To 295x2 or not to 295x2; that is the question!

[Jiggahetz]

Hi guys, need some input.

So my mate is looking to upgrade his PC and is willing to spend around £450(ish) on his graphics card. Now recently the 295x2 has come down to around £470 here in the UK, which is extremely competitive with some of the 980 cards in circulation. He doesn't care about power and doesn't care about Crossfire driver support (seeing as he mainly wants to play AAA titles like The Witcher 3). He currently has a 1080P monitor, but would upgrade to 2560x1440 should he purchase this beast.

Seeing as the 295x2 has been around a while already, would you guys recommend it for 1440P gaming of triple A titles versus the 980 when the price of both is comparable? He basically doesnt mind spending the extra £20-50 or so for the 295x2 if it will be significantly better for 1440P Witcher 3 gameplay.

So far I have wholeheartedly recommended the card as I think that price is amazing. Whats your thoughts?

[thekeemo]

to wait a month

at the very least the 295x2 will be cheaper. its a HELL* of a card

 

 

*that good

[C0LL0SS0S]

I would go with the 980 since he could upgrade it in the future, getting a second r9 295x2 in a year won't make sense

[Kinda Bottlenecked]

Regarding the Witcher 3 part, its quite hard to tell since the game is not out yet. 

But I'd wait till AMD releases their new cards. 

[Suika]

Getting the R9 295X2 eliminates a GPU upgrade path, as 4-way crossfire will not be too terribly beneficial. However with the 980, there is an upgrade path, and it consumes significantly less power, significantly less heat output, and more stability. I've heard of some power supplies, including the AX1200i, having a difficult time driving the R9 295X2 because of the power design.

 

If the computer is in a non-ventilated room, and it gets warm around that area, that alone could be a factor.

[Jiggahetz]

to wait a month

at the very least the 295x2 will be cheaper. its a HELL* of a card

 

 

*that good

 

He will be purchasing it in a month anyway due to exams and other distracting IRL stuff!) - Thanks for the input

 

I would go with the 980 since he could upgrade it in the future, getting a second r9 295x2 in a year won't make sense

But does anybody ACTUALLY purchase a second card further down the line, or do they just upgrade to a new card again. Im talking about performance NOW. He wouldnt purchase a second 980 further down the line, he would just upgrade from the 295x2 to whatever the new card (best performance per $$$) is at the time.

Regardless of upgradibility, which is better for performance:$$$ atm, the 980 or the 295x2?

[Jiggahetz]

Getting the R9 295X2 eliminates a GPU upgrade path, as 4-way crossfire will not be too terribly beneficial. However with the 980, there is an upgrade path, and it consumes significantly less power, significantly less heat output, and more stability. I've heard of some power supplies, including the AX1200i, having a difficult time driving the R9 295X2 because of the power design.

 

If the computer is in a non-ventilated room, and it gets warm around that area, that alone could be a factor.

Same as above ^

Forget future upgrading, which is better now?

[C0LL0SS0S]

He will be purchasing it in a month anyway due to exams and other distracting IRL stuff!) - Thanks for the input

 

But does anybody ACTUALLY purchase a second card further down the line, or do they just upgrade to a new card again. Im talking about performance NOW. He wouldnt purchase a second 980 further down the line, he would just upgrade from the 295x2 to whatever the new card (best performance per $$$) is at the time.

Regardless of upgradibility, which is better for performance:$$$ atm, the 980 or the 295x2?

Well I just thought that in 1-2 years he could buy a second 980 and would be on top again

[thekeemo]

He will be purchasing it in a month anyway due to exams and other distracting IRL stuff!) - Thanks for the input

 

But does anybody ACTUALLY purchase a second card further down the line, or do they just upgrade to a new card again. Im talking about performance NOW. He wouldnt purchase a second 980 further down the line, he would just upgrade from the 295x2 to whatever the new card (best performance per $$$) is at the time.

Regardless of upgradibility, which is better for performance:$$$ atm, the 980 or the 295x2?

300 series coming soon

[Suika]

Same as above ^

Forget future upgrading, which is better now?

If crossfire support is good, price to performance is handed over the to R9 295X2. It's two GPUs versus one.

[Jiggahetz]

Well I just thought that in 1-2 years he could buy a second 980 and would be on top again

Theres always that dilemma though. For example he currently has a 770 - which at the time of purchase he bought it thinking "in a year or two I can purchase a second one and be back on top", but in reality he (and I think most people) is instead considering an entirely new card.

And I have a feeling that the 295x2 at £450 will still perform well against 980 SLI which would be considerably more expensive right?

[C0LL0SS0S]

Theres always that dilemma though. For example he currently has a 770 - which at the time of purchase he bought it thinking "in a year or two I can purchase a second one and be back on top", but in reality he (and I think most people) is instead considering an entirely new card.

