GTX-1070/G-sync v. R9 390/Freesync

[Winston Marmaduke III]

Hey all,

It's come time to build a new rig, and for the first time I'm doing something high end. I want one of these fancy new 2k 144hz monitors but am having trouble deciding between the two setups in the topic.

I had a MSI R9 390 and BenQ Zowie 27" gaming monitor in my cart but the price on the R9 shot up over 100 dollars on me while it was in my wish list, so now I'm wondering if I should just go the 1070/G-sync route.

Thoughts? I'd like to have the best 144hz experience. I've asked around in chat rooms on IRC and some people love the 390, some people love the 1070. Kinda at a loss...

 

[nathanddrews]

Whether you get a G-Sync monitor or "just" a 144Hz monitor, get the 1070. It's all around a much better performer and more FutureProof™.

 

[Udgnim]

if both are within your budget, then 1070 is the far superior card

 

[zinfamous]

If the price of a 390 going up by $100 is an issue, then why would you rationally go up $200-300 for a gysnc monitor? That seems like it would be even more expensive.

Here is a Fury Nitro for $309. It's half the VRAM of the 390, but it's also 8x the bitrate, $230 cheaper than the MSI 390, $100-150 cheaper than any 1070 that you can find, and saves you a further $200+ on any comparable gsync display.

It's also a fantastic 1440p performer.

390 vs 1070, though--1070 is the winner.

 

[ShintaiDK]

1070, faster, better, 100W less.

 

[tg2708]

Doing a little upgrade to my system so I just ordered the acer xb271hu gsync monitor to go with my asus 1070. An expensive upgrade but I'm hoping the monitor works well.

 

[Winston Marmaduke III]

Thanks for the responses. Before the price increase on the MSI 390, the Freesync route was the cheaper option, but after the increase, having the MSI 1070 Z costing less with a G-sync screen costing a little more, it's now a wash pricewise between the two.

I don't mind paying more for quality, but I also want bang for buck.

 

[Headfoot]

Gsync is a large premium for the same basic thing as Freesync, which is a big negative. But the 1070 is a generation newer and significantly faster than a 390 so you'll actually get closer to your 144hz goal in FPS.

Personally I'd do a 1070 and forgo the Gsync monitor. It locks you into nVidia and I just cant imagine that nVidia will continue on the more expensive Gsync forever. Eventually they'll move to something less expensive than putting an FPGA into a monitor... and I would be surprised if it isn't the A-sync protocol that FreeSync is based off of, because "Gsync for Notebook" already uses it.

 

[tg2708]

Yea I am fully aware of the lock in so I'm taking a big risk by locking my self to one manufacturer for the time being. But because I gave 290 to my cousin I switched to nvidia because current amd offering is lacking. I could have waited but I get too impatient when I have itch to upgrade something.

 

[ShintaiDK]

Its a "lock" either way.

 

[Headfoot]

If the budget allows for 390 + FS or 1070 plus no sync / no lock in, I'd do the 1070 plus no sync / no lock in IMO

 

[Winston Marmaduke III]

Yeah, I understand what you are saying Headfoot...but it doesn't sit right with me that I'd have a Freesync monitor that I can't even use that feature. I'm not even 100% sure what these syncing features do or if it's something I really need to worry about.

 

[Headfoot]

Yeah, I understand what you are saying Headfoot...but it doesn't sit right with me that I'd have a Freesync monitor that I can't even use that feature. I'm not even 100% sure what these syncing features do or if it's something I really need to worry about.

Well if you got a 1070 i'd not get a freesync monitor. They still do carry a bit of a price premium over a run of the mill high refresh rate monitor, not anywhere near as much extra as gsync but still a little more expensive. I'd just get a 1070 and a regular ol high refresh rate monitor without freesync or gsync. Like you say, doesnt make much sense to buy a feature you cant use

You can't perceive as much how F/GSync is helping at high refresh rates anyways. I'd say you're only really going to be getting 50% of the value of F/Gsync if you can keep FPS near 90 or more. Conversely its really, really nice if you are in the 40 - 60 fps range

 

[Winston Marmaduke III]

Okay how about this...is there an AMD equivalent to the 1070 for a comparable price? I haven't built in years and these video cards are just as, if not more confusing than ever LOL

 

[crisium]

This doesn't appear to be valid cross shopping. I do not understand how these budgets could remotely compare. In what country does a 390 cost more than a 1070?

Please give us context. Prices that you see, and your country for starters.

Edit: There really isn't a comparable AMD card right now to the 1070. The Fury X is the closest, but only in the few games that favour AMD heavily (like Doom) will a Fury X beat or tie a 1070.

If your budget can accommodate a 1070 and a G Sync both then you can safely say this will beat any single card AMD setup, on average.

