Advice on Graphics card upgrade

[capita]

Looking for a graphics card upgrade in one of my systems running AMD Radeon 5770.

Relevant Specs:
Intel Core i5 750
Intel DP55WB Motherboard
8GB RAM
Cooler Master RS-500-PCAR-A3 500W
Display 1920 x 1080

I am looking for best price/performance card that is also power efficient cuz the system runs on UPS backup (2000 KVA).

Currently I have these in sight but not sure if some of them are compatible with the system.

1. GFX 960 ~$200-220
2. 750Ti ~$130-150
3. R9 270x ~$180 (special offer today)*
4. R9 280 ~170-200


I have stated the prices that I am getting. If there is a better buy please give link.

My needs aren't that high. If it can play new games on medium settings on 1080 I will be content.

960 seems attractive for its power efficiency but seems very limited (128 bit 2GB) for new $200 card.

R9 280 looks attractive considering 3GB RAM and 384bit. I am not sure how much the power draw will make a difference though.

Then there is option of buying 750Ti for now and wait till next Black Friday for good price on new cards.

But I need the card to be shipped before next weekend.





*SAPPHIRE 100364TXSR Radeon R9 270X 2GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

 

[RussianSensation]

Given how long you kept your 5770, I would say between a 960 and an R9 290 there is no contest. Look up an Asus R9 290 for $240 on Newegg after 7% off and $30 MIR:
http://m.newegg.com/Product/index?itemnumber=14-121-842

This card is 45% faster than a 960 and has double the VRAM for $40 more.
http://www.techpowerup.com/mobile/reviews/MSI/GTX_960_Gaming/29.html

If you want the budget choice, wait for an R9 280 to drop to $150-155 as they do regularly. An R9 270X also often goes down to $135-140, but an R9 280 would be better value.

The 750Ti is a bad choice for you since an R9 270 is 30%+ faster for $130:
http://m.newegg.com/Product/index?itemnumber=14-131-545

Also, down the line, try to get an after-market cooler and overclock that CPU.

An after-market 290 lands at 155% on that TPU chart at 1080p, while an R9 270 ~ 7870 at 82%. That means a $240 290 costs 85% more than a $130 R9 270 for 89% more performance, a better than perfectly linear price/performance curve! Therefore, it's just a function of you want to pay $240. OTOH, R9 280/285/960 at $170-200 all fail this test against the 290.

 

[Erenhardt]

I wouldn't buy anything with less than 3gb VRAM.

In anticipation for nv 960 release, I sold my 7870 2GB (R9 270) before it lost its value.

The 960 came out and guess what... not much better than my old 7870, same vram, but 2x more expensive than what I get for my 7870.

So now I sport my old hd4670 and need a new gpu.gtx960 wouldn't be much of an upgrade. My 7870 suffered from having only 2GB of VRAM, 960 would suffer even more, it is not an option.

There are 3 options for me:

1. Wait with hd4670 for proper new gen cards. New mid range card from amd is coming in spring. If it packs 4GB of VRAM, all new tech, memory compression, improved tessellation and other improvements, it could be a real upgrade from 7870.

2. Get used 7950/7970/280/x for $150-200 (pricing in my country) and use it until there is a real need to upgrade and something worthwhile comes out at reasonable price.

3. Get used 290 for $300 with full 4GB of VRAM that will last for a while. It would probably be overkill for my CPU, but in mantle/DX12 games with more demanding graphics it should be good.

I'm leaning towards option 2 the most as I would like to have all new fancy tech in pirate islands, but don't want play LoL for the first half of 2015

Option 3 is not bad at all. Its little more expensive, but the card will last longer than 280x.

If I knew 960 will be such a turd I wouldn't sell my 7870. I would keep it and wait for a proper mid range card. It would be much cheaper* in the end.

