For around $350, is the GTX970 or R9 290x my better option?

[boozzer]

Temporarily. Its back up to about GTX 970 prices again.

there is a sale almost every day bro. if op buys during a non sale, that is just dumb, nothing we can do about it.

 

[Creig]

For $100 less than either the GTX 970 or R9 290X the R9 290 is pretty compelling. Only about 5-10% slower.



Temporarily. Its back up to about GTX 970 prices again.

Not that I can see. Right now he XFX DD 290x on Newegg is $299 after a $21 IR and $30 MIR. The cheapest 970 is still $350. Plus, the 290X comes with three games from the Never Settle bundle and a free WarPad gaming mouse pad (whatever the heck that is).

Even better, the XFX DD 290X MIR is limited to TWO purchases. So somebody who wanted to go instant 290X Crossfire can do so for $600 after MIR. That's almost the same cost as a SINGLE 980! And the performance difference between a single 980 and a pair of Crossfire 290X hardly needs to be mentioned.

 

[Leyawiin]

Not that I can see. Right now he XFX DD 290x on Newegg is $299 after a $21 IR and $30 MIR. The cheapest 970 is still $350. Plus, the 290X comes with three games from the Never Settle bundle and a free WarPad gaming mouse pad (whatever the heck that is).

No, its $328.99 after the coupon code. I don't count rebate cards in the final price (which take two months to get if everything goes well and can't be deposited in your checking account to pay for the purchase you put on your credit card today). Its a nice bonus down the road though.

http://www.amazon.com/Zotac-GeForce-Graphics-Cards-ZT9010110P/dp/B00NPCE54C/ref=sr_1_10?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1414783845&sr=1-10&keywords="gtx+970"

Just gotta look around a bit (sorry for the unclickable Amazon link).

 

[boozzer]

No, its $328.99 after the coupon code. I don't count rebate cards in the final price (which take two months to get if everything goes well and can't be deposited in your checking account to pay for the purchase you put on your credit card today). Its a nice bonus down the road though.

http://www.amazon.com/Zotac-GeForce-Graphics-Cards-ZT9010110P/dp/B00NPCE54C/ref=sr_1_10?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1414783845&sr=1-10&keywords="gtx+970"

Just gotta look around a bit (sorry for the unclickable Amazon link).

you have no common sense.

Warning issued for callout. Even if joking, whats the point of this post? -Shmee

 

[Creig]

No, its $328.99 after the coupon code. I don't count rebate cards in the final price (which take two months to get if everything goes well and can't be deposited in your checking account to pay for the purchase you put on your credit card today). Its a nice bonus down the road though.

If you receive the MIR, then that amount comes off the final price of the card. Therefore, the XFX DD 290X can be purchased for $299 after MIR. Choosing to not apply for a MIR does not change the fact that the discount is offered and available for the taking. You can't just say the card is $329 because you don't feel like dealing with a MIR.

 

[Mondozei]

A Sapphire 290 Tri-X is a better deal. Adding a second one later would also save you a lot of money and Crossfire works great these days, AMD is often ahead of Nvidia of adding dual-GPU support to new games these days. Plus their 4K dual-GPU performance has been better.

But between 290X and 970 I would choose 970, if you want to pay that much (unnecessarily, in my view).

 

[Fire&Blood]

This looks like a good price for a 970, $315.70: http://slickdeals.net/share/android_app/t/7305966

 

[guskline]

There is a poster in the for sale selling 2 Sapphire Tri-X 290s for $195 each plus shipping!
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2406474

 

[Ranulf]

GTX970 also got better future DX support if you wish to keep it for several years. Not to mention more features.

Ah yes, the good ol future DX support line. I seem to recall hearing this line of fluff back with DX 10 and DX11. By the time my ATI 5850 (bought in mid 2010) was running DX11 games it was around two years old. Now its about DX12, which isn't even out yet.

Long story short, its of minor consideration unless you plan on using the card for 3+ years and/or want to SLI in the near future.

 

[RussianSensation]

There is a poster in the for sale selling 2 Sapphire Tri-X 290s for $195 each plus shipping!
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2406474

That's a jaw dropping deal. $400 for 50-60% more performance over 980 and just $90 more than the cheapest 970. :thumbsup:

I bet 390 and 390X will cost $399 / 549. Deals like we have on 290s right now won't come for a while until 970 drops to $230-240.

 

[guskline]

That's a jaw dropping deal. $400 for 50-60% more performance over 980 and just $90 more than the cheapest 970. :thumbsup:

I bet 390 and 390X will cost $399 / 549. Deals like we have on 290s right now won't come for a while until 970 drops to $230-240.

Honestly, if I had a multi monitor setup, I'd seriously consider snagging them for quad cf or perhaps another for true TRI fire

 

[greybaby]

I think that going with a 970 is a no brainer. It uses so much less power and is generally a better performer.

 

[Headfoot]

Get a 290 and save $70 for ~5% fps or get one of the coupon deal 290xs @ $300

 

[Headfoot]

I think that going with a 970 is a no brainer. It uses so much less power and is generally a better performer.

