What GPU to buy?

[Veridis]

My girlfriend will be coming to the US this Christmas, so I'll ask her to buy some parts from me there since I live in the Philippines and the parts mentioned in the builds from this topic of mine (see: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/459705-need-a-budget-600-700-pc-for-2015/) are from pcpartpicker.

 

I would like to ask your opinion on what should I buy first? GPU?

 

If so, what is the current best deal out there for R9 380 with 4GB maybe? I saw there are different brands of this GPU and was wondering what is the best deal out there.

 

Thanks for the help guys!

[Sincostan]

Depends on how much you want to spend. The GTX 970 is a good card but is a little more pricey. 

[Josephdalepi]

buying your gpu first is not  the best idea.  should be one of the last ones

[JebKerman]

Regarding the 380: Sapphire and MSI are the best. XFX is good, but not great. Not sure where Powercolor fits in (probably between XFX and MSI) but they certainly aren't bad. and avoid Gigabyte and ASUS where possible.

 

The GPU would be among the last things i would buy though. first would probably be Case and Motherboard as those are what everything else eventually is plugged into and contained within.

[don_svetlio]

R9 380 4G is very solid - avoid Asus and Gigabyte

[Gix7Fifty]

For 1080p @60 Hz gaming I think red team edges green team out, so R9 380/x if you can afford the R9 390 then go for it. Stay with Sapphire, MSI, Asus, Gigabyte, Visiontek and XFX.

[Veridis]

Why should the GPU be bought last? 

 

Wanted to buy the R9 380s because there might be some holiday sale somewhere haha so it would be nice if you guys link them to me. Oh and would you guys recommend a 4GB or a 8GB? Would there be much of a difference? 

 

Also, reason for buying the 380 is because I'm on a budget and most people said that AMD GPUs are the go-to for budget builds.

[don_svetlio]

Why should the GPU be bought last? 

 

Wanted to buy the R9 380s because there might be some holiday sale somewhere haha so it would be nice if you guys link them to me. Oh and would you guys recommend a 4GB or a 8GB? Would there be much of a difference? 

 

Also, reason for buying the 380 is because I'm on a budget and most people said that AMD GPUs are the go-to for budget builds.

AMD GPUs are currently the go-to for anything but the ultra high end.

390 is very solid as well and is about 40% faster than a 380

[Sincostan]

R9 380 4G is very solid - avoid Asus and Gigabyte

Just wondering why people are saying to avoid Asus and Gigabyte as they are typically reputable. 

[don_svetlio]

Just wondering why people are saying to avoid Asus and Gigabyte as they are typically reputable. 

Both have awful customer support

Asus have crap coolers that don't make proper contact, don't cool VRMs and use cheap VRMs that break easily

Gigabrick use cheap fan motors which are noisy as fuck, the VRMs coil whine at a 40% rate, the BIOSes for AMD are broken 50% of the time - so broken that the card is unusable

[Clear17Mud]

AMD GPUs are currently the go-to for anything but the ultra high end.

390 is very solid as well and is about 40% faster than a 380

Also at 4k the fury x edges out a 980ti, but then you can over clock better on the 980ti, because its not a first gen technology...

[JebKerman]

Why should the GPU be bought last? 

 

Wanted to buy the R9 380s because there might be some holiday sale somewhere haha so it would be nice if you guys link them to me. Oh and would you guys recommend a 4GB or a 8GB? Would there be much of a difference? 

 

Also, reason for buying the 380 is because I'm on a budget and most people said that AMD GPUs are the go-to for budget builds.

 

firstly, only 2GB and 4GB versions of the 380 exist. AMD for budget builds? it depends on said budget (it is generally correct though).

 

the GPU should be bought last or later into the build because it is among the easiest to install. and technically isn't key to the computer's operation, you can run off the iGPU until you get a dedicated GPU

[don_svetlio]

Also at 4k the fury x edges out a 980ti, but then you can over clock better on the 980ti, because its not a first gen technology...

Fury X with 8GB of HBM would be a better card for 4K easily

[Sincostan]

Both have awful customer support

Asus have crap coolers that don't make proper contact, don't cool VRMs and use cheap VRMs that break easily

Gigabrick use cheap fan motors which are noisy as fuck, the VRMs coil whine at a 40% rate, the BIOSes for AMD are broken 50% of the time - so broken that the card is unusable

Thanks for the clarification have only ever owned EVGA and MSI GPUs. 

[Clear17Mud]

Fury X with 8GB of HBM would be a better card for 4K easily

Yes but even with 4gb it still does(waiting for 8gb myself before I buy one...)

[don_svetlio]

Thanks for the clarification have only ever owned EVGA and MSI GPUs. 

I made the mistake of buying Asus - bad idea

[Clear17Mud]

I made the mistake of buying Asus - bad idea

I think its funny though that I never liked the look of Asus cards and as soon as they release on I like no one reccomeds them...

http://m.newegg.com/Product/index?itemnumber=14-121-975

I just think 3 fans looks really nice for some reason... I would also paint the red accents grey or blue...

[don_svetlio]

I think its funny though that I never liked the look of Asus cards and as soon as they release on I like no one reccomeds them...

http://m.newegg.com/Product/index?itemnumber=14-121-975

I just think 3 fans looks really nice for some reason... I would also paint the red accents grey or blue...

Awful cooler, 2 of the heatpipes don't make contact with the die and the temps are outrageous - about 10*C higher than others

[Clear17Mud]

Awful cooler, 2 of the heatpipes don't make contact with the die and the temps are outrageous - about 10*C higher than others

I know... Its just looks nice, and normally I distaste Asus products... Except that white sabertooth motherboard... I also like gigabytes windforce cards but they also have problems... Xfxs minimal design isn't that good (not fractal designs level...) So that's why I'm waiting... Also I would stick a water block on it anyways...

[don_svetlio]

I know... Its just looks nice, and normally I distaste Asus products... Except that white sabertooth motherboard... I also like gigabytes windforce cards but they also have problems... Xfxs minimal design isn't that good (not fractal designs level...) So that's why I'm waiting... Also I would stick a water block on it anyways...

Sapphire Nitro?

[Clear17Mud]

Sapphire Nitro?

I wrote more about sapphire being the only choice left, and that's who I end up buying anyways, but I worded it to basis, so I deleted it... Also I'm probably going to get a r9 290 and wait for hbm2.

Edit:I always ruin topics...

[don_svetlio]

I wrote more about sapphire being the only choice left, and that's who I end up buying anyways, but I worded it to basis, so I deleted it... Also I'm probably going to get a r9 290 and wait for hbm2.

Sapphire is love - @App4that can agree

[App4that]

Yep, I've got a 290 ad 390 from Sapphire in crossfire. Both stay below 80c using the stock fan profile at max load stress testing. Playing Fallout 4 my highest temp is in the 60's on the top card.

I won't buy anything else.

[Veridis]

firstly, only 2GB and 4GB versions of the 380 exist. AMD for budget builds? it depends on said budget (it is generally correct though).

 

the GPU should be bought last or later into the build because it is among the easiest to install. and technically isn't key to the computer's operation, you can run off the iGPU until you get a dedicated GPU

Oh, I see!

Then, 4GB it is! Well, the reason why I want to buy the GPU first is because it is generally cheaper when it bought there at the US than here, I guess? 

[Veridis]

Yep, I've got a 290 ad 390 from Sapphire in crossfire. Both stay below 80c using the stock fan profile at max load stress testing. Playing Fallout 4 my highest temp is in the 60's on the top card.

I won't buy anything else.

In Crossfire? That means? Haha, sorry guys for asking too much questions. New to this "building your own pc" thing.