maskey

The consensus seems to be the R9 380. I tested an R9 390 (Gigabyte) that a buddy brought over when it first came out and it was incredibly loud. I'm not sure if it suffered from bad coil whine, but it was considerably louder than my GTX 560 (Zotac). Should I assume that the GTX 380 will be just as loud?

Hello! I'm debating upgrading from a GTX 560 to a GTX 960. I game at 1080p, but right now I'm not playing the most graphically intensive games (Dark Souls 1 and 2, Skyrim, Diablo 3, PoE etc.). Am I going to see a huge bump? My 560 has been pretty good thus far. Additionally, I would like something really quiet. I know the Strix line is pretty good there. So, with that all being said, is it worth it to upgrade right now? I don't mind waiting until the next gen if its going to be leaps and bounds better.

I think you hit the nail on the head. With HBM architecture, you're going to see smaller PCBs due to the nature of the RAM placement. I won't jump to conclusions and say this is completely legit, but its plausible.

I love 60% and TKL. Can't even use a full size anymore!

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Looks like the free game comes with the other r9 290. Also, I noticed this requires a 750W PSU. Is that a hard requirement? I have a 700 watt, and if need to upgrade it I may as well just buy a 970. Thanks!

Yeah i noticed that too.

How's the XFX 290?

There are some great deals starting to pop up now on newegg and other sites. You'll be able to pick one up for less than $250 http://www.newegg.com/Components/EventSaleStore/ID-44?price=4018&Category=38

Try posting a bad review of the product on newegg. Not an untruthful review, just an honest one. Their PR / Customer service people monitor those things and usually respond quickly... Just a thought.

The issue is that no one really knows how good or long lasting Kailh switches are.. they're new and untested. Cherry MX have stood the test of time. We shall see. Personally, I'll stick with Cherry MX as most companies have been buying cheaper Kailh and not passing the savings on to customers (I'm looking at you Razer)

Yes. There will be two sets of RAM both operating in dual channel mode. Consult your motherboards documentation.

Sorry one last question. With my current build, would it make more sense to upgrade the mobo and cpu first and use my current graphics card, or get the new graphics card and upgrade the mobo/cpu later? I'm going to try to split this up into two separate segments as i'm looking around $330 for the graphics card and $400ish for the cpu/mobo. Thanks all!

The price difference would be minimal, if you could even find it. I just looked up newegg and there really wasn't a lot to choose from.

Yep, this is what I linked!