upgrade to r9 280x or stick with r9 270 Oc edition

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az09

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Feb 25, 2015
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Title says it all. Should i upgrade to r9 280x or stick with my current r9 270 Oc edition

Budget on hand is 350 CAD$

Current Specs

i5 4690k @ 4.2 ghz
8 gb @ 1833mhz


resolution : 1680x1050
 
codyray10

codyray10

Senior member
Apr 14, 2008
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If thats the resolution you are planning on sticking with, then stay with the 270. If I were you though, I would get at least a 1080p display before getting a new video card.
 
H

Headfoot

Diamond Member
Feb 28, 2008
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I agree, upgrade your display to something more modern before you get a faster card. I went from old 2006 1680x1050 monitors to new 1080p IPS panels and the difference in quality is quite large. Not to mention the new monitors weigh like a third of the old ones and use about a third of the power too.
 
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therealnickdanger

Senior member
Oct 26, 2005
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az09 said:
Title says it all. Budget on hand is 350 CAD$
Click to expand...

Do you have to buy something this week? Month? If you can, you should really wait for AMD to unveil its 300-series in June. There will be some rebadging, respins, new products, etc. that will likely result in lower prices for the resolution you're targeting.

You should stick with the 270 for now. At that resolution, you should probably consider a GTX 960 for $199.
 
EliteRetard

EliteRetard

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Mar 6, 2006
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I'd wait it out a bit, rumors suggest a new generation of video cards is imminent. Rumors also suggest re-branding, which means some current gen cards will be shifted down in position/price.

Also, while the 280x is a good bit faster than a 270, the performance difference doesn't seem worth a few hundred. Personally I wouldn't consider an upgrade unless I got 290x performance around $250 new.

Then again, you are running a relatively low resolution...so faster cards may not get fully utilized and you may hit CPU bottlenecks. You could run things like SSAA when available though.

Anyway, my vote is wait a month or two for new cards and reevaluate your options then.
 
A

az09

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Feb 25, 2015
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cant afford to upgrade monitor. To be honest i think im satisfied with gaming at 1680x1050. not too crazy about giant screen almost at my face.

so at my current screen r9 270 is more than enought?
 
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az09

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Feb 25, 2015
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for games like dying light or unity, i am reading they recommend cards like r9 290 or on there sites. So wouldnt i lose alot of frames on r9 270 and may get better performance with r9 280x?
 
codyray10

codyray10

Senior member
Apr 14, 2008
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az09 said:
for games like dying light or unity, i am reading they recommend cards like r9 290 or on there sites. So wouldnt i lose alot of frames on r9 270 and may get better performance with r9 280x?
Click to expand...

I believe the assumption when people recommend an R9 280/290 for those games is that you are running at 1080p or greater resolution. While you may see a slight increase in performance with a 280x over your 270 OC at 1680x1050, it is likely to be very marginal and probably not worth the price tag of the new card. If you really want better performance in those games, you may be better off dropping your resolution to 720p and crank some of the details

Also, 21-24" 60hz 1080p displays can be found quite cheap these days. 1080p should really be the standard anymore, we are in 2015! It's the 1440p-4k monitors you pay the premium for
 
Last edited:
RussianSensation

RussianSensation

Elite Member
Sep 5, 2003
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az09 said:
Title says it all. Should i upgrade to r9 280x or stick with my current r9 270 Oc edition

Budget on hand is 350 CAD$

Current Specs

i5 4690k @ 4.2 ghz
8 gb @ 1833mhz


resolution : 1680x1050
Click to expand...

With that budget, you can easily buy an after-market R9 290

Asus DCUII R9 290 = $320 CDN
Gigabyte Windforce R9 290 = $340 CDN

These cards are 50% faster than a GTX960 which negates that card automatically. However, if your R9 270 is fast enough for the games you currently play, might as well keep waiting as something faster and better will come down the pipeline later. However, with your budget, the R9 290 or a used GTX970 is hands down the best upgrade. Otherwise, if you want a stop-gap upgrade of sorts, look for used R9 280X / HD7970Ghz cards on Kijiji/Craigslist.
 
