Wait for 390X or go for 980?

[xkm1948]

I am slowly putting up my new rig piece by piece right now. I am pretty much set on all parts, except graphic cards.

Parts I already bought:
ASUS Sabertooth X99
Adata 32GB DDR4-2800
Crucial MX200 500GB
Acer 27'' 2K IPS

Parts I have decided to buy, just waiting for some possible good deals:
EVGA Supernova G2 850Watt
Fractal Design R5 black with window
5820K
Noctua D15

Parts to be used from my old rig:
Pioneer DVD Burner
WD Black 2TB
Atheros9380 PCIE WiFi adapter

Parts I am not decided:
Keyboard
Mice

And most importantly----graphic cards!!!! I thought about just use my old 5870 to power the new rig until 390X comes out. However I have not seen any confirmation that 390X would be readily available by June. What do you guys think? Should I stick with what I have or go for R9 390X?

Thanks!!!

 

[Frag_Maniac]

If you're only running 2K res, it doesn't matter that much. However, since you've waited this long, a couple more months for the rumored June release of the 390X, might shed a lot more light on your decision. I've seen speculated pricing of $600 for the 390X for reference versions.

If non ref versions are in the $650 range, it may not cause a price drop on the 980 at all. Especially considering Nvidia still have an ace up their sleeve with Maxwell cards, which will get virtual uni mem once CUDA 6 releases.

Plus DX12 will debut in games starting end of this year, which will make such GPUs even more overkill for the res you're using. I would consider going with a 970 and use it until Pascal releases.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

I vote R9 390X because it is a fully DX12 compliant card as well as having 8 GiB VRAM.

I'm running a 5870 currently and am waiting for the R9 390 (~$400 and 4 GiB VRAM).

 

[xkm1948]

970 would not be an option. Not after that I learned the crippled memory system.

If the launch of 390X can force down the price of 980, it will definitely be worth it. Too bad AMD is not doing a good job launching new GPUs.

 

[the54thvoid]

970 would not be an option. Not after that I learned the crippled memory system.

Despite a few fervent voices, in the massive majority of real world examples the 'crippled' memory isn't an issue. If you're not going above 2k (is that 1080p or 1440p?) then the 3.5Gb will be overkill for most. At 1440p my 3Gb memory limit is only an issue on ultra texture packs but then they use upwards of 4Gb so it'd kill the 970 and 980 anyway.

As for the question - It's almost May, so just wait till June with your 5870 and then be happy you made a measured choice when the newer cards get announced.

 

[Irish_PXzyan]

Man! go with the GTX 980 and then get the R9 390x!
I'm also in the process of building a PC and I just got a used R9 280x for only 133 euro and my girl friend insists on getting the 390x when it pops out anyway so no harm done!

Like you can sell the GTX 980 for a big bang or just keep it, I wish I could get that GTX 980 right now but I can't afford it right now.. but I can afford the 390x in a couple months!

 

[peche]

Parts to be used from my old rig:
Pioneer DVD Burner
WD Black 2TB
Atheros9380 PCIE WiFi adapter

What about Tt Armor case? why not re-use it?
also current Noctua NH-C14?
Antec TP3-550, that old but trusty TruePower Trio still do the job I guess, also it can work for a temporal time, I have EVGA's Power supplies, I now that seasonic made them but I don’t trust'em, I rather Seasonic itself PSUs, Thermaltake or antec, even coolermaster,

Parts I am not decided:
Keyboard
Mice

there is nothing as comfortable as an old shoe and of course old trusty hardware, I really miss my old dell keyboard, replaced with the current Microsoft Curve 3000 wired, this babe has like +3 years with me, pretty comfortable, so about the decision of such hardware, if the old one still decent or mint condition keep it, and enjoi wha old hardware can always give, comfort!!

If not, if you are looking for opinions of hardware you can:

Try out Tt eSports, pretty comfortable hardware, also sexy looking and most important, not expensive at all, budget hardware for the Win,

also here is more help about hardware:

• Mice: http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/gaming-mice-the-bad-and-good-ones.208701/
• Keyboard: http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/your-preferred-keyboard.209486/
• also another mouse topic: http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/gaming-mouse.208424/

And most importantly----graphic cards!!!! I thought about just use my old 5870 to power the new rig until 390X comes out. However I have not seen any confirmation that 390X would be readily available by June. What do you guys think? Should I stick with what I have or go for R9 390X?

