Looking ahead, I’m thinking about adding some case fans, another 8GB of RAM, and an SSD. That should pretty much wrap it up. I don't see myself messing around with overclocking anytime soon... Thanks.
Looking ahead, I’m planning on adding some case fans, another 8GB of RAM, and an SSD. That should pretty much wrap things up—I don't see myself getting into overclocking anytime soon. Thanks.
Matthew Alvarez said:Those R9 390 models from ASUS are a bit of a headache and run into issues, so I’d steer clear of them entirely. The 380 models, on the other hand, are solid.
If you're feeling cautious, you could always go with an AMD XFX R9 380 4GB. The absolute gold standard is the Sapphire nitro, though it carries a premium price tag. Personally, I'd aim for $633 and pick up a 4GB version there—anything more than that isn't really worth the extra cash.
It's not actually that much more expensive, honestly. For instance, the MSI Armor 2 x is about 1,$237 bucks, the ASUS Gigabyte WF2 is around 1,$257 bucks, and the Sapphire nitro sits at 1,$250 bucks... so the ASUS one is actually pricier, but we're talking a difference of maybe $5 or so.
I’m strictly looking at 1080p gaming here. Regarding the cards on my list, a guy on a previous thread mentioned that those R9 3xx models from Gigabyte are pretty rough—they run hot, even hotter than XFX, which usually isn't known for its thermal management. So, I'm left wondering what the best pick from this bunch would be at . MSI R9 380 2GD5T (Armor 2x) — Chris Robinson25 mentioned that these MSI Armor 2x units aren't exactly top-tier. Gigabyte R9 380 WF2 OC — silvermoose14 said he actually looked into getting this one himself, but after doing some digging, he found out it's nothing special either, mostly because Gigabyte tends to focus more on Nvidia chipsets anyway. Sapphire R9 380 NITRO Dual-X OC Boost — From what I can gather, this one is excellent. My only real hesitation is that it comes with a year less of warranty. Sapphire R9 380 Dual-X OC Boost 2GB GDDR5 256bit UEFI 1792 Stream Processors — -||- XFX R9 380 4GB Black — Lately, I feel like I've been reading nothing but bad reviews for XFX cards. Heat, noise, reliability issues... and they offer a 2-year warranty, so I'm just not sure. MSI GTX960 2GD5T OC, 2GB GDDR5, Armor 2x — The only reason I'd lean toward the R9 380 over the GTX960 is that 128-bit bus. I know that helps performance, but it still makes me hesitate.
Anyway, what do you guys think? Which of these is the smartest move? After listening to so much conflicting advice, I'm feeling pretty lost.
Matthew Alvarez said:There is zero chance that your R9 390 is going to run reliably on a Hyper 500W unit. That’s just a standard power supply, nothing special about it. On a high-quality 500W unit, it might work, but I know a guy who runs an R9 290 on a 500W OCZ—can't remember the exact model, but it was a decent one.
swiftfalcon89
Either a Gigabyte R9 380 4GB
Or a Sapphire nitro r9 390. The MSI model is way too pricey right now
Just watch out for your case when you grab that R9 390; it's a massive card, and it tends to run hot in smaller chassis. A mainstream 550W 80 Plus Bronze power supply should handle it without any issues.
Honestly, I'm looking at these 2GB models up to $600 and I'll have to make it work with the Hyper 500W (budget is pretty tight right now)
Chris Robinson25 said:I heard the Asus Strix has an issue with one of its heatpipes, which makes it run "a bit" hot.
Aside from that—Asus seems to be the manufacturer that somehow manages to run into the most issues with the 280X card.
So what's the move here? Should I grab the Sapphire since it comes with a 2-year warranty, or go with the MSI to get that extra year? Honestly, I haven't even decided yet, haha.
Chris Robinson25 said:Personally, I wouldn't touch any of them. This MSI Armor isn't quite on the level of MSI gaming, and I doubt the Sapphire 2 x is going to hold its own against the 3X Toxic or the Vapor 3 x. Gigabyte is the same story—I just don't buy that their dual-fan setup can keep up with the triple-fan cooling on the 280X. To be honest... if I were absolutely forced to pick one, I'd go with the MSI Armor.
