Need help choosing a GPU.

[sebastian869]

Here's what I currently have:

Intel i5-3570K at 4.0 Ghz cooled by H100i
8GB RAM
ASRock Z77 Extreme 4
2x MSI GTX 760
Corsair Air 540 case
Corsair AX860 PSU
BenQ XL2411Z 1080p/144hz gaming monitor

The games I am currently playing are: Titanfall, Watch Dogs, Wildstar

Games I will be playing in the coming months/year: Shadow of Mordor, Assassin's Creed: Unity, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Star Citizen, Elite: Dangerous

I am considering an upgrade to triple XL2411z monitors.

My dilemma -- what to choose for a GPU upgrade? My budget is around $1,200, ideally. I am a total nVidia fan, but not above switching to the Red Team if the best gaming experience is there. Basically, I want to drive well in excess of 60FPS in most games with the eye candy cranked. I didn't build this PC to game on medium.

well if u have not budget u have an easy decision 295 liquid cooled, i dont but the best i buy best value and ut sounds like the 290 just be careful with the 290x in particular the generic cooler is trash.

 

[MxPhenom 216]

well if u have not budget u have an easy decision 295 liquid cooled, i dont but the best i buy best value and ut sounds like the 290 just be careful with the 290x in particular the generic cooler is trash.

No one buys the reference 290/290x anymore unless they are taking the stock cooler off and putting a full coverage waterblock on their card. Pretty sure 99% of people who are going with air, are buying non reference cards from Asus, MSI, XFX, or Sapphire (DirectCU, Twinfrozr/Gaming, XFX Dual Fan thing, and Sapphire Vapor X and Tri-X)

I see a trend in pretty much everything thread you post. It goes in circles till no one cares anymore. And you seem to just ramble on about ending up homeless after buying expensive computer hardware.

 

[OneMoar]

I am not sure who told you that 290x has a heat issue but they are dead frigging wrong or are just ignorant yes the refrenece blower type cooler will hit 95c on the uber overclocking present and thats completely fine

secondly if you want triple monitors then you are looking at spending a grand on GPU's because you can forget about it with a single card at MINIMUM you need two if you want 60FPS at medium`ish And forget about any kind of vsync with a 144Hz monitor as a single gpu isn't gonna beable to push the frame rates needed to allow you to
effectively use vsync
I agree with MX you are making this out to be WAY More then it needs to be ill simplify it for you

1. you aren't gonna be gaming on duel/tripple 1080p monitors with a single card not at anything above medium`ish and even that is gonna be sketch 60FPS at 2 or 4k LOLFORGETABOUTIT expect to spend a grand or more on GPU's if thats what you want same goes for 144hz if you MUST HAVE VSYNC
2. the 290x is a good card its faster then nvidia's top offerings with a few cadvents unrelated to the card its self
3. nobody uses the references blower type cooler anymore not because of unmanageable heat but because of the NOISE

 

[eidairaman1]

LMAO!!!

To everything you just said.........

sebastian, you are flying off on a wild tangent about mentioning the 295X2 or the Titan, Stay on topic. Many have told You to get a 290, it is the best bang for buck currently whether Factory or After market- they OC pretty well- Namely the MSI Gaming and Sapphire Vapor-X, the PowerColor Card takes up quite a few spaces and I havent heard much on the Gigabyte Windforce 290 or the XFX 290, let alone the Asus part. If you wait now youll never get a good card. SO DECIDE before people start unsubscribing because you are not listening!!!

BTW IF YOU LOOK AT MY SPECS IM CURRENTLY IN THE MARKET FOR EITHER THE MSI OR SAPPHIRE CARD!!! THE PSU IS GONNA BE A SEASONIC 1250X

(PS Creating multiple topics on the same exact thing will get you a kick out the door by the mods)

 

[Aquinus]

3. nobody uses the references blower type cooler anymore not because of unmanageable heat but because of the NOISE

This, this, this, and this. My reference 6870 cools better than the TwinFrozr, but it howls like a banshee to accomplish it.

