970 vs 390

[Torticci]

I'm having trouble picking between the two cards. In my opinion both have their plus sides (8 Gb vs 4/ 3.5 Gb etc.) but I have no idea which one I should actually buy when it comes down to it. I'm impartial to either brand but cooling is a bit limited which could be the deciding factor of the two cards. At the moment I'm sort of just siding with whichever one would be cheaper when I buy it, which probably isn't the best thing to do. I'm looking for a future-proof card wanting the computer to be getting consistently good fps, but I won't be playing in extremely high resolutions like 4k: only really 1080p or 1440p. I know the 970 was branded as the 'King of Price to Performance Gaming' but is it still that way? Any help would be appreciated as I really can't choose between the two of them.

The rest of the build if you wanted to know
CPU: i5-4690k
MoBo: MSI Gaming 6 Z97
RAM: 2x4Gb Corsair Vengeance Pro
Storage: WD Caviar Blue 1Tb
PSU: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 80+ Gold 750 Watts
Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO

 

[Gam3r01]

At 1080p, go the 970. At 1440p, look at the 390.
The 970 does OC far better however, closing the gap at 1440p.
That is really the only way to break it down.

If you arent sure on the resolution, go for the 390 (it is only 3% weaker at 1080p)

 

[ArnoBaes]

I looked into some Full HD benchmarks since you'll be playing Full HD and the 970 gets a little more FPS most of the time whilst being more power efficient and staying cooler. Personally I would go with the 970 it;s still great bang for the buck.

 

[Torticci]

Thanks, I think I will go for the 970 based on both your feedback and other tests. If I do ever feel the need to move on to a higher resolution I think I'll just overclock it. Thanks for both you time

 

[ArnoBaes]

No problem

 

[Gam3r01]

I would recommend OCing it right away, might as well get that free performance right out of the box, just make sure you get a good OCing model!

 

[Torticci]

I was thining of getting the MSI Twin Frozr which I've heard is decent for OCing and maintaining low temps. Is that the right choice though?

 

[Gam3r01]

That is the card I recommend, the MSI gaming. The Twin Frozr V cooler is amazing, the build quality is very solid, runs extremely cool and OCs well.

 

[ArnoBaes]

I am rocking an MSI laptop so I can tell you that MSI usually is bit cheaper but still extremely well performing.

 

[andy_Man]

r9 390 gets my vote.
http://www.eteknix.com/sapphire-nitro-r9-390-8gb-graphics-card-review/5/
Even at 1080p it beats the 970 quite often.
Also a lot more ram. 8gb vs 3.5+.5

 

[Gam3r01]

You are comparing the Nitro to a Gainward, thats not really a fair fight.
Compare reference to reference, then you can see the performance gap (minimal).

Also consider the OC potential of each cards.

 

[Torticci]

I suppose, but at 1080p 8gb just seems a bit unnecessary though; although I have seen it beat the 970 in some games like you say

 

[gilbadon]

390 also gets my vote, but I am gaming at 1440p. It plays very well on the modern games on the highest settings when overclocked. The 970 does not have a chance at that resolution.

If gaming at 1080p, the GTX 970 is better.

I got my R9 390 for $240. Much cheaper than the cheapest GTX 970 I have seen.

 

[Torticci]

In England they're roughly the same at around £250 (new). Where'd you get your 390 though?

 

[Gam3r01]

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/parts/compare/msi-video-card-gtx970gaming4g%2Csapphire-video-card-100382ntocl/

 

[gilbadon]

I got mine at newegg.com, They had a $50 promo code and $20 MIR. They typically run at $290-310 here

 

[andy_Man]

You are comparing the Nitro to a Gainward, thats not really a fair fight.
Compare reference to reference, then you can see the performance gap (minimal).

Also consider the OC potential of each cards.

No one buys reference cards unless for a compact system that needs the exhaust.
Only overclock benchmarks I know of are int his video.
https://youtu.be/k9cKZiJw6Pk?t=506

390 overclocked beat the overclocked 970 at 1080p in all benchmarks except battlefield 4 in his benchmarks.
My personal r9 390(overclocked) beats gtx 980 in firestrike/firestrike ultra/firestrike extreme.

 

[Gam3r01]

The reason I say reference is so you can compare the chip itself, and not the various coolers and factory OCs.