r9 390 vs 970

[GeorgeKellow]

I've been told to get the r9 390 instead of the 970. I might buy It but before I do what is the benefits of both of them? 

 

I'm not fussed about the 'war' about team green/red I just want simply good performance for my money

 

If I did get the 390 WITH 8GB OF F**KING DDR5 ram will it be good at 1080p-1440p for the next 5 years or so?

 

When do you recommend me buying it?

 

 

[Castdeath97]

Generally they are pretty close at 1080p but the 970 gets beaten at 1440p-4K.

 

 

 

http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Graphics-Cards/Sapphire-Nitro-Radeon-R9-390-8GB-Review

[don_svetlio]

R9 390 - better DX12 performance, more future-proof because of the VRAM, very modding-friendly because of the VRAM, has the most compute potential of any single card really so rendering in stuff like Sony Vegas is fastest on Hawaii/Grenada

1440p it's around 10% faster
1080p it's around 5% faster

970 - slightly lower power usage (65W), slightly less heat output (65W) and better Tess performance.

EDIT: Driver-wise both are pretty much the same as we stand (as someone who uses both - 860M and R9 280)

[ashypanda]

get which is cheapest, but the 390 with the extra VRAM headroom would have some extra longevity.

[brubru1998]

gtx 970 m8 

[MadyTehWolfie]

Depends on which games you play and which will run them better. For example fallout 4 nvidia cards play it better.

[don_svetlio]

gtx 970 m8 

Passmark is bullshit

[App4that]

Nether is good for 5 years at ultra setting, both will struggle with some new releases at ultra settings.

 

390, better performance in some games. But has stuttering issues and poor driver support.

 

970, better performance in some games and better overclocking potential depending on the model you get. But falls behind with it's performance in 1440

[Chasem121]

There is basically no reason to buy a 970 over a 390. Same-ish performance at 1080p and then loses ground afterwards. Gets no benefit from DX12 and has low VRAM. Unless its just way cheaper there's no reason to look at a 970

[don_svetlio]

There is basically no reason to buy a 970 over a 390. Same-ish performance at 1080p and then loses ground afterwards. Gets no benefit from DX12 and has low VRAM. Unless its just way cheaper there's no reason to look at a 970

Pretty much. 390 is just a better card all-round.

[brubru1998]

Passmark is bullshit

It is better than GPU boss lel.

[don_svetlio]

It is better than GPU boss lel.

Being better than shit is hardly an achievement.

[theereal]

The the 390 specs wise Is more powerful, Id say around 5-10% depending on the settings. However, like always, some games will run better on Nvidia cards *cough* Fallout 4 *cough* and some will run better on AMD cards *cough* Battlefront *cough*. That said, the 390 will be more "futureproof" thanks to having more memory. When It comes to 5 years of use on them, none of them are going to push 1080p max In 5 years, and certainly not 1440p, they arent even going to max out games 2 years from now depending on how fast technology moves and If games keep getting capped by poor console performance. If you buy one, dont expect to be maxing out games all through 2016 even. But they are both good cards. I personally chose the Nvidia card beacuse my PSU had the minimum to run the Nvidia card but not the AMD one. Also It produces less heat and I like Shadowplay.

[theereal]

There is basically no reason to buy a 970 over a 390. Same-ish performance at 1080p and then loses ground afterwards. Gets no benefit from DX12 and has low VRAM. Unless its just way cheaper there's no reason to look at a 970

Thats HIGHLY subjective. I chose the 970 beacuse my PSU was the bare minimum for It (the 390 pulls more power) and I wanted the features of ShadowPlay. Saying theres "no reason" to get the 970 Is simply dumb and not helping OP, however, Im not an Idiot. The 390 Is stronger (5-10% depending on the settings) and will last longer thanks to having more memory.

[Sauron]

If I did get the 390 WITH 8GB OF F**KING DDR5 ram will it be good at 1080p-1440p for the next 5 years or so?

 

We can't know for sure, but NO CARD has EVER been able to max out games at 1440p 60fps for 5 years. Having more vram doesn't mean the gpu is fast enough to use it all. That said it's a solid purchase and it will certainly work just fine even 6-7 years from now, even though you'll have to scale settings to get a good framerate. The 390 is faster than the 970, there's not much else to say. The downside is that it doesn't overclock as well and draws more power.

[Sauron]

Thats HIGHLY subjective. I chose the 970 beacuse my PSU was the bare minimum for It (the 390 pulls more power) and I wanted the features of ShadowPlay. Saying theres "no reason" to get the 970 Is simply dumb and not helping OP, however, Im not an Idiot. The 390 Is stronger (5-10% depending on the settings) and will last longer thanks to having more memory.

 

your power supply could have supported TWO r9 390s.

[theereal]

your power supply could have supported TWO r9 390s.

I didnt have the 850W G2 when I bought the 970.

[Chasem121]

Thats HIGHLY subjective. I chose the 970 beacuse my PSU was the bare minimum for It (the 390 pulls more power) and I wanted the features of ShadowPlay. Saying theres "no reason" to get the 970 Is simply dumb and not helping OP, however, Im not an Idiot. The 390 Is stronger (5-10% depending on the settings) and will last longer thanks to having more memory.

AMD has an equivalent to shadowplay that works just as well, and if OPs power supply couldn't handle a 390 then this wouldn't be a conversation. Just because you have buyers regret doesn't magically make this "subjective"

[GeorgeKellow]

If I buy a r9 390 can I power it using my system? (i might oc the card) https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/user/GeorgeKellow/saved/

[App4that]

If I buy a r9 390 can I power it using my system? (i might oc the card) https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/user/GeorgeKellow/saved/

Yes

[don_svetlio]

If I buy a r9 390 can I power it using my system? (i might oc the card) https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/user/GeorgeKellow/saved/

With ease. A OCed 390 use 300W max. The rest of the system needs 120W

[Chasem121]

No, what makes it subjective is you ignoring any evidence that doesn't support the all mighty 390 being, well being all mighty.

 

They're about as equal as things can get, which is why this argument is still going even though we get new topics everyday about this.

 

It fucking depends on the fucking game, you're fucking playing.

They are not equal at all, and I don't seem to be the one here ignoring evidence, there's a reason its vastly more recommended than the 970 is.

The 970 was competitive when it was competing with the 290, it is not with the 390. The absolutely only reasons you should ever get one is due to power supply insufficiency, its vastly cheaper in your region or you have a g-sync monitor. The few crashworks games in which it does better do not change that fact.

[App4that]

They are not equal at all, and I don't seem to be the one here ignoring evidence, there's a reason its vastly more recommended than the 970 is.

The 970 was competitive when it was competing with the 290, it is not with the 390. The absolutely only reasons you should ever get one is due to power supply insufficiency, its vastly cheaper in your region or you have a g-sync monitor. The few crashworks games in which it does better do not change that fact.

So you live in a place where your graphics card decides the games you play. Could you please give me your location so I may avoid that place at all costs.

 

I pick my own games, thank you very much.

[Chasem121]

So you live in a place where your graphics card decides the games you play. Could you please give me your location so I may avoid that place at all costs.

 

I pick my own games, thank you very much.

Do you even read posts before you reply? Nowhere did I say that you couldn't play the same games with both cards

 

If you can't even be bothered to give intelligent replies I won't bother anymore, its easy for people to see someone who has no ability to argue their case any further.

[Guest]

I was told to get a r9 390 as well over the 970 because of the 8gb, although im pretty sure my 500w psu wont power it