 

[OneMoar]

a Squirrel-cage type blower is more efficient in pretty much all ways except noise
you get more CFM and more static pressure at a lower rpm and they require less maintenance as they are less prone to plugging with dusk
the down side is that without a properly designed intake and exhaust duct work they are loud

 

[MxPhenom 216]

I think that is a bit different with these 290/290x cards though. The non reference coolers like the Tri X, DirectCU, Windforce, Twinfrozr, pretty much all of them are able to cool the GPU better while being quieter. They just dump all that heat into the case though.

 

[Tallencor]

Because I think the other thread may get closed. Good comparison really.

 

[sebastian869]

I think we all agree the 780Ti is the best GPU and more over it gets that speed with out the 290x approach which is to OC the card to near death. I do agree after reading books that the 290x is prob best bang for the buck the problem is getting one with proper cooling gets u in range of the TI like the asus ROG 290x.

ASUS Graphics Cards R9 290X-DC2OC-4GD5 $581
MSI Graphics Card R9 290X LIGHTNING (One of the best cooler) $700
MSI Computer Corp. AMD Radeon R9 290X Gaming OC 4GB GDDR5 2DVI/HDMI/DisplayPort PCI-Express Video Card R9 290X GAMING 4G $564

Sapphire R9 290X 4GB GDDR5 DUAL DVI-D/HDMI/DP TRI-X OC Version PCI-Express Graphics Card 11226-00-40G $548

Asus R9 290X-DC2OC-4GD5 Video Card - Amd Radeon R9 290x Oc 4GB GDDR5 2dvi/hdmi/displayport Pci-express - ASUS R9290X-DC2OC-4GD5 $626

ASUS 4GB GDDR5 Graphics Card MATRIX-R9 290X-P-4GD5 $735
MSI Graphics Card R9 290X LIGHTNING $700
HIS iPower IceQ X² H290XQM4GD Radeon R9 290X 4GB 512-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16

HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card $535

Sapphire R9 290X 4GB GDDR5 DUAL DVI-D/HDMI/DP TRI-X OC Version PCI-Express Graphics Card 11226-00-40G $548

SAPPHIRE VAPOR-X R9 290X 4GB GDDR5 TRI-X (UEFI) 11226-09-40G $624


PowerColor PCS+ AMD Radeon R9 290X 4GB GDDR5 2DVI/HDMI/DisplayPort PCI-Express Video Card AXR9 290X 4GBD5-PPDHE $488

HIS R9 290X iPower IceQ X2 4GB Graphics Cards H290XQM4GD $535


but at 600 rather get the ti which dosent need super Cooling since its built right not OCed to death. and i keep reading that sli is worst on NVIDIA this time around.
damn wown let me past graphic chart of card temps at load.

so the million dollar question is what 290x has adequate cooling and hopeful wind up in the 450 range if at all possible.

i think i came accross the best site for GPU reviews::
http://www.hardocp.com/

 

[eidairaman1]

By the time you decide youll be too old to use a computer.

I think we all agree the 780Ti is the best GPU and more over it gets that speed with out the 290x approach which is to OC the card to near death. I do agree after reading books that the 290x is prob best bang for the buck the problem is getting one with proper cooling gets u in range of the TI like the asus ROG 290x.

ASUS Graphics Cards R9 290X-DC2OC-4GD5 $581
MSI Graphics Card R9 290X LIGHTNING (One of the best cooler) $700
MSI Computer Corp. AMD Radeon R9 290X Gaming OC 4GB GDDR5 2DVI/HDMI/DisplayPort PCI-Express Video Card R9 290X GAMING 4G $564

Sapphire R9 290X 4GB GDDR5 DUAL DVI-D/HDMI/DP TRI-X OC Version PCI-Express Graphics Card 11226-00-40G $548

Asus R9 290X-DC2OC-4GD5 Video Card - Amd Radeon R9 290x Oc 4GB GDDR5 2dvi/hdmi/displayport Pci-express - ASUS R9290X-DC2OC-4GD5 $626

ASUS 4GB GDDR5 Graphics Card MATRIX-R9 290X-P-4GD5 $735
MSI Graphics Card R9 290X LIGHTNING $700
HIS iPower IceQ X² H290XQM4GD Radeon R9 290X 4GB 512-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16

HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card $535

Sapphire R9 290X 4GB GDDR5 DUAL DVI-D/HDMI/DP TRI-X OC Version PCI-Express Graphics Card 11226-00-40G $548

SAPPHIRE VAPOR-X R9 290X 4GB GDDR5 TRI-X (UEFI) 11226-09-40G $624


PowerColor PCS+ AMD Radeon R9 290X 4GB GDDR5 2DVI/HDMI/DisplayPort PCI-Express Video Card AXR9 290X 4GBD5-PPDHE $488

HIS R9 290X iPower IceQ X2 4GB Graphics Cards H290XQM4GD $535


but at 600 rather get the ti which dosent need super Cooling since its built right not OCed to death. and i keep reading that sli is worst on NVIDIA this time around.
damn wown let me past graphic chart of card temps at load.

so the million dollar question is what 290x has adequate cooling and hopeful wind up in the 450 range if at all possible.

i think i came accross the best site for GPU reviews::
http://www.hardocp.com/

 

[MxPhenom 216]

I think we all agree the 780Ti is the best GPU and more over it gets that speed with out the 290x approach which is to OC the card to near death. I do agree after reading books that the 290x is prob best bang for the buck the problem is getting one with proper cooling gets u in range of the TI like the asus ROG 290x.

ASUS Graphics Cards R9 290X-DC2OC-4GD5 $581
MSI Graphics Card R9 290X LIGHTNING (One of the best cooler) $700
MSI Computer Corp. AMD Radeon R9 290X Gaming OC 4GB GDDR5 2DVI/HDMI/DisplayPort PCI-Express Video Card R9 290X GAMING 4G $564

Sapphire R9 290X 4GB GDDR5 DUAL DVI-D/HDMI/DP TRI-X OC Version PCI-Express Graphics Card 11226-00-40G $548

Asus R9 290X-DC2OC-4GD5 Video Card - Amd Radeon R9 290x Oc 4GB GDDR5 2dvi/hdmi/displayport Pci-express - ASUS R9290X-DC2OC-4GD5 $626

ASUS 4GB GDDR5 Graphics Card MATRIX-R9 290X-P-4GD5 $735
MSI Graphics Card R9 290X LIGHTNING $700
HIS iPower IceQ X² H290XQM4GD Radeon R9 290X 4GB 512-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16

HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card $535

Sapphire R9 290X 4GB GDDR5 DUAL DVI-D/HDMI/DP TRI-X OC Version PCI-Express Graphics Card 11226-00-40G $548

SAPPHIRE VAPOR-X R9 290X 4GB GDDR5 TRI-X (UEFI) 11226-09-40G $624


PowerColor PCS+ AMD Radeon R9 290X 4GB GDDR5 2DVI/HDMI/DisplayPort PCI-Express Video Card AXR9 290X 4GBD5-PPDHE $488

HIS R9 290X iPower IceQ X2 4GB Graphics Cards H290XQM4GD $535


but at 600 rather get the ti which dosent need super Cooling since its built right not OCed to death. and i keep reading that sli is worst on NVIDIA this time around.
damn wown let me past graphic chart of card temps at load.

so the million dollar question is what 290x has adequate cooling and hopeful wind up in the 450 range if at all possible.

i think i came accross the best site for GPU reviews::
http://www.hardocp.com/

Why do you insist that the 290x's are overclocked to near death? The non reference 290x is overclocked just like nvidia 780/780ti non reference are overclocked out of the factory. I suggest refraining from making such ridiculous claims, without actually knowing what you are talking about.

 

[eidairaman1]

Whats funny is ive heard some users of the 290 noticing picture quality on them being more lively and not dulled out...

 

[OneMoar]

Whats funny is ive heard some users of the 290 noticing picture quality on them being more lively and not dulled out...

pls don't troll the kid

 

[GhostRyder]

I think we all agree the 780Ti is the best GPU and more over it gets that speed with out the 290x approach which is to OC the card to near death. I do agree after reading books that the 290x is prob best bang for the buck the problem is getting one with proper cooling gets u in range of the TI like the asus ROG 290x.

