new gpu choses

[GrimHorror]

this holiday im thinking of getting a new gpu currently i have an r7 260x i am thinking of getting an r9 280 but i realized it would be cheaper for me too just buy a 2nd r7 260x and if i did what would the performance be like. suggestions please.

[MegaDave91]

You're much better off using a single high end card than xfiring two low-mid tier cards.

[Cperez6993]

I think you'd get more performance from upgrading rather than crossfire

[Juganog]

probably best to upgrade and then if everything is fine and your old GPU is fine then you could always try selling it

[GrimHorror]

alright i think that i should just give the old gpu to my little brother as a holiday gift because all he really plays is minecraft and get the r9 280 thanks you really helped me out

[Steve H.]

Get the R9 285 instead, it's basically a more optimized version of the 280, despite having 1GB less VRAM it does on par or better than the 280 it replaces. I don't think you'll be able to get a 280 by this holiday season since it's being phased out anyway.

 

review: http://www.anandtech.com/show/8460/amd-radeon-r9-285-review

[GrimHorror]

hmm interesting i see the tdp massively decreased

[Steve H.]

Yes, it has lower power consumption and heat output since it's based on the new "Tonga" silicon. We should see a 285X being released in the coming months to replace the aging 280X, which basically is a 7970 just like the 280 is a 7950 Ghz edition with faster memory. It really depends at what resolution are you gaming at. If you're at 1080p then either card should suit your needs despite the newer one having 1GB less vram and lower bandwidth. Personally I've never seen a game go past 2GB of video memory, well except Watch Dogs which was a poorly ported console turd. If I recall correctly GTA IV was something around 1400MB and Wolfenstein The New Order topped out at around 1600 ~ 1700MBs on a single monitor 1080p setup.

[xAcid9]

It's not massive at all.