GTX 970 or r9 390 ?

[ryzouk]

hey im thinking of upgrading my sapphire 280x r9 card to either gtx 970 or r9 390 as they are roughly the same price.

I will be running 1080p and dont plan to get 4k in the near furture also have 620w psu.

So what card would be best for me ?

Or do you think my card is fine atm and i should wait a little longer before upgrading.

Cheers

 

[opethdisciple]

I love my 970 G1 and would buy it again if given the choice.

Drivers are better. And over all features are just better on the Nvidia side of the fence.

Also a lot of the big AAA titles are Game Works so for that reason I'm very happy with my 970.

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However I have seen it mentioned that for bang for buck the 390 is a good card.

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I just prefer Nvidia for the reasons mentioned above.

 

[ryzouk]

I love my 970 G1 and would buy it again if given the choice.

Drivers are better. And over all features are just better on the Nvidia side of the fence.

Also a lot of the big AAA titles are Game Works so for that reason I'm very happy with my 970.

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However I have seen it mentioned that for bang for buck the 390 is a good card.

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I just prefer Nvidia for the reasons mentioned above.

Yes I was fixed on the gtx 970 but when advised about the r9 390 i thought it could be a better card for future. With my 1080p screen i feel the gtx 970 would be fine but would i be getting more with the r9 380 ? what features are better with the gtx 970 then ?

 

[mmj_uk]

Newer architecture, less heat output, doesn't need to cheat on tessellation to compensate for a lack of hardware performance, no chance of NVidia going bankrupt next year, great game support via GameWorks.

 

[opethdisciple]

Yes I was fixed on the gtx 970 but when advised about the r9 390 i thought it could be a better card for future. With my 1080p screen i feel the gtx 970 would be fine but would i be getting more with the r9 380 ? what features are better with the gtx 970 then ?

The only thing the 390 has over the 970 is more Vram. I just think you get a much higher level of driver and game support with Nvidia compared to AMD.

You get things like, Physx, Adaptive Vsync, Game Works etc...

Both will be good cards.

 

[docsonic]

There have been quite a few 970 v 390 threads of late if you have a search & you'll find plenty of arguments for both. At the end of the day both are a good choice.

But if your staying at 1080p for now I'd suggest sticking with your 280x for a little while longer.

 

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

There have been quite a few 970 v 390 threads of late if you have a search & you'll find plenty of arguments for both. At the end of the day both are a good choice.

But if your staying at 1080p for now I'd suggest sticking with your 280x for a little while longer.

This.

I have mates with R9 290,R9 290X and GTX970 and GTX980 cards,and they are all happy with the performance they get from them and especially at 1080P they are still much faster than the midrange cards like the GTX660,GTX960,R9 280 and so on.

The R9 280X is still reasonably fine at 1080P and IMHO I would hold out and see what is on the horizon,or until there are some good GTX970 or R9 390 deals to be had closer to Christmas.

 

[fs123]

Another option is go for a used 7970 for crossfire. Will beat both 970 and 390.

 

[MagicBoy]

Save your pennies and keep the 280X. You are going to get an increase of 20%-25% which isn't massive for the expenditure required.

 

[ryzouk]

Yeah I think it will go with the GTX 970. I have been having issues with my 280x and this is the reason i wanted to upgrade.

Can anyone recommend the best GTX 970 for my money ? been hearing the Gigabyte NVIDIA GTX 970 Windforce 3 is good

 

[FoxEye]

Save your pennies and keep the 280X. You are going to get an increase of 20%-25% which isn't massive for the expenditure required.

Same card I have.

Pascal will be the time to upgrade.

 

[MagicBoy]

If it has issues then RMA it!

 

[ryzouk]

I have tried to get the RMA but its out or warranty and the offered me a goodwill gesture of 165 GBP so was just going to put money to that and upgrade.

 

[thebennyboy]

If you are intending to stick to 1080p then the 280X will be more than enough. No need to upgrade it. If it's having issues then just RMA it, the 280X is a cracking card.

 

[ryzouk]

If you are intending to stick to 1080p then the 280X will be more than enough. No need to upgrade it. If it's having issues then just RMA it, the 280X is a cracking card.

Yeah the 280x was a great card but now it seems to be causing a few issues and its out or warranty so can't be sent for RMA i tried think I was lucky getting the 165 for it though. maybe wait a while then see if the cards go down on price. Thanks

 

[meldarthx]

if you're getting 165; go with 390; its faster than 970 even with oc; OCs well and pretty much the value card right now.

but also depends on games you're looking at; most of the game work games have now been released for the year *not that they were great releases anyways*

AMD's side will be coming shortly ....

 

[King4aDay]

Are we expecting a new AMD game bundle any time soon? Tempted by either an MSI 970 or one of the two-slot 390s for my mITX. The 390 would just about edge it at 2560x1600 I guess but the MSI version is a touch too large to fit in my case (the 970 fits fine).

 

[HardStyler3]

AMD R9 390 all the way its faster even against an oc 970 + more vram and the sapphire and msi ones are cooler then oced gtx 970s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3rIOFP34Dg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9cKZiJw6Pk

some good reviews

 

[Poneros]

The only thing the 390 has over the 970 is more Vram. I just think you get a much higher level of driver and game support with Nvidia compared to AMD.

You get things like, Physx, Adaptive Vsync, Game Works etc...

Both will be good cards.

Nvidia better drivers than AMD for a single card? Not likely, mate. Let alone considering how much they messed up their drivers over the past few months.
Physx & gameworks, sure, but gl running that with a 970. I guess if you like to keep a steady 30fps.

As for adaptive vsync - lol. Go turn it on, play a bit of GTA V and tell me how it works for you.

 

[Amatsubu]

I'd just get what's cheaper, especially that you're staying at 1080p. I have a 970 and it's performing very well at this res. Overclocked to 1506mhz it's not really that far off a 980 so I can't see how a 390 can be noticeably all-around faster.

The cards are practically identical performance wise but the 970 is the better clocker of the two. Plus, many games favour nvidia hardware.

Also, don't think the 8gb of vram is going to be useful on such a card. Both 970 and 390 can run out of grunt before using up all of their memory. People tend to overestimate the concept of vram and the reality is that you need a lot of grunt to properly utilise so much memory. You'd have to crossfire and I don't think you should bother with that as you can get a 980Ti for similar money and enjoy hassle-free gaming without any multi-gpu issues.

To sum up:

1. I'd stick with your 280x and wait for something better, neither the 970 nor the 390 are really worth buying new.
2. Get a used 290x/970.
3. If you have to buy new, get a 390. It's a good stopgap card till better GPUs arrive (and it's "newer" than the 970). I'd estimate you're going to get a year of gaming at decent details at 1080p out of it.


BTW, I'm using adaptive v-sync in gta and it works as intended so I don't know what some people are on about;p Also, I can comfortably use all Gameworks FX in Arkham City and maintain playable framerates. And yes, Nvidia drivers are still better. Had a lot more problems when I had an AMD card than I have now with the 970.

Having said all that, I'm waiting for a new card from AMD so I can switch just for the hell of it;p