What’s the consensus on the ASUS Strix R9 380? It carries a bit of a premium over the MSI or Gigabyte options, but if the quality justifies the price, why not? Plus, they offer that same three-year warranty too..
silvermoose14 said:I wouldn't touch that Gigabyte card unless it was the Vapor 3 x. Gigabyte version—but they don't make one for the 380s. I spent a good amount of time digging into that specific GPU model since I was actually considering it myself. From what I could gather, MSI and XFX seem to handle temps much better. It feels like Gigabyte really puts their weight behind Nvidia's lineup; if you're going the AMD route, you're safer sticking with Sapphire, MSI, or XFX.
Or honestly, just hunt down a Nitro version of the 380. It might be about $100$50 more expensive , but it's worth it.
So, MSI seems like the move here, especially since XFX and Sapphire offer a year less on the warranty.
Hey guys, a buddy of mine is looking at picking up an R9 380, and he’s currently torn between the MSI R9 380 2GD5T OC and the GIGABYTE R9 380 GDDR5 2GB/256bit 2GB DDR5. He stumbled upon some claim online suggesting that MSI uses a lower-quality chipset, so he's wondering if there's any truth to that. If anyone here knows the deal or actually owns one of these cards, I'd love to hear your 😁
crimsonstag84 said:2GB is really the bare minimum... if you turn off a few filters, you shouldn't run into much trouble, except maybe in a handful of games if you're trying to push high or ultra settings.
Fair enough. It doesn't all have to be set to ultra, and I don't need a constant 60FPS either—I'm not that picky. 👍 Thanks for the help.
Quick question: what’s the verdict on the EVGA GeForce GTX equivalent? I’ve never actually owned an AMD card before, and while I used to hear nothing but good things about them, lately my feed has been flooded with horror stories—stuff about excessive noise, overheating issues, and cards just dying out of nowhere. It’s got me second-guessing this purchase. I’d love to hear from anyone here who actually owns or has used this specific model. Thanks.
Timothy Kim60 said:It looks like you might have hit send too early. What were you going to say? $333 You can still track down an HD7950 (or an R9 280) if you look around. It’s not a guarantee every single day, but honestly, seeing them at that price point is pretty routine now. I remember back in the day, you could pick up an R9 280x (an old HD7970) for about the same amount of cash. Prices have definitely shifted since then.
I get what you’re saying. Most of those listings are for gear that’s already two or three years old, and honestly, for the kind of cash we're talking about, I want something that actually comes with a warranty. Ideally, I'd be hunting down an R9 270 x, but let's be real—finding one in good shape on the used market around here feels like a total pipe dream.
Timothy Kim60 said:Personally, if I were in that situation, I wouldn’t even bother messing around with used gear. I’d just grab an ASUS R7 265 brand new. I’m not sure which 270 you’re talking about, but here’s the reality: 1) they're basically the same card, 2) you get a shorter warranty and potentially a crappy cooler, 3) there's always the chance you're getting ripped off, and 4) if you’re actually going to take a risk on used parts, you should be looking for something significantly more powerful for that kind of money. It's not much of a steal otherwise.
1.) If that's the case, then I’d go with the R7 265—that was actually my original question. 🙂 2.) Yeah, it's a year old, so there are still two years of warranty left. It's the OC version with dual fans. 3.) The guy lives in Indianapolis, so I could easily drive out there to check it out in person and buy it if everything looks solid. 4.) What do you mean "more powerful"? If you're pointing toward an R9 270 x, those are going for $400-$167 more than what we're discussing here... 😵
Adam Moore3 said:Chuck Norris, don't just hand over the cash because of some principle. Honestly, THIS looks like a much better move. It's the GTX 960X version, and since it's an Alienware model, the build quality is actually solid. If you can talk them down to $300, you've got yourself a winner.
I reached out as soon as the listing went up, but they didn't get back to me. To be honest, the fact that it's been sitting there at that price for so long without selling makes me a little suspicious... I don't know. I've been hunting for a while now, but nothing decent seems to pop up when I need it.
Adam Moore3 said:Look, he’s just trying to get a better price, obviously. The guy dropped it from about $1300 down to $333. Honestly, I don't see this being much of a steal; it doesn't feel like a realistic price point. A little while back, I saw a 270X listed for $267 and I think it still had a year of warranty left on it. This guy is asking 1000 for a standard 270. He needs to get down to at least 900 if he wants movement.
Chuck Norris, the thing is he was originally asking $400, so technically this is already a markdown 🤣