Hi everyone, I know there are a ton of threads about the 970 vs the 390 which is to be expected given that they are more direct competitors in terms of performance and price. Initially I wanted a 970 but have decided to go with a 390 instead for the VRAM.
My biggest concern is the reported heat output of the 390 as I'm trying to keep my system as quiet as possible at idle and don't want my case fans or CPU fan ramping up in order to get rid of the extra heat generated. I am looking at either the MSI Twin Frozr or the Sapphire Nitro (choosing which is another internal debate).
I understand that the return on investment for a 980 is not really worth it in terms of performance at this resolution but I absolutely don't see the need to go with a 980 Ti for 1080. The 980 itself is overkill. It's just that I plan to play Skyrim and Shadow of Mordor and I understand that with mods, the last 0.5 GB of slower VRAM on the 970 can sometimes be problematic. Plus who knows what the future will hold.
So I'm left with the 8 GB on the 390 or the full 4 GB on a 980. Ideally I would just go with the 390 but, again, I am concerned with the heat indirectly leading to extra noise due to heat. I understand that both the Sapphire and the MSI cards will not spin their fans at idle but given the reviews online indicate that the 390s run hot, that heat has to go somewhere and it is my thought that this will lead to hotter internal case temperatures so my case (and CPU?) fans will ramp up.
Relative cost in USD after tax and any applicable discounts:
EVGA GTX 980 SC ACX 2.0 $477.50
MSI GTX 980 GAMING 4G GeForce GTX 980 $464.82 (have a credit with the vendor)
ZOTAC GeForce GTX 980 AMP Edition $458.39
Sapphire Radeon NITRO R9 390 $332.33
MSI R9 390 GAMING $313.49
Thank you for any advice!
My biggest concern is the reported heat output of the 390 as I'm trying to keep my system as quiet as possible at idle and don't want my case fans or CPU fan ramping up in order to get rid of the extra heat generated. I am looking at either the MSI Twin Frozr or the Sapphire Nitro (choosing which is another internal debate).
I understand that the return on investment for a 980 is not really worth it in terms of performance at this resolution but I absolutely don't see the need to go with a 980 Ti for 1080. The 980 itself is overkill. It's just that I plan to play Skyrim and Shadow of Mordor and I understand that with mods, the last 0.5 GB of slower VRAM on the 970 can sometimes be problematic. Plus who knows what the future will hold.
So I'm left with the 8 GB on the 390 or the full 4 GB on a 980. Ideally I would just go with the 390 but, again, I am concerned with the heat indirectly leading to extra noise due to heat. I understand that both the Sapphire and the MSI cards will not spin their fans at idle but given the reviews online indicate that the 390s run hot, that heat has to go somewhere and it is my thought that this will lead to hotter internal case temperatures so my case (and CPU?) fans will ramp up.
Relative cost in USD after tax and any applicable discounts:
EVGA GTX 980 SC ACX 2.0 $477.50
MSI GTX 980 GAMING 4G GeForce GTX 980 $464.82 (have a credit with the vendor)
ZOTAC GeForce GTX 980 AMP Edition $458.39
Sapphire Radeon NITRO R9 390 $332.33
MSI R9 390 GAMING $313.49
Thank you for any advice!