GTX 970 VS R9 290

[matthijs_jwz]

Hi,

 

Lately there are a lot of rumors about the GTX 970 and the R9 290 dropped in price. So which of the two is the best?

 

[david cassar]

Gtx 970 is like 10-15% faster than the r9 290 (gtx 970/r9 290x > r9 290) while being much more efficient and using less power. It also overclocks better. Is their a price difference between them? If the price is the same then easily get the 970. 

[euzen01]

As you can see i am a nvidia fan. I think you should get the 970 because nvidia has a better quality overall. But this is my personal opinion of course.

[Guest]

The 290 is a bit cheaper for slightly less performance. It is, however, a lot less efficient.

[Fate]

It really depends on the price. Sometimes the 290 is $80-100 less than the 970's, then you should definitely get the 290. Others it's only like $20-30 cheaper, then you should get the 970.

[Sauron]

For price to performance DEFINITELY the R9 290.

[Dabombinable]

Both have their best usage scenarios. The GTX 970 at 1080p. And the R9 290/290X at 2k&4k.

[chopdok]

Price/performance - R9 290 is better. It is 15-20% slower - GTX 970 had significant performance improvements vs R9 290 with late drivers in many games, while AMD drivers had little to no performance improvement over the year. But its about 30% cheaper. So despite being somewhat slower, and drivers barely improving, its still a better deal.

 

That said, you need at least 550w PSU to power it. While 970 you can make work at 400w. So, as an upgrade, GTX 970 is usually better, because you don't need to worry about anything.

[MoonSpot]

Throw my hat in with R9 290.  I've no idea what the pricing is like in your area for these cards, but that would be the single greatest deciding factor for me.  If pricing is the same the 970 is the more compelling card, if there is a 25% savings to be had the 290 gets it.