GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

analogtiger19 said:Wait, hold on—are you actually running dual Radeon HD 7770s in CrossFire right now? 😬

That is correct, and frankly, I am far from satisfied with the current setup; my intention is to transition to a single card with at least 2 GB of VRAM—though 3 GB would be ideal—just so I can have some peace of mind for the next few years. 🍿

To be perfectly honest, the performance of those HD 7770s in CrossFire simply hasn't impressed me when it comes to modern titles like Far Cry 4, the latest Call of Duty, or other recent releases.

Brian Campbell36 said:Exactly. I'm not happy with this setup, so I'd rather just jump to a single card with at least 2 GB—ideally 3 GB—just so I don't have to worry about it for a few years.🍿

Running dual HD 7770s in Crossfire just doesn't cut it anymore with modern titles like Far Cry 4, the latest CoD, or anything else coming out now.

If I were you, I’d grab that R9 280 x I sent you the $633 for. It’s basically the best bang for your buck right now, even if it only has a 2-year warranty. Otherwise, you can go with something weaker that offers a full 3-year warranty.🤷

Brian Campbell36 said:Exactly—I'm not particularly thrilled with my current setup, so I'd rather just jump to a single card with at least 2 GB of VRAM (though 3 GB would be the sweet spot) just to have some peace of mind for the next few years.🍿

The HD 7770s in CrossFire haven't really impressed me lately when it comes to newer titles like Far Cry 4, the latest Call of Duty, or other modern releases.

If I were in your shoes, I’d actually hold off a bit longer $77 and just grab an R9 290; that way, you're properly set for a while.
https://www.newegg.com/a/amd-ati-gpu/1...on-r9-290.html
The price is $767, but if you sign up for their forum, you can snag a 3% discount, which brings the total down to $743. They are a pretty reliable and high-quality retailer, by the way.

The 270x isn't going to outperform the CF 7770, especially in titles where the CF scales effectively. The only real advantage here is that this setup is more straightforward and offers more VRAM...

I guess you'd need at least an R9 280 x to see any real jump over CrossFire, though maybe an R9 290 would be the sweet spot before you hit your CPU's limit.

crimsonstag84 said:If you want any actual upgrade over CrossFire, an R9 280 x is the bare minimum. Ideally, you’d aim for an R9 290, though that would probably be hitting the ceiling for your CPU.

Even with an R9 280 x, you're basically redlining that processor...

Don't bother picking up any ASUS R7 260 X cards. A lot of these units suffer from black screen issues when they're just idling—like when you're just browsing the web or watching an MP4 at low power consumption. The video signal just cuts out completely. It works perfectly fine under full load, though. Even with the latest AMD 14.12 Omega drivers, they still haven't found a fix for it.

Alexander Moore67 said:Don't buy the R7 260X cards! Most of these units have a black screen issue when they're idling—like during low power usage while just browsing the web or watching an MP4. The display just cuts out. The card works fine under full load, though. AMD still hasn't fixed the issue even with the new 14.12 Omega driver.

Wat? I've already built four different rigs (including my own, which is over six months old now) and everything runs perfectly without any issues. Where are you getting that from?

Adam Moore3 said:What? I've built four different rigs now (including my own, which is over six months old), and they all run perfectly without any issues. Where are you getting that from?

The last two ASUS R7 260 X cards I put together both have this exact issue. Just type "Google r7 260 x black screen" into the search bar and you'll see how common this problem actually is.

Alexander Moore67 said:The last two ASUS R7 260 X cards I built both had this exact issue. Just search "Google r7 260 x black screen" and you'll see how widespread this problem is.

Hmm, maybe it's just an issue specifically with the ASUS models. Every single one I've personally tested was a Sapphire, and I never ran into any trouble. Honestly, the Sapphire cards are the budget option, so I don't see why anyone would even bother with the Asusica versions when they aren't really different in any meaningful way.

