GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Adam Moore3 said:🤦

For what reason? $100 Is this really about chasing a measly 2% performance bump? You can't just fly in here throwing around nonsense like that, people...

just because of a 2 percent difference 🤦 ??Maybe do a little homework before you try to act like the smartest guy in the room 😵

In benchmarks, the 7950/R9 280 and the 7970/R9 280x cards are virtually identical.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/768?vs=856

You basically just embarrassed yourself here.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1332?vs=1041

It’s not even worth $100. You can probably just grab those extra few FPS by overclocking anyway.

fadedorca66 said:You're basically just tripping over your own feet here.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1332?vs=1041

It isn't worth $100, especially since you can just make up those few extra FPS through overclocking.

And you're operating under the assumption that everyone actually knows how to overclock—or even wants to deal with the hassle??
Even if they did know how, it’s not a perfect fix; just because you can bump up the clock speeds on an R9 280 doesn't mean you'll get the same results as an R9 280x. There's still a measurable difference there.

You could actually pull off an R9 290 even with a 500W power supply. A 450W unit is definitely cutting it too close, but 500W should be enough to keep that 290 running steady. Especially if you're pairing it with an Intel Core i5 that draws about 80W.

Yeah, I did take a look at the 280x, but honestly, it’s a bit $67 beyond the budget ceiling I set for myself—and I had a reason for setting that limit! It would be a dream to grab one, but you have to know when to draw the line, otherwise there's always some shiny new thing just out of reach.
I really think the 280 will be more than enough for what I need to get done. I was eyeing the Sapphire Dual-X, but let's be real—it's basically the exact same card, just with a different cooling setup. My plan is to hunt down a Gigabyte model, but if they're sold out, I'll just pivot to another version of the 280. I'll keep you guys posted on how it goes!

Dennis Carter3 said:Do you honestly think everyone knows how to overclock or even cares enough to bother??
Even if they do know how to overclock, just because you can bump up the clock speeds on an R9 280 doesn't mean it's the same as doing it on a 280x—there's still a clear difference there.

Man, are you for real? You're actually suggesting someone pay $100 extra for the exact same card just to squeeze out an extra 2 FPS on average? Why would anyone drop an extra thirty bucks just so some guy can slide a bar in MSI Afterburner? 😵

So, I finally picked up the Gigabyte R9 280 WF3 OC. Got everything mounted up and—believe it or not—it posted on the very first try! 👋 Even the cable management went smoothly, which is always a bit of a relief. I've installed the drivers, though I suspect the ones on the included CD might not be the absolute latest version—I'll have to play around with that a bit more later. For now, everything seems to be running perfectly fine, but I still need to put it through its paces to see how it handles a heavy load under pressure.
Once again, a huge thank you to everyone for all the suggestions and the helpful info 🙂

Honestly, you’re usually better off grabbing the latest driver straight from the website right away—but hey, no big deal if you didn't 😁 as long as everything is running smoothly...

Larry Ortiz5 said:Honestly, you're usually better off just grabbing the latest driver straight from the manufacturer's website right away—but hey, no biggie 😁 as long as everything is running smoothly...

Well, I might as well ask since I haven't spent much time working with AMD hardware—usually, with Nvidia, everything just seems to find itself automatically.
Right now, I'm seeing version 13.251 listed as the most recent one over on the ASUS website specifically for this card.
Meanwhile, if you look at the AMD website, the latest version is actually 14.301.
Is it just a case where ASUS isn't keeping their site updated regularly, or is that really the absolute final version meant for this specific card? Basically, should I be downloading directly from AMD, or is it safer to stick to the manufacturer's page?
My OS is Windows 7 64-bit.

Just stick to downloading directly from the official AMD site if you can

fadedorca66 said:Always grab those drivers directly from the official AMD website

Alright, it's downloading right now... 😁

Hey there.
I'm wondering if I'm going to run into any issues using an Energon EPS 650 w power supply if I pair an R9 270 x with an Intel Core i5.

You shouldn't run into any issues running an AMD Radeon R9 270 X alongside an i3 processor—though I will say, that power supply is a bit of a headache. Luckily, since the components you listed aren't exactly power hogs, everything should turn out just fine.

I'm aware of that, which is exactly why I'm asking
I just don't want to deal with a hardware failure before its time
but alright, thanks

If I were in your shoes, I’d swap out that power supply immediately. That thing is total junk—that 650W rating is nothing more than wishful thinking on a sticker.

I'd probably go with either the XFX TS 430W or maybe a Hexagon 500W.

Wait, hold on... is their website just trolling us at this point? CLICK 4 x 12v at 18A each?!

A decent way to gauge the 12V power delivery is just looking at the number of GPU connectors; you've got a 650W unit here with 1x6+2-pin 🤣

The Hexagon+ 400W and the XFX TS 430W both come with 2 of those 😂

Honestly, those labels on power supplies would be way more useful if they were used as toilet paper or maybe even as kindling to save a forest...

Your best bet is to check out this little guide regarding generic power supplies with multiple railsovdje

Or this one (at least the conclusion)

And here I was, thinking I’d stumbled onto a total steal for $100 😍. All it needs now is a big ol' "Crossfire ready!" sticker slapped on the box. 😂