Gtx 780

[n0x1ous]

Bottleneck? From what I researched, people mention that the i5 4440 should be able to handle any single card without bottlenecking. Is this wrong?

i5-4440 is fine for single card. Not a good value for its price compared to 4670k, but your getting this with an OEM machine.......

 

[CRV]

Depends what you mean by wins? The 770 is cheaper and will run cooler, quieter, and use less power. But just talking performance, it will lose to the 290.

But yes, thats a terrible comparison where they seem to put the smallest value on actual performance differences (plus using Civ 5 decompress as a big factor...really?). Stick to reputable sites for comparisons and reviews.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1068?vs=1037

I mean the 770 is a nice card and all for its price point, dont get me wrong, but its not going to touch a 290 in performance. If you want a blower style cooler to exit heat out the case, then certainly stick to Nvidia's reference NVTTM coolers.

Thanks. I just check the comparison on the R9 290 vs GTX 770 and GTX 780 on anandtech and it help a lot. I will be also considering the R9 290 (that's with the recommended brand etc). Do anyone knows if a R9 290 can be run on a 500w PSU?

 

[Yuriman]

It's true that any i5 will be a fairly strong CPU, but take a look at this chart:

The 4670K is what most recommend for only a few dollars more. It's clocked around 15% higher at stock over the chip in your PC and can be overclocked to get another 15-20% on top of that. In this particular test, minimums are ~70 which is great, it would provide a flawless experience with a screen that can only display 60fps. There's still room for improvement though, and you might find some worse-case scenarios where you would actually be losing frames due to CPU bottleneck.

Your chip is good, but it's not 100% above bottlenecking.

 

[n0x1ous]

Thanks. I just check the comparison on the R9 290 vs GTX 770 and GTX 780 on anandtech and it help a lot. I will be also considering the R9 290 (that's with the recommended brand etc). Do anyone knows if a R9 290 can be run on a 500w PSU?

I think you are pushing it with that wattage for a 780 or 290, but it will probably work for now if its a decent brand. I would consider upgrading though unless you stick to 770/760 or lower.

FWIW - I have a friend running a GTX480 and overclocked Q6600 on a Corsair HX520 and its been fine for 6 months now; and I would guess a 480 pulls as much power as a 290

Also keep in mind you need better case cooling and airflow with the 290 then with the Nvidia reference cards as the open air coolers on the 290 will dump heat in the case whereas a blower will blow it out the back. Nvidia's blowers are great and fairly quiet, AMD's blowers are to be avoided due to noise and inability to keep the cards from throttling under load

 

[CRV]

So something like this
http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Versi...apphire+r9+290
with
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Builde...1&keywords=psu
Should work?
So this one should be avoided? http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-PCI-E...rds=r9+290+gpu

 

[n0x1ous]

So something like this
http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Versi...apphire+r9+290
with
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Builde...1&keywords=psu
Should work? So this one should be avoided? http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-PCI-E...rds=r9+290+gpu

Exactly right on the cards as long as you have solid case airflow. For the PSU it would make sense to bump it up to the 750w due to the small price difference.

Also make sure you have enough space in your case for these longer cards. OEM cases tend to be shorter than something you would build yourself. Measure how much space you have to fit a card in there.

The more I look at that case, the more I think the airflow will be poor and you may be better off with an Nvidia blower. the 290 is better performance/dollar but you have some mitigating circumstances with this OEM box. It does have a large ventilation on the left side so maybe stick a 140mm fan there or something and it would be alright, but the Nvidia blower would be "safer" from a cooling perspective there....

Anyone have an open air 290 in a OEM or poor airflow case to compare temps with?

 

[CRV]

Exactly right on the cards as long as you have solid case airflow. For the PSU it would make sense to bump it up to the 750w due to the small price difference.

Also make sure you have enough space in your case for these longer cards. OEM cases tend to be shorter than something you would build yourself. Measure how much space you have to fit a card in there.

The more I look at that case, the more I think the airflow will be poor and you may be better off with an Nvidia blower. the 290 is better performance/dollar but you have some mitigating circumstances with this OEM box. It does have a large ventilation on the left side so maybe stick a 140mm fan there or something and it would be alright, but the Nvidia blower would be "safer" from a cooling perspective there....

Anyone have an open air 290 in a OEM or poor airflow case to compare temps with?

Okay then this PSU http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Builde...words=psu+750w

Yes the left side of the case has a 7x7 or 8x8 inches vent. From the review it seems as no one has any issues with the card running too hot. I do have some room, since there is nothing blocking half of the bottom area where the card is located.

 

[n0x1ous]

Yeah the card can remove the heat from the card very well, its just getting it out of the case. Most reviews are going to be from people with better airflow cases than yours, but that is a good size ventilation on the left door and I think you would be ok with some active cooling there. Again if you went Nvidia blower, all the heat goes out the back of the case and that becomes a non issue.

 

[CRV]

Yeah the card can remove the heat from the card very well, its just getting it out of the case. Most reviews are going to be from people with better airflow cases than yours, but that is a good size ventilation on the left door and I think you would be ok with some active cooling there. Again if you went Nvidia blower, all the heat goes out the back of the case and that becomes a non issue.

Case Dimensions (WxHxD) 6.9 x 16.5 x 15.8" / 17.5 x 41.9 x 40.1 cm

Nvidia blower? Are you talking about the rear fan?

