Gill01's Corner

I suspect your buddy might have been talking about getting three GPUs worth of value back then, but let's be real for a second.

The next generation brought us the GTX 970 ~ RX 280.

You can pick up a used 280X for around $100--$400(and that's even with a warranty).

Timothy Kim60 said:I suppose you believe your friend handed over more than three hundred bucks for that card back then, but I suggest you take a moment to face reality.

The very next generation saw the release of the GTX 780 vs HD 7970.

You can find used 280X cards going for around $100—$400 (and that includes a warranty).

Does it actually make sense to purchase what this fellow recommended;

EVGA GeForce GTX, NVIDIA GeForce, GTX 780, PCIe 3.0, 4096 MB

http://www.bestbuy.com/product_info.php?c...ducts_id=15922

Yes

I honestly, you might want to move fast on this since it looks like old stock; I don't think you'll find an R9 290 for less than $867 anywhere else.

crimsonstag84 said:It would be wise to move quickly if you intend to purchase this, as we are looking at old stock here; finding an R9 290 for anything less than $867 is becoming increasingly difficult.

Furthermore, will the I5 2320 act as a bottleneck in this configuration, or will the processor be capable of keeping pace with the GPU?🤔

I doubt you'll hit a major bottleneck. Maybe you might lose a tiny percentage of GPU performance in certain titles, but I'm not entirely sure. If that happens, you've always got the Turbo multiplier, so you could probably just try some overclocking by another 300 MHz 😬

crimsonstag84 said:It is unlikely that you will encounter a significant bottleneck; perhaps the GPU won't be fully utilized in certain titles, though I cannot say for certain. To address that, you have the Turbo multiplier available, which allows you to perform some overclocking by an additional 300 MHz 😬

The clock speed has been manually set to 3.7 GHz 😁

The RAM is running at 1600 MHz, whereas on my previous motherboard, the RAM was limited to 1333 MHz

Then everything should be good to go 😛

crimsonstag84 said:Then everything is set 😛

Everything is ready to go. My expectation for this card is that it will run GTA V on at least high settings 😁

There is a significant amount of money on the line here, and I am hoping this investment buys me some peace of mind for the next three years. My only real concern, however, is the possibility that within just a year, developers will be releasing titles built entirely around dx 12 🤔

Brian Campbell36 said:Everything's set up. I'm expecting this card to run GTA V on at least high settings 😁

It's a massive investment, so I'm hoping it keeps me chill for the next three years. My only worry is how fast games will start requiring dx 12 support 🤔

Well, remember when we were giving you advice back when prices were actually reasonable, telling you to grab a cheaper card and sell those two old ones to put more towards a $500 gtx 970? You wouldn't listen then, claiming you weren't buying cards from $833, but now that you've changed your tune, you're seeing it wasn't a bad move.
dx 12 isn't going to become mandatory overnight, but having a card that supports it is definitely smart. If you're still obsessing over the $200 gtx 970, just make sure you have dx 12 support, or better yet, hurry up and grab this r9 290 while it's still in stock. I bet you anything the price jumps or they sell out within two days!

I can see right now that there's a $967 Gigabyte gtx 970 at Best Buy

Sean Garcia3 said:And when exactly were we offering you advice to pick up a more budget-friendly card back when prices were actually reasonable, only to sell off a couple of older GPUs to bridge the gap? $500 Did you not listen to me when I discussed the gtx 970? I believe I was quite explicit in stating that I had no intention of purchasing graphics cards from that particular manufacturer. $833It seems you have finally pivoted your perspective, and now you can see for yourself that such an approach isn't actually a bad move.
It isn't as if dx 12 is going to become a mandatory requirement overnight, but one must admit that possessing a graphics card capable of supporting it is certainly a wise move. Why rush into such things? It will likely take some time before it truly becomes an essential standard. $200 If you are truly struggling with that gtx 970, why not simply ensure you have proper dx 12 support? Or, perhaps more effectively, why not act quickly and secure this r9 290 while it is still available? I would venture to bet that within the next forty-eight hours, the price will either climb or the card will be sold out entirely.

It appears to me that... $967 Is anyone else considering putting a Gigabyte gtx 970 into a futur build? If you are currently scouring the market for a decent graphics card, you might find yourself looking at this specific Gigabyte gtx 970. It is an interesting piece of hardware, but one must ask: does it truly hold up under modern scrutiny? When we examine the specifications provided by retailers like Newegg, we have to look beyond just the raw numbers on the box. Is the cooling solution sufficient for sustained loads, or will you be plagued by constant Coil whine once you start pushing the limits? One must consider whether the performance delta between this and a slightly older gtx 760 is actually worth the investment in today's landscape. While it remains a capable option for titles like GTA V or even a modest playthrough of Witcher 3, a discerning enthusiast should weigh the power draw against the actual frame delivery. Does the architecture justify the price tag, or are we simply paying for a legacy name?