Adam Moore3 said:Maybe it's just an issue with the ASUS models specifically. Every Sapphire card I've ever tested worked fine. Sapphires are cheaper, too. Honestly, I don't get why anyone would bother with ASUS when they're basically the same thing for more money.

lol, that's exactly it... it's ridiculous. It's the same mess they made with the GTX 980 Matrix Platinum or whatever...
They slapped on some "extreme" cooling setup, but the heatsink doesn't even touch the memory chips. They just overheat. Total disaster. 😁

Robert Rodriguez2 said:name lol that's why... terrible. It's just like what they did with the GTX 980 Matrix Platinum or something similar...
they slapped on "uber" cooling, but the heatsink doesn't even touch the memory chips, so they just overheat... it's awful 😁

Yeah, I know about that, read all about it. It's the exact same thing as the ASUS GTX 980 Matrix Platinum. I think they just do it because the names allow them to charge $333 more 🤣

Quick question: is this graphics card actually worth the asking price? http://www.ebay.com/itm/example-listing
It supposedly still has a warranty too—at least that’s what the seller told me via email. Though, if I'm reading the listings on Newegg correctly, you can grab a brand new one for about $207 if you look hard enough...
The guy claims there's still
of warranty left on it.

You're just messing around here AMD Radeon R7 260

Well, I was actually thinking... and I even told the guy to adjust the price so I could pull the trigger on it...

I've had my eye on this particular graphics card for a little while now, but I find myself hesitating over whether it's actually worth pulling the trigger (it's an AMD Radeon R9 280, featuring 3GB of GDDR5, 2xDVI ports, and HDMI).

http://www.amazon.com/graphics-cards...2xdvi__6023411

Given the price point, isn't it quite a steal for a card boasting a 384-bit bus and 3 GB of VRAM? It seems rather obvious when you consider that other models offering comparable performance are priced well above $833 🤔
.

Brian Campbell36 said:It’s a steal considering you get GDDR5, a 384-bit bus, and 3 GB of VRAM, especially since other cards with similar performance go for more than $833 🤔

Reading this is kind of like reading just the first ten and last ten pages of a 300-page book 😬

There’s a reason the price is set that way. Even if that card is probably a great value, I don't think you'll see a massive jump in performance. The Radeon R9 280 is maybe 10-20% faster than your CrossFire setup when it's actually running smoothly.

That Asus Radeon R9 290 for $767($743 if you have a Newegg membership) at Amazon would likely be your best bet.

crimsonstag84 said:It’s like reading just the first 10 and last 10 pages of a 300-page book 😬

There’s a reason for that price point. Even if that card is technically a "best buy," you aren't going to see a massive leap in performance. A Radeon R9 280 is only about 10-20% faster than your Crossfire setup when everything is actually running smoothly.

That Asus Radeon R9 290 at $767($743 if you're a Newegg member) over at Amazon will be the most cost-effective way to go.

True, but even if he can't swing the 290, he’ll still see an improvement in every game—either from that 10-20% boost or just by avoiding the occasional catastrophic Crossfire scaling issues. And don't even get me started on the stuttering, screen tearing, and all those other headaches. 🙂 So the 280 is definitely an upgrade, but the 290 is just a much better value overall.

Look, if I'm working with a budget up to $0.67, I’d be weighing the options between the Radeon R9 280 ($0.50), the R9 280x ($0.63), and the Asus Radeon R9 290 ($0.74). Personally, I wouldn't bother going past the 280x when pairing it with an Intel Core i5-2320. It really comes down to whether he wants to max out his budget to get every bit of power possible, or if he just wants to spend the bare minimum to see a decent jump from what he has now. Plus, if he's planning on swapping out that processor soon, that changes the whole math...🤷

analogtiger19 said:I am honestly not sure; if I were working within a budget of up to $0.67, I would be weighing the options between the Radeon R9 280 ($0.50), the Radeon R9 280x ($0.63), and the Asus Radeon R9 290 ($0.74). Personally, when paired with an Intel Core i5-2320, I wouldn't bother going beyond the 280x. The real question here is whether he intends to exhaust his entire budget to get the absolute best performance possible for his money, or if he prefers to spend as little as possible while still seeing a meaningful upgrade from his current setup. Furthermore, does he have plans to upgrade his processor down the road? That factor alone significantly shifts the decision-making process...🤷

The gentleman suggests my CPU could handle an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 (though pairing it with $1167 would be total suicide)

It has been overclocked to 3.8 GHz 🍿