R9 390 Pros and Cons + Poll

[whengtotsz]

And what brand should I go. 

[olback]

I got the MSI R9 390, works great

[xAcid9]

MSI or Sapphire. 390.

[Misanthrope]

If the size isn't too much Sapphire is what I would say tried and true. The MSI however is, in my totally subjective opinion, fucking gorgeous looking compared to the kinda ugly Sapphire cards yet it appears to be as efficient for cooling.

 

As for 390 vs 970 performance is close, yet AMD seems a bit more accessible in a lot of areas: It has more vram (too much in fact but think of it as an "in case of Crossfire" kinda deal) and it should outperform the 970 in most cases and will probably have a lot better numbers on DX12 than the 970.

 

The 970 on the other hand is much cooler, so much so that it even has an ITX sized version by Asus. So if you are concerned about thermals (overall that is) and want the option of going on a smaller size later on, the 970 is the better option.

[Wind]

390 all the way. the only drawback is the TDP which are don't really matter. and if you get 390, get the Sapphire one.

[whengtotsz]

Why Sapphire? What's good about it?

[Kinda Bottlenecked]

Just want to point out the Msi 390 overclocks better (generally). 

[SPAS-ID]

Low Power = 970
High Resolution + Detail = 390

[whengtotsz]

I am kinda digging the red and black color of these GPU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127874&cm_re=r9_390-_-14-127-874-_-Product

what's your thought about this one?

[Wind]

Why Sapphire? What's good about it?

it's like the EVGA of AMD. it's just that good.

[Wind]

I am kinda digging the red and black color of these GPU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127874&cm_re=r9_390-_-14-127-874-_-Product

what's your thought about this one?

it's good. it's from a reputable brand, so no worries!

[Kinda Bottlenecked]

I am kinda digging the red and black color of these GPU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127874&cm_re=r9_390-_-14-127-874-_-Product

what's your thought about this one?

 

Great cooler(not as good as Sapphire). Best overclocking out of all the 390s. 

[Aytex]

Why Sapphire? What's good about it?

best coolers IMO for AMD

[whengtotsz]

I see. 

[ybriK]

Sapphire and MSI. Don't go for ASUS, from what I read they don't produce optimized coolers for their DCU3 lineup for AMD and just slap the Nvidia variant.

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2015/09/04/asus-radeon-r9-390-strix-oc-review/10

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2015/06/18/msi_r9_390x_gaming_8g_video_card_review/10

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2015/08/17/asus_r9_390x_strix_directcu_iii_8g_oc_review/9

[CommandMan7]

I'm going to be the second person to vote 970, and here's why.

 

I am not, by any means, saying the 970 is a better numerical performer than the 390. It's probably going to be crushed in most benchmarks. It's because I don't see AMD as a stable company - they are far too turbulent, and with rumors of future bankruptcy, buyouts, and harsh cuts. Their marketing and PR department can be straight-up childish at times. The kind of relationships they form with game developers - see here http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/363018-project-cars-devs-address-amd-performance-issues-amd-drivers-to-blame-entirely-physx-runs-on-cpu-only-no-gpu-involvement-whatsoever/ - are poor. It doesn't matter if Nvidia's being a giant monopolizing dick with their Gameworks code, because in the end I want my hardware to work smoothly on every game. Nvidia's kind of an asshole, but they're consistent. 

 

Now, for disclosure, I own a 970 and I have had nothing but sub-par to acceptable experiences with AMD products. I also realize the reasons listed above are opinion based and cannot be proven true or false. But they are what I honestly think.