Round 3: Best GPU for Linux (290 vs 970)

[Nena Trinity]

Okay nobody likes the EVGA GTX 960 with 4GB fine I get it.

 

So lets see 2 more options that will cost a bit more for me but it seems there is no way around it without paying over 3000kr = 385usd?

 

GPU 1: (Cheapest but I am not really into yellow GPU but its cheapest and maybe best?)

http://www.sapphiretech.com/presentation/product/?cid=1&gid=3&sgid=1227&pid=2091&lid=1

 

GPU 2: (Looks very nice but costs more and I think the one above may be better? With a 750W PSU this one costs about the same as the 970 with 550W PSU! In price and performance?)

http://de.msi.com/product/vga/R9-290-GAMING-4G.html#hero-overview

 

GPU 3: (It only has 3.5GB VRAM and it does not even cause global warming. How pathetic but anyways what happends when it cross 3.5GB VRAM? How much FPS will I lose?)

http://us.msi.com/product/vga/GTX-970-4GD5-OC.html#hero-overview

 

AMD:

*Bad Linux drivers and is not gonna be ready before maybe 2nd or 3rd quarter of this year?

- Metro early drivers less than 25 FPS.

- Metro later drivers 55 FPS.

- Bioshock current drivers 45 FPS.

*Global warming (bad in summer) and heats my room in winter. (warm room yay!)

*It actually has 4GBs of VRAM!

*More cooling fans. (more noise?)

 

Nvidia:

*Better drivers NOW!

*Costs the most!

*Less heat (that is a good and bad thing.)

*Crappy VRAM of only 3.5+0.5 but the 0.5 is not even accepted by some games.

[MattLantis]

I refuse to read. Random vote!

[LiamApex]

the 970 was a excellent card when people thought it had 4gb and its still the same now so get the 970 

[Nena Trinity]

I refuse to read. Random vote!

Read first?

 

the 970 was a excellent card when people thought it had 4gb and its still the same now so get the 970 

How much FPS drops when it goes above the 3.5?

[LegacyStijncat]

GPU 3: (It only has 3.5GB VRAM and it does not even cause global warming. How pathetic but anyways what happends when it cross 3.5GB VRAM? How much FPS will I lose?)

That's the thing. It probably will NEVER cross 3.5GB Ram. It JUST DOESNT USE IT, UNLESS YOU FORCE IT. Sometimes the card does s*** itself when teh border is a little crossed, but it probably won't stay. Worst case scenario, just turn down resolution/settings.

[LiamApex]

Read first?

 

How much FPS drops when it goes above the 3.5?

Are you playing at 4k ?

[Nena Trinity]

Are you playing at 4k ?

No but some poorly made games kinda eats VRAM even at 1080P and some games I got is so full of mods that more VRAM is great!

 

That's the thing. It probably will NEVER cross 3.5GB Ram. It JUST DOESNT USE IT, UNLESS YOU FORCE IT. Sometimes the card does s*** itself when teh border is a little crossed, but it probably won't stay. Worst case scenario, just turn down resolution/settings.

It does if you have a modded or have a poorly optimized game.

[SuperPug]

 

 

Linux + Nvidia?

 

[Nena Trinity]

Linux + Nvidia?

 

Hehe Linus is funny!

 

Also did ya VOTE?

[LegacyStijncat]

It does if you have a modded or have a poorly optimized game.

1. If you install 500 mods you are bound to get stuttering -Me, 2015
2. Than don't play Ubisoft games -Me, 2015

[spoiler=Gameplay of poorly optimized games (Ubisoft games ), with the 970]

 

 

 

 

Also, watch above.

[Nena Trinity]

 

1. If you install 500 mods you are bound to get stuttering -Me, 2015
2. Than don't play Ubisoft games -Me, 2015

[spoiler=Gameplay of poorly optimized games (Ubisoft games ), with the 970]

 

 

 

 

Also, watch above.

