Son has an Radeon HD 6990 vid card, upgrade recommendation

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
M

mrrman

Diamond Member
Feb 8, 2004
8,497
3
0
My son has this card and its giving him problems. He likes to game so I need a card thats comparable. What do you suggest that wont break the bank.
Thanks
 
H

Headfoot

Diamond Member
Feb 28, 2008
4,444
641
126
Budget?

You could scoop up one of the last remaining cheap R9 290's on Newegg before they're all gone and more expensive. You can still get the Tri-X for $250(AR). This would be a great upgrade.

The only card worth getting above the R9 290 is the 980 Ti but that's $650. An aftermarket 980 Ti is the fastest single card you can get right now.

Depending on what his resolution is and what your budget is choose between the two.
 
4K_shmoorK

4K_shmoorK

Senior member
Jul 1, 2015
464
43
91
Well it really depends on the dollar amount you want to spend. If you're looking for a comparably PRICED card (the 6990 was a very expensive card back in its day) you are looking at something in the realm of $600+. Thats 980 Ti/Fury X money.

If you are looking for something that will provide comparable PERFORMANCE, an R9 280 offers performance levels similar to the 6990.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1183?vs=1332

R9 280 is around $190
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202099&cm_re=r9_280-_-14-202-099-_-Product

If you would like to spend a bit more and get something that roughly doubles the performance, go with a GTX 970.

Comparison:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1183?vs=1355

Card for $330:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487088&cm_re=gtx_970-_-14-487-088-_-Product

EDIT: Check out the comparison options on those benchmark links.
 
Last edited:
M

mrrman

Diamond Member
Feb 8, 2004
8,497
3
0
Thanks...I am not a gamer so I have no idea about the cards...the benchmarks look good for the EVGA 04G-P4-3975-KR GeForce GTX 970...that might be the one to get then
 
T

TemjinGold

Diamond Member
Dec 16, 2006
3,050
65
91
On a value basis, the R9 290 is a much better buy than the GTX970 (they perform similarly but the 970 costs way more).
 
H

Headfoot

Diamond Member
Feb 28, 2008
4,444
641
126
4K_shmoorK said:
Well it really depends on the dollar amount you want to spend. If you're looking for a comparably PRICED card (the 6990 was a very expensive card back in its day) you are looking at something in the realm of $600+. Thats 980 Ti/Fury X money.

If you are looking for something that will provide comparable PERFORMANCE, an R9 280 offers performance levels similar to the 6990.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1183?vs=1332

R9 280 is around $190
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202099&cm_re=r9_280-_-14-202-099-_-Product

If you would like to spend a bit more and get something that roughly doubles the performance, go with a GTX 970.

Comparison:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1183?vs=1355

Card for $330:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487088&cm_re=gtx_970-_-14-487-088-_-Product

EDIT: Check out the comparison options on those benchmark links.
Click to expand...

All of this is just circling the point dude.

The best price/perf card right now with performance better than the, 6990 under $350-400 is the Tri-X R9 290.
 
M

mrrman

Diamond Member
Feb 8, 2004
8,497
3
0
Okay thanks for the info...Ill look at the specs on the R9 290 also...less money is better to :)

Does it matter about the brand, sapphire, msi, nvidia or are they all about the same...
 
Last edited:
H

Headfoot

Diamond Member
Feb 28, 2008
4,444
641
126
Note that in reviews, the stock/reference 290 does much more poorly than the one I linked above. The one reviewers got had a terrible loud cooler that would cause the card to throttle and slow down. The Tri-X doesn't do that, and it's even overclocked out of the box. Very quiet too. The Tri-X cooler is really just a great cooler all around.
 
M

mrrman

Diamond Member
Feb 8, 2004
8,497
3
0
Is this the TRI-X card

SAPPHIRE 100362-3L Radeon R9 290 4GB 512-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 CrossFireX Support Tri-X OC Version (UEFI) Video Card
 
4K_shmoorK

4K_shmoorK

Senior member
Jul 1, 2015
464
43
91
Headfoot said:
All of this is just circling the point dude.

The best price/perf card right now with performance better than the, 6990 under $350-400 is the Tri-X R9 290.
Click to expand...

Sure, the 290 is a good choice. I prefer Nvidia for driver support, lower temps, quieter operation. That's all.

The 970 generally does better in every game and runs 30 degrees cooler than the 970 at load. For me, 94 degree air in my case is unacceptable. Sure it's $60 more, but it may be worth it.

EDIT: Nevermind, I see this sapphire card runs nice and cool @68 degrees. The 290 is a great option.
 
Last edited:
H

Headfoot

Diamond Member
Feb 28, 2008
4,444
641
126
4K_shmoorK said:
Sure, the 290 is a good choice. I prefer Nvidia for driver support, lower temps, quieter operation. That's all.

The 970 generally does better in every game and runs 30 degrees cooler than the 970 at load. For me, 94 degree air in my case is unacceptable. Sure it's $60 more, but it may be worth it.

EDIT: Nevermind, I see this sapphire card runs nice and cool @68 degrees. The 290 is a great option.
Click to expand...

The temperature of the card doesn't change how much heat it produces... Besides, like you say, the Tri-X is very good. The 970 doesn't do much better than a Tri-X 290 if at all depending on what your game line up looks like. It's definitely not worth the extra cash
 
H

Headfoot

Diamond Member
Feb 28, 2008
4,444
641
126
when you install, to be safe, uninstall your current AMD drivers. Then run DDU (driver cleaner) in safe mode. Then install the latest AMD drivers, I think its 15.6 for 290.
 
V

.vodka

Golden Member
Dec 5, 2014
1,203
1,537
136
4K_shmoorK said:
Sure, the 290 is a good choice. I prefer Nvidia for driver support, lower temps, quieter operation. That's all.

The 970 generally does better in every game and runs 30 degrees cooler than the 970 at load. For me, 94 degree air in my case is unacceptable. Sure it's $60 more, but it may be worth it.

EDIT: Nevermind, I see this sapphire card runs nice and cool @68 degrees. The 290 is a great option.
Click to expand...

You've edited your post, but still felt the need to point this out.... You can't buy one of the reference 290/Xs anymore, the ones that run at 95°C and have the blower of hell. That card is well buried, thankfully, unless you come across one in ebay or similar places.

Any 290/x or 390/x you can buy are aftermarket designs that run at a cool 70°C and quiet 38-40dBA... in other words, silent for a typical case with a couple low RPM 120mm fans.


OP, great buy on the 290 Tri-X. One of the best, if not the best 290 out there. Enjoy!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom