290X or GTX970

[raghu78]

R9 290X is the better choice given that its on par to slightly faster compared to GTX 970 and has 4GB VRAM. the Lightning is built like a tank and is an easy choice.

http://www.sweclockers.com/recension/19925-geforce-gtx-960-fran-asus-gigabyte-och-msi/17#pagehead

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GTX_960_G1_Gaming/28.html

http://gamegpu.ru/test-video-cards/igry-2014-goda-protiv-sovremennykh-videokart.html

 

[Gikaseixas]

290X Lightning without a doubt. Simply the faster card now and the not so distant future.

 

[Crow550]

Fan noise.... There is many sound tests @ review sites & YouTube to get a general idea.

Also keep in mind both cards can scale games at 4K and downscale to 1080P which works similar to Anti-Aliasing but better from what I heard. Also depends on the game of course.

In the end you'll be happy with either.... Just depends on your needs.

Both are neck and neck.... Both have +'s and -'s....

You really can't go wrong with either. If you have the case room then go with the MSI Lightning 290X....

 

[Headfoot]

100% the Lightning, easy choice unless you're okay with losing about 5-7% performance and saving another $50 by getting a 290

 

[tg2708]

Does the cpu need to be overclocked to get maximum frame rate possible from a the 290x? I'm asking because my cpu (4670k) does not seem to be stable after awhile when oc'ed so I keep it at stock. I'm looking to upgrade from a 770.

 

[Leyawiin]

290X Lightning without a doubt. Simply the faster card now and the not so distant future.

No tangible difference for 1080p or 1440p (which the vast majority of people use).

 

[RussianSensation]

42 dBA vs 30 dBA at load. Pretty huge difference in noise.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_970_Gaming/26.html
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/R9_290X_Lightning/23.html

For 1080p and 1440p I'd get the GTX 970. For resolutions above that I'd get the R9 290X, but I'm not sure about that particular cooler. Its too noisy for me and my PC case with its mesh side panels. YMMV.

The Lightning runs at 70-71C at 1150mhz overclocks. You can just set up a custom fan curve and let the GPU operate at 85C at much quieter noise levels.

Even at stock fan curve in the BIOS, the card is far from loud. You'd really need to have top of the line after-market heatsink and PSU to be able to hear this card.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/r9-290x-lightning-performance-review,3782-7.html

The MSI Gaming 970 is $45-50 extra.

Frankly, I would skip BOTH and get the XFX DD R9 290 for $220. Sorry but a $330-350 970 against an after-market 290 for $220 is a straight up waste of $. That's $100-130+ set aside for a 14/16nm GPU that will blow the doors off a 970/290X.

 

[D.Kepler]

Thank you guys so much for helping me.
I am thinking about 290x right now
I have some more questions
If I overclock 290x, would it beat 970? ( lighting made for overclocking)
I am planing to get a new 21:9 ultra wide monitor. With 3.5GB can 970 handle he monitor?
I am running Seasonic s620, is it OK to run 290x?
Sorry about my bad English

 

[Silverforce11]

By the time DX12 becomes relevant, there might be better GPUs suited for that API, imo.

All the AMD AIBs with custom R290/X advertise it as being DX12 compatible. From what we've seen, DX12 is just a major CPU overhead reduction, similar to Mantle.

@RS Good advice, there's plenty of nice custom R290X that goes for $220-$240. The Lightning is good but it won't guarantee to give you a better OC than Tri-X, PCS+ or DD variants. Hawaii peaks at around 1.2ghz so there's a 20% performance potential for OC, which it does scale very well in most of the games I've tested.

 

[funboy6942]

I have that size monitor myself, i can let u know in a few days when my 970 shows up. im running a gtx 770 on it now so i cant see why the 970 wouldnt. did u see how small a form factor you can get a 970 vs any 290 in? i linked mine in my reply on the first page and gigabyte makes an even smaller one then mine i picked out. just in case u think of ever buying a case for a 290 will need to go into a full size atx case for most mids wont be big enough.

 

[Silverforce11]

Thank you guys so much for helping me.
I am thinking about 290x right now
I have some more questions
If I overclock 290x, would it beat 970? ( lighting made for overclocking)
I am planing to get a new 21:9 ultra wide monitor. With 3.5GB can 970 handle he monitor?
I am running Seasonic s620, is it OK to run 290x?
Sorry about my bad English

It depends on the games, in NV GameWorks games they have a clear advantage.

Nobody can tell you whether the 3.5gb gimped 970 can handle future games. We've already seen it struggle in current games at 1080p, 1440p and 1600p. It also depends on how much value you place in smoothness. If you don't care and go after average fps, then the 970 is apparently "fine".

A good PSU will handle it just fine.