I could stick but there is always a GTX 980 that can fill your needs, it will handle the work, until 980ti comes to real world,

AMD Radeon R9 390X will be here soon, but it’s a matter of heat and Design what really will make it successful or not, Reference design it's not the one to bought, also the first Gen may be buggy we don’t know, I will wait at least 2 months after its official launch to see if AMD really solved thermal issues on them I don’t want to fry my hardware …. that’s my humble opinion,

 

[xkm1948]

It is going to be a new build. The Armor case has been rock solid. But it is way too big for me now. As for PSU, this EVGA one is built by Super Flower, quality wise it is pretty awesome. Plus I am recycling my Antec power supply to my HTPC once I get a new graphic card. I am going to pair up the 5870 with my APU once I drop either a 980 or a 390X in the new rig.

I don't know about you but I enjoy new hardwares rather than re-use old ones. I will definitely check out the Tt eSport keyboard.

It seems the best idea right now is to hold onto the 5870 and wait for 390X launch.

 

[DeadmanFatboy]

Yeah. Wait 'til the R9 390X launch. At the very least, it might drive down the price of the GTX 980 or even Titan X.

That is if you can stand waiting around with that old HD 5870. You could buy a GTX 970 right now and sell it off once the R9 390X drops.

 

[peche]

I don't know about you but I enjoy new hardwares rather than re-use old ones. I will definitely check out the Tt eSport keyboard.

i do really enjoi new hardware, that feeling when something is getting out the bag!!!
but if my old hardware still rocks why do i have to replace?
what are you going to do with the case? actually what armor model is yours?

I don't know about you but I enjoy new hardwares rather than re-use old ones. I will definitely check out the Tt eSport keyboard.

You wont regret, mice are excelent units,

 

[HumanSmoke]

However I have not seen any confirmation that 390X would be readily available by June.

According to Kyle Bennett, end of June

 

[Vario]

Wait and get whatever is after the 980 or for the 980 price to drop.

 

[Frag_Maniac]

970 would not be an option. Not after that I learned the crippled memory system.

If the launch of 390X can force down the price of 980, it will definitely be worth it. Too bad AMD is not doing a good job launching new GPUs.

As is often the case with such threads, I grow tired of people asking for, then refusing sound advice for baseless reasons. As mentioned the 390X and 980 are both overkill for 2K, and the bit about 970s being "crippled" is one of the most overblown, exaggerated topics regarding GPUs lately.

I'm outta here, I should have know by your elitist assemblage of hardware, you'd be stubborn. Maybe someone else can talk sense to you.

 

[xkm1948]

As is often the case with such threads, I grow tired of people asking for, then refusing sound advice for baseless reasons. As mentioned the 390X and 980 are both overkill for 2K, and the bit about 970s being "crippled" is one of the most overblown, exaggerated topics regarding GPUs lately.

I'm outta here, I should have know by your elitist assemblage of hardware, you'd be stubborn. Maybe someone else can talk sense to you.

I will still need to pay over 300 dollars for a 970. Paying that amount of money and knowing it has a major bug is a no no for me.

 

[Luka KLLP]

I'd wait for the release of the R9 390x anyway, since it may force a price drop on the GTX980, and of course it will be easier to decide once we get some definitive reviews

 

[Frag_Maniac]

I will still need to pay over 300 dollars for a 970. Paying that amount of money and knowing it has a major bug is a no no for me.

As mentioned the so called bug is in reality nothing to worry about. The 512MB VRAM IS used, and is merely there to keep the sys RAM from being used for buffers, which is WAY slower. Not only that, your mere 2K res will never NEED 4GB anyway.

You really don't listen do you, which makes your build advice thread pointless. Go ahead and blow needless dollars on overkill. When you see Pascal, you'll probably swap it out anyway, judging from your elitist wants.

 

[xkm1948]

As mentioned the so called bug is in reality nothing to worry about. The 512MB VRAM IS used, and is merely there to keep the sys RAM from being used for buffers, which is WAY slower. Not only that, your mere 2K res will never NEED 4GB anyway.

You really don't listen do you, which makes your build advice thread pointless. Go ahead and blow needless dollars on overkill. When you see Pascal, you'll probably swap it out anyway, judging from your elitist wants.

Nope. I don't upgrade a lot. I have been using my 5870 in my current rig for a long time. I like to hold onto a build I really like. Upgrading graphic cards every single year is not what I like to do.I have been using my current rig since 2007. I like high end stuff since I will end up using them for a very long time.

