Crossfire HD 7870's vs Card Upgrade

Alright so store options are (within a 300 dollar range) gtx 760 4gb 309$
Gtx 770 2gb 369
msi r9 280x for 399$

on a side note theres a ****ton of xfx returns, mostly 7950s

A 7950 with unlocked voltage can be a force to be reckoned with.

I'd go for 280x out of those options... I would personally wait another month and likely spend nearly 100$ less on one..

i guess its the xfx version, since im sure an Asus, Msi or reference version would deff kick ***. Such a shame the prices are spiked :/ also can't return the card so im stuck w/ the 7870, crossfire and cry i guess?

Edit
Options:
HIS IceQ X² Turbo Boost Clock H270XQMT2G2 Radeon R9 270X 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
XFX R9-270X-CDBC Radeon R9 270X 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card (not a double dissipation so might not sound like a buzz saw)
MSI Radeon R9 270X GAMING 4GB 912-V303-020 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
GIGABYTE GV-R927XOC-2GD Radeon R9 270X 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

Which would be the nicer sidekick to the 7870? also if anyone could give me any research material on the whole tahiti/pitcairn incompatibility issue?

^None, they're all rebranded 7870.

I have a 7970 double d and I don't think it sounds like a buzz saw. My fan profile is pretty aggressive. My girl has a windforce 3 gigabyte 280x and it "might" a tiny bit quieter. Not a huge difference...

Also if you have a 2gb card now you might as well add another 2gb, I believe 4gb would only do any good if you already have 4gb video ram. So forget the MSI card....

I try to stay with matching brands for looks, but its really up to you. If price is important get the cheapest.

@manu im aware, thats the reason why im staying within the 7870/R9 270X series for crossfire, since i can't really do a whole lot else w/ the card i have because even minners don't want 7870's.

@anthonyG idk if its the sizing that has to do w/ it but its particularly loud past 50-55%, when i crank it to 90% i have to drown the sound w/ a bit of music otherwise its unbearable.
Why not the msi card? do you feel this would cause compatibility issues?

Hazzyftw said:

@anthonyg idk if its the sizing that has to do w/ it but its particularly loud past 50-55%, when i crank it to 90% i have to drown the sound w/ a bit of music otherwise its unbearable.
Why not the msi card? do you feel this would cause compatibility issues?

Click to expand...

Hmm I find my corsair sp120s are MUCH louder than my GPU. I use headphones as well so that helps.

The MSI card is 4gb. Your current 7870 is only 2gb. You will only be able to use 2gb of video ram even with crossfire. 4gb second card would be a waste of money unless your 7870 now has 4gb( I don't think any 7870s do) the cards work together the video ram is never combined.

If it was me, and I was 100% set on crossfire. I'd buy another xfx card to match my current...

I have a xfx 7970 and plan on getting a xfx 280x in the future they look different but similar and same brand.

Im looking at other options from other manufacturers to avoid the current issues im having w/ xfx.
id love to just buy a 280 if they werent inflated, even used/mildly beat up 7950s cards are going for 440+
And in regards to the fuctional memory, theres no aggregation? Im somewhat of a noob so details are appreciated.

Big thanks to everyone whos chipped in so far

Xfx has lifetime warranty, which is why I went with them. I had an xfx 7870 before my 7970 and never had a single problem.

If you can wait a month or so to allow prices to drop, do that. A 280x would be a much better option espically if you can sell you current 7870... I sold mine to go towards my 7970.. Sold quick for 130$

Wait a bit and grab a 290.