 

[Leyawiin]

Frankly, I would skip BOTH and get the XFX DD R9 290 for $220. Sorry but a $330-350 970 against an after-market 290 for $220 is a straight up waste of $. That's $100-130+ set aside for a 14/16nm GPU that will blow the doors off a 970/290X.

I'd vouch for that card. Got mine for $215 Black Friday and it was excellent. Didn't suit my mostly Nvidia favored games so I replaced it with a GTX 780 I got for $270, but the card itself was a great deal.

 

[Majcric]

Op, I think you will be fine with either card. I favor the lightening for its robust build quality and 4gb vram over the 970. Now with that being said ,the only thing I would do different is order from Amazon over Newegg in case if you are dissatisfied with said card. You might have to pay a little more but to me the better return policy is worth it.

 

[Chocu1a]

Thank you guys so much for helping me.
I am thinking about 290x right now
I have some more questions
If I overclock 290x, would it beat 970? ( lighting made for overclocking)
I am planing to get a new 21:9 ultra wide monitor. With 3.5GB can 970 handle he monitor?
I am running Seasonic s620, is it OK to run 290x?
Sorry about my bad English

Running a LG 29" Ultrawide 21:9 with my Gigabyte GTX970 G1. No issues here. Running Dying Light, Far Cry 4, Ryse, Shadows of Mordor & BF4 on all high. Stays nice & cool, too.

 

[flexy]

MSI R9 290X Lightning:

Absolutely AMAZING card, crazy build quality

Stays COOL.

4GB *real* memory with 512bit bus at 320GB/s which can be crazily overclocked as well. (Did I say FOUR GB? Yes I did).

Cheaper.

No coil whine.

No "OMG my game uses more than 3.5GB memory!" bullcrap worries with any new game that will come out! (970 struggles already in some games today)

If I could get this here for the same price as in the US ($300) I would take this instantly. Too bad morons in Europe sell this card for €500++, still.

IMHO, nobrainer. I would get this card and OC the **** out of it (not that it needs it), I don't think a 970 would be a contestant.

 

[ThatBuzzkiller]

There's no question about it, go for the R9 290X ...

 

[garagisti]

A chap who contributes to bits and chips, an Italian tech site, suggested that Nvidia will be likely getting more stick in April (most likely with Win10 and DX12). He didn't reveal any more, most likely he may be a signatory to a NDA or more. Personally i'd look for a cheap 970 on ebay or something if i must have one, but i certainly wouldn't be paying whatever it costs for a new one.

source:
http://semiaccurate.com/forums/showpost.php?p=228888&postcount=203

note: Unfortunate that the 970 thread was closed. It is information that prospective buyers, or owners in return period could have used.

 

[Temuka]

Guys,I'm not citizen of US and I use 3rd party company to deliver my packages to my country (Georgia,Tbilisi) Can I use the this rebate thing which is on newegg? Or it's only for US citizens? Or maybe instead of rebate card newegg can put money on my visa card or smth? Thanks in advance

 

[Creig]

did u see how small a form factor you can get a 970 vs any 290 in? i linked mine in my reply on the first page and gigabyte makes an even smaller one then mine i picked out. just in case u think of ever buying a case for a 290 will need to go into a full size atx case for most mids wont be big enough.

Many mid tower cases can fit 290s easily. Heck, my daughter's mid tower case has a Sapphire 290X Tri-X OC in it and that's probably the longest 290 card you can get.

I'd also suggest the OP either purchase a 290 or 290X. You simply can't get that level of performance for the money with any Nvidia card currently on the market. And the 970 has a questionable future due to its memory issue.

 

[flexy]

Guys,I'm not citizen of US and I use 3rd party company to deliver my packages to my country (Georgia,Tbilisi) Can I use the this rebate thing which is on newegg? Or it's only for US citizens? Or maybe instead of rebate card newegg can put money on my visa card or smth? Thanks in advance

Not sure about shipping high-tech to Georgia.

But one thing is clear....you will likely have to pay customs..UNLESS someone sends you the card as a gift. Correct me if I am wrong.

I have relatives in the states and actually bought some cheap hardware with their help already....but of course there is always shipping costs.

You MAY be better or equally off getting a 290X in Europe. They're dropping in price as we speak.

 

[Temuka]

Not sure about shipping high-tech to Georgia.

But one thing is clear....you will likely have to pay customs..UNLESS someone sends you the card as a gift. Correct me if I am wrong.

I have relatives in the states and actually bought some cheap hardware with their help already....but of course there is always shipping costs.

You MAY be better or equally off getting a 290X in Europe. They're dropping in price as we speak.

At this point,let me correct you

I've been buying from amazon and ebay pc parts for almost 6 years and never had problem,I'm just paying for international shipping: 1kg is 7$ and thats it

I've never bought from newegg though and I'm just interested if I can do rebate thing,if not,than I will buy again from Amazon