AMD vs Nvidia

[Whorax]

I think the 390 will be better in the long run. I don't even recommend many Nvidia cards as of right now because AMD has them beat on price/performance all the way up until the 980Ti.

 

You'll never see me recommend a 970 these days since I'm still butt-hurt about Nvidia's lack of transparency about the card when I had purchased two of them.

[don_svetlio]

I guess you recommend the 390 then?

yes. decent 550W PSU and you're set

[App4that]

Well, this forum being one giant AMD echochamber, so I know I'm going to get dogpiled for this. 

 

But mods seriously need to do something about this "390 is the better card" parroting without providing any sense of context to which scenario's or proof. This is just like everyone advising the m50X or any other doctrines.

 

The 390 is not unequivocally the better card. AMD's lackluster day-one performance in newer games for example is only one reason there is absolutely no reason to unconditionally say the 390 is the best. Both have their pro's and con's, and not all of which are going to matter in gaming scenario's. Like the 8GB vram being one of the most pointless of arguments.

This^

 

Both the 390 and 970 are great choices and this AMD circle jerk we have going on in this forum doesn't change that. The 390 has the advantage in power out of the box and not including overclocking. And the 970 has the advantage in features.

 

They're equal.

[don_svetlio]

Like you cut down any feature not shared on the 390 as not worth it

Erm? Where do games benefit from CUDA? If he uses AutoCAD then 970 all the way but this isn't AutoCAD

[Majestic]

They're equal.

 

They are not, that's the point of my argument. They have pro's and con's. And depending on what your aim is, there is objectively a better solution. But neither is a "bottom-line" "best" card, without context. 

[Matthew_EWaring]

It seems ive started a large arguement and im sorry, this was all to see which card was better

Im trying to create a setup for my first build and just curious on the up's and downs of each card

[don_svetlio]

It seems ive started a large arguement and im sorry, this was all to see which card was better

Im trying to create a setup for my first build and just curious on the up's and downs of each card

that PSU is awful. sec

[App4that]

I know. I still maintain if those things were coded properly they would work with 0 issues - just like Tress FX

 

Erm? Where do games benefit from CUDA? If he uses AutoCAD then 970 all the way but this isn't AutoCAD

I'll repeat, http://steamcommunity.com/games/377160/announcements/detail/903336711828944209%C2'> New weapon debris effects (NVIDIA cards only)

 

I can aim my minigun just by using the debris, it efing beautiful and not available on the 390. Doesn't make the 970 better than the 390. Just like the larger quantity of VRAM doesn't make the 390 better than the 970.

 

This fanboy all or nothing crap makes this forum a joke and a piss poor place to get advice.

[don_svetlio]

It seems ive started a large arguement and im sorry, this was all to see which card was better

Im trying to create a setup for my first build and just curious on the up's and downs of each card

75% of people will recommend a 390. just sain'

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  (£143.99 @ Amazon UK) 

Motherboard: MSI H81M-E34 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  (£45.07 @ Amazon UK) 

Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Red 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  (£30.95 @ More Computers) 

Storage: Crucial BX200 480GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (£99.95 @ Amazon UK) 

Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 390 8GB Video Card  (£264.99 @ Dabs) 

Case: BitFenix Neos White/Red ATX Mid Tower Case  (£32.50 @ Amazon UK) 

Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  (£59.99 @ Aria PC) 

Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link Archer T9E 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter  (£51.48 @ Amazon UK) 

Total: £728.92

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-17 16:37 GMT+0000

[Majestic]

It seems ive started a large arguement and im sorry, this was all to see which card was better

Im trying to create a setup for my first build and just curious on the up's and downs of each card

 

Yes, this always happens if the context is vague. So please provide some. Type of monitor, games...etc.

 

 

 

75% of people will recommend a 390. just sain'

 

Appealing to bandwagon.

[don_svetlio]

I'll repeat, New weapon debris effects (NVIDIA cards only)

 

I can aim my minigun just by using the debris, it efing beautiful and not available on the 390. Doesn't make the 970 better than the 390. Just like the larger quantity of VRAM doesn't make the 390 better than the 970.

 

This fanboy all or nothing crap makes this forum a joke and a piss poor place to get advice.

[App4that]

It seems ive started a large arguement and im sorry, this was all to see which card was better

Im trying to create a setup for my first build and just curious on the up's and downs of each card

Not your fault. Really depends on the games you play, please give us a list.

[App4that]

snip

Welcome to 2 weeks ago. But seriously, what are you trying to say other than you can't think past black and white?

[don_svetlio]

Welcome to 2 weeks ago. But seriously, what are you trying to say other than you can't think past black and white?

You pointed out an effect, I pointed out effects. If you buy based on game effects you are not buying properly

[Matthew_EWaring]

Not your fault. Really depends on the games you play, please give us a list.

