IVIYTH0S Posted October 28, 2014 Posted October 28, 2014 (edited) So I'm thinking of upgrading!I'm thinkin' a used 290X I can get $235, or a new GTX 970... as a card I like the 970 more (efficiency being the biggest, and gimmiX being a bonus) but the cheapest is THIS for ~$330. It's hard to justify the added efficiency for $95 more dollars.What do you all think? I'd similarly go for a 780Ti if I could find one as cheap as these cards but that's not going to happen.I may try and overclock my 7970 one of these days to see all she's got but I have a feeling this isn't the card to have for 2560x1600 lol....OR the new contender would be a second 7970/280x in CF (whichever'd be cheaper). Since that seems to be the overwhelming most recommended solution! VOTES: GTX 970: 0 R9 290X: 1 Crossfire 7970s: 4 COST BREAKDOWN: GTX 970: $330-($120-$150)+$12 shipping of sold card=$192-$222 R9 290X: $235-($120-$150 sale price of my card)+$12 shipping of sold card=$97-$127 Crossfire 7970s: $100-$150 Edited October 28, 2014 by IVIYTH0S Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccokeman Posted October 28, 2014 Posted October 28, 2014 I've got a water cooled 7970 GHz edition on the relative cheap if you want to go that route! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puck Posted October 28, 2014 Posted October 28, 2014 Cheapest route would be to add a second used 7970, but it will limit future upgrade ability. I run dual 7970s @ 1100/1500 and they can still pretty much max anything at 2560x1440. They are not very power efficient, but are still powerful cards by todays standards with a bit of an OC...and they scale well to two. With the recent price cut to $299 NIB for 290x's I am getting to the point where I am thinking about upgrading, but I would need two of them to beat my crossfire OC'd 7970s. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IVIYTH0S Posted October 28, 2014 Posted October 28, 2014 (edited) I've got a water cooled 7970 GHz edition on the relative cheap if you want to go that route! (Lol I hope you were joking though...unless you meant to CF ) Cheapest route would be to add a second used 7970, but it will limit future upgrade ability. I run dual 7970s @ 1100/1500 and they can still pretty much max anything at 2560x1440. They are not very power efficient, but are still powerful cards by todays standards with a bit of an OC...and they scale well to two. With the recent price cut to $299 NIB for 290x's I am getting to the point where I am thinking about upgrading, but I would need two of them to beat my crossfire OC'd 7970s. You recommend CF'ing? How long have you been running two 7970s? How has your scaling been? It was an option I didn't bother considering TBH... I'll have to scope out my case spacing to see if it'd even be wise to consider lol. I suppose if I'm considering a likely reference 290X than I can't really complain about any heat or noise of a CF configuration Edited October 28, 2014 by IVIYTH0S Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waco Posted October 28, 2014 Posted October 28, 2014 What are you running that puts a hurt on it? I didn't have any trouble at 2560x1440 with my 770 (or the 780) and the 770 is a bit slower than the 7970 in most games... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccokeman Posted October 28, 2014 Posted October 28, 2014 I've got a water cooled 7970 GHz edition on the relative cheap if you want to go that route! (Lol I hope you were joking though...unless you meant to CF ) Cheapest route would be to add a second used 7970, but it will limit future upgrade ability. I run dual 7970s @ 1100/1500 and they can still pretty much max anything at 2560x1440. They are not very power efficient, but are still powerful cards by todays standards with a bit of an OC...and they scale well to two. With the recent price cut to $299 NIB for 290x's I am getting to the point where I am thinking about upgrading, but I would need two of them to beat my crossfire OC'd 7970s. You recommend CF'ing? How long have you been running two 7970s? How has your scaling been? It was an option I didn't bother considering TBH... I'll have to scope out my case spacing to see if it'd even be wise to consider lol. I suppose if I'm considering a likely reference 290X than I can't really complain about any heat or noise of a CF configuration Its water cooled but yep was looking at $100 for it. but we can talk if you like. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjloki Posted October 28, 2014 Posted October 28, 2014 Cheapest route would be to add a second used 7970, but it will limit future upgrade ability. I run dual 7970s @ 1100/1500 and they can still pretty much max anything at 2560x1440. They are not very power efficient, but are still powerful cards by todays standards with a bit of an OC...and they scale well to two. With the recent price cut to $299 NIB for 290x's I am getting to the point where I am thinking about upgrading, but I would need two of them to beat my crossfire OC'd 7970s. yea, i never had a problem with cf'd 7970's when i had 'em in here....they did a fine job at max everything... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bp9801 Posted October 28, 2014 Posted October 28, 2014 Crossfire it up! Or failing that, turn down some settings so you can run your games at the big res. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IVIYTH0S Posted October 28, 2014 Posted October 28, 2014 (edited) What are you running that puts a hurt on it? I didn't have any trouble at 2560x1440 with my 770 (or the 780) and the 770 is a bit slower than the 7970 in most games... At the moment, the new Tomb Raider, which I started in 1920x1200 maxed and then 2560x1600 I had to turn down somethings (still looks great but imagine this isn't even a particularly hard title, not to mention it's an AMD optimized title). I suppose I could just deal and then see what next game I play (which will VERY likely be older than Tomb Raider, since that's my newest game in both date of purchase and date of release) Its water cooled but yep was looking at $100 for it. but we can talk if you like. Self contained water? I don't run any custom loops of water, I'm all air over here. yea, i never had a problem with cf'd 7970's when i had 'em in here....they did a fine job at max everything... Is that a vote for CF from you too? Crossfire it up! Or failing that, turn down some settings so you can run your games at the big res. I already DID turn down some things, which is what got me here But is that a soft 4th vote for CF? I love how not one person has recommended a single card but rather CF from everyone... I guess i oughta add that to the main post. Edited October 28, 2014 by IVIYTH0S Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
El_Capitan Posted October 28, 2014 Posted October 28, 2014 The prices of a used HD 7970 is pretty good, around $110 sometimes. For the price, it's definitely worth to crossfire. That being said, when I moved to a R9 290X, I was flabbergasted at how much powerful it was. Two overclocked HD 7970's in Crossfire was only 30% faster than a single overclocked R9 290X. But then again, two overclocked R9 290X's are only 30% faster than a single overclocked GTX 980. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubbaxm2 Posted October 28, 2014 Posted October 28, 2014 I've got a water cooled 7970 GHz edition on the relative cheap if you want to go that route! (Lol I hope you were joking though...unless you meant to CF ) Cheapest route would be to add a second used 7970, but it will limit future upgrade ability. I run dual 7970s @ 1100/1500 and they can still pretty much max anything at 2560x1440. They are not very power efficient, but are still powerful cards by todays standards with a bit of an OC...and they scale well to two. With the recent price cut to $299 NIB for 290x's I am getting to the point where I am thinking about upgrading, but I would need two of them to beat my crossfire OC'd 7970s. You recommend CF'ing? How long have you been running two 7970s? How has your scaling been? It was an option I didn't bother considering TBH... I'll have to scope out my case spacing to see if it'd even be wise to consider lol. I suppose if I'm considering a likely reference 290X than I can't really complain about any heat or noise of a CF configuration Its water cooled but yep was looking at $100 for it. but we can talk if you like. Somebody needs to update their for sale thread lol. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IVIYTH0S Posted October 28, 2014 Posted October 28, 2014 The prices of a used HD 7970 is pretty good, around $110 sometimes. For the price, it's definitely worth to crossfire. That being said, when I moved to a R9 290X, I was flabbergasted at how much powerful it was. Two overclocked HD 7970's in Crossfire was only 30% faster than a single overclocked R9 290X. But then again, two overclocked R9 290X's are only 30% faster than a single overclocked GTX 980. Lol I can't tell if you're endorsing the 290X or another 7970/280x for CF Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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