Price Vs Performance Wars : GTX 960 vs R9 380 vs Second-hand flagship GPU

Discussion in 'Graphics Cards & Displays' started by Maximus_Detritus, Jul 23, 2015.

  1. Maximus_Detritus

    Maximus_Detritus Moderator

    Hey guys.

    In the midst of doing a gaming rig re-build. I've got my eyes on either a GTX960 or an R9 380, with the possibility of a second-hand flagship GPU from a previous generation (or two) also in consideration.

    I'm just wondering what would be better for my wallet, as I don't want to splurge too much (maximum budget would probably be 1k). Is the new tech + lower horsepower worth it when choosing between a brand new GPU or an older flagship? I have sources for a second hand GTX 580 and GTX770, which according to Tom's Hardware Guide's GPU chart still pack a decent punch. So yeah, i'm hopelessly confused at the moment.

    As for what sort of CPU I'm going to pair it with, I'll start another thread in the appropriate forum for that discussion.
     
    Last edited: Jul 23, 2015
  2. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    I'm not very familiar with radeon since they get pretty hot compare to nvidia. Unless you can get gtx770 cheap, it makes more sense getting the gtx960 since they are very similar in performance. I have gtx770 myself and it is decently fast at full hd res.
     
  3. Maximus_Detritus

    Maximus_Detritus Moderator

    What's your take on the R9 290? I'm only looking for a single card setup with a single Full HD monitor.

    EDIT : Is the heat really an issue? I've got a well-ventilated case in a room that's practically ice cold.
     
  4. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

    If you want to get the Radeon... you might want to hold off for the R9 Nano. It should get you R9 290 performance at a lower power consumption... and a smaller card size.

    The trouble is AMD cannot confirm when they will release it, only that it will be by the end of the year... :(
     
  5. Maximus_Detritus

    Maximus_Detritus Moderator

    #%^&!@#%&*^@!

    This really doesn't help. Hahahaha. It's just that right now, my PC is as slow as a geriatric paraplegic with a broken wheelchair. Sigh. :wall:
     
  6. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

    Well, if you must get the upgrade now, I've read that AMD Radeon R9 cards offer the best bang for your buck.

    What's your budget though? And what monitor are you going to hook up to the graphics card?
     
  7. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    R9 Nano is rumoured to be released in the next few days. GTX970 looks to be like its closest match, so I don't think it's going to be cheap.
     
  8. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

    Oh good! Can't wait to see how much it will cost.

    Well, AMD told us it would be "competitively priced"... :mrgreen:
     
  9. Maximus_Detritus

    Maximus_Detritus Moderator

    Just an update, this happened : [​IMG]

    So yeah, I guess the graphics card is sorted :D

    Thanks for the feedback though, everyone!
     
  10. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

    :thumb: :thumb:

    Hey, not getting an SSD? :mrgreen:
     
  11. trodas

    trodas Newbie

    Quite nice :lol:

    However I would be inclined more to take the MSI version for being quiet. But... nah. Too much money for simple GFX card, not worth it ATM IMHO.

    First let's see what Fury Nano can come up with :mrgreen:
     
  12. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

    Yeah, the R9 Nano would be a very interesting card indeed! :thumb:
     
  13. Maximus_Detritus

    Maximus_Detritus Moderator

    Well, I suppose I'll have to make do with my GTX 980....
     
  14. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    GTX980 will be superior to R9 Nano for sure.
     
  15. Maximus_Detritus

    Maximus_Detritus Moderator

    Incidentally, any tips on how to get the most out of my new(ish) card?

    OC-ing tips etc.
     
  16. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

    Overclockability of a card is pretty much up to luck... unless you are open to removing the cooler and improving it with a better one and/or replacing the stock thermal paste / pad with better thermal grease.
     

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