 

[n0x1ous]

Nvidia reference cards

http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-SuperClocked-Dual-Link-Graphics-03G-P4-2783-KR/dp/B00CTY84KI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1398877094&sr=8-3&keywords=gtx+780

this style of card (and the 290 that you should avoid) are generally called blower or reference coolers because they blow the heat out the back of the card. Most OEM's require this type of cooler for shipping in OEM systems and thats why they are the standard cooler type. The TRI-X with multiple fans is called an open air or aftermarket cooler. It will be quieter and remove heat even better than a reference blower, but the heat is dumped into your case not out the back, hence the need for good case airflow.

Also, if you end up using multiple video cards (SLI or Crossfire) only use blower/reference cards or the top card will bake...

Nvidia's blower/reference coolers are very well regarded for performance, noise, and looks.
AMD's are .....terrible. (with the exception of the $1500 R9 295X2)

make sense?

 

[n0x1ous]

Case Dimensions (WxHxD) 6.9 x 16.5 x 15.8" / 17.5 x 41.9 x 40.1 cm

this doesnt help because we arent after the whole cases dimensions. you need to measure the distance from the back of the case to where you would find, harddrive cages or fans that may limit how long the videocard can be. you need to measure this yourself from inside the case.

 

[CRV]

Nvidia reference cards

http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-SuperClocked-Dual-Link-Graphics-03G-P4-2783-KR/dp/B00CTY84KI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1398877094&sr=8-3&keywords=gtx+780

this style of card (and the 290 that you should avoid) are generally called blower or reference coolers because they blow the heat out the back of the card. Most OEM's require this type of cooler for shipping in OEM systems and thats why they are the standard cooler type. The TRI-X with multiple fans is called an open air or aftermarket cooler. It will be quieter and remove heat even better than a reference blower, but the heat is dumped into your case not out the back, hence the need for good case airflow.

Also, if you end up using multiple video cards (SLI or Crossfire) only use blower/reference cards or the top card will bake...

Nvidia's blower/reference coolers are very well regarded for performance, noise, and looks.
AMD's are .....terrible. (with the exception of the $1500 R9 295X2)

make sense?

Yes, it now make sense.

 

[CRV]

this doesnt help because we arent after the whole cases dimensions. you need to measure the distance from the back of the case to where you would find, harddrive cages or fans that may limit how long the videocard can be. you need to measure this yourself from inside the case.

I will need a ruler to measure it, but there nothing in front of the video card. That space is empty. Only the front top half has the hard drive and DVD player.

 

[n0x1ous]

I will need a ruler to measure it, but there nothing in front of the video card. That space is empty. Only the front top half has the hard drive and DVD player.

then you should be fine. probably need 11 or 12 inches roughly...

 

[CRV]

https://www.google.com/search?q=asu...outube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dt4dFHeVwmHk;1280;720

 

[n0x1ous]

:thumbsup:

 

[n0x1ous]

let us know what direction you end up going......

 

[CRV]

let us know what direction you end up going......

I'm really thinking about going with the 750w PSU and Sapphire R9 290 TRI-X OC. So you think the specs on that Sapphire R9 290 is good with my PC? So are there any other R9 290 that I should also consider (for around the same price)?

 

[n0x1ous]

I'm really thinking about going with the 750w PSU and Sapphire R9 290 TRI-X OC. So you think the specs on that Sapphire R9 290 is good with my PC? So are there any other R9 290 that I should also consider (for around the same price)?

I think its a good fit and you'll find the community here universally feels the Tri-X is THE 290 to get.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2380656

 

[Headfoot]

Yes, I did also looked at the R9 290, but heard about noise and heat issues, so that's why I picked the 780. How big a difference will a R9 290 Make from a 760?

The 290 heat and noise issues are greatly overstated. I would want a blower design like the default 290 when you have a poorly ventilated beige-box case like you do. Plus the reference is usually a good bit cheaper still.

Literally all you have to do for the 290 is set a custom fan curve in MSI Afterburner. Problem solved. If you want to make sure it doesnt throttle, undervolt it. I can undervolt mine significantly at 1Ghz for decreased temperatures and power consumption. -75mV @ 1Ghz which drops my temperatures by 7-8c at load.

But... if you have the budget I would get the Tri-X as the card is really improved across the board including the PCB/VRMs which is the biggest weak point of the reference, imo. Make sure your case has as many fans on it as it can support since you will be dumping all of the heat from the card back into the case.

 

[n0x1ous]

The 290 heat and noise issues are greatly overstated. I would want a blower design like the default 290 when you have a poorly ventilated beige-box case like you do. Plus the reference is usually a good bit cheaper still.

Literally all you have to do for the 290 is set a custom fan curve in MSI Afterburner. Problem solved. If you want to make sure it doesnt throttle, undervolt it. I can undervolt mine significantly at 1Ghz for decreased temperatures and power consumption. -75mV @ 1Ghz which drops my temperatures by 7-8c at load.

There is that concern with the plain Jane tower he has, but According to GPU Editor of Anandtech, reference 290 is the loudest card of all time and is unbearable......OP it really depends on your tolerance level for noise. check out some youtube videos of Reference r9 290 noise levels to help get a feel for it.....

There is no question the TriX is better than the reference card we are just concerned with the airflow so please do make sure you get some extra case fans in there or on the side to move the heat out if you go with the TRIX

 

[CRV]

Can I just do with a 600w or 650w PSU? Just want to save money. I don't see myself upgrading for a few years, as I will only be gaming on a 1920x1080p screen.

 

[n0x1ous]

I think you will be ok, but the 750 corsair was only like 10 bux more than the $600 so doesnt seem worth it to skimp there.

 

[CRV]

On Amazon the 750w Corsair is $99 and the 600w is $75.

 

[CRV]

What about this one. It's around $76 after the rebate.
http://www.amazon.com/XFX-PRO750W-Br...words=750w+psu