Hardly.

Equal performance to the 290x, 5-7% better than a 290 for $50-70 more and no free games? Uh, no. No brainer in favor of R9 290 w/ games

 

[Madpacket]

Although I already have crossfire reference 290's I just picked up an Asus 970 for a decent price. Main reason was to jam it in my Node 304 ITX box. Power consumption and noise rules in this space.

That being said if you have the case space and power supply to drive a 290X just pickup a 290 for cheap, mail in the rebates and sell off the game bundle and pat yourself on the back for getting 90-95% of the performance for 60% the price

 

[Leyawiin]

Hardly.

Equal performance to the 290x, 5-7% better than a 290 for $50-70 more and no free games? Uh, no. No brainer in favor of R9 290 w/ games

You'd have to have your head examined for basing a GPU purchase on a crappy selection of generally second rate or older games. That said, the R9 290 is an excellent buy without them.

 

[Headfoot]

You'd have to have your head examined for basing a GPU purchase on a crappy selection of generally second rate or older games. That said, the R9 290 is an excellent buy without them.

You'd have to have your head examined for ignoring that it's also $50-70 cheaper for 5% performance difference.

 

[Sulaco]

Hey guys, OP again.

I've started buying the components bit by bit, from Newegg, Amazon, and my local Microcenter.

Speaking of Microcenter, my local store has an Asus GTX970 for $310. Probably the best deal I've seen yet for the 970.

I'm still deciding, but it's getting tempting.

 

[davie jambo]

How much is the R9 290x in the microcentre ? I'd get that card with the free games

 

[Pia]

I have no idea how this thread has 69 posts and not a single one mentions G-Sync. That's half of the reason why I'd go with the 970.

If you choose to take advantage of it, it can be a huge bump in effective performance. Consider two cards of equal power, of which only one has G-Sync support. The card without G-Sync needs to achieve 60FPS minimum for a smooth experience, and the IQ settings need to be set accordingly. At those settings the card could probably do 75+FPS average in a normal game, so for the 99% of time that the game is not in its most demanding sections, a lot of the GPU power is just wasted - whereas the G-Sync setup can use all the available GPU power, be set to higher IQ where it achieves 60ish FPS average, and dip slightly below that for the 1% most demanding sections without significant perceived loss of smoothness even for those sections.

 

[davie jambo]

I have no idea how this thread has 69 posts and not a single one mentions G-Sync. That's half of the reason why I'd go with the 970.

If you choose to take advantage of it, it can be a huge bump in effective performance. Consider two cards of equal power, of which only one has G-Sync support. The card without G-Sync needs to achieve 60FPS minimum for a smooth experience, and the IQ settings need to be set accordingly. At those settings the card could probably do 75+FPS average in a normal game, so for the 99% of time that the game is not in its most demanding sections, a lot of the GPU power is just wasted - whereas the G-Sync setup can use all the available GPU power, be set to higher IQ where it achieves 60ish FPS average, and dip slightly below that for the 1% most demanding sections without significant perceived loss of smoothness even for those sections.

He's got $350 for a card

Not $1000 for a card and a monitor

 

[Keysplayr]

The choice is real easy at equal pricing.
http://gpuboss.com/gpus/Radeon-R9-290X-vs-GeForce-GTX-970
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1355?vs=1056

Now depending on how far down AMD board partners are willing to drop 290X prices and exactly what game bundles are being offered certainly does matter. The buyer just has to know when they're happy with a deal or not.

Some vendors are making this a tough decision
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...E16814133564&gclid=CM3Vju3l4MECFW4F7AoddCwAhQ

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487075

Buying computer components for enthusiasts is a mixture of wants and needs. Find the balance.

 

[Keysplayr]

He's got $350 for a card

Not $1000 for a card and a monitor

I don't recall the OP saying that he only has 350 dollars total to spend on computer equipment. Just on the GPU.

When he is ready for a monitor down the road (whenever that may be) G-Sync is of course an option if he owns a G-Sync ready video card. Which the 970 is.

And of course, he doesn't have to buy a G-Sync monitor. But his option is there.

 

[davie jambo]

I don't recall the OP saying that he only has 350 dollars total to spend on computer equipment. Just on the GPU.

When he is ready for a monitor down the road (whenever that may be) G-Sync is of course an option if he owns a G-Sync ready video card. Which the 970 is.

And of course, he doesn't have to buy a G-Sync monitor. But his option is there.

Maybe he is happy with the monitor he has and has no interest in it. Also the AMD version of this will be out in the next month or so . I think that works with R9 290x cards and his monitor that he has may or may not support it

 

[Keysplayr]

Maybe he is happy with the monitor he has and has no interest in it. Also the AMD version of this will be out in the next month or so . I think that works with R9 290x cards and his monitor that he has may or may not support it

The AMD version will always be, next month. IMHO.
Why is he happy with his current monitor? He isn't happy with his current GPU. Obviously. Why do you keep speaking for the OP as if you can read his mind?