ASUS Graphics Cards R9 290X-DC2OC-4GD5 $581
MSI Graphics Card R9 290X LIGHTNING (One of the best cooler) $700
MSI Computer Corp. AMD Radeon R9 290X Gaming OC 4GB GDDR5 2DVI/HDMI/DisplayPort PCI-Express Video Card R9 290X GAMING 4G $564

Sapphire R9 290X 4GB GDDR5 DUAL DVI-D/HDMI/DP TRI-X OC Version PCI-Express Graphics Card 11226-00-40G $548

Asus R9 290X-DC2OC-4GD5 Video Card - Amd Radeon R9 290x Oc 4GB GDDR5 2dvi/hdmi/displayport Pci-express - ASUS R9290X-DC2OC-4GD5 $626

ASUS 4GB GDDR5 Graphics Card MATRIX-R9 290X-P-4GD5 $735
MSI Graphics Card R9 290X LIGHTNING $700
HIS iPower IceQ X² H290XQM4GD Radeon R9 290X 4GB 512-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16

HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card $535

Sapphire R9 290X 4GB GDDR5 DUAL DVI-D/HDMI/DP TRI-X OC Version PCI-Express Graphics Card 11226-00-40G $548

SAPPHIRE VAPOR-X R9 290X 4GB GDDR5 TRI-X (UEFI) 11226-09-40G $624


PowerColor PCS+ AMD Radeon R9 290X 4GB GDDR5 2DVI/HDMI/DisplayPort PCI-Express Video Card AXR9 290X 4GBD5-PPDHE $488

HIS R9 290X iPower IceQ X2 4GB Graphics Cards H290XQM4GD $535


but at 600 rather get the ti which dosent need super Cooling since its built right not OCed to death. and i keep reading that sli is worst on NVIDIA this time around.
damn wown let me past graphic chart of card temps at load.

so the million dollar question is what 290x has adequate cooling and hopeful wind up in the 450 range if at all possible.

i think i came accross the best site for GPU reviews::
http://www.hardocp.com/

Look heres the deal if you want to know the best heres the order:

MSI Lightning 290X: Best Cooler and Best Overclocker, but at a price (Voltage allowance is crazy)
Sapphire Tri-X OC: Best Value/Overclocked variant with a great cooler.
Asus Matrix 290X: Decent Clocker and cooler, while it does allow some overclocking the MSI still is better overall from what ive read.
PowerColor PCS+ 290X: Good value cooler, may not be the best of everything but comes at the best price...

For you, choose the Sapphire Tri-X OC...It is the best for the average user that stays cool and quiet, allows for some fun overclocking, and comes with a good warranty at a good price. It is the best choice for you...

 

[Tallencor]

Look heres the deal if you want to know the best heres the order:

MSI Lightning 290X: Best Cooler and Best Overclocker, but at a price (Voltage allowance is crazy)
Sapphire Tri-X OC: Best Value/Overclocked variant with a great cooler.
Asus Matrix 290X: Decent Clocker and cooler, while it does allow some overclocking the MSI still is better overall from what ive read.
PowerColor PCS+ 290X: Good value cooler, may not be the best of everything but comes at the best price...

For you, choose the Sapphire Tri-X OC...It is the best for the average user that stays cool and quiet, allows for some fun overclocking, and comes with a good warranty at a good price. It is the best choice for you...

Yep! What he said.

 

[eidairaman1]

pls don't troll the kid

Not trolling, just posting what other users are noticing on their boards at newegg etc...

 

[Frag_Maniac]

Whats funny is ive heard some users of the 290 noticing picture quality on them being more lively and not dulled out...

But has there been any actual comparison pics proving it? It doesn't really make sense.

Suffice it to say though, that the non reference 290 is by far the most suggested GPU, esp if one wants to double up GPUs for hi res or multi monitor. You'd think after 4 threads on the subject he'd have gotten that by now, since most have tried to steer him that way.

Blatantly ignoring sensible and popular opinion is what often turns these poll threads into troll threads.

