One AMD R9 295x2 vs Two AMD R9 390x’s (crossfire) vs Two Nvidia GTX 980’s (SLI) – help me decide

[Volxen]

I’m having quite a difficult time trying to choose the most optimal graphic card(s) for a 4K gaming PC that I am in the process of building. I want to be able to game at 4K resolution on high/ultra settings and maintain 60+ FPS as much as possible. I’m willing to spend up to $1,000 on graphic cards, but I also want a solution that is truly going to be the best bang for my buck.

 

 

So far, I’m considering three options (but I am certainly open to other suggestions!) for graphics:

 

1)      One AMD R9 295x2 (automatically crossfire)  (cost: ~$750)

2)      Two AMD R9 390x’s (crossfire)  (cost: ~$880)

3)      Two Nvidia GTX 980’s (SLI)  (cost: ~$1,000)

 

 

My first question is, is there even any difference between one 295x2 and two 390x’s? My understanding is that the 390x is just a rehash of the 290x with more memory, and the 295x2 is two 290x’s on one card. Would two 390x’s in crossfire outperform the 295x2, or would the performance be about the same? If there is no performance gain, I would prefer the 295x2 for two reasons 1) its cheaper and 2) it already comes with a radiator, fan, and a closed-loop liquid cooling solution, whereas the 390x does not.

 

And this brings me to my next question. Is it true that, in general, an AMD card will run much hotter and use a lot more power than its equivalent Nvidia counterpart? If I did end up going with two 390x’s, would I need to purchase a separate liquid cooling solution for both of the cards to keep their temperatures at a reasonable level?

 

On the Nvidia side, would two 980’s in SLI be worth it? I know two 980’s in SLI are extremely powerful, but given the cost of this option compared to the two AMD options, would the cost of this solution truly be worth it? Would this solution outperform the AMD solutions? Would these two cards require the purchase of a separate liquid cooling solution to manage their temperatures?

 

Finally, how many watts will my power supply need to support all of these options?

 

Also, feel free to suggest and recommend graphic card solutions other than those I listed (but please explain why you are recommending it).

[cheeze_tartz]

980Ti's FTW

[Gix7Fifty]

Any of those options @4k Ultra 60fps would be disappointing.

[1Scotty1]

Sorry to burst your bubble, but not even a Titan X cant game at 4K 60fps, average is 38-40fps... so maybe 980Ti SLI? MAYBE...

[KingII]

Yes it is true Nvidia cards will run cooler. as far as the 390's go, as long as you have a big case with adequate airflow, you do not need to watercool them. although i have heard they do throttle a little when hot. i personally would go for the 980's. but even then, i would not expect to regularly get 60 fps at 4k on high+ settings. youll have to cough up a little more cash then that. the best you could do right now would be 2 980 ti's in sli, and that would run you about 1300$. 

[Paralectic]

980Ti's FTW

Bias

[cheeze_tartz]

Bias

no im not bias

[Clyne]

Bias

Nah, he probably has no idea what's he's talking about.  

Any of those cards will be disappointing for 4K 60FPS anyway......

[Kinda Bottlenecked]

Out of those 3 the best option is probably the CF 390x...

[Unlikelyjoker]

390X CF

Bring on the hate Nvidia fanboys.

[REX.exe]

295X2 for the price.

[SpaceJellyDonut]

2x 390x in crossfire imo

[KingII]

listen man, ignore the fanboys on here. the best you can possibly do while staying under 2000$ is either 2 980 ti's, or 2 fury x's. you dont need to worry about aftermarket cooling. their stock fans/blocks are just fine. just make sure you have space for 2 mounting points for the radiators. if you want to crossfire the fury x cards.

 

no matter who you choose here, you are looking at 1300$. will you get a stable framerate of above 60 fps at ultra settings on the newest games? No. dont count on it, we still have a few generations of cards before 4k is viable. 

 

look for about  750 WATT to 800 watt power supply to keep you covered. 

[Nonco]

The best option out  of these would be 390x in CF, however if you were willing to spend a bit more, SLI 980Ti would definately be the better option. Also with games being integrated with nvidia settings these days, e.g. hairworks in witcher 3, its probably the safer bet.

[Gix7Fifty]

@Volxen what are you going to do?

[iludez]

Id say xfire 390x for raw performance 

[Johannes_Lazor]

A pair of 390x's, The Vram would be the limiting factor with less than 8gb of Vram for each GPU.

[Octavialicious]

390X CF for raw performance, not to mention the extra VRAM

[PineappleHolidays]

Either two R9 390x's for raw performance and vram,

but a better option would be one or two fury's or 980ti's

[Lethal Seraph]

As I was gonna post another thread... new supplies are in stock but I'm gonna have to wait for the 4th of July promo (US).

 

For these setup, get a 1000w PSU at bare minimum (750w by manufacturer), preferably with 80+ GOLD rating.

 

Newegg has 980Ti G1 Gigabyte for $689.99 (best overall performance vs 980/TX)

Best Buy has XFX Fury X for $699.99 

 

I'd say if you're into silent gaming, I would advice staying away from nonadjustable fan speed of the 295x2 - it gets loud af. I don't think any single GPU can handle 60+FPS on 4k yet, maybe a CF Fury X or just wait for the dual Fury.

[Volxen]

@Volxen what are you going to do?

 

 

I'm not sure, I still have a lot to think about.