[Help] I can't decide on a GPU

[ShadowHound96]

I'm having a bit of difficulty picking a gpu, I don't know if I should get a 380 or a 960, I have a crossfire ready board which means if I buy the 380 I could buy another down the line, but apparently a lot of people have told me crossfire is rubbish, also I myself wouldn't mind a 960, as I might not have to upgrade my PSU (corsair VS450) meaning I could save some money and get the gpu sooner. I'd really like some assistance as I'm relatively new to PC building and don't know much about AMD vs Nvidia, the rest of my build if it matters any;

CPU-i5-4690

MOBO-AsRock H97M PRO4

RAM-Team Zeus Blue 2x4GB

PSU-Currently a Corsair vs450
SSD-Kingston v300 series 120gb

HDD-random 160gb from another comp

GPU-Currently a gt730

Case-corsair spec-02

[Bob Jim]

The R9 380 offers better performance, while using slightly more power. The GTX 960 is good, but not as good as the R9 380; I would go with the R9 380 + new PSU. Check my signature for Nvidia VS AMD.

[Rusty_Shackleford]

First, I suggest buying a bigger HDD. I would say the 960 since they run cooler, but that's just my own personal preference. 

[Bob Jim]

First, I suggest buying a bigger HDD. I would say the 960 since they run cooler, but that's just my own personal preference.

....No. They don't. Unless you are buying an old 200 series AMD card (excluding 285), all cards nowadays run pretty much the same; it depends entirely on the cooler. The 960 might run like 5C cooler, but if the temps are already 70 or under, there is pretty much no reason to sacrifice performance for less heat.

[CyberneticTitan]

The R9 380 offers better performance, while using slightly more power. The GTX 960 is good, but not as good as the R9 380; I would go with the R9 380 + new PSU. Check my signature for Nvidia VS AMD.

 

This. Better gaming and compute performance. However the 960 is a good option if you don't want to upgrade your PSU.

[Chasem121]

Get a 280x more powerful than the 960 and the 380 as well as cheaper. Your PSU should be fine for running it as well, so no need to upgrade that until you get a second card.

[shanmu54321]

A HDD upgrade and a R9 380

[Bob Jim]

Get a 280x more powerful than the 960 and the 380 as well as cheaper. Your PSU should be fine for running it as well, so no need to upgrade that until you get a second card.

He would need a newer PSU.

[Chasem121]

He would need a newer PSU.

If he gets another card yes, but a single 280x will run on that no problem.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/JLhfLk

[Bob Jim]

If he gets another card yes, but a single 280x will run on that no problem.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/JLhfLk

Official specs say 500W needed, PCPartPicker is sometimes a little off with that.

[Chasem121]

Official specs say 500W needed, PCPartPicker is sometimes a little off with that.

Official specs always give an overkill recommendation, in this benchmark the 280x was only drawing 231 watts under full load. 450 should be perfectly fine.

[byalexandr]

Well Crossfire is better than SLI, however the Nvidia drivers are much better and you get tons of stuff like GameWorks, GeForce Experience, etc. The 380 is the way to go though. It is more powerful and will serve you better.