Time to replace ATI 6950

[siclilmonkey]

Hey.
Looking for some advice if you don’t mind.

With Fallout 4 and Doom round the corner I think it is time to upgrade.

My current Spec
• Intel Core i5 2500k @ 4.3ghz (Socket 1155)
• ASRock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3
• 8GB RAM
• AMD Radeon HD 6950 Unlocked to 6970
• 2x 1TB HDDs Raid 0
• 620W Enermax Liberty PSU - ELT620AWT
• 24" TFT @ 1920 X 1200

I have around £250 to spend on a card to last me a few years.

No plans to buy a high res monitor.
Case is a coolermaster Stacker so space should not be a issue.

I have been looking at ATI 380 as it is under £200 it would be ideal. Would the extra ££ for the 390 be worth it?

Thanks

 

[Lustral]

Would the extra ££ for the 390 be worth it?

Yes indeed the 380 are like the old 285 card that i had , it was alright , but i needed more , even on 1080p resolutions.

Got a 290X to replace the 285 only after 3 months owning it.

 

[los]

I'd go for a 390 personally for that sort of money

 

[TheMorningStar]

You will generally get better performance for your money if you upgrade when you need the extra performance, don't buy for the games that are coming out in a few months etc buy when the games are here and you can see what they perform best on.

290/390 are pretty much the same card probably get a 290 cheaper but if there's just a few quid in it who cares.

 

[meldarthx]

I'd go with the 390 .....its only 9 more than what you've said and much faster than the 380 It will handle your res much better also

 

[siclilmonkey]

Quick Query on PSU

I have 2x 6 pins PCI-e power connectors in my modular PSU.

I have a modular cable from a different PSU with 8 pins. I am asuming these modular cables are interchangable between different make PSUs?

Also would one of these Akasa PCI-E to PCI-E 2.0 Adapter will be ok to use to convert the 6 pin to a second 8 pin?

Thanks

 

[dessimpson]

I always thought the extra pins were only earths?

 

[TheMorningStar]

Quick Query on PSU

I have 2x 6 pins PCI-e power connectors in my modular PSU.

I have a modular cable from a different PSU with 8 pins. I am asuming these modular cables are interchangable between different make PSUs?

Also would one of these Akasa PCI-E to PCI-E 2.0 Adapter will be ok to use to convert the 6 pin to a second 8 pin?

Thanks

Yeah, is exactly what they are for. Not sure if all PSU components are interchangeable between manufacturers.

 

[siclilmonkey]

Ha, I swaped one of the PCI-e 6 pin cables for the 6+2 cable i had from a different PSU and its works nothing has gone bang.

 

[Meladath]

390 any day, its an absolutely sweet card.

 

[siclilmonkey]

Im ready to buy a 390 but im stuck on what one.

Is the MSI card worth the extra over the others?

Been looking at the Powercolor as its much cheaper and OCUK deal with warranty.

Please help me make up my mind.

Thanks

 

[NoobCannon]

Your paying for the name and the cooler and colour scheme.

So asking is it worth it only you can answer. The warrenty would be major point for me if I was in your shoes.

 

[Aretak]

Im ready to buy a 390 but im stuck on what one.

Is the MSI card worth the extra over the others?

Been looking at the Powercolor as its much cheaper and OCUK deal with warranty.

Please help me make up my mind.

Thanks

I would strongly advise against the PowerColor, personally. I bought one recently after reading good things about it, and it's loudest card I've ever owned. The passive cooling is a complete nonsense, as even watching a Youtube video causes the card to get hot enough for the fans to come on, resulting in the constant noise of the fans spinning up and down in the background. They also seem to have a minimum speed of ~1300RPM, and are loud even at that speed.

The default fan profile is also absurdly aggressive and tries to keep the GPU at under 65 degrees (and does, in fairness). A couple of reviews I read suggested that PowerColor had told them that the BIOS would be different on the retail cards, with a 74 degree limit that would keep it quieter. That seems to have been a lie, and it's ridiculously noisy under load. Full on leaf blower tier. Even with a less agressive fan profile of my own in Afterburner it was loud, and resulted in the GPU hitting 70 degrees whilst watching Youtube videos.