And I have a feeling that the 295x2 at £450 will still perform well against 980 SLI which would be considerably more expensive right?

Yeah the r9 295x2 is a freaking good card, but like someone said already with the new release of amd cards it should get even cheaper

[Jiggahetz]

300 series coming soon

Yeah, I think thats the reason the 295x2 is at such a good price right now. Best time to buy a graphics card is shortly before the manufacturer decides its "obselete" haha

 

If crossfire support is good, price to performance is handed over the to R9 295X2. It's two GPUs versus one.

Thats what I was thinking. Thanks for providing an alternative viewpoint though Thats what I was hoping for - people arguing the opposite of what I believe so both sides of the argument can be made clear. (y)

[Thecrazyswede]

The only downside i see with the 295x2 is the PSU requirement, i dont see a reason not to get it. ( Owner of a 295x2 ) running it with a superflower 1000w. its just about perfect for 1440p gaming, if he has a decent PSU then just go for it.

[Jiggahetz]

Yeah the r9 295x2 is a freaking good card, but like someone said already with the new release of amd cards it should get even cheaper

Yeah thats what I was thinking. Cheers for the input  

[Jiggahetz]

The only downside i see with the 295x2 is the PSU requirement, i dont see a reason not to get it. ( Owner of a 295x2 ) running it with a superflower 1000w. its just about perfect for 1440p gaming, if he has a decent PSU then just go for it.

You reckon a decent 750w PSU can handle it's power req? running an i5 and no other greedy components.

[Thecrazyswede]

You reckon a decent 750w PSU can handle it's power req? running an i5 and no other greedy components.

 

Depends on the 12v rail of the PSU, you need to do a little reseach in the PSU manual to find the right PCI express connector, you need to connect the strongest one you have, dependning on make & quality it is enough but i would't risk it if i had a shifty PSU. but a good make 750w should work. (I'd recommend 850w from good make tho )

 

Johnnyguru does most PSU reviews so check there to see what it performance is like.

[Jiggahetz]

Depends on the 12v rail of the PSU, you need to do a little reseach in the PSU manual to find the right PCI express connector, you need to connect the strongest one you have, dependning on make & quality it is enough but i would't risk it if i had a shifty PSU. but a good make 750w should work. (I'd recommend 850w from good make tho )

 

Johnnyguru does most PSU reviews so check there to see what it performance is like.

Thanks, great reply

I will advise my friend based on your information. His PSU is a standard Corsair one (if I remember correctly) so not the most  fantastic thing out there.

 

[Thecrazyswede]

Thanks, great reply

I will advise my friend based on your information. His PSU is a standard Corsair one (if I remember correctly) so not the most  fantastic thing out there.

 

 

Well depends what model, corsair have a bad habbit of mixing in some shifty brands in their lineup, but johnnyguru should help you identify that since he has checked out most corsair PSU's

 

No problems glad to help.

[Aphala]

Wait until June for the R9 3XX series to release

[Pandora]

He will be purchasing it in a month anyway due to exams and other distracting IRL stuff!) - Thanks for the input

 

But does anybody ACTUALLY purchase a second card further down the line, or do they just upgrade to a new card again. Im talking about performance NOW. He wouldnt purchase a second 980 further down the line, he would just upgrade from the 295x2 to whatever the new card (best performance per $$$) is at the time.

Regardless of upgradibility, which is better for performance:$$$ atm, the 980 or the 295x2?

i dont think dont need a second r9 295x2 to cross fire this thing anyway it can be crossfired with the r9 290x for 3 way crossfire i think. that should also mean it would work with the r9 380x for crossfire.

 

also with dx12 possibly sharing vram this would be a boon 

[Whorax]

I would wait to see what AMD has up their sleeve before buying one of those, especially since the new cards are so close to coming out.

That's what I'm doing--waiting till the 390X comes out to decide if I want that or a Titan X.

[RagnarokDel]

I've got a HD 7990, I cant recommend getting a dual gpu card. I literally have to downvolt it so it wont overheat while mining. 

 

Story of the card, I got it, under heavy load it reached 100° and rebooted computer so I changed the thermal paste which helped a bit. It sat at like 95° under heavy load so I downvolted it from 1200vddc to 1150 which drastically reduced the heat under heavy load (~80°)

[Jiggahetz]

Wait until June for the R9 3XX series to release

For prices on the 295x2 to drop, or for the new cards specifically?

[Aphala]

For prices on the 295x2 to drop, or for the new cards specifically?

I don't think the R9295X2 will drop any more since it was originally  a £999+ card, the R9 390/X may be a fair bit more expensive but it could trigger stingevidia to actually lower their current 9XX series or you may just get a R9 380/X for a reasonable price.