EVGA GTX 780 Ti Dual Classified or R9 290X?

[Kuroneko]

Not entirely sure if this is the right forum here, but I am kind of stuck on choosing the EVGA 780 Ti DC or a 290X model?

EVGA GeForce GTX 780 Ti Dual Classified
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487007

or the 290X variants?

Newegg Search (Tell me if you're unable to view it)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...cs Cards&Order=PRICED&Pagesize=20&isdeptsrh=1

I'm looking for the best performance out of these. I am not looking to water cool any of them and is mostly looking for a reliable card with the highest performance.

If this is the wrong forum, please direct me to the correct one in-case I have future inquiries.

Thank you!

~Kuroneko

 

[GhostRyder]

Not entirely sure if this is the right forum here, but I am kind of stuck on choosing the EVGA 780 Ti DC or a 290X model?

EVGA GeForce GTX 780 Ti Dual Classified
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487007

or the 290X variants?

Newegg Search (Tell me if you're unable to view it)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007709&IsNodeId=1&Description=R9 290X&name=Desktop Graphics Cards&Order=PRICED&Pagesize=20&isdeptsrh=1

I'm looking for the best performance out of these. I am not looking to water cool any of them and is mostly looking for a reliable card with the highest performance.

If this is the wrong forum, please direct me to the correct one in-case I have future inquiries.

Thank you!

~Kuroneko

It all depends on what resolution you are running at and what your willing to pay. Based on the fact your considering both i'm guessing that price is of no objective to you. It is also going to depend on the games you want to play of course especially if you have alot of games that support Mantle API or use physx/gameworks. In my book though, up to 2560x1600p resolution the GTX 780ti is of course faster and will provide a little higher overclock headroom than a 290X in the averages. However for that you have to pay 150+ more dollars to get that 5-15% advantage (Depending on title and resolution) so that would be up to you. However if you want to do 4k, a pair of 290X cards is much better to choose.

But if your just asking about which is the most powerful overall, the 780ti is faster by a range of 5-15% depending on where you look and what titles/resolutions.

 

[BarbaricSoul]

You are in the correct forum.

The GTX 780ti is the best performing single GPU video card available today.

 

[Kuroneko]

Look's like I've made my choice. Thank you very much for the quick replies!

Decided to stick with my original choice of the 780 Ti.

 

[Shambles1980]

well if you decided pointless post coming up lol.
but if i had the money, i would get the 780 ti

 

[Kuroneko]

well if you decided pointless post coming up lol.
but if i had the money, i would get the 780 ti

Yeah, money wasn't much of a problem, I was more or less looking for the best singular GPU for a single monitor set-up for my college dorm next fall.

 

[GhostRyder]

Yeah, money wasn't much of a problem, I was more or less looking for the best singular GPU for a single monitor set-up for my college dorm next fall.

If you are doing 1080p 60FPS I would not waste the money on a 780ti, I would rather get an R9 290/X or a 780 at that resolution and just get a heavy clocked model with a good cooler and overclock it.

 

[Kuroneko]

If you are doing 1080p 60FPS I would not waste the money on a 780ti, I would rather get an R9 290/X or a 780 at that resolution and just get a heavy clocked model with a good cooler and overclock it.

I understand what you mean and I was thinking of a 780, but this is more a future-proof build, considering that I am entering college next Fall and I won't have much of an income until I find work. Secondly, I will be using this for designing and other things, so I'd rather just overkill it now and not have to worry too much about it in the future.

 

[64K]

There's nothing wrong with getting the EVGA Classified GTX 780Ti if you want it just for the sake of having it but I agree with GhostRyder that it is overkill at 1080p 60 Hz. If you think you may upgrade to a 120/144 Hz 1080p or get a 1440p or 1600p monitor then it makes more sense.

The EVGA GTX 780 Superclocked with ACX cooler is $500 at Newegg right now. That's $260 less than the 780Ti Classified.

