GPU Upgrade 1070 or Rx 480/470?

[Foxslink]

Hi folks, in less than a week my old man is traveling to the USA, so this is the best chance to get a new GPU , since these are too expensive in my homeland.( I currently have a 7970 that im still trying to sell ) so i was thinking to buy the gtx 1060 or 1070 of nvdia , or the rx 480/ 470 of amd, is 470 enough? the idea is to have a future proof GPU and the most powerful for gaming at 1080p, i have a budget of 500 USD. im using now a dell u2414h monitor so maybe in the future I could sell it and get a 1440p one. I have found these models , could you help me choose? :
r 390 https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=r9+390&rh=i:aps,k:r9+390
r 470 ( almost all out of stock): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...BESTMATCH&Description=470+amd&N=-1&isNodeId=1
Rx 480: https://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Radeon-NITRO-GDDR5-11260-01-20G/dp/B01J1M4CZG
/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1471579756&sr=8-5&keywords=rx+480

1070: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...STMATCH&Description=gtx+1070+&N=-1&isNodeId=1

id appreciate your help and I look forward to your reply

 

[atticus14]

If you dont make trips often and this is your one chance to score a GPU for USA prices I would definitely get the 1070, it can handle 1440p for the time being as well. While more expensive then the others its still decently under 500 budget. It's a shame prices aren't near MSRP for your trip.

 

[raghu78]

I would recommend a GTX 1070 since you have the budget. imo get the MSI GTX 1070 Gaming X. probably the best gtx 1070. very low noise and temps. fantastic cooler. excellent build quality.

https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_1070_Gaming_X/29.html

 

[Thinker_145]

At US prices the 1070 is by far the best value.

Sent from my HTC One M9

 

[happy medium]

easy choice,gtx1070

 

[zinfamous]

1070 is your only option right now if you plan on good 1440 performance in the near future and at that budget.

480/1060 can kinda sorta push 1440 in some games, but not many--not at spectacular frame rates, anyway. But if you are planning to hold into 1080p for another 2 years or so, you could save half of that budget, get a 480 or 1060, and put the rest of that $250 towards an upgraded display and/or better GPU 2 years from now.

 

[poofyhairguy]

1070 is the obvious answer.

 

[Sonikku]

980ti for $300 is a viable option too where you can find it.

 

[AtenRa]

I would get the GTX1070 as well if i was in your situation.

 

[Newbian]

980ti for $300 is a viable option too where you can find it.

Not really worth risky grabbing those used on ebay these days when the 1070 is outperforming it for $80-90 more these days as they can be rather risky.

 

[Sonikku]

If 1070 was selling for MSRP the ti would be less appealing, I admit. But it isn't.

 

[YBS1]

As much as I hate to recommend giving any money to nVidia, in your situation and not knowing when you will get the opportunity again, buy the absolute fastest thing in your budget.

 

[Foxslink]

im back and gracias for your support !. So much info to digest, im from Chile and here 1070 costs almost 250 usd more than in US, 480 is pricey too and there is shortage, no relatives / friends are travelling to US any time soon so this is a one time chance to get an affordable decent upgrade. International warranty might possibly be an important factor as well, are MSI and EVGA the only ones with it? however if my dad could test the card on the store it would be even better . He is going first to Washington and then he heads to Denver, i think WA has more PC stores, right? another option is i could save a bit on the GPU by going for 480 and put the spare cash on an SSD , monitor or whatnot, but thats not a priority and SSDs can wait, dont you think?

im worried 1070 at 1080p gaming would be overkill and if it hits above 60fps my monitor wont be able to make the most out of it cuz of the 60hz, isnt it useless then? maybe i should get a 144hz mon but thats another story. Seems everyone favors the green side this time and i agree with you . Now its time to choose the 1070 brand, which one would be the safest, best option? Cant wait to hear from you amigos
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...er=BESTMATCH&Description=1070&N=-1&isNodeId=1
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss/152-0267098-0819847?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=1070&rh=i:aps,k:1070

 

[zinfamous]

If you don't have an SSD now...then no, that can not wait.

If you have your 1080 display and are fine at 1080 for the next x years--then by all means you should go with the 480/1060 + SSD.

You will get a far greater experience at that pricepoint with the SSD + excellent 1080p GPu than you would by blowing the whole wad on a single GPU, then waiting to save up and spend another $400-900+ on a 1440p display (Assuming G-sync +$200 premium if you go with nVidia GPU and whatever ungodly price you pay for this stuff in Chile).

 

[escrow4]

1070 enough for 1080p is a myth. I can get the Witcher III to drop to 50FPS in some areas with everything maxxxed except Hairworks. You up enough settings, 1080p is still a challenge. Mystery why the 1070 is a "1440p" card, sure if you drop settings.

 

[Erithan13]

1070 enough for 1080p is a myth. I can get the Witcher III to drop to 50FPS in some areas with everything maxxxed except Hairworks. You up enough settings, 1080p is still a challenge. Mystery why the 1070 is a "1440p" card, sure if you drop settings.

Since when is dropping settings in exchange for a better framerate some sort of heresy? Especially if the visual difference between 'ultra' and 'very high' is minimal while the performance difference isn't. Are you in all seriousness going to suggest you need a 1080 for 1080p gameplay since we're apparently obliged to run every single setting at max and anything else is unacceptable? If you won't compromise by dropping settings, fair enough, but don't presume that applies to everyone else and start suggesting we're doing a disservice by recommending the 1070 for 1440p let alone 1080p.