Mine's now waiting to be collected for return tomorrow, as there was no way I could tolerate the noise. Replaced it with one of the MSI 780s OCUK are currently selling off cheap and the difference is night and day. The MSI 390 can't possibly be worse IMO. I'd generally go with Sapphie for AMD cards though. The 290X I had of theirs was good.

 

[Devrij]

I wouldn't bother buying a new 390 when you can have a 290 second hand for 150 quid.

 

[Meladath]

I would strongly advise against the PowerColor, personally. I bought one recently after reading good things about it, and it's loudest card I've ever owned. The passive cooling is a complete nonsense, as even watching a Youtube video causes the card to get hot enough for the fans to come on, resulting in the constant noise of the fans spinning up and down in the background. They also seem to have a minimum speed of ~1300RPM, and are loud even at that speed.

The default fan profile is also absurdly aggressive and tries to keep the GPU at under 65 degrees (and does, in fairness). A couple of reviews I read suggested that PowerColor had told them that the BIOS would be different on the retail cards, with a 74 degree limit that would keep it quieter. That seems to have been a lie, and it's ridiculously noisy under load. Full on leaf blower tier. Even with a less agressive fan profile of my own in Afterburner it was loud, and resulted in the GPU hitting 70 degrees whilst watching Youtube videos.

Mine's now waiting to be collected for return tomorrow, as there was no way I could tolerate the noise. Replaced it with one of the MSI 780s OCUK are currently selling off cheap and the difference is night and day. The MSI 390 can't possibly be worse IMO. I'd generally go with Sapphie for AMD cards though. The 290X I had of theirs was good.

You had a faulty card/cooler. Don't spoil the entire brand/card with fluff because of that.

According to multiple reviews (and personal experience) the powercolor is a good 390.

I would go for it given how cheap it is compared to the others personally, the only downside is their crappy return service compared to the more expensive brands, but the vast majority of people don't need to use it so...

 

[LtMatt]

Im ready to buy a 390 but im stuck on what one.

Is the MSI card worth the extra over the others?

Been looking at the Powercolor as its much cheaper and OCUK deal with warranty.

Please help me make up my mind.

Thanks

Go for the MSI 380/390. I've been recommending it and everyone who has bought it has been delighted with the noise, temps and performance it offers. MSI really designed a wonderful card this time.

The problem is the MSI 390 is a bit more expensive than the cheapest 390's out there, but in my opinion worth the extra if you can afford it. If not given your budget, system and requirements I'd go with the MSI 380 instead.

 

[Aretak]

You had a faulty card/cooler. Don't spoil the entire brand/card with fluff because of that.

No, sorry, but I didn't. Unless all three fans were mysteriously suffering from the same issue that made them really loud (is being cheap and nasty a fault?). Temperatures were fine during gaming, so I don't see any issue there. As I said, temperatures remained under 65 degrees with fan RPMs pretty much identical to the reviews I've read. If I had a faulty cooler or poorly-applied thermal paste or something, my results would have been wildly different.

http://fudzilla.com/reviews/38040-powercolor-r9-390-pcs-8gb-reviewed?start=10

My results were entirely in line with the top image. So unless that reviewer had a card with the exact same set of "faults" as mine, it seems to be perfectly normal. I bought the card because that review (amongst others) claimed that the retail BIOS was going to be different, with a less aggressive fan curve. It's not.

Equally, the card getting hot whilst watching Youtube videos and such is nothing to do with a faulty cooler and everything to do with the fact that it uses its full 3D clock speeds to do so, with the core running at over 1GHz and the memory at full speed, sucking down 65-70W according to GPU-Z. Again, this seems to be absolutely normal operation from everything I've read. Comparitively, the core and memory clocks on the 780 I have now don't move above their baseline of 324MHz whilst performing the same tasks, with the card using around 15-20W.

I mean, if you're happy with the card and can tolerate its noise levels, then great. I certainly wasn't, and the 780 I replaced it with is worlds apart in that respect.