Buy another 7970 to Xfire or buy 1 R9 290X.

sapienmonkey · Nov 4, 2013

I have one HD7970 and I'd like to upgrade. Should I get another HD7970 or buy a R9 290X. I'm going to game on a 120hz 1080P LCD. Please help me decide.

eidairaman1 · Nov 4, 2013

if the 7970 is cheaper go for it

Nordic · Nov 4, 2013

What is more important? Is it Price/performance? What games do you play, in case they don't scale with crossfire well? Is frame jitter a concern?

Personally I would go with the second 7970 because they are really cheap right now depending on where you are.

Fourstaff · Nov 4, 2013

Second 7970 makes most monetary sense, but if the games you play doesn't work well with CF then 290x.

claylomax · Nov 4, 2013

We're on the same boat. I'm getting a 290X, just to play with new hardware.

Jack1n · Nov 4, 2013

Im kinda debating the same with getting a second 7950 or going 290x,but considering the fact that after market cooled 290x's will only be available in a over a month,at best im not sure you want to wait that long.
I was also wondering how much of an actual improvement the DX 11.2 API is over the 11.1 because thats the only thing that makes me consider the 290x.

the54thvoid · Nov 4, 2013

Jack1n said:
I was also wondering how much of an actual improvement the DX 11.2 API is over the 11.1 because that's the only thing that makes me consider the 290x.

Is that not just for W8?

claylomax · Nov 4, 2013

I'll go for the reference cooler, ok it's not the best but at least all the heat go outside the case and my case has positive pressure so it'll be fine.

Fourstaff · Nov 4, 2013

the54thvoid said:
Is that not just for W8?

Why are you not using windows 8?

the54thvoid · Nov 4, 2013

Fourstaff said:
Why are you not using windows 8?

I love the hardware part of building a PC but I hate re-installing OS's and all the associated drivers. W7 is doing fine for me just now - everything is super stable. I'm probably going to change over next year and switch mobo/cpu out too.

Fresh OS with new hardware.

lilhasselhoffer · Nov 4, 2013

Looking at this from a similar perspective, there are only three things to consider.

Do I have windows 8? If so, then the 290X gives me a bit more service life. The new features of DX11.2 are nice, but if I've got windows 7 they're useless to me.

Do I purchase and play new games, older games, or way older games? For the new games and way older games a single GPU is likely the only solution which will play well. If you're a cheap sob (I count myself among that lot), then the crossfire profiles for your slightly older games will be there and working. Nothing worse than buying a new game, and only being able to leverage one of the two GPUs in your system.

How much does cost matter to me? If you're looking at price right now, the 290x is somewhere north of twice the price of some of the 7970s (on sale). My penny pinching side says that is not a question. My reasonable side says that the 290x is going to force a response from Nvidea, and it'll be priced even more reasonably in less than 6 months. Do you want to wait that long? Considering this post, that's a bit too much patience to ask for.

Adding all this up, I'd go CF 7970s. The really cheap nature of them right now makes it a no-brainer upgrade. I just can't see a reason to buy the latest GPU when the difference between an upgrade and a new card is more than double the price.

OC-Rage · Nov 4, 2013

get 290x

sapienmonkey said:
I have one HD7970 and I'd like to upgrade. Should I get another HD7970 or buy a R9 290X. I'm going to game on a 120hz 1080P LCD. Please help me decide.

Hi

its ok 2 7970 faster than R290X

i think 290X better : say what

290X newer than 7970

this GPU Get the last update openCL and openGL and DirectX 11.2 for win 8.2

compatible to last game and software

Jack1n · Nov 4, 2013

the54thvoid said:
Is that not just for W8?

Yeah well i was planning the upgrade to 8.1 next time i need a format.

sapienmonkey · Nov 4, 2013

7970 Xfire

After reading all of the responses I think I will purchase another 7970. I will be gaming on Windows 8.1. I will be playing primarly BF4 at 1080p at 120hz. I can get a 7970 for $300 on newegg which is almost $300 less than a r9 290x. My 650 psu will need to be replaced with a 850 watt psu. I don't need help with buying a psu after researching for one that fits the bill. Thanks again everyone.

de.das.dude · Nov 4, 2013

claylomax said:
I'll go for the reference cooler, ok it's not the best but at least all the heat go outside the case and my case has positive pressure so it'll be fine.

positive pressure is bad for cooling. it just circulates the air.
u need low pressure in the case so that cool air is sucked in easily.

dhdude · Nov 4, 2013

Definitely a second 7970/280x if you can get one cheap like they have been lately in the States and UK! :toast:

Jflynn0 · Nov 4, 2013

Im at the same crossroad and wondering what to do but I have two gtx 570's. Craigslist has a few option avalible at good prices I think. 1 xfx7970 250, Two xfx7970's for 400, 1 gtx evga770 for 300. I'm still running win 7 and only play battlefield 3 and 4, and supreme commander FA. Leaning towards 7970's cards are a good value.

Unhooked · Nov 4, 2013

I would say get one R9 290x ( newer tech )but Xfire 7970 is crazy fast.

manofthem · Nov 4, 2013

I'm a fan of my 7970 cfx no doubt, but I'd love to get a 290x as well (to replace my cards). I gotta say that I fancy my cards, other than a few little cfx hiccups. You can find the 7970s on the cheap now, so it's a good idea imo

claylomax · Nov 6, 2013

de.das.dude said:
positive pressure is bad for cooling. it just circulates the air.
u need low pressure in the case so that cool air is sucked in easily.

What?

eidairaman1 · Nov 7, 2013

he means negative pressure, not positive

Frizz · Nov 7, 2013

I'd wait for non-reference cooler before going 290x tbh otherwise getting a second 7970 is going to be way cheaper and have better raw performance.

KainXS · Nov 7, 2013

I would get another 7970 if you can get one cheap

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Buy another 7970 to Xfire or buy 1 R9 290X.

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