Either a 980 or a 390X, I will probably keep them for a very long time.

 

[Frag_Maniac]

Nope. I don't upgrade a lot. I have been using my 5870 in my current rig for a long time. I like to hold onto a build I really like. Upgrading graphic cards every single year is not what I like to do.I have been using my current rig since 2007. I like high end stuff since I will end up using them for a very long time.

Either a 980 or a 390X, I will probably keep them for a very long time.

That explains the overkill. Holding out for 3-5 years before an upgrade is not "liking high end stuff", it's clinging, because in reality, it's only high end for 2 yrs or so. Clinging to it for longer than 3 yrs only causes you to want to go overkill after experiencing the prior GPU at it's worst in games made WELL after it was designed.

Regardless though, you clearly don't understand the concept of build balance, which includes the display you use. Where you really missed the mark though was in falsely representing the performance aspects of the split 3.5/512MB VRAM on the 970, which also made it clear it's not it's power you're hesitant about, but it's mem design.

So here you are waffling between your perception of so called "future proof" GPU power, and false rumors you've read about some of the design aspects. I get the feeling had you not gotten so hung up on reading exaggerations about the 3.5/512 VRAM, you'd have been fine with a 970.

So no, I don't think it's just a preference toward high end, since you're willing to accept mediocre performance from a 5870 WELL beyond it's years. It's your not fully understanding what you're reading. I digress though, as I said earlier, you're not listening to common sense anyway.

The only reason I stuck around to clarify things is in hopes any others out there needing help with such decisions won't be mislead by your paranoia. The 970 has partitioned, not "crippled" memory, and like it or not, the future comes quicker than you'd like, leaving your "high end stuff", low end before long.

If you understood the advances Pascal is going to bring, you wouldn't be so inclined to spend big bucks on what will soon be quite overshadowed by superior hardware and features. It's especially pointless considering the extra $200 spent won't even be seen on a 2K display. That's not future proofing, that's wasteful spending.

 

[xkm1948]

Are you angry simply because I won't buy 970? I was thinking about 970. However after reading your posts I will definitely not go with 970. The most important thing of building a rig is to have fun. My money, I decide how to spend them. But thanks. Now you really made me do not want 970.

 

[arbiter]

I vote R9 390X because it is a fully DX12 compliant card as well as having 8 GiB VRAM.

um there will be a 4gb and 8gb version, likely hood that 8gb model will carry as very hefty price premium. 980TI would be other option besides a 390x when its out as should be almost same performance level and likely be cheaper.

I'm running a 5870 currently and am waiting for the R9 390 (~$400 and 4 GiB VRAM).

in likely hood as well 390 will cost more then 400, $500-600 probaby more price range for it.

 

[micropage7]

personally i wait for 390x card but mostly nvidia has better power, you will difficult to decide if you just take a look from the spec

 

[arbiter]

personally i wait for 390x card but mostly nvidia has better power, you will difficult to decide if you just take a look from the spec

yea pretty much wait for both cards to be out and independent reviews to surface.

 

[erocker]

I don't think the 390X will cost any less than 700 bucks. Also, I don't expect it to launch before August.

 

[arbiter]

I don't think the 390X will cost any less than 700 bucks. Also, I don't expect it to launch before August.

yea 700$ probably be 4gb model as well. Given the limited supply of HBM chips according to reports. So that could make a pretty ugly price tag on 8gb model.

 

[Frag_Maniac]

Are you angry simply because I won't buy 970? I was thinking about 970. However after reading your posts I will definitely not go with 970. The most important thing of building a rig is to have fun. My money, I decide how to spend them. But thanks. Now you really made me do not want 970.

LOL, no, it's not anger, it's the frustration of trying to talk sense to someone that asks for but refuses sound advice.

Nothing I've said was out of anger, but rather pointing out the many flaws of your thinking. You've yet to even acknowledge that the added performance of both the 980 and 390X will be more than 2K res demands, so I can only assume you don't understand such basic principles of build balancing, as I said.

Nor do you understand that the 3.5/512 VRAM split doesn't actually deter performance. It's more and more clear with every post of yours that you never intended on listening to sound advice, and would rather cling to your preconceived notions.

So why you even made the thread is kinda silly. It's like you're asking for approval in picking a GPU you think matches your lofty spec, yet you don't even get that the 1080p res is what's making it all rather pointless.