Graphic's card choices.

[Revan117]

I having to pick between a couple of video cards, from the sapphire vapor-x r9 280x 3gb or the sapphire vapar-x r9 290. I know that they are only about 30 or so bucks difference but is it really worth getting the 290. 

 

Also I saw that the gtx 970 is a really popular choice. I would be gaming quite a bit, but also programming, and running dual monitors. I really don't want to spend that much.

I don't want to spend (in total with everything) a 1000.00 bucks, plz help!

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Revan117/saved/fwFCmG

[-MOBIUS-]

Yes, IMO you should always go for the better one (within reason). Go for the 290

[Clyne]

Cheapest R9 290 is around 250......Cheapest R9 290X is 300, i think you should get the R9 290X instead if you're willing to spend a 100 bucks.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127773&cm_re=R9_290X_MSI-_-14-127-773-_-Product

[Aniallation]

I having to pick between a couple of video cards, from the sapphire vapor-x r9 280x 3gb or the sapphire vapar-x r9 290. I know that they are only about 30 or so bucks difference but is it really worth getting the 290. 

$30 more for a 290 over a 280X? Heck yes it's worth it!

[EzioSan]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($209.99 @ Newegg) 

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($29.98 @ OutletPC) 

Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($134.99 @ Micro Center) 

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($82.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($69.93 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($53.59 @ Directron) 

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card  ($329.99 @ NCIX US) 

Case: Cooler Master N400 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($54.99 @ Micro Center) 

Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($74.99 @ Amazon) 

Total: $1029.44

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

 

i5 4690k, a good gaming mobo for overclocking, mlc 128gb ssd, gtx 970 , quality seasonic psu, nwe gtx 970, case with 2 case fans

 

you can overclock and have a better gpu and this costs 14 doller less.i hope i could help you

[meritmaster]

Imo..Get a gigabyte GTX 970. Lots of ports for multiple displays, and a very powerful card. Nivdia cards come with a lot extra features like Geforce experience, Gameworks, shadow play, and gamestream, so i would go for GTX 970 just for that.

[SkilledRebuilds]

If the 970 is out of the budget, and the 290 is closer to that than the 280, and you can afford the 290..

Obvious.

 

290.

 

Imo..Get a gigabyte GTX 970. Lots of ports for multiple displays, and a very powerful card. Nivdia cards come with a lot extra features like Geforce experience, Gameworks, shadow play, and gamestream, so i would go for GTX 970 just for that.

While each to his own ecosystem, I must point out that Gameworks isn't tied to Geforce, AMD users can run Gameworks features too, just at a lower performance delta, AMD cards have just as many output options for multiple displays and is also a very powerful card.

 

Shadowplay/Gamestreaming are essentially the same thing (using the inbuilt encoder), AMD also had theirs, AMD GameDVR.

 

It's easy to not know this, as the AMD DVR has only really been out in the wild for short time, and may still have issues, but works for the most part.

I'm not saying don't get a GTX 970, just be more aware of whats available to you from each ecosystem.