R9 290x 8GB over 970?

[Kreschan]

Hey guys,

 

would you recommend a r9 290x 8GB over a GTX 970 ?

 

I'm currently using a 1080p monitor but might upgrade it in the future.

[Tedster]

I'd go with the 970. VRAM won't be that much of a problem any time soon even for a good amount of 1440p gaming, and you'll be running out of power before VRAM.

[PineappleHolidays]

I would go with the R9 290x just for the better performance if you end up going 1440p .

But really a R9 290x 4GB would be best, being cheaper than a 970 for almost the same performance.

[Cazzer505]

1080p monitor. If its 80p I would recommend the gt 210!

[Humbug]

Both are good. Buy the cheaper one.

[blackadder]

If going crossfire later get the 8gb if not pick a 970 or a 4gb 290x.

[Johannes_Lazor]

Get the 8gb R9 290x if you are gaming at 4k and above(The 8gb model is aimed to be a crossfired card), If you are at 1440p or 4k the 4gb would be good.
The GTX 970 is good for 1080p and 1440p

[Nacho Marco Segui]

Get the 8gb R9 290x if you are gaming at 4k and above(The 8gb model is aimed to be a crossfired card), If you are at 1440p or 4k the 4gb would be good.

The GTX 970 is good for 1080p and 1440p

4k and above? man hope you didnt mean to say that

[Johannes_Lazor]

4k and above? man hope you didnt mean to say that

Why not?

Here is 7.5K:

Performance:

[JuztBe]

290x with unofficial drivers

[IateMApoo]

290X and 970 are pretty much equal across the board, but 3.5 GB or 8 GB ?

 

Hmmm i guess i would go with 290X.

[Kreschan]

I would go with the R9 290x just for the better performance if you end up going 1440p .

But really a R9 290x 4GB would be best, being cheaper than a 970 for almost the same performance.

 

but the r9 290x 4GB costs more than the gtx 970 here.

[Nacho Marco Segui]

Why not?

Here is 7.5K:

Performance:

Man,not with an r9 290x

[Guest]

I just uploaded a video on my channel answering exactly this question lol

But as other people have said and as I said in the video for 1080p go for the 970 for sure because you are not going to need the extra vram.

However, if you are planning to play at 1440p and above, then consider the 390x, mainly because of the much higher memory bandwidth and twice as much of it.

[Johannes_Lazor]

Man,not with an r9 290x

Can you tell me why not?

[MEC-777]

There's one important thing people seem to keep forgetting about with regards to gaming on single 1080p displays and that is VSR/DSR.

 

As some of you know, this feature allows you to run games at higher resolutions which is then down-sampled to 1080p. The result is a better/higher quality image with far less AA required. In some games, this can actually improve performance as well (Sniper Elite 3 at 3200x1800 with no AA run faster than 1080p with full AA). So I don't know why more people aren't using this and/or advocating for it... I use this all the time in almost every game I play and it definitely makes things look nicer than native 1080p. No matter how much AA you throw at it, native 1080p is just not the same and not as "sharp".

 

With the two cards in question, they both have the GPU horsepower to do this, however, the 290x has been shown in numerous tests to be the stronger performer at rendering games at higher resolutions. On top of that, it has the extra Vram that can be necessary depending on the game.

 

So I would argue that even if you only game on a single 1080p display, you're still better off going with a 290x over a 970.

[Nena Trinity]

If you are gonna get a 4k screen then sure!

 

290X = Better 4K card!

[Vozella]

For me, it's like choosing between more VRAM or better Driver Support.

[typographie]

I'm currently using a 1080p monitor but might upgrade it in the future.

 

There isn't really anything you could upgrade to that would actually demand 8 GB of VRAM. Maybe 7680x1440 (three 1440p monitors), but you're not going to be playing at that resolution with an R9 290X anyway.

[Kreschan]

So I would argue that even if you only game on a single 1080p display, you're still better off going with a 290x over a 970.

