r9 290x or gtx 970?

[finnigen]

I have a powercolor radeon r9 290x graphics card in the reference design. I wanted to upgrade the cooler on it but thought that that would be too expensive. So then I thought I should sell it and get a gtx 980 instead. But then I realized that a gtx 970 sli configuration would be even better and not so much more expensive. but I could to do that I also realized that I had to exchange the motherboard. I can first buy the second gtx 970 maybe in half a year.

But actually the r9 290x outperforms the gtx 970 by just a little bit.

Now I am not sure what to do. I do not want to stay with th 290x stock. It gets too hot and (too loud).

What would you guys recommend?

Thanks in advance.

[Archangel1994]

But actually the r9 290x outperforms the gtx 970 by just a little bit.

Not true actually

 

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2014-nvidia-geforce-gtx-970-review

 

Thanks to easy OC'ing to 1500Mhz the GTX 970 beats the R9 290x

[SuperPug]

Why would you sell your gpu to buy one thats equally as fast??? NVM didnt read full post..

 

Just get the arctic accelero extreme aftermarket cooler... its like 50 bucks or so i think. Will solve heat and noise problem and you dont have to sell a perfectly good card for less than its worth.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186098R little more than 50 still seems like the best option

[PercySavageEG]

I have a powercolor radeon r9 290x graphics card in the reference design. I wanted to upgrade the cooler on it but thought that that would be too expensive. So then I thought I should sell it and get a gtx 980 instead. But then I realized that a gtx 970 sli configuration would be even better and not so much more expensive. but I could to do that I also realized that I had to exchange the motherboard. I can first buy the second gtx 970 maybe in half a year.

But actually the r9 290x outperforms the gtx 970 by just a little bit.

Now I am not sure what to do. I do not want to stay with th 290x stock. It gets too hot and (too loud).

What would you guys recommend?

Thanks in advance.

how much can you spend?

[finnigen]

I can sell the card for about 260 euro and spend about 150 euro more. So about 400 euro.

And I am not totally sure if the accelerato will fit in myBitfenix Shinobi.

[finnigen]

how much can you spend?

I can sell the card for about 260 euro and spend about 150 euro more. So about 400 euro.

[finnigen]

Why would you sell your gpu to buy one thats equally as fast??? NVM didnt read full post..

 

Just get the arctic accelero extreme aftermarket cooler... its like 50 bucks or so i think. Will solve heat and noise problem and you dont have to sell a perfectly good card for less than its worth.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186098R little more than 50 still seems like the best option

I am not totally sure if the accelerato will fit in my Bitfenix Shinobi

[AnnoyedShelf]

I wouldn't consider it a big enough boost in performance to switch, but I'm not you.  Do what you want.

[finnigen]

I wouldn't consider it a big enough boost in performance to switch, but I'm not you.  Do what you want.

It is not really (only) for the performance. I would like to stat with the r9 290x, but then I would want to cool it better (and quieter).

[AnnoyedShelf]

It is not really (only) for the performance. I would like to stat with the r9 290x, but then I would want to cool it better (and quieter).

Well a GTX 970 will outperform it and will be quieter and run cooler.

[finnigen]

Well a GTX 970 will outperform it and will be quieter and run cooler.

That's the reason why I am considering to buy it and started the thread to ask if I should go for the gtx 970.

[Lays]

Not true actually

 

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2014-nvidia-geforce-gtx-970-review

 

Thanks to easy OC'ing to 1500Mhz the GTX 970 beats the R9 290x

 

 

Was the 290X OC'd as well?  Because the benchmarks I've seen, it seems like the 290x's they're using are slow compared to my 290x.  Then again it's a lightning, so I guess it's somewhat irrelevant.

[PercySavageEG]

I can sell the card for about 260 euro and spend about 150 euro more. So about 400 euro.

then I think you should get either a GTX 970 Gigabyte G1 card or get a reference card and a water block and water cool it

[AnnoyedShelf]

That's the reason why I am considering to buy it and started the thread to ask if I should go for the gtx 970.

If noise really matters that much to you, I'd go for it.  I personally don't really care about noise because I almost always have a pair of headphones on when using my PC.

[SuperPug]

I am not totally sure if the accelerato will fit in my Bitfenix Shinobi

 

Im pretty sure it would fit.. otherwise you could go with something like this (more flexible):  Corsair H50 + NZXT G10

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181010&cm_re=h50-_-35-181-010-_-Product

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835146037&cm_re=nzxt_g10-_-35-146-037-_-Product

[finnigen]

If noise really matters that much to you, I'd go for it.  I personally don't really care about noise because I almost always have a pair of headphones on when using my PC.

