What do you guys think of the disparity in price/speed in the same model like Nvidia

[sebastian869]

I was looking to buy a GPU in the range of 300 to 350 at most and I'm looking at the 770 or the ATI r9 280x. I don’t recall the details of my last purchase 5 yrs ago or so but I recall being told that buying more than X amount of memory is pointless I just don’t recall the amount these days, didn’t keeps notes like I now do (I think it was 3 gigs or so but HW things might have changed). Also the disparity in the same GPU models performance. When prices drop in time I'm planning on going SLI. I have to say I currently have a GTX 285 dual setup and I see almost no improvement in smaller resolutions and a bump in performance at higher res but not proportional to cost meaning if one board is 300 and you buy another for 300 you will not see a 100% improvement NOT EVEN Close not even 50 % more in the 25% area. I don’t know how that changes in the 3x or 4x SLI. The irony is one board is "generic" and other is classified faster by about 100 mhz and I don’t think it makes sense or "bang for the buck" to buy more than generic. Obviously if money is not object then all of that changes.
Was wondering what is your feedback and which specific board is best out of the 2 (I have to say I've always bought Nvidia and its hard to go with ATI, in this case is it worth it?). I was planning on going SLI once the price drops. Lastly, who do you guys think is making the best software right now and for the next few years to come.

Thanks,
Sebastian

 

[ctk1981]

If the pny gtx 770 4GB deal is still going at 309 from amazon I would go that route. Right now there are some unknown(s) about next gen games....watchdogs and wolfenstein both seem to benefit from more memory....that could be a game issue, or a taste of things to come.

I went with the HIS 280x ICE 3GB card at newegg and ended up getting it for ~230 after rebate. Pretty substantial increase in speed over what I already had, figure I can jump on the next gen cards if games get to be too rough on the 280x. Rolling the dice a little and hoping 3GB is enough.

Drivers have been a strong suite for nvidia, especially if you run linux at all. They both have had their ups and downs over the years but typically nvidia seems to be pretty strong in that area.

 

[AntonioHG]

Well, to keep things simple, sell the cards you have (if you can get $50 and add that to your $350) and spend $400 on an R9 290 and call it a day. Or buy one used for around $350, but make sure the warranty is transferable and everything is in order. I personally don't mind used cards, but you might not.

As for SLI/Crossfire, things have improved and scaling in supported games is pretty good, but of course, it's not linear. Here's a link for R9 290x crossfire.
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2013...0x_crossfire_video_card_review/8#.U6XuTPldUqw

 

[Unoid]

A used 290 now, for $300 then in a year add a second. Best bang for buck you can get.

Overclocked it will ~ equal a 780Ti. the 770 can't do that

 

[DaveSimmons]

If you prefer nvidia, the GTX 770 is a great card. I have the older version (680) and have never had an issue with drivers or problems in games.

If you want the most FPS per dollar, AMD wins.

 

[Flapdrol1337]

Yeah, the 770 has the "nvidia tax"

If you're buying AMD I'd get the 290, Always pick the newest gen parts, especially with amd, the 290 has some interesting features that are not on the 280x.

 

[guskline]

Just picked up a used Sapphire R9 290 Tri-X for $290 and is is a great card. Use it with my FX8350 rig. It replaced a GTX 680.