Looking for mid range AMD card

[bguile]

having issues in one specific game with my nvidia card, thinking of purchasing a mid range AMD card to replace it. Don't really want to go into the backstory, it happens in one game only, and didn't happen until windows 10 upgrade, so not sure if its the game, windows 10, nvidia drivers, or all three. Temps/power seem fine, did the whole driver install thing, yada yada...

Current card is a 660, so I am looking for something equivalent (or better) from AMD. Not really willing to go over 150 dollars either.

game is eso, and the 660 seems fine running it on high at 1980, with some gfx options turned down. I am ok with that.

r7 370? Not really up on AMD's naming scheme, and haven't paid attention to their products in years, so not sure what is equivalent or what I should be looking for.

At some point this year I am thinking of upgrading my entire computer anyway, and passing the current one off to my kid (just plays minecraft) so that is where this AMD card will go.

Thanks in advance.

 

[crisium]

I suggest the Radeon R9 380. It is on AMD's newest architecture and is faster than a 370 or 660.

The 370 is a sidegrade/very minor upgrade to the 660, so you will not lose performance if that's your biggest concern. But it is an overclocked rebrand of the 7850, a card that used to compete with the 660 back in 2012. So it lacks a few features that the 380 has in addition to being noticably slower.

Radeon 380 2GB $164 after rebate: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131684

Though I know this is further pushing your price range, a Radeon R9 380X 4GB is seriously worth considering if longevity is a concern. The 380X is just a little faster, but the extra VRAM will also help it age better.

Radeon 380X 4GB $190 after rebate: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150761

Also keep in mind the 380 and 380X use 2x6pin, not 1x6pin like the 660 and 370, just in case your PSU only has 1x6pin like some cheaper ones do. Check for compatibility.

Edit: ESO appears to favour Nvidia. So it may be a game where even a 660 is faster than a 380.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/the-elder-scrolls-online-performance,3789-6.html
Although there is no 300 series here, the 370 is usually slightly slower than the 270 (I know...) and the 380/380X tend to essentially equal the 280/280X in most games.

 

[bguile]

The R9 380 4GB seems about right. Just want to maintain playing on high settings at 1080p without the damn driver crashing every 15-20 minutes.

I'll look again at the prices at the 380x in a week when I go to purchase it, but I'm ok with a standard 380 (i see one for 174 after rebate on newegg). Fairly certain my PSU has another 6 pin connection, so I am pretty sure I am ok there, but thanks for pointing it out. I'll have to check later.

 

[tential]

Hawaii/Grenada is king.

 

[CorsairDemon]

I snagged a R9 380X for 229 the week it came out. I've been pretty happy with it. FO4 and BF4 are quite good at 1080p. I cannot say for any rez higher yet.

I've had a few driver crashes, but with the recent update to AMD's software, they have quieted down a bit, although not completely gone.

 

[poofyhairguy]

OP, here is a AMD 380 4GB for $171 after rebate and promo code:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150730&Tpk=N82E16814150730

That is easily the best value in sub-$200 GPUs right now.

 

[bguile]

I splurged and stepped up to a 380x the other day, since my check was bigger than I expected.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I splurged and stepped up to a 380x the other day, since my check was bigger than I expected.

Sweet. Full Tonga rocks, probably my favorite GPU on the market in its category.

 

[bguile]

Well it looks like it was nvidia that was the source of my troubles. Swapped out my ancient phenom x4 830 for a fx6300, and the crashes still occurred. Put in the 380x the next day and haven't had one crash in eso since. Gameplay experience is better, frame rate about the same, but I enabled more gfx options so it looks nicer.