970 vs Reference 290(x)

[beach_boy98]

Well I killed my r9 285 with static (be careful kids) I need a new GPU. I am looking at something in the 970 performance area for good 1080 gameplay. I have no real preference on the manufacturer and just care about power to cost. The Cheapest I can a 970 for is £230~ on ebay. However most 290(x)'s are going for £180~ on ebay. The reference 290s are know for getting super hot . So which to go for becuase with the 290 I could also get 8GB of ram over my current 4GB. So convince me either way.

[DXMember]

reference 290's don't really have 8GB, they are all 4GB

get a Sapphire Tri-X, MSI Twin Frozr, XFX DD or don't  get it at all

[beach_boy98]

Just now, DXMember said:

reference 290's don't really have 8GB, they are all 4GB

get a Sapphire Tri-X, MSI Twin Frozr or don't  get it at all

With the ram thing I mean like system CPU ram.

[DXMember]

Just now, beach_boy98 said:

With the ram thing I mean like system CPU ram.

okay,

unless you want to water cool don't get reference 290

it's not like it will be worse than your 285 or anything like that but spending like 5~10$ more to get a decent cooler on it is worth it

[Starelementpoke]

6 minutes ago, beach_boy98 said:

Well I killed my r9 285 with static (be careful kids) I need a new GPU. I am looking at something in the 970 performance area for good 1080 gameplay. I have no real preference on the manufacturer and just care about power to cost. The Cheapest I can a 970 for is £230~ on ebay. However most 290(x)'s are going for £180~ on ebay. The reference 290s are know for getting super hot . So which to go for becuase with the 290 I could also get 8GB of ram over my current 4GB. So convince me either way.

Ref. 290 then spend $20 on getting a better cooler for it.

[beach_boy98]

2 minutes ago, Starelementpoke said:

Ref. 290 then spend $20 on getting a better cooler for it.

What kinda cooler because I am new to this kinda thing.

[WarWeeny]

I'd take the gtx 970, less power consumption, great overclocker, stays cool while overclocked (mine runs at about 71c in an M-atx case (coolermaster elite 130) and by the time 8GB becomes relevant in gaming, you'd need an upgrade anyway, so the 4GB is not really an issue.

 

Another thing to consider with the 290/290x - they were pretty good mining machines back in the day, so most of them are pretty much dead within a year or so.

[Starelementpoke]

Just now, beach_boy98 said:

What kinda cooler because I am new to this kinda thing.

Just mostly any aftermarket one.

[beach_boy98]

2 minutes ago, Starelementpoke said:

Just mostly any aftermarket one.

Ok I might go with one of those Corsair Hydro AIO adapters then.

[Kinda Bottlenecked]

1 hour ago, beach_boy98 said:

Ok I might go with one of those Corsair Hydro AIO adapters then.

 

Nice move, just make sure they're compatible. 

[beach_boy98]

3 minutes ago, Pohernori said:

 

Nice move, just make sure they're compatible. 

Yeah £40 extra isn't bad and it'll help.

[Kinda Bottlenecked]

Just now, beach_boy98 said:

Yeah £40 extra isn't bad and it'll help.

 

How much would a 290x with a better cooler cost? 

[l_zheng101]

With you wanted the 8gb vram for the 290x the only option would be the Sapphire Vapor X edition R9 290x. I would like to give you some advice. Don't shop based on brand, if your primary concern is cost make your decision based what gives you the best price per performance. 

[beach_boy98]

2 minutes ago, Pohernori said:

 

How much would a 290x with a better cooler cost? 

Less but it still won't be as good as an AIO.

[beach_boy98]

Just now, l_zheng101 said:

With you wanted the 8gb vram for the 290x the only option would be the Sapphire Vapor X edition R9 290x. I would like to give you some advice. Don't shop based on brand, if your primary concern is cost make your decision based what gives you the best price per performance. 

Again 8GB of System memory.

[Kinda Bottlenecked]

Just now, beach_boy98 said:

Less but it still won't be as good as an AIO.

 

True. Just a suggestion. Give the 290x a good OC and it'll be golden.

[beach_boy98]

Just now, Pohernori said:

 

True. Just a suggestion. Give the 290x a good OC and it'll be golden.

Yeah. Might need a new CPU though. 

[Kinda Bottlenecked]

1 minute ago, beach_boy98 said:

Yeah. Might need a new CPU though. 

 

What do you currently have? 

[Mr.Meerkat]

4 minutes ago, beach_boy98 said:

Yeah £40 extra isn't bad and it'll help.

I have a 290x with a h75 and the temps are decent at stock clocks (30c idling and 50c underload with fans at minimum speeds) while OCed with 1100mhz at +100mV and +50% power (max, I still haven't installed my VRM heatsinks for this card...so before I up the clocks anymore gotta install em) it idles at 35c and underload, it goes to 70c max 

[beach_boy98]

1 minute ago, Pohernori said:

 

What do you currently have? 

i3 2120 ....lol After the GPU.

[nothereanymore]

9 hours ago, WarWeeny said:

I'd take the gtx 970, less power consumption, great overclocker, stays cool while overclocked (mine runs at about 71c in an M-atx case (coolermaster elite 130) and by the time 8GB becomes relevant in gaming, you'd need an upgrade anyway, so the 4GB is not really an issue.

 

Another thing to consider with the 290/290x - they were pretty good mining machines back in the day, so most of them are pretty much dead within a year or so.

I doubt many miners are just now selling their GPUs, and a 290X is much less likely to be a mining card than a 290. For some reason the 290 was way more popular.

 

Power consumption? Are we living in Africa? Paying $2 more a year is fine with me. 290X overclocks well, and when it hits the 1200MHz range (if it does) it's up there with a 980.