Non-Reference GTX960's... Which one?

[BROmoT]

So I'm about to get a 960... and I don't know which one to pick!

The MSI and EVGA are pretty much the same price here in Israel, and the Gainwood one is about 10% cheaper (an equivalent of 25$ cheaper)

which one should I get? 

 

EDIT: Don't suggest the ASUS Strix, that's the one I wanted at first but it was way too expensive.

[JustCallMeVlad]

MSI. EVGA is meh anymore 

[Nup]

There are better value options then the 960, if you're open to that. 

[BROmoT]

There are better value options then the 960, if you're open to that. 

 

I don't like AMD cards because of the heat and power consumption...

[the jolly roger]

I don't like AMD cards because of the heat and power consumption...

why is this? if it has an aftermarket cooler it stays cool, say the r9 290x tri-x from sapphire reaches like 75 under load, it does consume alot of power thou..

[the jolly roger]

There are better value options then the 960, if you're open to that. 

r9 280 would be a better choice, or wait for the r9 380 or 370x

[Rodneyg87]

So I'm about to get a 960... and I don't know which one to pick!

The MSI and EVGA are pretty much the same price here in Israel, and the Gainwood one is about 10% cheaper (an equivalent of 25$ cheaper)

which one should I get? 

 

EDIT: Don't suggest the ASUS Strix, that's the one I wanted at first but it was way too expensive.

I'd say go MSI since they have a few different color options to choose from so you can match whatever the theme of your build may be. 

[Nup]

I don't like AMD cards because of the heat and power consumption...

 

Fair enough, although bare in mind with a similar price it will be well cooled + perform better, and although they do consume more power it won't be very much more expensive per year. 

[EcoBoost]

So I'm about to get a 960... and I don't know which one to pick!

The MSI and EVGA are pretty much the same price here in Israel, and the Gainwood one is about 10% cheaper (an equivalent of 25$ cheaper)

which one should I get? 

Who cares, R9 280 is always the better choice. 

 

 

I don't like AMD cards because of the heat and power consumption...

You will not notice the difference compared to a 960 in an mATX or larger PC. Only if it's going in a very small mITX case or your PSU is trash will you want the 960 but in every other situation 280 all day. The power bill increase over the lifespan of the card will be a lot less then the $50 you save for the card in the first place.

[theodoro]

why is this? if it has an aftermarket cooler it stays cool, say the r9 290x tri-x from sapphire reaches like 75 under load, it does consume alot of power thou..

The TDP is way higher. Just because the GPU stays cool, doens't mean the card has a low tdp. 

I don't care about power consumption, but i like when the TDP is as low as possible. However, i care about performance more, so i would get a 290 tri-x as well. Either way, these AMD GPUs DO have waaaay higher TDP and if the OP wants a low TDP card, then the 960 is a much better option. Not everybody cares about performance.

[BROmoT]

I'd say go MSI since they have a few different color options to choose from so you can match whatever the theme of your build may be. 

They only have the Gaming 2G model and I'm just looking for a GPU upgrade

[Rodneyg87]

They only have the Gaming 2G model and I'm just looking for a GPU upgrade

Then Id say go for which ever manufacture's card you thinks looks better unless your not planning to overclock in that case id say go EVGA since they come with a higher stock clock. But if your planning to overclock id say go by looks.

[asim1999]

Fair enough, although bare in mind with a similar price it will be well cooled + perform better, and although they do consume more power it won't be very much more expensive per year. 

But he may want to get better overclocks. Nvidia cards always win when it comes to overclocking potential 

[BROmoT]

The TDP is way higher. Just because the GPU stays cool, doens't mean the card has a low tdp. 

I don't care about power consumption, but i like when the TDP is as low as possible. However, i care about performance more, so i would get a 290 tri-x as well. Either way, these AMD GPUs DO have waaaay higher TDP and if the OP wants a low TDP card, then the 960 is a much better option. Not everybody cares about performance.

 

 

Fair enough, although bare in mind with a similar price it will be well cooled + perform better, and although they do consume more power it won't be very much more expensive per year. 