AMD + Freesync is a very viable budget alternative though. Best AMD cards right now are Fury X, Fury, then 480, but these cards will be slower (480 very much so) so only consider this if you cannot justify the money on G Sync + 1070.

 

[railven]

I'm not here to try to talk you in any route. Plenty of posters will take care of that.

But as someone who recently jumped on the adaptive sync bandwagon, I got G-Sync - assuming it's the same ride with FreeSync, whichever route you go I highly recommend you get the adaptive sync compatible monitor. Never has 42-FPS been so acceptable! Haha. Hell, even in the mid-30s FPS it's still smooth.

 

[Winston Marmaduke III]

Thanks guys.

Here are the cards I'm considering, linked.

MSI 1070
http://tinyurl.com/zsnlw6b

MSI R9 930
http://tinyurl.com/z7qvufc

Just a few days ago the R9 was cheaper than the 1070. No idea why the price jumped so much.

 

[Bacon1]

MSI R9 930
http://tinyurl.com/z7qvufc

Just a few days ago the R9 was cheaper than the 1070. No idea why the price jumped so much.

Its being sold by a 3rd party (OutletPc) which is why the price is nuts.

I'd recommend a Fury Nitro ($309) over a 390(x).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...02186&cm_re=fury_nitro-_-14-202-186-_-Product

Much better price/perf and lower power usage as well.

 

[crisium]

Oh my. So you are in the US?

Do not even consider that 390. The 390 is roughly 480 speed anyway.

Can you afford 1070 + G Sync? If so buy it. If not, that above posted discount Fury + Freesync seems a valid budget oriented option, though make no mistake it will be slower.

Here are some of the latest average GPU performance indexes:

https://tpucdn.com/reviews/ASUS/GTX_1060_STRIX_OC/images/perfrel_2560_1440.png
http://cdn.sweclockers.com/artikel/diagram/12179?key=1fcc3c69e55d02e583e3e09f1cf9d185

To give you an idea of how the 1070 compares to slower AMD cards.

 

[zinfamous]

Its a "lock" either way.

One lock asks for a blood draw. The other lock asks you to choose which finger you need the least.

 

[zinfamous]

Okay how about this...is there an AMD equivalent to the 1070 for a comparable price? I haven't built in years and these video cards are just as, if not more confusing than ever LOL

At the same generation, no? but that Nitro Fury is a performance rival, and will likely be the better performer in DX12 (so, the future) going forward. But at this point, I hesitate to go with the older generation. Fury will still age very well, but I imagine that you honestly can't go wrong with a 1070. 8gb VRAM is--and should be--the clear standard these days.

 

[Winston Marmaduke III]

Thanks. I can afford the 1070. It will hurt, but I mean...my build is going from 2500 to 2700 going to Gsync. I want something good for a change and somewhat future proof. Hell I'm even paying 100 bucks for a PCE-68 wifi adapter. Again thanks for all the help.

 

[zinfamous]

Thanks. I can afford the 1070. It will hurt, but I mean...my build is going from 2500 to 2700 going to Gsync. I want something good for a change and somewhat future proof. Again thanks for all the help.

I think that's the best option right now, but you should hesitate to go gsync as well. The 1070 will perform well enough, I assume, where that benefit won't be worth the premium for you, especially if we are still in the middle of a standards battle. ...that being said, in the hypothetical future where an opensource and free adaptive sync standard is adopted and universal, you can be confident that nVidia won't support it on this current generation of cards (even if it's possible with drivers).

 

[Arachnotronic]

I think that's the best option right now, but you should hesitate to go gsync as well. The 1070 will perform well enough, I assume, where that benefit won't be worth the premium for you, especially if we are still in the middle of a standards battle. ...that being said, in the hypothetical future where an opensource and free adaptive sync standard is adopted and universal, you can be confident that nVidia won't support it on this current generation of cards (even if it's possible with drivers).

Standards battle? There is no battle. Gsync is the more robust solution and the installed base that Gsync targets is much larger than the base that FreeSync targets.

OP, get a nice Gsync monitor and 1070. The monitor will last you for years and NV's execution at the high end of the gaming market should give you confidence that once you're in the NVIDIA/Gsync ecosystem, you will have compelling GPUs to buy.

 

[Bacon1]

Thanks. I can afford the 1070. It will hurt, but I mean...my build is going from 2500 to 2700 going to Gsync. I want something good for a change and somewhat future proof. Hell I'm even paying 100 bucks for a PCE-68 wifi adapter. Again thanks for all the help.

Why is your budget so high? You should be able to get an amazing system for $1500.

price/perf Fury Nitro beats out the 1070 @ 1440 (even 1080p slightly):

https://www.computerbase.de/thema/grafikkarte/rangliste/#diagramm-performancerating-2560-1440

17-27% faster for 30-35% more money.

You can get a great high end freesync monitor for much less and have saved money to buy the next set of GPUs, either 1080 Ti or Vega on release.