(Newegg) PowerColor R9 380 $180 AR

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pbroussard

pbroussard

Senior member
Sep 2, 2001
906
15
81
Man kinda sick of checking for a deal on midrange gpu to play assassins creed. Stepson wants a 960 4GB but none have been on sale, this should perform a bit better. But only 2 year warranty.
 
fourdegrees11

fourdegrees11

Senior member
Mar 9, 2009
441
1
81
Sonikku said:
damn, 750watt psu minimum. That would eat my Antec 530 for breakfast. :eek:
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Bah, that's BS. Maybe if you were running what I assume AMD recommends/hopes you are like an 8 core FX along with it. I have a 290x oc'd to 1100mhz with a 4690k oc'd to 4.6ghz on a 600 watt psu... I've ran furmark cpu and gpu burner at the same time to make sure the system would hold up (it did). GPU PSU ratings are bogus. /rant
 
Thump553

Thump553

Lifer
Jun 2, 2000
12,837
2,621
136
isekii said:
power color or xfx which is a better brand?
Click to expand...

Over the years I've had two different warranty claims with xfx and had no problems at all. I don't know what their current practices are but they used to extend the warranty a good deal if you registered online.
 
S

Staples

Diamond Member
Oct 28, 2001
4,953
119
106
fourdegrees11 said:
Bah, that's BS. Maybe if you were running what I assume AMD recommends/hopes you are like an 8 core FX along with it. I have a 290x oc'd to 1100mhz with a 4690k oc'd to 4.6ghz on a 600 watt psu... I've ran furmark cpu and gpu burner at the same time to make sure the system would hold up (it did). GPU PSU ratings are bogus. /rant
Click to expand...

I agree, a 450w PSU is able to run more than 99% of single card setups.
 
Elixer

Elixer

Lifer
May 7, 2002
10,371
762
126
Well....if you want to shop around, you could use jet.com to find a card that you want, assuming you are a new customer, you can knock 15% off of that price, and save an additional $15 from Amex promotions, you could end up with something that you like.

For example, you can get a Gigabyte (or MSI) 390 8GB card for $329.34 - $49(15% off) - $15 (Amex promotion) = $281.
 
RussianSensation

RussianSensation

Elite Member
Sep 5, 2003
19,458
765
126
Sonikku said:
damn, 750watt psu minimum. That would eat my Antec 530 for breakfast. :eek:
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Come on, 8000+ posts and you still take OEM recommended PSU specs as gospel? I've ran i7 860 @ 3.9ghz + GTX470 @ 760mhz on a high quality 520W. Antec level 530W PSU would have no issues with a 380/380X/280X level card.
 
I

isekii

Lifer
Mar 16, 2001
28,578
3
81
what do you recommend for Fallout 4 ? I'm a little late to the game, but wife agreed to let me buy a mid rangers for belated christmas gift. (returned the ugg slippers she got me) ;)
I don't need ultra just playing in moderate settings.

I think the R9 280/380 can be had for like 160ish after coupon and cash back. Would that be the best upgrade?
I'm currently on the HD 6850 with a I5 2500k 16gb ram.
 
RussianSensation

RussianSensation

Elite Member
Sep 5, 2003
19,458
765
126
isekii said:
what do you recommend for Fallout 4 ? I'm a little late to the game, but wife agreed to let me buy a mid rangers for belated christmas gift. (returned the ugg slippers she got me) ;)
I don't need ultra just playing in moderate settings.

I think the R9 280/380 can be had for like 160ish after coupon and cash back. Would that be the best upgrade?
I'm currently on the HD 6850 with a I5 2500k 16gb ram.
Click to expand...

- Hey, what's your budget and monitor resolution?
- Is your CPU overclocked?
- Do you have an after-market CPU cooler?
- Are you going to be playing some other games besides Fallout 4 in the next 2-3 years you keep the card? If so, does Anno 2205, Project CARS, GTA V, fall on that list?
- Are you willing to buy a used GPU or only new?
 
I

isekii

Lifer
Mar 16, 2001
28,578
3
81
RussianSensation said:
- Hey, what's your budget and monitor resolution?
- Is your CPU overclocked?
- Do you have an after-market CPU cooler?
- Are you going to be playing some other games besides Fallout 4 in the next 2-3 years you keep the card? If so, does Anno 2205, Project CARS, GTA V, fall on that list?
- Are you willing to buy a used GPU or only new?
Click to expand...

