Graphics Card Upgrade

[burninatortech4]

I've found a lightly used r9 290 (non x) reference for $130 and I'm considering pulling the trigger. I'm using my computer for 1080p gaming and ArcGIS / ENVI mapping and remote sensing work. My current build is in my signature.

I have a few questions before I do:

1) Can my PSU handle it? I have a Silverstone ST65F-G 650W. Techpowerup review here. I have a Node 304 mini-ITX case. I've done the measurements and I know it will fit considering the PSU has a 140mm depth (I bought it for that reason).

2) I want a blower card so the heat isn't dumped in the case. I've read plenty about how the reference cards are hot and noisy though. Should I reconsider for that reason alone?

3) Are there any cards worth buying new in my budget range $150 - 175 that would be a better choice? Or should I wait until summer for the next generation. AMD preferred but not necessarily exclusive. My 260x is showing its limit already. I want to be able to play most games at close to ultra at 1080p.

4) I know there will be a measurable bottleneck with my overclocked 760k but will it be enough of one to drown out a performance increase from the upgrade?

Thanks!

 

[lehtv]

1) Yes

2) I would definitely reconsider, 250W in a blower isn't going to be easy on the ears. I used to have a jet-engine 4870X2 and I'm never going back to those days.

3) Here's my rule of thumb: +50% performance for a reasonable price is enough to make me consider upgrading. The minimum GPU that fulfills that rule, compared to your existing R7 260X, is R9 270X. R9 270 comes just short of +50% performance.

The 270X just fits your $150-175 budget: MSI 270X Gaming $175 ($155 after rebate). Since it only uses about 175W, I don't think it really matters that it's not a blower card. However, it won't play everything on high/ultra, you'll have to settle for low-medium in the most demanding titles.

4) The 760K @ 4.6GHz is about 2/3 the performance of a stock i5-4670K. It's definitely fast enough to handle a high end card, but it's not optimal, and will show its "true colors" in CPU heavy games or games that require more than 4 CPU threads to run optimally. The 270X is a very good pairing, and even R9 280 and 280X would be just fine. R9 290 class performance is at the very limits of what makes sense with a 760K.

If you want to wait until there's something better available for $175, that's up to you. 270X gives you well over 50% more performance now and no worrying about CPU bottlenecking. A similar price card in 6 months would give you even more performance, but would risk being limited by your processor in CPU heavy situations, and you'd have to suffer the 260X's performance until then.

On the other hand, you could up your budget slightly and get a HIS R9 280 ($190, $180 AR) with another gig of VRAM and another 10% performance compared to 270X. For 1080p gaming, 2GB of VRAM is not really that much anymore... I upgraded to 3GB over 2 years ago (for Skyrim + mods). Another benefit with this HIS card is the cooler design, it's a pseudo-blower cooler and performs really well noise-wise compared to any reference design from AMD.

 

[burninatortech4]

I also have a friend willing to give me his 860k for $50. If I upgraded that at the same time would that improve the 290 proposition from a bottleneck context? Blower noise issues aside.

I should be able to sell the 760k and 260x to offset the cost a good amount.

 

[lehtv]

Unfortunately, $50 for an upgrade from 760K to 860K doesn't make sense. The main improvement in Steamroller architecture is in integrated graphics which is absent in the 760K and the 860K. The difference in per-clock performance between Richland and Steamroller is only around 15%, i.e. not enough to really make a difference. Plus, you already have your 760K nicely overclocked. You'd be better off setting that $50 aside for an upgrade to Intel i5 which would double your performance per clock.

I would forget about the reference R9 290 purely on the basis of the noise level. Yes, the performance is tempting, but still. However, if you're sure you're not going to be bothered by it, go ahead 😛. Remember, R9 280 is nearly 2x the speed of your 260X and would run cool, quiet and use much less power.

 

[burninatortech4]

Thanks. I'll shop around for a 280. Thanks for the advice!

The 285 looks nice but seems too expensive at the moment*

 

[lehtv]

Although the 285 is a frames faster and a few watts more efficient than the 280, I would rather have 3GB VRAM. 285 only has 2GB. It just doesn't seem justifiable to pay more for the 285 when you lose a gig of VRAM.

 

[mfenn]

I would forget about the reference R9 290 purely on the basis of the noise level. Yes, the performance is tempting, but still. However, if you're sure you're not going to be bothered by it, go ahead 😛. Remember, R9 280 is nearly 2x the speed of your 260X and would run cool, quiet and use much less power.

Agree. Your ears with thank you.

Although the 285 is a frames faster and a few watts more efficient than the 280, I would rather have 3GB VRAM. 285 only has 2GB. It just doesn't seem justifiable to pay more for the 285 when you lose a gig of VRAM.

Also agree. The R9 285 is kind of a DOA product. AMD wanted it to be a replacement for the R9 280, but losing a gigabyte of VRAM just doesn't make sense in the current market.