Is an R9 380X really worth it?

[W E S T V I R G I N I A]

I am looking to finish off my (budget) gaming PC with a GPU (finally) now that I have the money.

 

Was going to buy a gigabyte R9 380 but now the 380X has been released and I am not sure whether to spend the extra money on that or not.

 

The 380 is about £180 and the 380X at about £200. I am buying a Gigabyte not a Sapphire as my case doesn't support wide GPUs (Its a Corsair Air 240).

 

Want anyone's opinion on whether the extra £20 is worth it for about 3-4 frames difference (from what I have seen).

[Epiclol86]

i don't think so. Especially when you oc your card, you get almost the same performance out of the two!

[thekeemo]

The 240 can handle wide cards

[W E S T V I R G I N I A]

The 240 can handle wide cards

Check again Keemo, length of the card is fine, but the width from the mobo to the window is very small.

[thekeemo]

Check again Keemo, length of the card is fine, but the width from the mobo to the window is very small.

do you mean height?

[AresKrieger]

I'd say no if you want to get better you skip it and get a 390, or a 290x for cheaper if you can find one. Otherwise stick with standard 4GB 380

[W E S T V I R G I N I A]

do you mean height?

Probably, not too good with that, to me height seems like the smallest dimensions and width across but probably yes.

[App4that]

Stick to the 380, as others have said you can OC is and get the same performance. I find the 380x to be a disappointment.

[don_svetlio]

R9 380X is 10% faster than a R9 380

Avoid Asus and Gigabyte

[don_svetlio]

Stick to the 380, as others have said you can OC is and get the same performance. I find the 380x to be a disappointment.

then you OC the 380X and are once again 10% ahead.

[ivan134]

Yes, its worth it and the sapphire 380x will fit. If an msi and sapphire 390 will fit, you will have no problem.

[App4that]

then you OC the 380X and are once again 10% ahead.

Not according to Jay and some others. Yes the 380x is still stronger in the end, but is it worth the extra cost? I don't think so. Not with being able to get a 290 for similar money as the 380x.

[Nena Trinity]

i don't think so. Especially when you oc your card, you get almost the same performance out of the two!

Yes but 380X can be a OverOCed 380!

[ivan134]

Not according to Jay and some others. Yes the 380x is still stronger in the end, but is it worth the extra cost? I don't think so. Not with being able to get a 290 for similar money as the 380x.

Most of the 290s you get for $230 are reference. Other than that, you have to deal with scouring the used market, and your average consumer will not deal with that. People on tech forums always forget that we're a minority.

[AresKrieger]

then you OC the 380X and are once again 10% ahead.

It's 6% at most if you compare 380 sapphire to 380x sapphire except for witcher 3 which has a larger % gap though only a 5fps gap

[W E S T V I R G I N I A]

Yes, its worth it and the sapphire 380x will fit. If an msi and sapphire 390 will fit, you will have no problem.

Can you show me this? Many people having problems with it.

[W E S T V I R G I N I A]

Most of the 290s you get for $230 are reference. Other than that, you have to deal with scouring the used market, and your average consumer will not deal with that. People on tech forums always forget that we're a minority.

Also good luck finding a 290 in the UK! They might as well be extinct unless you want to spend the same amount of money as you would on a 390 or are willing to risk it on eBay!

[App4that]

Most of the 290s you get for $230 are reference. Other than that, you have to deal with scouring the used market, and your average consumer will not deal with that. People on tech forums always forget that we're a minority.

There are some XFX(yes I know not the best) 290s just over 250us. And 250 will get you a used Vaporx 290, I know because I'm selling mine and that's what I expect to get. And it will MURDER the 380x. So I'd advise they broaden their horizons:)

[ivan134]

Can you show me this? Many people having problems with it.

This one is a Sapphire Fury

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/b/D7LD4D

 

MSI 390

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/b/PpwV3C

 

Trust me, the Sapphire 380x won't be a problem.

[The Knome]

380 in cases (like one here) you can push it to 1150 stable. The difference between the 380 and 380x? Stream processors. 
Can you get the 380x in the UK? hens teeth come to mind. Quick search for it get lots of 380's, only found once 380x and its not in stock.

[NuclearPeace]

Let me put it this way: If you can afford the price of the 380x, there is absolutely no point in settling for the 380. If all you can afford is a 380, don't feel bad because the 380x isn't much faster.

 

You can grab a 290, but good luck with that venture. "New" ones are barely cheaper than the 390. Used ones are mostly the old XFX DD cards with the bad VRM cooling before they fixed it, or the reference cooler models that scream like a banshee.
 

I'm personally not a fan of scouring auction sites like eBay for cheap cards. The furthest i'm willing to go is to buy refurbished cards by EVGA (B-Stock) or from gpushack. They have a worse price/perf value, but they come with warranties and are trustworthy.