 

1. One of my games is ONLY MODS THE WHOLE THING IS A MOD!

2. I play what my friends play!

3. Not saying its unplayable but how much FPS drop?

[MageTank]

1. One of my games is ONLY MODS THE WHOLE THING IS A MOD!

2. I play what my friends play!

3. Not saying its unplayable but how much FPS drop?

 

Let me ease your mind. My brother has the reference GTX 970 from Nvidia (The one purchased from Best Buy here in the US) and he plays GTA 5 on ultra details @ 1440p (minus a few graphical options, but nothing that makes things look drastically different) and the game reports his Vram usage as 3.8gb, but he never stutters or drops below 45fps in the most demanding situations. Again, this is a AAA title at 1440p running almost as high as you can get things.

 

Very few games can force the GTX 970 into that "3.5gb" Vram issue, and even then, you have to actively try to make it use that much memory. At higher resolutions, AA becomes less of a necessity so you can save Vram that way too. Also, to clarify, the card is still a 4GB card. It's just the last 512mb is slower than the rest. That being said, the GTX 970 would be the best choice out of these 3 in my opinion for what you want to do with it. My brother plays Elder Scrolls Online on linux using OpenCL and it actually runs faster than what it does on Windows 8.1. Don't ask me how that is, it just looks way smoother.

[mathijs727]

Wanna vote for the GTX970 but i can't vote for that specific model.

Its a blower style cooler, so its noisy and cools crappy, and unlike the reference cooler it doesnt even look good.

 

My vote would go to GTX970 with a different cooler (msi/asus/evga coolers will turn of fans when under low load and gigabyte cools really well).

[Nena Trinity]

Let me ease your mind. My brother has the reference GTX 970 from Nvidia (The one purchased from Best Buy here in the US) and he plays GTA 5 on ultra details @ 1440p (minus a few graphical options, but nothing that makes things look drastically different) and the game reports his Vram usage as 3.8gb, but he never stutters or drops below 45fps in the most demanding situations. Again, this is a AAA title at 1440p running almost as high as you can get things.

 

Very few games can force the GTX 970 into that "3.5gb" Vram issue, and even then, you have to actively try to make it use that much memory. At higher resolutions, AA becomes less of a necessity so you can save Vram that way too. Also, to clarify, the card is still a 4GB card. It's just the last 512mb is slower than the rest. That being said, the GTX 970 would be the best choice out of these 3 in my opinion for what you want to do with it. My brother plays Elder Scrolls Online on linux using OpenCL and it actually runs faster than what it does on Windows 8.1. Don't ask me how that is, it just looks way smoother.

Well I do not play GTA but I know my games eats VRAM like crazy and I do not want it to go below 60 FPS. The only game I know the AMD drivers makes me go less than 60 is Metro and I do not have Bioshock so I am preety sure I will be fine with a 290 also. But the 970 uses less power and all but 3.5 kinda worries me. How many % FPS drop will I see?

 

Wanna vote for the GTX970 but i can't vote for that specific model.

Its a blower style cooler, so its noisy and cools crappy, and unlike the reference cooler it doesnt even look good.

 

My vote would go to GTX970 with a different cooler (msi/asus/evga coolers will turn of fans when under low load and gigabyte cools really well).

But the reviewers on Amazon was all saying it was silent!

 

The 970 is a MSI.

[MageTank]

Wanna vote for the GTX970 but i can't vote for that specific model.

Its a blower style cooler, so its noisy and cools crappy, and unlike the reference cooler it doesnt even look good.

 

My vote would go to GTX970 with a different cooler (msi/asus/evga coolers will turn of fans when under low load and gigabyte cools really well).

 

Where do you get your basis on reference coolers "cooling crappy"? I have an MSI reference GTX 770 and it cools just fine. I stay under 80C even when running furmark in an ITX Azza Z case. Reference is louder, but that is expected of blower style coolers as the GPU gets hotter, but keeps surrounding components cooler than that of non-blower cards. However, if OP is not running SLI, or is not using an ITX case, then going non-reference will be perfectly fine. 

 

 

Well I do not play GTA but I know my games eats VRAM like crazy and I do not want it to go below 60 FPS. The only game I know the AMD drivers makes me go less than 60 is Metro and I do not have Bioshock so I am preety sure I will be fine with a 290 also. But the 970 uses less power and all but 3.5 kinda worries me. How many % FPS drop will I see?

 

But the reviewers on Amazon was all saying it was silent!

 

The 970 is a MSI.