List of Current Games: Arma Games

                                    CS:GO

                                    Rust                        (small list due to other games being bad or just dont play)

 

Games that I will get: Six siege                      (I dont have many AAA titles due to me gaming on a mac (yes believe it) this is why im making a pc since mac's are just awful for it)

                                  Hurtworld

                                  Battlefront

                                  BF4

                                 Fallout 4

[Sauron]

Vram is not the only metric to measure a graphics card by, and quite frankly I doubt the 390 would perform any different if it had 4gb of vram.

 

That said in this case the 390 really is the better card, although not by much. The prices are similar because people will buy 970s regardless since they don't know any better.

[App4that]

You pointed out an effect, I pointed out effects. If you buy based on game effects you are not buying properly

No, that's exactly how you should purchase a graphics card, by the games you play. I've got hundreds of hours in Mechwarrior Online, I finally got to see it the way it *snicker* was meant to be played. It's fucking beautiful. A 5fps advantage means nothing if you're missing out on important features of the game.

[NuclearPeace]

The 390 vs 970 debate has done so many times already that it probably constitutes 1/3rd of this subforum.

 

IMO, none is really any better than the other. Yes, the 390 is faster in a lot of games (5-15%) but its Achilles' heel is that it consumes a bunch of power. Usually this isn't an issue, but the 390 has a TDP of around 275w and that number grows if you overclock. The card itself doesn't run much warmer than the 970 if at all, but the heat output is significant. If your case doesn't have great airflow or a lot of room for the heat to disperse, you aren't going to have a great time with the 390. Also, the 390 does has twice the VRAM, but it doesn't really help the 390 perform faster.

 

The 970 is slower than the 390 but is far more power efficient, which matters if you have a smaller case and/or a case with less airflow. It also is a great overclocker. That's really where the advantages is. NVIDIA drivers aren't better than AMD's and Gameworks and PhysX aren't impressive enough to be a factor in choosing the 970.

[App4that]

List of Current Games: Arma Games

                                    CS:GO

                                    Rust                        (small list due to other games being bad or just dont play)

 

Games that I will get: Six siege                      (I dont have many AAA titles due to me gaming on a mac (yes believe it) this is why im making a pc since mac's are just awful for it)

                                  Hurtworld

                                  Battlefront

                                  BF4

                                 Fallout 4

That's a tough one. Battlefront goes to the 390. Fallout 4 goes to the 970. But BF4 has settings only available to those with 4g of VRAM or more.

 

So with that list I'd go 390. Unless you're serious about Fallout 4, but you'd have to be a Fallout fan like myself and it would have to be your primary game to effect your decision.

[pckid]

That's a tough one. Battlefront goes to the 390. Fallout 4 goes to the 970. But BF4 has settings only available to those with 4g of VRAM or more.

 

So with that list I'd go 390. Unless you're serious about Fallout 4, but you'd have to be a Fallout fan like myself and it would have to be your primary game to effect your decision.

Does BF4 have Mantle?

[Matthew_EWaring]

Im not such a huge fanatic about fallout 4, ive played the games and enjoyed them but im just looking to play it normally. My main game choices are going to be games like Arma and six siege

[Kinda Bottlenecked]

Im not such a huge fanatic about fallout 4, ive played the games and enjoyed them but im just looking to play it normally. My main game choices are going to be games like Arma and six siege

 

Then both will serve you equally well. In cases like these I'd usually advise to go with which ever you like best. Since both cards are from excellent manufacturers as well. 

[App4that]

Im not such a huge fanatic about fallout 4, ive played the games and enjoyed them but im just looking to play it normally. My main game choices are going to be games like Arma and six siege

Then get the best deal you can. If you have more eclectic taste in games and tend to sample more than dedicate time, both cards will do you well. So ignore the whole Nvidia/AMD thing and get the best cooler you can for the money.

 

Sapphire

EVGA ACX 2.0/+

MSI

 

Get the best price on one of those three and you'll be happy.

[NuclearPeace]

Does BF4 have Mantle?

 

It does, but Mantle is a bit wonky for BF4. For a rig like mine its good because my CPU isn't very fast, but a lot of people report no appreciable or even a performance loss if they are rolling with something like a i5. Also, there were reports of Mantle having some sort of VRAM leak but I don't know if that's still an issue. I use Mantle on BF4, I mean it's great but its not anything to really write home about especially with how few games have it.

[Matthew_EWaring]

Then both will serve you equally well. In cases like these I'd usually advise to go with which ever you like best. Since both cards are from excellent manufacturers as well. 

 

Then get the best deal you can. If you have more eclectic taste in games and tend to sample more than dedicate time, both cards will do you well. So ignore the whole Nvidia/AMD thing and get the best cooler you can for the money.

 

Sapphire

EVGA ACX 2.0/+

MSI

 

Get the best price on one of those three and you'll be happy.

Thanks for the advise