 

[GhostRyder]

I understand what you mean and I was thinking of a 780, but this is more a future-proof build, considering that I am entering college next Fall and I won't have much of an income until I find work. Secondly, I will be using this for designing and other things, so I'd rather just overkill it now and not have to worry too much about it in the future.

I understand, I was just meaning you could put the money into other components and save a buck or two over getting roughly 10% performance difference clock to clock (Depends where you look and games again mind you). But if you want it go for it, the GHz edition by Gigabyte is my favorite because the cooler and the better stock clocks give you a ton of extra performance right off the bat and then you get a wide range of clocking options.

Just some food for thought, just an opinion

 

[64K]

I understand what you mean and I was thinking of a 780, but this is more a future-proof build, considering that I am entering college next Fall and I won't have much of an income until I find work. Secondly, I will be using this for designing and other things, so I'd rather just overkill it now and not have to worry too much about it in the future.

I was posting at the same time as you and I didn't see your point of view before I posted. I think I understand where you're coming from now. You want a rig to last you through college without the upgrading expense. If I were in that position then I would get the best single GPU card I could as well since I don't go for SLI/ Xfire.

 

[Frag_Maniac]

For the life of me I don't get why EVGA only gives you a 1020 core on such an expensive card. I know many people are able to clock it much higher, but I'd be more comfortable with the manufacturer guaranteeing a higher clock speed, vs risking getting one with low ASIC and mediocre OCing. And I'm still not comfortable with the idea of a $700 card only have 3GB VRAM, though most of that is on Nvidia for being cheap with their customers.

That said, I'm waiting for the high end Maxwells, and hopefully they'll have 4GB VRAM. It will probably take at least a year after they debut before they get anywhere near reasonable in price though.

 

[GhostRyder]

For the life of me I don't get why EVGA only gives you a 1020 core on such an expensive card. I know many people are able to clock it much higher, but I'd be more comfortable with the manufacturer guaranteeing a higher clock speed, vs risking getting one with low ASIC and mediocre OCing. And I'm still not comfortable with the idea of a $700 card only have 3GB VRAM, though most of that is on Nvidia for being cheap with their customers.

That said, I'm waiting for the high end Maxwells, and hopefully they'll have 4GB VRAM. It will probably take at least a year after they debut before they get anywhere near reasonable in price though.

You and me both!

 

[BarbaricSoul]

For the life of me I don't get why EVGA only gives you a 1020 core on such an expensive card. I know many people are able to clock it much higher, but I'd be more comfortable with the manufacturer guaranteeing a higher clock speed, vs risking getting one with low ASIC and mediocre OCing. And I'm still not comfortable with the idea of a $700 card only have 3GB VRAM, though most of that is on Nvidia for being cheap with their customers.

You want to know what is even more interesting? This is my EVGA GTX 780ti SC ACX at STOCK settings-


And about the 3gb of VRAM it has, it hasn't been a issue for me gaming at 1600p

 

[64K]

I'm thinking that the 28nm Maxwells will be minimum 4GB VRAM later this year. We have passed a point where 2 GB is considered enough for max settings even at 1080p. Console developers use more resources when more resources are available and now with the new gen consoles those resources are available.

 

[Frag_Maniac]

This is my EVGA GTX 780ti SC ACX at STOCK settings-

Yeah stock clock on that card is only supposed to be 1006. Stranger still, they sell a "Reference Edition" of the 03G-P4-3887-KR with a mere 876 core speed for a whopping $800!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...&cm_re=EVGA_GTX_780_Ti-_-14-487-041-_-Product

 

[cadaveca]

Yeah stock clock on that card is only supposed to be 1006. Stranger still, they sell a "Reference Edition" of the 03G-P4-3887-KR with a mere 876 core speed for a whopping $800!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487041&cm_re=EVGA_GTX_780_Ti-_-14-487-041-_-Product

That's normal for NVidia cards. "Kepler Boost". My cards are 928, run 1020, and I have cards from different brands. Only Gigabyte BIOS really seems to change Kepler boost, unless boost is fully disabled, and then, it seems many users have had issues with Gigabyte 780 Ti cards.

if Single-card, I vote high-end 290X of equivalent cost, or get the 780TI for multi-card, just because SLI works better.