 

The performance degradation of going beyond 3.5gb of Vram is tricky to describe. Some say its in the form of slight micro stutters, some say it completely causes the game to hang for seconds at a time. Others claim the textures themselves glitch out. My brother plays every AAA title on his machine with his GTX 970, and he really has no issues with it. They will argue that higher resolution gaming will hurt 3.5gb even more, but any logical hardware enthusiast will say to turn AA off at high resolution and you will be fine. AA is not required once you go beyond 1440p anyways. 

 

This video sums it up perfectly:

 

 

If you are worried about the 3.5GB of Vram, then go with the red team. Just understand that the Vram issue is not as big as it was played out to be. If it was that big of a deal, Nvidia would not be selling these 970's like hotcakes. Your job as a consumer is to get the best bang for your buck, regardless of brand. All 3 of these choices are excellent choices, just go with your gut on this one. Whichever looks the most appealing to you should be your final decision.

[Nena Trinity]

Where do you get your basis on reference coolers "cooling crappy"? I have an MSI reference GTX 770 and it cools just fine. I stay under 80C even when running furmark in an ITX Azza Z case. Reference is louder, but that is expected of blower style coolers as the GPU gets hotter, but keeps surrounding components cooler than that of non-blower cards. However, if OP is not running SLI, or is not using an ITX case, then going non-reference will be perfectly fine. 

 

 

 

The performance degradation of going beyond 3.5gb of Vram is tricky to describe. Some say its in the form of slight micro stutters, some say it completely causes the game to hang for seconds at a time. Others claim the textures themselves glitch out. My brother plays every AAA title on his machine with his GTX 970, and he really has no issues with it. They will argue that higher resolution gaming will hurt 3.5gb even more, but any logical hardware enthusiast will say to turn AA off at high resolution and you will be fine. AA is not required once you go beyond 1440p anyways. 

 

This video sums it up perfectly:

 

 

If you are worried about the 3.5GB of Vram, then go with the red team. Just understand that the Vram issue is not as big as it was played out to be. If it was that big of a deal, Nvidia would not be selling these 970's like hotcakes. Your job as a consumer is to get the best bang for your buck, regardless of brand. All 3 of these choices are excellent choices, just go with your gut on this one. Whichever looks the most appealing to you should be your final decision.

If I go with 290 which should I pick? most vote MSI but majority of people I see review the cards says Sapphire makes the best one. =S

Also most say mods makes VRAM go above 3.5 preety quick but then again its the Linux drivers of AMD which is not impressive right now...

[MageTank]

If I go with 290 which should I pick? most vote MSI but majority of people I see review the cards says Sapphire makes the best one. =S

Also most say mods makes VRAM go above 3.5 preety quick but then again its the Linux drivers of AMD which is not impressive right now...

 

I've seen some heavily modded skyrims run on GTX 970's just fine. I guess the biggest questions would be: what display resolution do you plan on running? What kind of AA method do you intend to use? and What size texture mods are you going to use? Unless you intentionally try to use all 3.5GB on purpose, its hard to hit that design flaw in normal means. Even so, that many mods, it is highly likely the speed of the card itself will be the downfall, rather than the size of the frame buffer.

 

As far as which 290 to get, i don't really know much about the Sapphire card. It has been many years since i purchased a card from sapphire (I have not had any problems with them, but most of my recent GPU's have been from Nvidia, because i focus on Small Form Factors). The MSI card uses a very common design used across many different GPU's from MSI. The sapphire card actually looks very similar to gigabytes Windforce series. If it performs the same, then it will do just fine. 

[Nena Trinity]

I've seen some heavily modded skyrims run on GTX 970's just fine. I guess the biggest questions would be: what display resolution do you plan on running? What kind of AA method do you intend to use? and What size texture mods are you going to use? Unless you intentionally try to use all 3.5GB on purpose, its hard to hit that design flaw in normal means. Even so, that many mods, it is highly likely the speed of the card itself will be the downfall, rather than the size of the frame buffer.

 

As far as which 290 to get, i don't really know much about the Sapphire card. It has been many years since i purchased a card from sapphire (I have not had any problems with them, but most of my recent GPU's have been from Nvidia, because i focus on Small Form Factors). The MSI card uses a very common design used across many different GPU's from MSI. The sapphire card actually looks very similar to gigabytes Windforce series. If it performs the same, then it will do just fine. 