I just upgraded from 1200p/60hz to 1440p/144hz with freesync, Witcher 3 was one of my first tests with the new monitor. I had to drop some settings to keep my 290 within the freesync range, my two observations were: 1) I'm hard pressed to tell the difference between the highest and second highest settings at a glance, it's certainly not immediately obvious unless you are actively looking for the differences, to the point where if someone changed the settings without my knowledge I don't know how quickly if ever I'd suspect the settings had been changed. Point 2) is that with freesync running at 50FPS is hardly a catastrophe so I don't have to be chasing the magic 60FPS number nearly as hard. 144FPS is sure nice in something undemanding like TF2 but I've never once thought that Witcher 3 looks like unplayable garbage at 50FPS with slightly less than the highest settings.

 

[Thinker_145]

The point here isn't that the 1070 is not a good 1440 card but what I find really annoying is when people almost act like it is a sin to game at 1080p with a high end card as if you are "obliged" to upgrade your display just because you got a new card. That is just utter BS.

The OP says that he can't regularly upgrade stuff so suggesting a 1440p monitor to him is utter BS.

Sent from my HTC One M9

 

[Erithan13]

The OP says that he can't regularly upgrade stuff so suggesting a 1440p monitor to him is utter BS.

im using now a dell u2414h monitor so maybe in the future I could sell it and get a 1440p one.

OP mentioned a possible upgrade to 1440p, it wasn't us who 'suggested' it.

The only real hesitation I'd have on recommending the 1070 is that it locks the OP into the G-Sync ecosystem which could be a problem for his future monitor upgrade. There could be a case made for getting the 470/480 and using the money saved vs the 1070 put toward a future freesync monitor instead. Not necessarily recommending that over the 1070 in the here and now but something to think about given the price premium of Gsync compared to freesync.

 

[zinfamous]

OP mentioned a possible upgrade to 1440p, it wasn't us who 'suggested' it.

The only real hesitation I'd have on recommending the 1070 is that it locks the OP into the G-Sync ecosystem which could be a problem for his future monitor upgrade. There could be a case made for getting the 470/480 and using the money saved vs the 1070 put toward a future freesync monitor instead. Not necessarily recommending that over the 1070 in the here and now but something to think about given the price premium of Gsync compared to freesync.

exactly. saving the $200+ by going with a 470/480 over the 1070 now, is also saving another $200+ by not being locked into G-Sync at some point in the future. It's like $400 free money.

That $400 could likely go into a 490 upgrade mid next year if he wants to upgrade that soon. But it sounds like he is locked into multiyear use because purchases depend on international travel....so in all honestly, right now--1070 is probably the better choice from a GPU only perspective

 

[IEC]

1070 may also be the better option in Chile due to the resale value being higher, as well. If that's a consideration.

 

[Foxslink]

Ok so 1070 is the best choice, other stuff can wait, specially cuz i can crank the most demanding games even more and use DSR or more AA, which wont hurt. Would there be a huge difference in graphics if I get a 1440 or 144hz monitor? is Gsync too expensive compared to Freesync? the problem is i can’t buy good cards at US prices every year because of availability and cost in my country, so 1070 would last more and it will be easier to sell if I were to upgrade in a few years. I have 2 top choices, EVGA SC and Asus Strix, what brand would you pick? im not sure about MSI because there was a problem in august, not sure if it still happens
http://i.imgur.com/4R59U92.jpg
Im going to tell my dad to go to this store in Denver. http://www.microcenter.com/site/stores/denver.aspx
Looking forward to hearing from you

 

[Thinker_145]

exactly. saving the $200+ by going with a 470/480 over the 1070 now, is also saving another $200+ by not being locked into G-Sync at some point in the future. It's like $400 free money.

That $400 could likely go into a 490 upgrade mid next year if he wants to upgrade that soon. But it sounds like he is locked into multiyear use because purchases depend on international travel....so in all honestly, right now--1070 is probably the better choice from a GPU only perspective

You are acting like it's necessary to buy either a G-Sync or FreeSync monitor....

 

[USER8000]

I would be more worried about the warranty - which companies have worldwide warranties on their cards??

 

[nathanddrews]

Ok so 1070 is the best choice, other stuff can wait, specially cuz i can crank the most demanding games even more and use DSR or more AA, which wont hurt. Would there be a huge difference in graphics if I get a 1440 or 144hz monitor? is Gsync too expensive compared to Freesync?

G-Sync monitors tend to be more expensive than FreeSync monitors, but that's almost entirely due to panel quality and build quality. FreeSync can be found on a wider range of monitors, from premium monitors to very inexpensive, low quality monitors... also it doesn't work with NVIDIA cards, so if you're getting a 1070, just get a G-Sync monitor.

If you can afford it, get a 1440p 144Hz monitor with G-Sync. You won't have to buy another monitor for a very long time. If you can't afford that, then get one that suits your tastes. Do you prefer higher frame rates or higher quality graphics?

If you can find hardware with an international warranty, then that will probably be your best option.

 

[Pneumothorax]

If by chance is your father going to be near the Washington/Oregon border? It'll save you a bit of cash if he could buy the 1070 in Portland to avoid WA's very high sales tax. Seattle is the worst as it's basically 10%! Not sure if you can get sales tax refunded if you're not a US citizen?