 

man you are making this decision tougher... but in terms of price/performance the 970 at 350€ is a better option than the 8GBs 290x at 430€, or am I wrong? 

with the price difference I could get me a new SSD or a PSU

[TriBeard]

I'd also go with the 290x.

[allindaze]

If going crossfire later get the 8gb if not pick a 970 or a 4gb 290x.

Does anyone know if crossfired r9 290s will eventually have the ability to share their vram? with dx12 or something?

[MEC-777]

man you are making this decision tougher... but in terms of price/performance the 970 at 350€ is a better option than the 8GBs 290x at 430€, or am I wrong? 

with the price difference I could get me a new SSD or a PSU

 

Go with a 4GB 290x for less then. 4GB is still plenty and will be for some time yet. Should be able to find a deal on one for less than $400 if you shop around.

 

It is a tough choice, I agree. When Nvidia launched the GTX 970/980, I was dead-set on grabbing a 970. Then I saw this 290 on sale for more than $100 less than a 970 and I jumped on it ($285 CDN). Absolutely no regrets since. I have it BIOS flashed to a 390x, water cooled and overclocked, so it's easily running just as fast as a 290x and faster than a stock 970 overall now. Not saying you have to do what I did, but they are a hell of a card if you can get a good deal on 'em.

 

On the other hand, certain 970's can overclock like crazy and practically match a stock 980. So there's pros and cons to both sides. (I know, this isn't helping your decision, sorry. )

 

Does anyone know if crossfired r9 290s will eventually have the ability to share their vram? with dx12 or something?

 

DX12 is said to be introducing the ability for any multi-GPU combination to pool and divide resources in a much more efficient manner. So in short, yes.

[AngryGoldfish]

The 390X is about on par with a good 970, but the 970 has obvious benefits such as overclocking headroom and less power consumption. You can quite easily overclock a good 970 to 1500/7800Mhz and reach 980 performance levels. This cannot be achieved with a 290X/390X. Also, with the way things are shaping up, many developers are favouring nVidia cards as their tuning tools. Although I have no definitive proof of this, we can see the current shift towards nVidia in games like Arkham Knight and The Witcher 3.

 

A good 290X is slightly below a good 970, but not by much. A lot of it is now down to drivers and software optimisation. As far as raw power goes, a stock G1 970 is in some cases weaker than a stock Sapphire 8GB 290X. Certain benchmarks prefer the memory bandwidth of the 290X. However, overclock your 970 and it will surpass the majority of 290X GPU's, even when overclocked themselves. If you overvolt and water cool a 290X it can creep back up, but that's a very expensive procedure and isn't worth the hassle when you have a G1 Gaming 970 that doesn't go over 65°C at 1500/7600Mhz on air.

 

My recommendation would be a 970.

[MEC-777]

The 390X is about on par with a good 970, but the 970 has obvious benefits such as overclocking headroom and less power consumption. You can quite easily overclock a good 970 to 1500/7800Mhz and reach 980 performance levels. This cannot be achieved with a 290X/390X. Also, with the way things are shaping up, many developers are favouring nVidia cards as their tuning tools. Although I have no definitive proof of this, we can see the current shift towards nVidia in games like Arkham Knight and The Witcher 3.

 

A good 290X is slightly below a good 970, but not by much. A lot of it is now down to drivers and software optimisation. As far as raw power goes, a stock G1 970 is in some cases weaker than a stock Sapphire 8GB 290X. Certain benchmarks prefer the memory bandwidth of the 290X. However, overclock your 970 and it will surpass the majority of 290X GPU's, even when overclocked themselves. If you overvolt and water cool a 290X it can creep back up, but that's a very expensive procedure and isn't worth the hassle when you have a G1 Gaming 970 that doesn't go over 65°C at 1500/7600Mhz on air.

 

My recommendation would be a 970.

 

You should go watch some of the 390x reviews out there. They are pretty darn close to and even out perform a stock 980. That makes them faster than most 970's. The 390 is more a direct competitor with the 970. Prices and benchmarks of both cards reflect this.