If I go for the 970 is the blower design so bad its totally awful? Linus made a video where he showed the blower design remove heat from the case very good. =)

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-case-rc902xbkkn2

Cooler Master HAF XB is the case will it be good for it?

*2 fans infront and 1 in the rear.

[Dabombinable]

Ubuntu 14.10 and previous-R9 290/290X

Ubuntu 15.05+ - GTX 970

I say this because a 970 can be fiddly to set up in distros before 15.04

[Nena Trinity]

Ubuntu 14.10 and previous-R9 290/290X

Ubuntu 15.05+ - GTX 970

I say this because a 970 can be fiddly to set up in distros before 15.04

You are joking right? x.x

Is 14.04 not capable to use the 970?

Isnt it just press aditional drivers and find the right one?

[Dabombinable]

You are joking right? x.x

Is 14.04 not capable to use the 970?

Isnt it just press aditional drivers and find the right one?

I never said it can't be used, just that it can be fiddly to set up (I myself on several distoros had to resort to terminal when trying to use my 970, my 650ti had no problems)

[MageTank]

If I go for the 970 is the blower design so bad its totally awful? Linus made a video where he showed the blower design remove heat from the case very good. =)

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-case-rc902xbkkn2

Cooler Master HAF XB is the case will it be good for it?

*2 fans infront and 1 in the rear.

 

The blower design is not bad at all. Anyone that says its bad clearly has never owned one, and is talking out of their rear. I have owned blower cards since early Fermi (back when you could make smores on Nvidia cards) and have always had good luck with blower cards. There are a ton of misconceptions out there that blower cards run worse than non-blower, but a majority of them are false.

 

Anyone that uses cooling as an excuse to not buy a reference card is already spreading misinformation, because reference cards can run their rated boost clock without hitting 80C throttle in even the smallest ITX cases. The only reasons i would suggest getting non-reference over reference are listed below:

 

1. Better power delivery. With better power delivery, you are able to OC higher than a reference PCB will allow.

2. Aggressive cooling solutions. If you have a large case, and do not intend to stack two open air cards on top of each other, you can get more aggressive cooling from a non-reference card, which often comes with the added benefit of being able to OC higher, or lowering your fan curve for a more silent gaming experience.

3. Aesthetics. Some people like to theme their builds using a certain color scheme, or they have a visual preference of a non-reference card over a reference one. This is an understandable reason to opt for a non-reference card.

4. Quality. Some board partners use higher quality components. This can allow longer life spans, or result in higher OCing potential. Some card manufacturers even add dual BIOS options to ensure no harm from flashing a bios yourself.

5. Custom PCBs. Some board partners will go as far as adding a custom amount of memory to cards (we've seen EVGA do this in the past with those 1.5gb cards and so on). We also see smaller form factor cards, and even longer cards.

6. Availability. Most reference cards from Nvidia are only sold at specific retailers. Newegg considers the card a promotional item, and will not sell it to anyone that attempts to order it as a standalone GPU. Only authorized stores can sell certain reference cards.

7. Warranty. Certain manufacturers offer better warranty coverage on their products than the original hardware manufacturer. This could mean longer coverage period, or a wider range of coverage. EVGA for example, still covers products you disassemble as long as there is no sign of intentional destruction. Meaning you are able to freely swap the heatsink to a waterblock, or change your TIM without voiding the warranty. Something you cannot do on the reference Nvidia cards.

 

The reasons above are the most common and logical reasons to go non-reference. In case you are wondering, here is a short list of why people prefer reference cards over non-reference:

 

1. Rear-Exhaust. This is crucial to have in small form factor cases, where airflow in cases are already limited, and components are very close to each other.

2. Aesthetics. Same reason as above, some people (like myself) think the magnesium reference cooler is very sexy, and are willing to sacrifice performance for style.

3. SLI. While you can SLI any design of Nvidia cards, sandwiching an open air card can cause it to throttle much faster than what a reference design card would. While reference cards can still be subject to this same problem, i, along with many others, have noticed reference cards to handle this issue much easier than most open air designs.

 

Looking at the list above, you may be inclined to think that the list of advantages for non-reference makes it an obvious choice, but just remember, everyone has different ends that justify their means. What might be an obvious choice for your usage scenario can completely differ to what i would use in a certain situation. Find out what you need, for the situation you intend to use it in, and get what suits it best.

