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EVGA 970 vs Gigabyte R9 290 Windforce?

MattTheMayor
By MattTheMayor
in Graphics Cards
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I'll be building my first PC and since the newest variety of graphics cards has just been released I have trouble deciding which one to choose. Both are very very similar. 290 has 1.04 ghz, and 970 has 1.05. They both have 4 GB of VRAM. Here is my parts list:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($219.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($144.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($74.70 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($72.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair Air 540 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($148.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($66.66 @ Newegg)
Total: $873.28
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-18 16:42 EDT-0400

 

Which one should I be choosing?

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970, but the 290 should be a bit cheaper.

Well you can get a couple free games with the 290 so...

Think about that too.

#SAMSUNG  "provided us 4 1tb ssds so we could run the whole site off solid state." - LinusTech


#GALAXY


#ATIV


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970.


CPU: Intel i5 4570 | Cooler: Cooler Master TPC 812 | Motherboard: ASUS H87M-PRO | RAM: G.Skill 16GB (4x4GB) @ 1600MHZ | Storage: OCZ ARC 100 480GB, WD Caviar Black 2TB, Caviar Blue 1TB | GPU: Gigabyte GTX 970 | ODD: ASUS BC-12D2HT BR Reader | PSU: Cooler Master V650 | Display: LG IPS234 | Keyboard: Logitech G710+ | Mouse: Logitech G602 | Audio: Logitech Z506 & Audio Technica M50X | My machine: https://nz.pcpartpicker.com/b/JoJ

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970, but the 290 should be a bit cheaper.

Well you can get a couple free games with the 290 so...

Think about that too.

Yeah the 290 is 309, and the 970 is 329. Barely any difference though

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Yeah the 290 is 309, and the 970 is 329. Barely any difference though

970 offers better power consumption, and a longer/better product support duration.

#SAMSUNG  "provided us 4 1tb ssds so we could run the whole site off solid state." - LinusTech


#GALAXY


#ATIV


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Go with the 970.

 

 

970.

 

 

970.

 

Thanks for your opinion, but can you guys tell me why I should pick the 970? Sorry if I'm sounding like I'm disagreeing, I just want to make sure I'm paying for the best thing out there

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Thanks for your opinion, but can you guys tell me why I should pick the 970? Sorry if I'm sounding like I'm disagreeing, I just want to make sure I'm paying for the best thing out there

The 970 is much more power efficient, 145 watt TDP & have a lot of new features plus its 15- 20% better than the GTX 780 and 290.

 


CPU: Intel i5 4570 | Cooler: Cooler Master TPC 812 | Motherboard: ASUS H87M-PRO | RAM: G.Skill 16GB (4x4GB) @ 1600MHZ | Storage: OCZ ARC 100 480GB, WD Caviar Black 2TB, Caviar Blue 1TB | GPU: Gigabyte GTX 970 | ODD: ASUS BC-12D2HT BR Reader | PSU: Cooler Master V650 | Display: LG IPS234 | Keyboard: Logitech G710+ | Mouse: Logitech G602 | Audio: Logitech Z506 & Audio Technica M50X | My machine: https://nz.pcpartpicker.com/b/JoJ

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Yeah the 290 is 309, and the 970 is 329. Barely any difference though

Not counting the money you save from the games. 

 

Since you got 650W to throw around, get a 290 if you only want to run GPU. If you want to add a second later on without needing to upgrade PSU then get 970.

"Rawr XD"

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Thanks for your opinion, but can you guys tell me why I should pick the 970? Sorry if I'm sounding like I'm disagreeing, I just want to make sure I'm paying for the best thing out there

 

 

Power consumption, heat output, overclockability, you don't have to be careful about which air cooler you get because they're all at least adequate, the 970 performs a little bit better, and imo the launch price is extremely good for its performance.

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Here you have it

http://gpuboss.com/gpus/Radeon-R9-290-vs-GeForce-GTX-970

You cant compare core clock 1. because of Nvidia and AMD have different efficiency and 2. because of GPU boost 2.0 which means they are gonna overclock if the temps are gonna allow it.

And 970 is much newer which means almost always better. You have better overclocking options, that Nvidias new super resolution thingy on older games, Better power consumption (will save money on your power bill later)

Also on some models like Asus Stryx 970 you have turned off fans in lower loads which is FREAKING AMAZING!

Cant go wrong with 970 :)

Lenovo E330 i5-3230M, 8GB RAM, 250GB Samsung msata SSD

mostly paired with LG 25UM55 ultrawide + 3TB WD Elements

Trackpoint rulezz!!

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Posted

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for your opinion, but can you guys tell me why I should pick the 970? Sorry if I'm sounding like I'm disagreeing, I just want to make sure I'm paying for the best thing out there

- Lower TDP/Power consumption

- Features

- Performance

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Thanks guys! I would choose Mark Solved, but almost everyone answered with great information! Cheers

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