R9 290X or EVGA GTX 780

[RussianSensation]

Okay, next debate!

For while Im on 1080p, I may buy either this Sapphire Dual-X R9 270X for $165, or this EVGA GTX 760 Superclocked for $240. Then when I buy the 1440p monitor, I will buy a NVIDIA card. What do you think on that idea, and which card do you prefer?

Asus 980mhz R9 280 for $220 is better than both of these.

I've seen R9 280 dip to $180-200 anad R9 280X go for $250-260. Buying a GTX760 against these 2 options doesn't make sense when R9 280X is nearly 25% faster for $20-30 more while R9 280 950-1Ghz versions are just as fast for $40-50 less. Don't forget the $230-240 760s come with only 2GB of VRAM.
http://www.computerbase.de/2014-02/nvidia-geforce-gtx-750-ti-maxwell-test/5/

Typically these sites only run ~1min. benches and don't post this info, but in the interest of showing the improvement with the custom cooler, Tom's broke from tradition and ran the cards for 10min. You can easily see what happens to the Titan with the reference cooler.

I don't know how many years I have to repeat and link sources which all confirm that reference coolers are inferior in nearly all cases for both AMD and NV compared to a solid after-market card but people are still stuck believing 15 year old myths. Unless one goes triple SLI/CF, then the issue keeps getting overblown if one has a modern case. Think about it, a good after-market cooler runs 15-20C than a reference card. You just need a high quality CPU cooler to combat the rising heat towards the CPU area. People who spend $800+ on GPUs tend to have a good quality CPU cooler such as Noctua NH-D14/Thermalright Silver Arrow or H100 style AIO.

Plenty of people run after-market R9 290Xs in CF or 780/Ti in SLI.

Users on our forum freak out way too much about running 500-600W open-air cooled GPUs but most of those people are running cases with outdated airflow setup from 10 years ago or have insufficient case fans.

I mean on other tech sites people run open-air 780 Ghz overclocked in Tri-SLI and have a sound card installed vs. our forum where all hell breaks lose the minute anyone recommends dual open air cards....

 

[ocre]

Okay, next debate!

For while Im on 1080p, I may buy either this Sapphire Dual-X R9 270X for $165, or this EVGA GTX 760 Superclocked for $240. Then when I buy the 1440p monitor, I will buy a NVIDIA card. What do you think on that idea, and which card do you prefer?

The SC 760 is the faster option. Just guessing, I would say 15%.

Not sure it matters to you to much. I just dont see how RS could recommend a R9 290 (non x) for almost $70 more. Then he starts going on about how fast the 280X is. Its not the same thing. And also his figures are exaggerated to boot. But on top of that, its not true that any old 280x is 25% faster than the 760SC. But since he linked to a 220$ R9 280 non x-its irrelevant.

In my opinion, the 280 non x is not worth $70 more than the 270x you asked about.

I also think that if you do not mind sacrificing a little bit of performance then why not go after that. 165$ is cheap. Also, this might give you a chance to have some more time with an AMD card. You then can decide how you feel about their cards first hand. And besides, if you totally dont like it, send it back.

If the ultimate plan is for this to be a stop gap-
and if you dont mind sacrificing 15-20% performance while saving some cash
then the $165 270x is the card for you