EVGA 960 vs AMD 380

[15Evan15]

i think i am going to get the 960 because power is a lot less, and has WAY better reviews. but it is 4 fps less about. is tthat a big difference?

[Starelementpoke]

i think i am going to get the 960 because power is a lot less, and has WAY better reviews. but it is 4 fps less about. is tthat a big difference?

Better reviews how?

[SPG]

you must only be looking asus version of the 380 if the 960 is getting MUCH better reviews because the 380 its better hands down

[15Evan15]

Better reviews how?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487091

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127876

[manikyath]

quick differences:

- priced similarly (prices may differ between areas, keep that in mind)

- 380 performs better

- 960 is more energy efficient (matters for some people, not everyone has cheap power)

- 960 belches out less heat (once again, matters some people, others perform their pc to heat up their room. both sides of the argument are valid here)

- 380 comes with amd drivers if you're into that, 960 comes with nvidia drivers, if you're into that.

[15Evan15]

you must only be looking asus version of the 380 if the 960 is getting MUCH better reviews because the 380 its better hands down

the 960 has 5 star based on about 180 reviews. which 380 has more?

[comicsansms]

The R9 280 is on par with the GTX 960 performance wise.

The R9 285 or R9 380 are a better choice compared against the GTX 960 IMO since they preform 10-15% better (5-9 frames if the R9 380 is outputting 60FPS)

 

The question you need to ask yourself is a card that uses about 1.25 more power but preforms 10-15% better at the same cost. Is it worth the extra power used? I'd say yes.

[15Evan15]

The R9 280 is on par with the GTX 960 performance wise.

The R9 285 or R9 380 are a better choice compared against the GTX 960 IMO since they preform 10-15% better (5-9 frames if the R9 380 is outputting 60FPS)

 

The question you need to ask yourself is a card that uses about 1.25 more power but preforms 10-15% better at the same cost. Is it worth the extra power used? I'd say yes.

where do oyu get that it performs better? on a reliable site

[koji]

If you want to get more performance from your $$ get 380.

If you want to stick with a brand and really like Nvidia w/ its low power usage, go for it.

 

It all comes down to whatever makes you happy.

[Starelementpoke]

where do oyu get that it performs better? on a reliable site

It's practically common knowledge now. A majority of benchmarks say the same thing. (I say majority because I haven't seen one that says otherwise but it might exist)

[comicsansms]

where do oyu get that it performs better? on a reliable site

Most benchmarks will show the R9 380/R9 285 preforming better than the 960 by about 10-15%

[15Evan15]

If you want to get more performance from your $$ get 380.

If you want to stick with a brand and really like Nvidia w/ its low power usage, go for it.

 

It all comes down to whatever makes you happy.

is 5 fps a big diff.

[iamdrinster]

Ill say, save up until you can afford a GTX 970

[15Evan15]

Most benchmarks will show the R9 380/R9 285 preforming better than the 960 by about 10-15%

[spoiler spoiler=Performance benchmarks]

thats not the SSC version.

[comicsansms]

thats not the SSC version.

Coolers don't effect performance except if the card is thermal throttling, but any cooler should keep it bellow that temperature, if it doesn't RMA it.

[paulsterio]

Generally, I'd recommend the 380 over the 960, better performance for very similar cost. 

 

That said, I honestly reckon you should look towards the used market, plenty of people shipping off their 280X's and upgrading to the latest generation. You can find stellar bargains on that card. I'm in Australia where the dollar is doing quite poorly and I can see plenty of 280X's on Gumtree (our equivalent of Craigslist) for around $200 or a little more (bargain down to $200 easily). 

 

That's much less than a 380 and you're getting better performance. 

 

If you have a specific budget you want to spend, have a look at a 2nd hand R9 290. Plenty of them going used too, around the same price as a 380 (or maybe a smidge more). If you're buying cards down one or two notches from the top, I always recommend going for the best from previous generations 2nd hand as people who like to stay on top of things sell them off to upgrade. 

 

I find that used 290X's tend to be stellar deals, as are used GTX 680's, which can be had for around $200 or so and it performs better than a 960. 

[leadeater]

How surprising, a higher performing card using more power. Sorry but the over used 'AMD uses more power' argument is misused and misinterpreted. Taking in to account the small performance advantage, completely different GPU core architecture and fabrication the slightly worse power efficiency is within reason. You will save more power using LED lights in your house or turning lights off when not used than 8 hours gaming EVERY day at that power difference. That's only one power saving piece of advise too.

 

There is much more variation in the car industry for fuel usage but that doesn't stop anyone going for the less efficient car that they personally prefer, what ever their reason. If it was truly a valid reason not to use the 380 over the 960 you could apply that to any other comparison within just the Nvidia lineup.

 

Power efficiency is something that AMD should improve on but the difference is not enough to artificially heat your room etc compared to the equivalent performing Nvidia card.

 

My advice would be to buy which ever card you prefer, neither choice is more right or wrong than the other.