Need help deciding.

[nickCR]

So guys I currently am running a 6970. I want to upgrade to something a bit newer and I'll use the old card in a gaming pc. I am currently using both mini DP ports as I have Dell UltraSharp monitors connected via mini dp to dp cable. I like the setup as the DisplayPort has never shown lag or anything. Is it silly? Could I get similar performance out of the DVI ports?

Anyway the only dual Mini DP cards in the R9 series are:

http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-GDDR...8&qid=1384475836&sr=8-1&keywords=280X+Mini+DP

http://www.amazon.com/MSI-R9-280X-G...8&qid=1384475836&sr=8-2&keywords=280X+Mini+DP

Both are nice cards, I would love to get the 290X though just not sure on the ports as I have 3 monitors and really want to make sure my two dells have as similar picture as possible and sometimes the different ports have different profiles.

Any help / suggestions would be great.

 

[Darknecron]

At 1080p, there is absolutely no perceivable output difference between HDMI, DVI, and DP.

 

[GatorChamp]

I believe the Gigabyte is voltage locked.

My two cents would be the Sapphire Vapor followed by HIS or the MSI.

 

[nickCR]

Awesome guys thanks for the help.

I have a limit of $550 to spend on the card. What is the best bang for my buck? AMD R9 290X or a Nvidia GTX 780

 

[Mjolnir]

Bang for your buck? R9 290. Not the X. BUT if you care at ALL about noise levels, I'd go with a GTX 780 personally. (Specifically the Asus DCUII or MSI Gaming for the quietest models). But if you don't mind noise and what not; the 29 290 is easily the best bang/buck for your budget.

And like someone said; there's no real difference for the digital inputs. I use Display port though because it's a simpler cable, no screw in bits, for my 2560x1440 monitor. Though it did come with a dual-link DVI cable.

 

[GatorChamp]

Awesome guys thanks for the help.

I have a limit of $550 to spend on the card. What is the best bang for my buck? AMD R9 290X or a Nvidia GTX 780

Can you wait a few weeks? I would wait until the unique cooling solutions from each company is released and then grab a 290.

 

[nickCR]

I can certainly wait to buy it. So that's not a bad idea. I'm just afraid that if I wait to long the 800 series will be out.

Noise from the card isn't a huge concern so the 290 is a huge consideration. Which card has the best specs of the 3?

 

[Darknecron]

The 290 is somewhere between the 770 and the 780. The 290x is actually up to par with the Titan in most cases, and beyond the 780 even more.

 

[nickCR]

Great thanks a lot for the responses. Darknecron that puts things into perspective thanks.

 

[Xeon_KI]

The 290 is somewhere between the 770 and the 780. The 290x is actually up to par with the Titan in most cases, and beyond the 780 even more.

everything I've read, including the 290 review on this site would put the 290 at, or ever so slightly above a GTX780, not to mention an extra gig of vram.

 

[Darknecron]

everything I've read, including the 290 review on this site would put the 290 at, or ever so slightly above a GTX780, not to mention an extra gig of vram.

After doing a bit of research, you are right. The benches I originally had seen may have had a slightly older version of AMD drivers. That R9 looks like an amazing deal for the $400 asking price...puts Nvidia's offerings to shame.

Infact, Nvidia really needs to drop their prices by ~20% to stay competitive with what AMD is offering.

 

[Xeon_KI]

After doing a bit of research, you are right. The benches I originally had seen may have had a slightly older version of AMD drivers. That R9 looks like an amazing deal for the $400 asking price...puts Nvidia's offerings to shame.

Infact, Nvidia really needs to drop their prices by ~20% to stay competitive with what AMD is offering.

It's getting tight, that's for sure... Once the 3rd party coolers are released for the 290(x), and assuming they'll be effective, then nVidia is going to have a real value problem.

 

[nickCR]

Seems like things are very uncertain right now. I'll hold off. My 6970 is not a 290X but it's a decent card that I can easily get a few more months out of.

 

[manu2b]

You could alway get a 2nd 6970 (or an unlocked 6950) for cheap and crossfire.

I doubt the reselling value drops within a couple of months.

That could be quick fix, even with the multi GPU downsides...