cards, would I need to upgrade this and if so, which one is recommended?

Cheers guys!

 

[ChAIn3D]

I'm willing to stretch the budget if it's worth the money. If it's like £50ish difference in performance and it's noticable then I'm willing to pay the extra.

So the latest games the AMD edges it over the Nvidia?

If you look at the specs the Nvidia cards look faster but AMD seem to have more ram, does this matter with the performance between the 2 cards?

I was hoping that the PSU was suitable for at least 1 good card. I'll consider changing the PSU when I decide to change the cpu, memory and motherboard.

 

[ChAIn3D]

I currently own a nasty old Nvidia GTX 8800 so anything will out do my graphics card.

I'm definitely edging towards the 780, especially hearing the heating issue with the AMD - I don't need all the fuss of replacing fans.

What do you mean by it depends on what features I want, does it make much of a difference?