 

[Fluffmeister]

Custom 780 Ti's are absolute monsters no doubt.

But yeah reference clocks be damned, my GTX 670 along with most others should boost to 980Mhz officially, with mine going well beyond 1100Mhz at stock I guess they didn't get the memo.

 

[BarbaricSoul]

That's normal for NVidia cards. "Kepler Boost". My cards are 928, run 1020, and I have cards from different brands. Only Gigabyte BIOS really seems to change Kepler boost, unless boost is fully disabled, and then, it seems many users have had issues with Gigabyte 780 Ti cards.

if Single-card, I vote high-end 290X of equivalent cost, or get the 780TI for multi-card, just because SLI works better.

Yeah, technically, those are not stock speeds because I do have K-Boost enabled. If I didn't, that card thottles back and only bumps up clock speeds adequate for the game I'm running (Borderland 2 only causes the card to hit around 550mhz for example). With K-Boost enabled, and playing a demanding game like Crysis 3 or BF4, my card actually boosts up to around 1250-1270mhz.

What kind of issues are you referring to @cadaveca ? I would cry if my $735 video card started having issues(I'm far from rich and work hard for my money).

Yeah stock clock on that card is only supposed to be 1006. Stranger still, they sell a "Reference Edition" of the 03G-P4-3887-KR with a mere 876 core speed for a whopping $800!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487041&cm_re=EVGA_GTX_780_Ti-_-14-487-041-_-Product

That is the KingPin edition 780ti that is specially made for OC'ing. It has a stronger power delivery system on it and is equipped with 2*8pin 1*6pin power connections for higher powerdraw, IIRC.

 

[cadaveca]

Just not being stable, and yeah, there was lots of crying. I think it's kind of deserved, too. I know I was very worried about getting bad cards, myself.

I have 3 "reference" cards; they just run a bit hot. I don't bother with OC'ing them at all, and they work fine. I like having the exhaust blower. If I wanted card purely to OC some, then the K1ngp1n Edition cards would have been what I got, specifically for the reason you mentioned. But again, those aren't cards meant to be run on air-cooling, really.

So, if you kind of need watercooling to get the most in any situation, does it even matter what card you choose? I mean, you're looking at basically 1200 MHz on stock cards, and maybe 1350 on the high-end VRM ones. the middle cards...well, aren't worth it, I think, unless all you want is different cooling, and a different clock the cards run at - some of the time.

 

[Frag_Maniac]

That is the KingPin edition 780ti that is specially made for OC'ing. It has a stronger power delivery system on it and is equipped with 2*8pin 1*6pin power connections for higher powerdraw, IIRC.

That doesn't mean beans though if you're unlucky enough to get a lemon ASIC rating of 60% or so and end up not being to OC nearly as well. At that price you'd think they'd devote only chips tested and rated at a MUCH higher core.

 

[vawrvawerawe]

r9 is better and cheaper. nvidia is quieter. 790ti is marginally better, but like $5 better not the $100 price difference.

 

[THE_EGG]

I'd go 780ti for the reasons Dave said and also I believe a 290X would be more suited to a 4K display because of having a little extra vram, should you choose to upgrade your monitor that is.

 

[GhostRyder]

Its all luck of the draw unless you pull out your wallet and pay for those choice cuts of meat. That's just the way the GPU market is.

 

[THE_EGG]

Its all luck of the draw unless you pull out your wallet and pay for those choice cuts of meat. That's just the way the GPU market is.

That's probably the best analogy I've heard for when it comes to the quality of gpus.