AMD Radeon R9 280 ($230) vs. NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 ($290)

I could use some advice here. I’ve got a motherboard that supports CrossFire but doesn't have SLI support, so I'm looking at an AMD Radeon R9 280. It’s $133 a pretty decent deal if I just run it solo, but I've heard the R9 series can be a bit temperamental—specifically those annoying black screen issues. On the other hand, if I decide to go with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760, I won't be able to add a second card via SLI down the road because of my board's limitations. Any thoughts? Help me out.

So you aren't gonna put anything in SLI or CF because:

-it's pricey
-it eats power for breakfast
-it runs hot as hell
-drivers are always a headache
-game support is hit or miss

It's probably better to just grab one decent card instead.

fadedorca66 said:So you aren't gonna put anything in SLI or CF because:

-it's pricey
-it eats power for breakfast
-it runs hot as hell
-drivers are always a headache
-game support is hit or miss

It's probably better to just grab one decent card instead.

So, which one should I go for then?

vividraven102 said:So, which one should I go for then?

How much cash are we talking about?

1900 max

Look, the AMD Radeon R9 280 is more powerful, cheaper, and handles overclocking much better. Your only real reasons to go elsewhere would be if you're dead set on a specific NVIDIA feature or if you value MSI’s extra year of warranty—which, granted, is a nice perk.

Otherwise, you can grab a Sapphire version of the AMD Radeon R9 280 for $500, or if you decide to go with the AMD route, you could pick up the NVIDIA GeForce GTX equivalent for XFX R9 280 Black Edition, which would be for instance

I’d say the AMD Radeon R9 280 is probably the better bet.

I'm going to pull the trigger on the AMD Radeon R9 280. Thanks for the help.

That's pretty much the whole story 😁

👍

It comes down to personal preference. If I were buying, I’d go with NVIDIA 😁
I don't ever hunt for those ultra-high-end, hyper-detailed specs and stuff 😁

Since I dabble in 3D modeling every now and then, NVIDIA just feels like a better fit for me 😳

It all comes down to what you're actually planning to do with it. That NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 is a solid card, especially considering this specific version with its cooling setup and being three years old—but it isn't worth a premium price. To be honest, they really need to slash the asking price on this model if they want it to move. That said, if you're looking for hardware acceleration for specific software or just want a decent entry point for gaming, it's an excellent choice.