 

[eidairaman1]

But has there been any actual comparison pics proving it? It doesn't really make sense.

Suffice it to say though, that the non reference 290 is by far the most suggested GPU, esp if one wants to double up GPUs for hi res or multi monitor. You'd think after 4 threads on the subject he'd have gotten that by now, since most have tried to steer him that way.

Blatantly ignoring sensible and popular opinion is what often turns these poll threads into troll threads.

yeah which no trolling is intended. Yeah he doesnt listen too well. Ohwell some gotta learn hardway.

 

[AsRock]

Because I think the other thread may get closed. Good comparison really.

XFX has 3 cards to start with and carry lifetime warranty's.. If the guy missed any thing on the others i do not know but they need to do more research before claiming shit.

 

[sebastian869]

Why do you insist that the 290x's are overclocked to near death? The non reference 290x is overclocked just like nvidia 780/780ti non reference are overclocked out of the factory. I suggest refraining from making such ridiculous claims, without actually knowing what you are talking about.

well to be honest i dont care about the lvl of OC its at its the noise im worried about and u need to get a rog asus to address it. There gotta be a few models that address the heating issue well enough like saphire or his?

 

[GhostRyder]

well to be honest i dont care about the lvl of OC its at its the noise im worried about and u need to get a rog asus to address it. There gotta be a few models that address the heating issue well enough like saphire or his?

They all do at this point...Only reference ran warm at the stock settings but even then going into CCC all you had to do was bump up the fan speed limit from 55% to a different point.

All the non-reference coolers out now will perform more than fine keeping the 290X cool and quiet.

 

[sebastian869]

No one buys the reference 290/290x anymore unless they are taking the stock cooler off and putting a full coverage waterblock on their card. Pretty sure 99% of people who are going with air, are buying non reference cards from Asus, MSI, XFX, or Sapphire (DirectCU, Twinfrozr/Gaming, XFX Dual Fan thing, and Sapphire Vapor X and Tri-X)

I see a trend in pretty much everything thread you post. It goes in circles till no one cares anymore. And you seem to just ramble on about ending up homeless after buying expensive computer hardware.

i agree my question which after mkt 290x is best cooled thats not an asus rog

 

[sebastian869]

I am not sure who told you that 290x has a heat issue but they are dead frigging wrong or are just ignorant yes the refrenece blower type cooler will hit 95c on the uber overclocking present and thats completely fine

secondly if you want triple monitors then you are looking at spending a grand on GPU's because you can forget about it with a single card at MINIMUM you need two if you want 60FPS at medium`ish And forget about any kind of vsync with a 144Hz monitor as a single gpu isn't gonna beable to push the frame rates needed to allow you to
effectively use vsync
I agree with MX you are making this out to be WAY More then it needs to be ill simplify it for you

1. you aren't gonna be gaming on duel/tripple 1080p monitors with a single card not at anything above medium`ish and even that is gonna be sketch 60FPS at 2 or 4k LOLFORGETABOUTIT expect to spend a grand or more on GPU's if thats what you want same goes for 144hz if you MUST HAVE VSYNC
2. the 290x is a good card its faster then nvidia's top offerings with a few cadvents unrelated to the card its self
3. nobody uses the references blower type cooler anymore not because of unmanageable heat but because of the NOISE

Im not trying to make it complicated im trying to find out which after mkt 290x is the best model. After prices drop i going to get more of the same.

 

[MxPhenom 216]

Im not trying to make it complicated im trying to find out which after mkt 290x is the best model. After prices drop i going to get more of the same.

Honestly, they are all the damn same, just buy the cheapest one. All these after market cooled cards cool very similarly. Seeing how they all have the same basic design. Massive heatsink with 2-3 fans on them.

You can adjust the fan profiles on all of them to give you the noise to cooling ratio you prefer. Just buy a damn card already!

 

[eidairaman1]

well to be honest i dont care about the lvl of OC its at its the noise im worried about and u need to get a rog asus to address it. There gotta be a few models that address the heating issue well enough like saphire or his?

Sapphire and MSI handle the noise fine, course there is Gigabyte Windforce too