🤣

What kind of talk is this regarding a gtx 970? The R9 290 OC is my primary choice, period. Do they really think the green camp can win me over with that ridiculous architecture where they split 4 GB into two separate segments—3.5 GB plus 512 MB? It simply won't happen. ☕

Brian Campbell36 said:🤣

What even is a gtx 970? The R9 290 OC is the obvious pick here. I'm definitely not joining the green camp just because they split 4 GB into two chunks—3.5 GB plus 512 MB. That's a joke. ☕

I was actually thinking about grabbing a gtx 970 recently, but I bailed because of that VRAM issue and the Coil whine. Besides, my current card (gtx 760) is actually decent enough that I can run pretty much everything on max settings right now. So, I decided to just hold out for the new AMD series in maybe six months or so. Knowing how they usually undercut NVIDIA on price while offering better raw performance, it’s an easy call. Until then, I'll just squeeze what I can out of this gtx 760 and wait until summer to drop over three grand on a total beast. 😬

Sean Garcia3 said:Personally, I was considering picking up a gtx 970 recently, but I ultimately decided against it due to those VRAM issues and the dreaded Coil whine. Besides, my current card—a gtx 760—is still quite capable, allowing me to run almost everything on maximum settings. Consequently, I’ve chosen to hold off for the upcoming AMD series, likely within the next six months or perhaps even sooner. Given that AMD typically offers better value and superior raw performance compared to NVIDIA, I find the wait perfectly acceptable. Until then, I will simply make do with these few older titles I have left on my gtx 970, and by this summer, I plan to hunt down a true beast that costs upwards of three grand. 😬

What exactly constitutes coil whine?

What is your take on whether I should invest in the R9 290 OC right now, or would it be more prudent to await the AMD 300 series? At present, I am in a position where my dual cf 7770 setup renders it impossible to play anything without dropping all graphical settings to the absolute minimum.

Are you guys kidding me? Seriously, if you're planning to play at anything higher than Full HD, don't even bother looking at a gtx 970. But hey, if you're perfectly happy sticking to 1080p, then go ahead and grab it.

Larry Ortiz5 said:Are you people being serious right now? For heaven's sake, if you intend to play at resolutions higher than Full HD, don't even bother looking at a gtx 970. If your plan is to stick to 1080p, then by all means, go ahead and grab it.

My setup runs at a standard 1920x1080 resolution, ☕

And frankly, I have no intention of upgrading to anything superior at this stage. Is it not reasonable to assume that the R9 290, equipped with 4 GB of VRAM, possesses sufficient power to handle modern titles, particularly something like GTA V or Witcher 3?

Brian Campbell36 said:What even is coil whine?

So, what do you think? Should I pull the trigger on an R9 290 OC right now, or just hold out for the AMD 300 series? Right now, I'm stuck with two cf 7770s and I can't play anything unless I crank everything to low and turn off basically every setting in the graphics menu.

Coil whine is basically just that buzzing sound coming from the inductors near the fans.

Honestly, if I were in your shoes, I'd grab a card now because playing on low settings is just soul-crushing. That said, I'd probably lean toward the gtx 970 since it's more powerful and way more efficient. Since you're rocking a 1000w gold power supply, power draw isn't even going to be an issue for you anyway.😁 Plus, the newer card generally has dx 12 and some other modern features compared to the r9 290. Then again, you won't go wrong with the r9 290 either—it's still a beast, especially that Asus's model which comes with a 3-year warranty.👍 It really just comes down to personal preference at this point; there isn't a massive gap in raw performance.
Check out this comparison to see for yourself:http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1355?vs=1068

Nobody really points this out, but the gtx 970 actually pulls significantly less power—just something to keep in mind since I always factor that into my decisions. Plus, I really dig how the Asus Strix model keeps things simple with just a single 8-pin connector to plug in 😁

Sorry I didn't add an EDIT earlier—the forum is acting a bit sluggish today and I really didn't feel like logging back in just to fix it. Anyway, here’s that Linus Tech Tips video. He breaks everything down pretty clearly, so if you're comfortable with English, it's worth a quick watch. It gives a nice, simple overview of how things work regarding that 3.5GB VRAM plus the extra 512MB.

It’s going to be a tough sell for anyone looking at the GTX 1080 right now (assuming their power supply can even handle it). When you look at the high-end models—say, an ASUS versus an ASUS—the GTX 1080 ends up being roughly $167 +/- more expensive than the R9 390 XFX, all while people are rightfully worried about memory limitations when it comes to upcoming game releases.

I have recently acquired an R9 390 XFX (ASUS), and now I find myself contemplating the addition of a new headset by $100 (though I would certainly lean toward $17 if they truly represent a best buy), ideally sourced from Best Buy
.
Does anyone have any thoughtful recommendations to offer? 🤔