EliteRetard

EliteRetard

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Mar 6, 2006
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A

az09

Member
Feb 25, 2015
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EliteRetard said:
http://www.ncix.com/detail/acer-g226hql-bbd-21-5in-8ms-8c-100436-1015.htm?affiliateid=7474144

~21" 1080p $110

As others have suggested, perhaps a monitor upgrade is worth considering. This is just one example of a basic 1080p monitor, I'm certain there are others around $100 CDN.

Then use the remaining $250-ish of your budget when you can get a much faster GPU. Hopefully you will be able to get more performance for the dollar in just a month or two.
Click to expand...
But is it good for "games". I heard when you are looking for a gaming monitors u need to look response time etc. this one has 8ms which is quite slow? no? my current monitor is 2ms
 
EliteRetard

EliteRetard

Diamond Member
Mar 6, 2006
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az09 said:
But is it good for "games". I heard when you are looking for a gaming monitors u need to look response time etc. this one has 8ms which is quite slow? no? my current monitor is 2ms
Click to expand...

To some extent response time does matter, but there is input lag to consider as well. Also none of the manufacturers seem to measure the same way...so it's difficult to compare across brands. Interesting that the specs state 5ms, not 8ms. Anyway, I didn't shop around...I'm sure you could find something "better".

Quick look on the same webpage shows an LG for $119 that's labeled as "5ms"
http://www.ncix.com/detail/lg-22m35d-21-5in-led-monitor-fe-98969-1015.htm

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say any pixel response time around 5ms is good enough. As long as input lag is low I don't think most people would ever notice any "lag" or "ghosting".
 
codyray10

codyray10

Senior member
Apr 14, 2008
854
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az09 said:
But is it good for "games". I heard when you are looking for a gaming monitors u need to look response time etc. this one has 8ms which is quite slow? no? my current monitor is 2ms
Click to expand...

I can't speak for 8ms monitor as I've never gamed on one. However, at 5ms you will not notice any input delay or things like that.

Your upgrade path could be...
$110-150 for a new monitor. Set the remaining ~$200 aside for a few months, save a bit more and decide when the new lineup comes out.
 
RussianSensation

RussianSensation

Elite Member
Sep 5, 2003
19,458
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az09 said:
I think im getting a bit tempted and dont want to wait for 300 series.(plus i dont think there will be a big jump in price on release of the new cards)

i was looking to decide to get following monitor
ViewSonic-VX2252MH
http://www.amazon.com/ViewSonic-VX2252MH-22-Inch-LED-Lit-Monitor/dp/B00EZSUWFG


and between XFX r9 290 or 290x. which one should i get? and how is the monitor(dont want to go overboard with budget on monitor)
Click to expand...

I think you should spend more on the monitor and less on the videocard since videocards will get upgraded ever 2-3 years but you can keep the monitor for longer. I would try to stretch the budget a bit to a 23.5-24" monitor.

Samsung S24D390HL 23.6in Widescreen PLS LED Monitor 1920x1080 FHD 5ms 1000:1 HDMI VGA = $180 CDN

BenQ RL2455HM 24IN Widescreen 1920x1080 1ms 2x HDMI DVI VGA RTS Gaming Console Monitor = $200 CDN

I would take one of the larger monitors and an R9 290 instead of a 21.5 inch monitor and a 290X.
 
xthetenth

xthetenth

Golden Member
Oct 14, 2014
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Monitors stay with your build a long time and affect everything you do with the computer, a good monitor is well worth having.
 
A

az09

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Feb 25, 2015
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EliteRetard

EliteRetard

Diamond Member
Mar 6, 2006
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The BenQ is a TN panel where the Acer is an IPS.
Most people consider IPS superior to TN since IPS usually has better color, contrast, and viewing angles.
Problem is the back-light and calibration of the display can make an IPS look worse than good TN display.
So reviews are important.

As far as returns go, there may be a significant shipping and/or restocking fee to consider.

Hopefully you didn't spend $200 on the BenQ...and the Acer is actually no more than $150 for you. No 1080 24" or smaller LCD should be over $150, IPS or not. $200 is for the 27" class monitors, and ultra-wides (21:9) working up to $300 which starts the high PPI 1440+ monitors.
 
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