[BestBOTEU]

"global warming" http://images.anandtech.com/graphs/graph7601/60573.pngsorry to disappoint you

[MageTank]

"global warming" http://images.anandtech.com/graphs/graph7601/60573.pngsorry to disappoint you

 

I hate the global warming and space heater jokes that AMD gets against them. Do people forget that Fermi was a thing? Hell, the 700 series still gets pretty hot. Yeah, Maxwell did an amazing job at lowering the TDP and increasing power efficiency, but those AMD cards are not too far off when compared to what was considered normal 2 years back. Google "Nvidia Fermi Fire" and look at all the threads on OCN. Hell, they made shirts about it as a joke, lol.

[Nena Trinity]

"global warming" http://images.anandtech.com/graphs/graph7601/60573.pngsorry to disappoint you

But I wanted to ruin the planet! D:

 

The blower design is not bad at all. Anyone that says its bad clearly has never owned one, and is talking out of their rear. I have owned blower cards since early Fermi (back when you could make smores on Nvidia cards) and have always had good luck with blower cards. There are a ton of misconceptions out there that blower cards run worse than non-blower, but a majority of them are false.

 

Anyone that uses cooling as an excuse to not buy a reference card is already spreading misinformation, because reference cards can run their rated boost clock without hitting 80C throttle in even the smallest ITX cases. The only reasons i would suggest getting non-reference over reference are listed below:

 

1. Better power delivery. With better power delivery, you are able to OC higher than a reference PCB will allow.

2. Aggressive cooling solutions. If you have a large case, and do not intend to stack two open air cards on top of each other, you can get more aggressive cooling from a non-reference card, which often comes with the added benefit of being able to OC higher, or lowering your fan curve for a more silent gaming experience.

3. Aesthetics. Some people like to theme their builds using a certain color scheme, or they have a visual preference of a non-reference card over a reference one. This is an understandable reason to opt for a non-reference card.

4. Quality. Some board partners use higher quality components. This can allow longer life spans, or result in higher OCing potential. Some card manufacturers even add dual BIOS options to ensure no harm from flashing a bios yourself.

5. Custom PCBs. Some board partners will go as far as adding a custom amount of memory to cards (we've seen EVGA do this in the past with those 1.5gb cards and so on). We also see smaller form factor cards, and even longer cards.

6. Availability. Most reference cards from Nvidia are only sold at specific retailers. Newegg considers the card a promotional item, and will not sell it to anyone that attempts to order it as a standalone GPU. Only authorized stores can sell certain reference cards.

7. Warranty. Certain manufacturers offer better warranty coverage on their products than the original hardware manufacturer. This could mean longer coverage period, or a wider range of coverage. EVGA for example, still covers products you disassemble as long as there is no sign of intentional destruction. Meaning you are able to freely swap the heatsink to a waterblock, or change your TIM without voiding the warranty. Something you cannot do on the reference Nvidia cards.

 

The reasons above are the most common and logical reasons to go non-reference. In case you are wondering, here is a short list of why people prefer reference cards over non-reference:

 

1. Rear-Exhaust. This is crucial to have in small form factor cases, where airflow in cases are already limited, and components are very close to each other.

2. Aesthetics. Same reason as above, some people (like myself) think the magnesium reference cooler is very sexy, and are willing to sacrifice performance for style.

3. SLI. While you can SLI any design of Nvidia cards, sandwiching an open air card can cause it to throttle much faster than what a reference design card would. While reference cards can still be subject to this same problem, i, along with many others, have noticed reference cards to handle this issue much easier than most open air designs.

 

Looking at the list above, you may be inclined to think that the list of advantages for non-reference makes it an obvious choice, but just remember, everyone has different ends that justify their means. What might be an obvious choice for your usage scenario can completely differ to what i would use in a certain situation. Find out what you need, for the situation you intend to use it in, and get what suits it best.

The blower I look at is not exactly the Nvidia model it is modded quite a bit by MSI. =)

Still is it good?

Oh and its OCed as factory default!

 

I never said it can't be used, just that it can be fiddly to set up (I myself on several distoros had to resort to terminal when trying to use my 970, my 650ti had no problems)

Oh gawd in the LTS it works from aditional drivers right? :c