Can't decide between 960/280(X)

[Zeke]

So I'm about to do a build for a friend of mine, the budget is kinda tight (if it weren't, I'd just throw a 970 in there and call it a day);

 

Basically it's going to be:

 

i5-4440 cooled by you guessed it

8 Gb DDR3 RAM of any trusted vendor (probably Kingston)

ASUS H81M-E (two extra USBs never hurt, no overclocking intended)

HDD and ODD are going to be transferred from the old rig (Core2Duo with DDR2, no point of upgrading it)

EVGA 500B PSU

Fractal Design Core 1000

 

And is where things get interesting:

I can't decide whether to go with 280(X) or GTX960. Sure, 280X got more power, but it's also a bit more pricey and much less power efficient than 960. 

 

It's intended to be used for 1080p gaming.

 

Also, can someone enlighten me if AMD GPU drivers are still as arse as they were two years ago?

[Sir Asvald]

So I'm about to do a build for a friend of mine, the budget is kinda tight (if it weren't, I'd just throw a 970 in there and call it a day);

 

Basically it's going to be:

 

i5-4440 cooled by you guessed it

8 Gb DDR3 RAM of any trusted vendor (probably Kingston)

ASUS H81M-E (two extra USBs never hurt, no overclocking intended)

HDD and ODD are going to be transferred from the old rig (Core2Duo with DDR2, no point of upgrading it)

EVGA 500B PSU

Fractal Design Core 1000

 

And is where things get interesting:

I can't decide whether to go with 280(X) or GTX960. Sure, 280X got more power, but it's also a bit more pricey and much less power efficient than 960. 

 

It's intended to be used for 1080p gaming.

 

Also, can someone enlighten me if AMD GPU drivers are still as arse as they were two years ago?

280X is the best. Better than the 960. 

[Zeke]

280X is the best. Better than the 960. 

What about the 280 285?

[Aniallation]

What about the 280 285?

285 and 960 both suffer from the same issue, newer AAA titles will begin to hit the 2GB frame buffer limit with high-res textures. Unless you need G/Free Sync then get the 280/X.

[PineappleHolidays]

No , AMD drivers ( not crossfire ) are a lot better .

If you can , get the 280x as they are generally a lot cheaper ( in the eu at least they are amazingly cheap ).

[Zeke]

No , AMD drivers ( not crossfire ) are a lot better .

If you can , get the 280x as they are generally a lot cheaper ( in the eu at least they are amazingly cheap ).

Glad to hear that. Well, the 280X is about $40 more than the 960 for me.

[SteveGrabowski]

If you're worried about the GPU's power consumption skip the Hyper 212 EVO and spend the saved $30 on a 4GB 960. It actually seems to make a difference in some games that can go above 2GB VRAM usage.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX_mW36BDKs

 

The Hyper 212 EVO is something I'd only consider if you get a lousy binned i5-4440 that gets bad temperatures. But most of the time I think you'd be fine with the stock cooler on a locked i5.

[Lotus]

You're using a locked CPU. Take off that aftermarket CPU cooler. It doesn't do anything unless you overclock.

 

Then put the extra cash towards the GPU. You may be able to afford an R9 290. Barring that, I'd probably do an R9 280, non-x, as it's cheaper than the 960 but isn't really all that worse.

[PineappleHolidays]

Glad to hear that. Well, the 280X is about $40 more than the 960 for me.

Where are you ?

 

Is noise important for you ?

[PineappleHolidays]

But really a R9 290 would be the best compromise if you can drop the price elsewhere .

[Zeke]

If you're worried about the GPU's power consumption skip the Hyper 212 EVO and spend the saved $30 on a 4GB 960. It actually seems to make a difference in some games that can go above 2GB VRAM usage.

 

*snip*

 

The Hyper 212 EVO is something I'd only consider if you get a lousy binned i5-4440 that gets bad temperatures. But most of the time I think you'd be fine with the stock cooler on a locked i5.

 

Where are you ?

 

Is noise important for you ?

 

I'll tinker with it for a bit more, and see what I'll be able to do. I'd prefer to keep the noise to a minimum and I just generally dislike Intel's stock coolers. Although FD1000 is a pretty good-ventilated case...

I'm in Russia, so prices are nuts. Some things are laughably cheap, others are really expensive. Plus, our national currency seems to be really confused at the moment, so don't even bother adjusting prices.

 

You're using a locked CPU. Take off that aftermarket CPU cooler. It doesn't do anything unless you overclock.

 

Then put the extra cash towards the GPU. You may be able to afford an R9 290. Barring that, I'd probably do an R9 280, non-x, as it's cheaper than the 960 but isn't really all that worse.

 

The noise is sort of important, but even without 212 Evo I'm not gonna be able to get a 290: 1) it's so close to 290X price-wise it makes no sense to get it 

2) 290+ will require a beefier PSU.

[Zeke]

Oh and don't ask me how it works, but 4440 BOX and 4440 OEM+212 EVO are basically the same price. 

[PineappleHolidays]

I'll tinker with it for a bit more, and see what I'll be able to do. I'd prefer to keep the noise to a minimum and I just generally dislike Intel's stock coolers. Although FD1000 is a pretty good-ventilated case...

I'm in Russia, so prices are nuts. Some things are laughably cheap, others are really expensive. Plus, our national currency seems to be really confused at the moment, so don't even bother adjusting prices.

 

 

The noise is sort of important, but even without 212 Evo I'm not gonna be able to get a 290: 1) it's so close to 290X price-wise it makes no sense to get it 

2) 290+ will require a beefier PSU.

 

Oh and don't ask me how it works, but 4440 BOX and 4440 OEM+212 EVO are basically the same price. 

 

 

OEM doesn't have a stock cooler 

 

500w is fine for a 290 , I have a 290 + 8320 on a corsair 500w .

 

Well you have limited options , maybe ebay ?

 

Could you post the cheapest prices for R9 290 / R9 290x / 280x / 960 ?

 

In the EU the 290 goes really low sometimes , caseking.de had a promo for 220€ for a 290 .

[SteveGrabowski]

Oh and don't ask me how it works, but 4440 BOX and 4440 OEM+212 EVO are basically the same price. 

 

I'd still get the 4440 boxed processor for the 3 year warranty. 

[Zeke]

OEM doesn't have a stock cooler 

Exactly, and the price difference between OEM with a 212 EVO and the BOX is negligible, and 212 is orders of magnitude better than the stock one.