Best $300 GPU?

[joelthezombie15]

So, If i sell my current GPU and save all my xmas money i will have $300 and i want a gpu as i am running a 5850 right now. 

 

I am not going to be able to upgrade very often so i was thinking that getting as much vram as possible would be best.

 

I dont care about features at this time i just want to get the best gpu for $300. I also dont care about games i have enough for now. 

 

I was looking at this card. Its a good medium card and has 4gb of vram and i will be able to run sli in the future if i want and i hope to get 1440p later on so 4gb seems like the best idea. 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125494

 

I may be able to get a little more money from a garage sale we are going to have but i would be surprised if i got $50. 

 

Does this look like a good idea?

 

Or theres this gpu but its refurbished http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130983

[wtfpieisgood]

For 1440p your probably going to need something more powerful than a 760.

[FloRolf]

a 256bit bus card wont utilize all of your 4gb ram, even you have them. If you want 3/4 gigs you need a 780 or a 290.

But as far as a 300$ card i think the 760 is around the best you could get. Maybe add another 40bucks and get a 770.

[LogicDeifying]

a 256bit bus card wont utilize all of your 4gb ram, even you have them. If you want 3/4 gigs you need a 780 or a 290.

But as far as a 300$ card i think the 760 is around the best you could get. Maybe add another 40bucks and get a 770.

This.To lazy to type it out thank you sir!

[joelthezombie15]

a 256bit bus card wont utilize all of your 4gb ram, even you have them. If you want 3/4 gigs you need a 780 or a 290.

But as far as a 300$ card i think the 760 is around the best you could get. Maybe add another 40bucks and get a 770.

it would be nice to have the extra though and like i said, i might go sli later on down the road and that will help. Like which 770? I havent seen many for that cheap.

[wtfpieisgood]

a 256bit bus card wont utilize all of your 4gb ram, even you have them. If you want 3/4 gigs you need a 780 or a 290.

But as far as a 300$ card i think the 760 is around the best you could get. Maybe add another 40bucks and get a 770.

Would 2 gigs be enough for 1440p?

[FloRolf]

it would be nice to have the extra though and like i said, i might go sli later on down the road and that will help. Like which 770? I havent seen many for that cheap.

this one basically:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125463

 

two of them should be quite capable of 1440p although in some games you migh see the vram bottleneck but that wouldnt change much with a 4gb 256bit card.

[Flyguygamer]

760 and 670 are pretty much the same card. Go for the 760 but it won't do very well at 1440p.

[joelthezombie15]

this one basically:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125463

 

two of them should be quite capable of 1440p although in some games you migh see the vram bottleneck but that wouldnt change much with a 4gb 256bit card.

Well like i said this card will have to last me a while and the way games are going 2gb wont last long so i was thinking 4gb would be better. am i wrong in thinking that?

[FloRolf]

Well like i said this card will have to last me a while and the way games are going 2gb wont last long so i was thinking 4gb would be better. am i wrong in thinking that?

 

nono, you are not. but the cards cant use the 4gb they have. the memory bus isnt big enough. The 770 for example has a 256bit bus whereas the 780 has a 384bit bus and the 290 a 512bit bus. That allows those cards to use more than 2gb.

I heard the 4gb 760 ends at around 2.5gb.

 

 

And see here, the msi gaming 770 is only 320:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127741

[Rheinwasser]

770 for a bit more? ;-)

[joelthezombie15]

nono, you are not. but the cards cant use the 4gb they have. the memory bus isnt big enough. The 770 for example has a 256bit bus whereas the 780 has a 384bit bus and the 290 a 512bit bus. That allows those cards to use more than 2gb.

I heard the 4gb 760 ends at around 2.5gb.

 

 

And see here, the msi gaming 770 is only 320:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127741

So do you think 3gb would be the sweet spot? Cause i fear that 2gb will not be good enough very soon. I do like that 770 btx. matches my build. 

[FloRolf]

So do you think 3gb would be the sweet spot? Cause i fear that 2gb will not be good enough very soon. I do like that 770 btx. matches my build. 

 

yeah, 3gb will be good for 1440p, but not enough for 4k or some multi monitor setup.

Its hard to find a 3gb card at that price point though.

Maybe you can find a 7950/7970/280x for that price. They all have 3gb frame buffer and are around as fast as the 770/760. They get rare though due to the Litecoin mining culture.

[joelthezombie15]

yeah, 3gb will be good for 1440p, but not enough for 4k or some multi monitor setup.

Its hard to find a 3gb card at that price point though.

Maybe you can find a 7950/7970/280x for that price. They all have 3gb frame buffer and are around as fast as the 770/760. They get rare though due to the Litecoin mining culture.

None are $300 they are all a decent amount more. Heres hoping for a good new year sale from newegg.

[FloRolf]

None are $300 they are all a decent amount more. Heres hoping for a good new year sale from newegg.

 

good luck, if you can wait this long.

prioritise the 280x though since its easier to get another one for cfx later on.

OR you wait even longer till Maxwell

[joelthezombie15]

good luck, if you can wait this long.

prioritise the 280x though since its easier to get another one for cfx later on.

OR you wait even longer till Maxwell

well. I can wait im in no real hurry i just have to have the will power not to spend the money. i might even get more money the longer i wait. and i need to sell my 5850 on ebay which coulld take a while. how long until maxwell are people thinking?

[FloRolf]

well. I can wait im in no real hurry i just have to have the will power not to spend the money. i might even get more money the longer i wait. and i need to sell my 5850 on ebay which coulld take a while. how long until maxwell are people thinking?

 

people are hoping for Q1/2 2014 but you never know until its there.

[SeanAngelo]

a 256bit bus card wont utilize all of your 4gb ram, even you have them. If you want 3/4 gigs you need a 780 or a 290.

But as far as a 300$ card i think the 760 is around the best you could get. Maybe add another 40bucks and get a 770.

this post right here! add additional money for a 770.

[joelthezombie15]

people are hoping for Q1/2 2014 but you never know until its there.

when is that? I dont speak business.

[FloRolf]

when is that? I dont speak business.

every Q equals 3 months. So from January (not so likely) to June (more likely).

[joelthezombie15]

every Q equals 3 months. So from January (not so likely) to June (more likely).

ok my birthday is in june and i can keep saving up until then. I just need to hide the money from myself thanks.

[FloRolf]

ok my birthday is in june and i can keep saving up until then. I just need to hide the money from myself thanks.

but dont take my word on it, none knows nvidias plans ^^

[joelthezombie15]

but dont take my word on it, none knows nvidias plans ^^

I will wait a month or two anyway and see if theres any news. 

[biohazard918]

I would wait until either the 280X supply catches up with demand or the next generation of cards launches. How ever I don't buy this idea that a 256bit memory bus can't address 4gb of ram those 4gb 760s and 770s exist for a reason and it makes a big difference in SLI at high resolution. Explain to me why 4gb of ram wouldn't work with a 256bit memory bus most CPUs only have a 128bit bus and can use way more then 4gb of ram. As far as i know the reason most cards with more then 2gb of ram have 384bit or 512bit buses is for bandwidth and not because its required to use more ram.

 

EDIT: B&H photo is taking pre-orders on 280x's at $320 http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1018335-REG/asus_r9280x_dc2t_3gd5_radeon_r9_280x_graphic.html