Noise isn't sooo important, but temps certainly are (and performance as well). So if noise wouldn't matter what would you then suggest?

[finnigen]

then I think you should get either a GTX 970 Gigabyte G1 card or get a reference card and a water block and water cool it

I was thinking about getting the msi version. Isn't that good enough. And I am again not sure if the gigabyte g1 would fit in my Bitfenix Shinobi.

[finnigen]

Im pretty sure it would fit.. otherwise you could go with something like this (more flexible):  Corsair H50 + NZXT G10

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181010&cm_re=h50-_-35-181-010-_-Product

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835146037&cm_re=nzxt_g10-_-35-146-037-_-Product

Yes that was another solution I had in mind, But my case has only space for a 120mm fan in the back. And I am not sure if that is enough cooling power. Also I want to buy the noctua nu-d14, so not too much space left.

[MEC-777]

Yes that was another solution I had in mind, But my case has only space for a 120mm fan in the back. And I am not sure if that is enough cooling power. Also I want to buy the noctua nu-d14, so not too much space left.

 

+1 NZXT Kraken G10 + H55 AIO cooler. I was running this on my 7950 along side an H60 on my CPU all stuffed in a Node 304 mini-ITX case. So you should have room if you have a larger ATX/microATX case... What case do you have?

 

The G10 + a 120mm AIO cooler is definitely good enough to cool a 290/290X. Lots of people doing this on Overclock.net.

 

Also, the 290X may trade blows with the 970 at 1080p but they actually perform better than the 970 at higher resolutions (1440p and 4k).

[AnnoyedShelf]

Noise isn't sooo important, but temps certainly are (and performance as well). So if noise wouldn't matter what would you then suggest?

Since grabbing a liquid cooler for it wouldn't be very cost efficient, I'd just go with the 970 tbh.

[finnigen]

+1 NZXT Kraken G10 + H55 AIO cooler. I was running this on my 7950 along side an H60 on my CPU all stuffed in a Node 304 mini-ITX case. So you should have room if you have a larger ATX/microATX case... What case do you have?

The G10 + a 120mm AIO cooler is definitely good enough to cool a 290/290X. Lots of people doing this on Overclock.net.

Also, the 290X may trade blows with the 970 at 1080p but they actually perform better than the 970 at higher resolutions (1440p and 4k).

And what would be better, the h55 or the kraken x31?

Do I need any heatsinks for the ram?

[finnigen]

Since grabbing a liquid cooler for it wouldn't be very cost efficient, I'd just go with the 970 tbh.

But wouldn't I more or less get better performance like that?

[MEC-777]

And what would be better, the h55 or the kraken x31?

Do I need any heatsinks for the ram?

Well, both are very similar. The X31 is a bit newer, where as the H55 has been around for a while. Probably looking at no more than a few degrees variance between the two.

 

At the time, the H55 was on sale for something like $55 and the X31 was $69, plus I already have the H60 and really like it, so I went with the H55. You really can't lose either way. Grab which ever brand you prefer or which ever is cheaper/on sale.

 

Just looking at pictures, the hoses on the X31 look to be a little more robust and maybe a bit longer. Something to keep in mind is where in your case you'll be mounting it and make sure it will reach.

 

As for heatsinks, since you have the reference cooler, once you remove the stock cooler, there is no VRM heatsink and the fan on the G10 won't be enough on it's own. You'll want to pick up a heatsink kit for that and also some stick-on heat spreaders for the memory modules. Some say it's not necessary for the memory, but I'd err on the side of caution and put them on. A quick search for VRM and Vram heatsink kits for R9 290/X should yield some solid results. Also check out the official Kraken G10 thread on Overclock.net. Tons of useful info there and lots of people who can help you find what you need.

 

If you're comfortable and experienced working with hardware, then you shouldn't have much trouble. Installing a G10 isn't for the novice PC builder as it can be bit tedious.

[harharri]

The 970 beats the 290X in nearly everything apart from rendering and loading kinda stuff and the 970 has much higher speeds possibly better overclocking depends on which one and grea TDP I would recommend dual Gigabyte 870 G1s if you want pure performance with few higher clock speed cards it is the best in my opinion.

[AnnoyedShelf]

But wouldn't I more or less get better performance like that?

Not really.  Even with both cards overclocked, you'll still get better performance out of the 970 for less money.