290x, 290, or 970?

[Lazz45]

Okay, so i am going off to college and i am looking to upgrade my card before i am poor.  So i love to game on max settings at 1080p, and hope to go to 1440p by the end of my junior year.  Currently i am going to upgrade my graphics card so that i get a more powerful gaming experience and can get a few years out of my setup as a whole, and i am currently stuck between these graphics cards.  I would truly like everyone opinion on the matter and i dont mean fanboy stuff, but what you feel is best for my situation, and wont break my bank.  The two cards I am between are 

 

sapphire r9 290 Tri-x OC edition

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814202143

 

sapphire r9 290 Tri-x OC editoin

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202143

 

and the Gigabyte G1 Gaming gtx 970

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814125684

 

One of the EVGA 970's??

 

I do appreciate the help and hope that i can figure this out finally 

 

Here is my setup btw:

 

My Computer: 
Cpu: AMD Fx-8350 (4.2GHz) (can overclock farther if suggested, i have it on water)
Gpu: MSI R9 270x (2Gb)
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-990FXA 
Ram: G-Skill 16 GB (2x8Gb)
Monitor: 2x Acer 21.5" Widescreen LCD

 

thank you everyone in advance 

[Mohenjo]

970 

[Sam Z Man]

All of these will be limited until they begin to perform like a 280/280X due to your CPU you should consider upgrading your GPU and CPU if you want better performance.

[Curufinwe_wins]

Wait. The 390(x) and 380(x) should both hopefully outcompete the 970 and are coming out in a few days. It should also drive the costs of all three of the listed cards down as all.

Also yea push the shit out of that cpu. Fx is pretty terrible.

[Pcinacan]

I would get the 970 (almost all 4k games do not use 3.5 g)

[Pcinacan]

Wait. The 390(x) and 380(x) should both hopefully outcompete the 970 and are coming out in a few days. It should also drive the costs of all three of the listed cards down as all.

Also yea push the shit out of that cpu. Fx is pretty terrible.

I has 6300 :unsure:  can some one just give me a 4690k and some motherboard do not care if it is crap already have a crap one now.  :wacko:

[Prysin]

the R9 290x is faster, and scales better with higher resolutions, usually, then most Nvidia options bar the really expensive ones (980Ti. Titan X) so there is that. If OP owns, or plans on buying a G-sync monitor, then go ahead and get the 970. if OP does not care, or would look into such solutions in the future, then Freesync with AMD should be the more cost "effective" option.

[Nena Trinity]

290 is best value!

 

970 is normally cheaper than 290X but if 290X is cheaper then it may be better pick!

[Sam Z Man]

290 is best value!

 

970 is normally cheaper than 290X but if 290X is cheaper then it may be better pick!

The 290X has always been cheaper then the 970 from what I recall.

[Nena Trinity]

The 290X has always been cheaper then the 970 from what I recall.

You can get the global warming versions cheaper than 970!

[Lazz45]

okay so 290x if i can get it cheap? otherwise would the 290 be a bad choice? do you feel it will compete in the coming years?

[Humbug]

okay so 290x if i can get it cheap? otherwise would the 290 be a bad choice? do you feel it will compete in the coming years?

Yes there is not much difference between a 290 and 290x.

[Aniallation]

okay so 290x if i can get it cheap? otherwise would the 290 be a bad choice? do you feel it will compete in the coming years?

290 to 290X is just a factory OC. If you're not going to do heavy overclocking on the GPU, just get the 290 and turn it up to stock 290X speeds.

[ThomasD]

The 290X has always been cheaper then the 970 from what I recall.

Generally not when you factor in shipping and sales tax.

 

But, if you can get a 290X for under $300 USD then yes, that is the way to go, particularly if you have any intention of going beyond 1080 resolutions.

[Lazz45]

290 to 290X is just a factory OC. If you're not going to do heavy overclocking on the GPU, just get the 290 and turn it up to stock 290X speeds.

 

now with good airflow should i expect the 94 C that everyone talks about? or with sapphire will it stay reasonable

[Aniallation]

now with good airflow should i expect the 94 C that everyone talks about? or with sapphire will it stay reasonable

I had the same 290X before (Tri-X) and I never saw over 80C even in Furmark

[Humbug]

290 to 290X is just a factory OC.

Not really the 290x has more CUs and stream processors.

[Humbug]

now with good airflow should i expect the 94 C that everyone talks about? or with sapphire will it stay reasonable

You will never hit 94. That only applies to the reference models as they have a crappy cooler.

[Aniallation]

Not really the 290x has more CUs and stream processors.

It's 2560 vs 2816, honestly at the same clock speeds, you won't really notice a difference.

[Lazz45]

okay because im gonna have $400 once i sell my 270x to my buddy for $150.  So get the 290x for like 300 and maybe get me another hard drive and some LEDs?

[Aniallation]

okay because im gonna have $400 once i sell my 270x to my buddy for $150.  So get the 290x for like 300 and maybe get me another hard drive and some LEDs?

Honestly, save your money and get the 290 instead of the 290X, and save up some more on top of that so that you can get a new motherboard and better CPU later on

[Sam Z Man]

It's 2560 vs 2816, honestly at the same clock speeds, you won't really notice a difference.

But dat extra power, we needs it!

[SteveGrabowski0]

The 970 is far and away the best choice here because of the lower DirectX 11 overhead with a weaker CPU.

[Lazz45]

The 970 is far and away the best choice here because of the lower DirectX 11 overhead with a weaker CPU.

 

but what about mantle and dx12?

 

EDIT: i know mantle is only in some games but i play battlefield for example that has it

[EcoBoost]

Honestly, save your money and get the 290 instead of the 290X, and save up some more on top of that so that you can get a new motherboard and better CPU later on

^ This @Lazz45 

 

but what about mantle and dx12?

Mantle is dying like no tomorrow and DX12 while it will improve distribution of cores still isn't saving AMD any time soon with their horrible IPC.