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R9 290 vs GTX 960?

TJG753
By TJG753
in Graphics Cards
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I've looked at both for a while, but just can't tell which one I should get. I'd prefer not to pay extra (for a 290x or 970).

 

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I've looked at both for a while, but just can't tell which one I should get. I'd prefer not to pay extra (for a 290x or 970).

R9 290 performs waaaay better, but runs a bit hotter and louder.

Are the GTX 960 and R9 290 the same price ? Is the R9 290 reference cooler?

"We're all in this together, might as well be friends" Tom, Toonami.

 

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Well, if that were the only two options, I'd go with the 290.  double the VRAM and overall performance is better.

INTEL i7 4790K | GIGABYTE GA-Z97X GAMING 5 | A-DATA 16GB | PCS+ R9 290 | SAMSUNG 840 EVO | MOMENTUS XT | BARRACUDA |  FRACTAL DESIGN R4

 

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Manufacturers require 750 watts PSU for the 290.  If you don't have a capable PSU, you need to factor in the expense for one.

A good PSU will run you about $100.  A 960 can run on something as low as 350 watts.

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If you have to buy a PSU just to power the 290, you might as well put your money on a 970.  Far far better card.

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Manufacturers require 750 watts PSU for the 290.  If you don't have a capable PSU, you need to factor in the expense for one.

A good PSU will run you about $100.  A 960 can run on something as low as 350 watts.

This is bullshit. You can run an R9 290 with a decent 550W PSU. Hell, you can find a cheap rosewill Capstone 550W unit for around $50 and it's a great PSU. Of course this depends on the rest of your system, but I can't imagine the other parts in a system using 300W+ of power.

 

 

 

If you have to buy a PSU just to power the 290, you might as well put your money on a 970.  Far far better card.

The GTX 970 still draws a lot of power. The advertised TDP of the card is not what it actually draws, and the moment you overclock it it easily draws 220W+, which is very close to the R9 290.

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I have this one by Powercolor. it runs pretty cool and silent.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 290 4GB PCS+ Video Card  ($284.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Total: $284.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-05 14:36 EDT-0400

INTEL i7 4790K | GIGABYTE GA-Z97X GAMING 5 | A-DATA 16GB | PCS+ R9 290 | SAMSUNG 840 EVO | MOMENTUS XT | BARRACUDA |  FRACTAL DESIGN R4

 

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Manufacturers require 750 watts PSU for the 290.  If you don't have a capable PSU, you need to factor in the expense for one.

A good PSU will run you about $100.  A 960 can run on something as low as 350 watts.

So explain how a 290 can run with a CX430M ?

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R9 290!

"Sulit" (adj.) something that is worth it

i7 8700K 4.8Ghz delidded / Corsair H100i V2 / Asus Strix Z370-F / G.Skill Trident Z RGB 16GB 3200 / EVGA GTX 1080Ti FTW3 / ASUS ROG SWIFT PG279Q

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This is bullshit. You can run an R9 290 with a decent 550W PSU. Hell, you can find a cheap rosewill Capstone 550W unit for around $50 and it's a great PSU. Of course this depends on the rest of your system, but I can't imagine the other parts in a system using 300W+ of power.

 

 

 

The GTX 970 still draws a lot of power. The advertised TDP of the card is not what it actually draws, and the moment you overclock it it easily draws 220W+, which is very close to the R9 290.

There are many member here who have shared their experiences with a "decent" 600 watt PSU not being sufficient on powering their 290.  Feel free to talk to them.

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So explain how a 290 can run with a CX430M ?

Things do get more intense when you play something more demanding than solitaire.

 

Talk to the many members here who have shared their bad experiences with the 290 while using a "decent" 600 watt PSU.

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Manufacturers require 750 watts PSU for the 290.  If you don't have a capable PSU, you need to factor in the expense for one.

A good PSU will run you about $100.  A 960 can run on something as low as 350 watts.

So much fanboy, then again as soon as I saw your avatar I wouldn't expect anything less.

http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/451339-help-me-find-him/
 
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So much fanboy, then again as soon as I saw your avatar I wouldn't expect anything less.

Ah yes, the AMD owners who shared their bad experiences must be fan boys too.

Try again.

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  • Author

If I spend the extra for the 970, will it be worth it? Or should I go with the cheaper 290?

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if the 290 is has a similiar price with the 960, grab the 290. make sure that the 290 not a reference cooler tho. but if a 970 is has a similiar price with the 290, grab the 970 imo. lower power consumption, and Nvidia driver currently better than AMD.

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Definitely go with a 290. The 960 has a 4GB model with a slightly higher price than the original 960, but a 290 has more bang for your buck IMO.

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This isnt even a competition. 290 smokes the 960 any day. Even if a game is made for Nvidia, it will still smoke the 960 effortlessly.

 

If you can get a 290 TRI-X OC from Sapphire, then you have one of the most beastly 290s there is. As it comes out of the box, it is at 290X levels.

Current setup

Images of setup: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/183-show-off-your-setup/?p=5872590

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Things do get more intense when you play something more demanding than solitaire.

Talk to the many members here who have shared their bad experiences with the 290 while using a "decent" 600 watt PSU.

There were other factors contributing because a 290(x) can very easily run on a DECENT 550w psu. Only reason a 290 couldn't run using a psu in that range is if the person was also running a heavily overclocked 8xxx or god forbid 9xxx series FX CPU alongside it (or another CPU with equal power draw).

Either way, for every one of those forum members who have had troubles, there are that many more who have had none. 750w? Don't make me laugh.

Cinders: - i7 4790K (4.5GHz) - Gigabyte Z97X-SOC - 16GB Klevv DDR3 1600MHz - EVGA GTX 980Ti ACX2.0+ (1548MHz Boost) - EVGA Supernova 850GS - NZXT H440 Orange/Black (Modified) -
Unnamed System: i5 4690K (4.2GHz) - MSI Z97I-AC - 8GB G.Skill DDR3 2400MHz - EVGA GTX 950 SSC - Raidmax Thunder V2 535W - Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ITX

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There were other factors contributing because a 290(x) can very easily run on a DECENT 550w psu. Only reason a 290 couldn't run using a psu in that range is if the person was also running a heavily overclocked 8xxx or god forbid 9xxx series FX CPU alongside it (or another CPU with equal power draw).

Either way, for every one of those forum members who have had troubles, there are that many more who have had none. 750w? Don't make me laugh.

Just about every manufacturer of AMD cards require 750 watts.  Maybe those engineers don't know what they're talking about.

Many sports car requires tires rated to go over 150 mph.  But hey, if you can do your stuff with tires for a Prius... good for you.

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