*I ordered used 280x online for $180. I sent money, but didn't receive the card. Later I've got an e-mail from online auction house, that the account I bought the card from was stolen and the auction was a scam. Now there will be police involved and I may not see my $ back. Pretty expansive upgrade... I blame you nvidia! If only 960 be any good all that wouldn't have happened

 

[capita]

Given how long you kept your 5770, I would say between a 960 and an R9 290 there is no contest. Look up an Asus R9 290 for $240 on Newegg after 7% off and $30 MIR:
http://m.newegg.com/Product/index?itemnumber=14-121-842

This card is 45% faster than a 960 and has double the VRAM for $40 more.
http://www.techpowerup.com/mobile/reviews/MSI/GTX_960_Gaming/29.html

If you want the budget choice, wait for an R9 280 to drop to $150-155 as they do regularly. An R9 270X also often goes down to $135-140, but an R9 280 would be better value.

The 750Ti is a bad choice for you since an R9 270 is 30%+ faster for $130:
http://m.newegg.com/Product/index?itemnumber=14-131-545

Also, down the line, try to get an after-market cooler and overclock that CPU.

An after-market 290 lands at 155% on that TPU chart at 1080p, while an R9 270 ~ 7870 at 82%. That means a $240 290 costs 85% more than a $130 R9 270 for 89% more performance, a better than perfectly linear price/performance curve! Therefore, it's just a function of you want to pay $240. OTOH, R9 280/285/960 at $170-200 all fail this test against the 290.

My concern with 290 is power draw. My system is on 2000 KVA UPS backup which also other stuff connected to it. I can go upto $250 but watts is concern of mine since there's frequent load shedding where I currently live.

Which is why I am looking at 960 as possible option but it looks severely limited for its price.

I have to get the card shipped by next weekend so I can't wait for new cards or price drops.


I also have an eye on this one. The specs seems to be good but dunno about rest.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814131570

 

[capita]

I wouldn't buy anything with less than 3gb VRAM.

In anticipation for nv 960 release, I sold my 7870 2GB (R9 270) before it lost its value.

The 960 came out and guess what... not much better than my old 7870, same vram, but 2x more expensive than what I get for my 7870.

So now I sport my old hd4670 and need a new gpu.gtx960 wouldn't be much of an upgrade. My 7870 suffered from having only 2GB of VRAM, 960 would suffer even more, it is not an option.

There are 3 options for me:

1. Wait with hd4670 for proper new gen cards. New mid range card from amd is coming in spring. If it packs 4GB of VRAM, all new tech, memory compression, improved tessellation and other improvements, it could be a real upgrade from 7870.

2. Get used 7950/7970/280/x for $150-200 (pricing in my country) and use it until there is a real need to upgrade and something worthwhile comes out at reasonable price.

3. Get used 290 for $300 with full 4GB of VRAM that will last for a while. It would probably be overkill for my CPU, but in mantle/DX12 games with more demanding graphics it should be good.

I'm leaning towards option 2 the most as I would like to have all new fancy tech in pirate islands, but don't want play LoL for the first half of 2015

Option 3 is not bad at all. Its little more expensive, but the card will last longer than 280x.

If I knew 960 will be such a turd I wouldn't sell my 7870. I would keep it and wait for a proper mid range card. It would be much cheaper* in the end.

*I ordered used 280x online for $180. I sent money, but didn't receive the card. Later I've got an e-mail from online auction house, that the account I bought the card from was stolen and the auction was a scam. Now there will be police involved and I may not see my $ back. Pretty expansive upgrade... I blame you nvidia! If only 960 be any good all that wouldn't have happened

I have been looking at option 2 more. As I said before, power consumption is bit of concern of mine and I've been reading that 290 is power hungry.

I was looking for 280x but I can't find one below $200 now.

 

[DooKey]

I believe your CM PSU won't have any trouble with a 290. At the $250 price point the 290 is definitely the way to go if that is your absolute limit. If stuck at $200 then a used 280x/7970 is a good bet.