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R9 390 8GB vs GTX970 4GB

T

Tecnoworld

Member
Hello. Which one would be better for playing at 1440p?

I can buy the former (XFX) for about 315-320€, the latter (asus reference) for 290-295€.

Thanks.
 
no brainer. get a R9 390 at 1440p. Faster than GTX 970. The 8GB VRAM keeps you safe in current and future games. the GTX 970 is slower and also has a weird memory partition which can be a problem as games start to push VRAM requirements especially at 1440p.

http://www.computerbase.de/2015-08/...h/2/#diagramm-rating-2560-1440-hohe-qualitaet

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/sapphire-nitro-r9-390-8g-d5,4245.html

http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Graphics-Cards/Sapphire-Nitro-Radeon-R9-390-8GB-Review

http://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/zardon/sapphire-r9-390-nitro-8gb-review/12/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9cKZiJw6Pk

If you can get the Sapphire R9 390 Nitro i would recommend it above the XFX R9 390. better cooler. the XFX Double dissipation is also a very good card. good cooler and low noise.
 
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Here's a link to a recent post on the topic - you can go to the bottom for the summation of what might sway you one way or the other.
 
Tecnoworld said:
Hello. Which one would be better for playing at 1440p?

I can buy the former (XFX) for about 315-320€, the latter (asus reference) for 290-295€.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

the 390 and 390x are just overclocked cards with more vram, you can get an old 290 or 290x oc them and get even more performance at lower price...

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2015/06/18/msi_r9_390x_gaming_8g_video_card_review/9

i would not recommend any of them btw, you would be better with an gtx 970 since it is even cheaper and oc it at 1500mhz which would make it faster.
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2014/09/29/msi_geforce_gtx_970_gaming_4g_video_card_review/9
 
I thought the 390/390x has faster ram then the 290/290x. It's a refresh card not a rebrand, the 3's are better cards then the 2's.
 
kawi6rr said:
I thought the 390/390x has faster ram then the 290/290x. It's a refresh card not a rebrand, the 3's are better cards then the 2's.
Click to expand...
Completely true despite what people would have you think.
The 200 series is worth it to a significant discount. Otherwise the 300 series is better and the refinements in cooling certainly worth it.

I lean sapphire right now as their cooler has improved each time from 7950 to 200 to 300 to fury.
So I'd go with the newer cards and a good cooler.
 
vissarix said:
the 390 and 390x are just overclocked cards with more vram, you can get an old 290 or 290x oc them and get even more performance at lower price...

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2015/06/18/msi_r9_390x_gaming_8g_video_card_review/9

i would not recommend any of them btw, you would be better with an gtx 970 since it is even cheaper and oc it at 1500mhz which would make it faster.
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2014/09/29/msi_geforce_gtx_970_gaming_4g_video_card_review/9
Click to expand...


290x, yes, 290, no. Some people can get a 290 to 390 speeds, but its a major crapshoot trying. Plus, if you get a 290 to perform like a 390, then you can still overclock the 390 and get better performance and have double the ram. A 290x is more than a 390 right now so it would be dumb to buy it.
 
I really like the R9 390. It's a great card and the 8GB of VRAM should keep you safe at 1440p resolutions.
 
Unless you find a 290X for a decent amount less, go 390X. There are some pretty noticeable performance differences between them. Some claim the 390X is a slightly over clocked 290X, but benchmarks show otherwise.
 
The 390x is out of my reach. I have 320€ as my maximum budget for a gpu and the cheapest 390x I can find is 80€ more!

I have a 390 (non X) at 320€ or a 290x at 277€. So a 43€ difference in favour of the 290x.

Considering that I'll be upgrading the gpu in 1-1.5 year, I'm leaning towards the 290x...
 
Tecnoworld said:
The 390x is out of my reach. I have 320€ as my maximum budget for a gpu and the cheapest 390x I can find is 80€ more!

I have a 390 (non X) at 320€ or a 290x at 277€. So a 43€ difference in favour of the 290x.

Considering that I'll be upgrading the gpu in 1-1.5 year, I'm leaning towards the 290x...
Click to expand...

If you are upgrading in 1-1.5 years, save the money and get a 290X, but only if it's a non-reference blower card. Unless you are gaming with headphones on, the reference blower 290X isn't worth putting up with all that noise level. Otherwise the Sapphire Nitro 390.
 
I have a Saphire Trixx OC 290 and it's a great card, quiet and cool. Either way you go 290/290x or 390 you're going to be happy. Just stay away from the reference card.
 
Tecnoworld said:
Hmmm, I think that the 290x I could buy at 277€ is indeed reference...is this so bad?
Click to expand...

Reference 290X is super loud and throttles by default. You can make it not throttle with a manual fan curve, but then it is even louder. But be sure it is a reference, post a pic.
 
AMD-Radeon-R9-290X-Hawaii-_1.jpg


Avoid this like the plague, unless you're watercooling it, or using headphones that will drown out the noise. Still, it'll throttle and you won't get to see the awesome performance a well cooled 290/x can put out because of that lousy cooling solution.

To sum up, avoid it if not wc'ing it, and pay the difference for a well cooled model. You'll not regret it one bit.
 
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Tecnoworld said:
It's the xfx core. P.s. I use big earphones by sennheiser ;-)
Click to expand...

Well if you don't mind cranking the fan speed to 100% at a full load, do not care for resale value of the reference blower 290X, then it might work for you. I personally would sacrifice a little bit of performance and just get a 390, or go searching for a used after-market 290/290X. Since you are only using this GPU as a stop-gap, and you want to minimize the cost, why not go used?
 
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