1. dual mon 27 @ 1080p ( most likely monitor to play ) and 24" @ 1920x1200 *trying to keep the game and video card at $200
2. No not overclocked
3. Stock cooler, but also have an aftermarket I am not using I can pop on.
4. Probably not. I mainly played D3, DOTA, CS:GO etc.. nothing too recent.
5. New or used is fine. I've actually been looking on craigslist etc.. I found a 280x for $100 (XFX) and I've also come across some GTX 970 for like $250 obo possibly nego to lower. I usually keep my stuff for a while and had no need to upgrade.
6. Current PSU is Ultra 500watter, but I also have a XFX TS550 sitting in the box.
 
RussianSensation

RussianSensation

Elite Member
Sep 5, 2003
19,458
765
126
$100 for XFX 280X? Ya I would go for that and then if you need more performance, just upgrade to a 14/16nm GPU in 2016/2017. At such a cheap price for a 280X, that's a solid deal and it means the card won't drop much in value over the next 15-18 months. Also, if you spot some hot deal ona. 780Ti/970/390 in the future, it would be very easy to flip that 280X for almost no loss in resale.

I would overclock your CPU to 4.5-4.8Ghz because Fallout 4 is also CPU demanding in city areas. The game is nuts (poorly optimized) as even i5 6600K @ 4.7Ghz can hit 90% CPU load.
 
RussianSensation

RussianSensation

Elite Member
Sep 5, 2003
19,458
765
126
isekii said:
with the 280x it's a 2gb model~ is there much diff between 2gb and 3gb?
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That cannot be. 280X comes only in 3GB or 6GB. There are no R9 280 2GB or R9 280X 2GB.

R9 280X 3GB ~ 380X 4GB

1450065721TtW76q7G9J_6_1.gif
 
RussianSensation

RussianSensation

Elite Member
Sep 5, 2003
19,458
765
126
isekii said:
yea i read the ad wrong it's 3gb.

280x at $100 or GTX 970 at $200 ?
Click to expand...

If you want to keep the card for 2-3 years and not upgrade, and have the option of using super-sampling with DSR on those less-demanding games you have, get the 970. To get more performance, overclock the CPU + the 970. $200 is a really good price on a 970.
 
I

isekii

Lifer
Mar 16, 2001
28,578
3
81
RussianSensation said:
If you want to keep the card for 2-3 years and not upgrade, and have the option of using super-sampling with DSR on those less-demanding games you have, get the 970. To get more performance, overclock the CPU + the 970. $200 is a really good price on a 970.
Click to expand...

seller came back at $225 and I'm not sure i'll be taking full advantage of the card for the duration.

I'm really thinking $100 280X then use it for like half a year to a year then swap to the 970 for a lower price.
I can flip my 6850 for like 30-50 bucks hopefully.
 
I

isekii

Lifer
Mar 16, 2001
28,578
3
81
last question

XFX R9 280 3gb Brand New 131.99 Full warranty
XFX R9 280x 3GB used 100 Questionable warranty
GTX 970 $225 questionable warranty

What do you think.
 
RussianSensation

RussianSensation

Elite Member
Sep 5, 2003
19,458
765
126
isekii said:
last question

XFX R9 280 3gb Brand New 131.99 Full warranty
XFX R9 280x 3GB used 100 Questionable warranty
GTX 970 $225 questionable warranty

What do you think.
Click to expand...

I'd rule out the 280 because 280X new is $170. Unless that 280X was used for heavy mining or distributed computing, it should last at least 2-3 years. The harder choice is between 280X and 970.

Personally, I'd rather pick the 280X for $100 and then resell it in 18-20 months or so and get something faster. I mean 970 costs 2.25X more for you but it's what 35% faster on average?

perfrel_1920_1080.png


Given the games you play and stock 2500K, I would pick the $100 280X. Then I'd resell that card for $50-70, save $50 over the next 18+ months, take the $125 you save now ($225 970 vs. $100 280X) and buy some faster $225-245 card in ~2017.
 
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