d3athsd00r Posted January 2, 2015 Posted January 2, 2015 Been away for a while but I'm back with a question. I'm currently rocking a GTX 460 that I got when the 600 series was coming out. With all these new AAA games coming out with stupid texture memory requirements (COD, Shadow of Mordor, etc) my 460 just can't keep up anymore. I was thinking about buying a new 970 since nVidia pushed their new tech with it, but I'm not sure if the $350 price tag on this EVGA or Gigabyte is worth it, or if I should just go with something slightly older with 3-4GB of VRAM. I've never used AMD/ATI but I'm open to suggestions if the price/performance is decent. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
El_Capitan Posted January 2, 2015 Posted January 2, 2015 The R9 290X performs slightly less, a few FPS that you won't notice, for about $250 used. Though it does run really warm, and isn't as efficient. You should be able to find a GTX 780 for slightly less (used), and it will be the same, just a bit more cooler than the R9 290X. The great thing about the older cards is that they haven't been out for too long, so any manufacturers that have serial based warranty (EVGA, Gigabyte, ASUS, MSI), you're set for another year or two in case they go bad. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
d3athsd00r Posted January 2, 2015 Posted January 2, 2015 There's a few things I don't prefer to buy used and GPUs are one of them because you just never know how hard they were run or how high they were overclocked. I would honestly feel bad for whomever I sell my 460 to just because of that reason, I'm not soft on GPUs or CPUs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
El_Capitan Posted January 2, 2015 Posted January 2, 2015 There's a few things I don't prefer to buy used and GPUs are one of them because you just never know how hard they were run or how high they were overclocked. I would honestly feel bad for whomever I sell my 460 to just because of that reason, I'm not soft on GPUs or CPUs. Then I suggest sticking with a GTX 970. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IVIYTH0S Posted January 2, 2015 Posted January 2, 2015 Since used cards are outta the question you have: This 290X for $270 after MIR or This 970 for $326 It's up to you if you want pay $56 more slightly better performance, thermals and efficiency. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedFury77 Posted January 2, 2015 Posted January 2, 2015 Considering how long you have had the last card, get the 970. Lower power, less heat, higher performance for just a few bucks. I found mine on sale at Tigerdirect for $312 and free shipping. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
d3athsd00r Posted January 3, 2015 Posted January 3, 2015 That's kind of what I was thinking. I've had the 460 for about 3 years now, about a week after Battlefield 3 came out and I spent around $150. I'm hoping the 970 will take me until the next console gen happens, which should be another 5-7 years or so. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LETTERSTOTHEDEV Posted January 3, 2015 Posted January 3, 2015 Considering how long you have had the last card, get the 970. Lower power, less heat, higher performance for just a few bucks. I found mine on sale at Tigerdirect for $312 and free shipping. I'm a total AMD fan boy but I have to go with with you on this one, Considering how long he keeps cards the lower temps on it and the system should help make for a longer life span and less maintenance. My GF has a Sapphire Radeon HD6970 which is as you probably know one toasty card. If I dont clean it for her a minimum of every two months it runs 90c. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
d3athsd00r Posted February 8, 2015 Posted February 8, 2015 So i was really close to buying the card, and then I read the 3.5GB+0.5GB memory layout and how that last .5GB is about 1/7th as fast as the rest of the memory. Do you still think this is a good investment at $350? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bp9801 Posted February 8, 2015 Posted February 8, 2015 Yes. Even with the GTX 970 how it is, it is still a supremely capable card. There is a slight drop in performance when all 4GB is used, but nothing alarming. When it uses 3.5GB or less, the performance is exactly the same as seen in any review on OCC. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
El_Capitan Posted February 8, 2015 Posted February 8, 2015 Yes. Even with the GTX 970 how it is, it is still a supremely capable card. There is a slight drop in performance when all 4GB is used, but nothing alarming. When it uses 3.5GB or less, the performance is exactly the same as seen in any review on OCC. Most likely they'll make a driver update so the last .5GB isn't used. Still sucks for people expecting a full 4GB VRAM. Very capable card, though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdm_freek Posted February 8, 2015 Posted February 8, 2015 first what is your native resolution how many monitors you save yourself $70 and get a r9 290 wich performs on par with gtx 970 most will agrue my point but to me 2fps more is not worth $70 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now