 

 

Who cares, R9 280 is always the better choice. 

 

 

You will not notice the difference compared to a 960 in an mATX or larger PC. Only if it's going in a very small mITX case or your PSU is trash will you want the 960 but in every other situation 280 all day. The power bill increase over the lifespan of the card will be a lot less then the $50 you save for the card in the first place.

 

I only have a mere 460W PSU so I'm not sure i can run a r9 280x

Specs are :

• CPU
  Intel i7 3770 @3.4 GHz- 3.9GHz turbo
• Motherboard
  Gigabyte GA-Z77M-D3H
• RAM
  Corsair XMS3 8GB (2x4) 1600MHz
• GPU
  Gigabyte GTX 660 OC 2GB
• Case
  RAIDMAX Super Viper
• Storage
  x1 Samsung SSD 840 x1 Samsung Spinpoint F1 HD103UJ 1TB
• PSU
  FSP460-60hcn

[EcoBoost]

I only have a mere 450W PSU so I'm not sure i can run a r9 280x

What 450W is it specifically and what CPU do you have?

[Nup]

But he may want to get better overclocks. Nvidia cards always win when it comes to overclocking potential 

Thats very true, they are great for that, and power consumption. Was just letting him know

[JustCallMeVlad]

why is this? if it has an aftermarket cooler it stays cool, say the r9 290x tri-x from sapphire reaches like 75 under load, it does consume alot of power thou..

 

 

960 consumes like 125W, a 290X consumes like 300W

[BROmoT]

What 450W is it specifically and what CPU do you have?

Again, specs are:

• CPU
  Intel i7 3770 @3.4 GHz- 3.9GHz turbo
• Motherboard
  Gigabyte GA-Z77M-D3H
• RAM
  Corsair XMS3 8GB (2x4) 1600MHz
• GPU
  Gigabyte GTX 660 OC 2GB
• Storage
  x1 Samsung SSD 840 x1 Samsung Spinpoint F1 HD103UJ 1TB
• PSU
  FSP460-60hcn

[the jolly roger]

960 consumes like 125W, a 290X consumes like 300W

i am aware of that

[EcoBoost]

• PSU
  FSP460-60hcn

Enough to run an R9 280 because you do have a locked CPU.

[theodoro]

@BROmoT well, the 280 consumes about +80Watt than your GTX660 and it's cooler. However the TDP is still higher so, your PC will be warmer overall. 
I'm not sure if that 80W will change something. The PSU is capable of powering the r9 280 but not the 280X. 
If you OC the r9 280 the power consumpion will be around 300W and the rest of your system will need about 120 watt when gaming. If you don't overclock your CPU and your GPU, then the r9 280 is a good option. 
(and by the way the R9 290X oced, consumes about 400W !)

If you want to have more room to play with the clocks, then the 960 is a solid card.
If I were you, I would wait for the prices to drop and i would grab a 960. If the prices won't drop, then the 280 is the winner. (this also depends at your prices in your country) In my country the 280(x) is a no-brainer.

[BROmoT]

@BROmoT well, the 280 consumes about +80Watt than your GTX660 and it's cooler. However the TDP is still higher so, your PC will be warmer overall. 

I'm not sure if that 80W will change something. The PSU is capable of powering the r9 280 but not the 280X. 

If you OC the r9 280 the power consumpion will be around 300W and the rest of your system will need about 120 watt when gaming. If you don't overclock your CPU and your GPU, then the r9 280 is a good option. 

(and by the way the R9 290X oced, consumes about 400W !)

If you want to have more room to play with the clocks, then the 960 is a solid card.

If I were you, I would wait for the prices to drop and i would grab a 960. If the prices won't drop, then the 280 is the winner. (this also depends at your prices in your country) In my country the 280(x) is a no-brainer.

Well thank you very much! the 280 btw is like 15% or 20% cheaper right now but I'll probably wait for the 960 price to drop cause overclocking is fun and it might be cheaper than the 280