Advice on GTX 970 vs 780 vs R9 290 Tri-x

Haduken21

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Oct 14, 2014
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I'm looking to choose from one of these cards:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202080&cm_re=r290_r9_tri-x-_-14-202-080-_-Product

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487076&cm_re=gtx_970-_-14-487-076-_-Product

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121779&cm_re=gtx_780-_-14-121-779-_-Product

I'm not an overclocker and my monitor is a 1080p one. I play many games and occasionally do some photo editing with Photoshop.

My biggest concerns are these:
1. I' ve read about coil whine in the 970 series, is this really that common? I saw some videos it didn't seem that annoying. Is it a problem that may cause a failure later on or just something annoying?
Also I read some comments about the Tri-X from people saying they experienced black screens etc. It is very important for me to get a problem-free model as I will get the GPU from abroad and RMAs would not be that easy.

2. Performance wise I believe all will be more than adequate for me. My question is this. As I don't upgrade often which one of these would be the best buy in terms of "investing". I would like a card that will play most of the games for many years (even not at ultra high settings). For example will getting the more expensive 970 make me have a card that will last more than the $40 cheaper (and also with three games) 290?


 
Solution
Hi there,

First of all, I would go for a GTX 970.

About your concerns.

1. As far as I have seen that coil whine effect only occurs with the MSI cards, ones that I avoid most of the time because of their weak build quality (usually). Okay that may be a bit harsh but let's say the other third party cooling solutions work better with higher factory overclocks for the same price.
I would not bother with the r9 290x cards tri-x or not (they are one of the best third party brand for amd cards) since the 970 outperforms them in most games at a lower price point.

2. Definitely. The gtx 970 is the best bang for your buck out there right now. It's ridiculously well priced. And at 1080p it will be more than enough for you in the next few years.
The EVGA GTX 970 with the ACX 2.0 cooler is a solid choice. The latest firmware gives it the 0% fan speed quiet idle operation as with the ASUS STRIX. But the ASUS STRIX has been getting better reviews due to better cooling and noise control. The EVGA SSC and FTW models have higher default clock speeds, though.
 

Haduken21

Honorable
Oct 14, 2014
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Unfortunately the EVGA version is the only one that is not out of stock in Newegg. I'd prefer the ASUS (it is quiter), but I have to order it today.
What about the coil whine? Is it a sign of a future failure or just a bit annoying?
 

Ghost24

Reputable
Oct 12, 2014
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4,760
Hi there,

First of all, I would go for a GTX 970.

About your concerns.

1. As far as I have seen that coil whine effect only occurs with the MSI cards, ones that I avoid most of the time because of their weak build quality (usually). Okay that may be a bit harsh but let's say the other third party cooling solutions work better with higher factory overclocks for the same price.
I would not bother with the r9 290x cards tri-x or not (they are one of the best third party brand for amd cards) since the 970 outperforms them in most games at a lower price point.

2. Definitely. The gtx 970 is the best bang for your buck out there right now. It's ridiculously well priced. And at 1080p it will be more than enough for you in the next few years.
 
Solution
Definitely go with the GTX 970. It soundly beats the GTX 780 and even the R9-290X in many games. I bear testimony that Crysis 3 is the only game that pushes my GTX 970 to its limits and runs it at over 75°C. (I had to turn down a couple of settings to keep the game running smooth and keep the GPU temps under control.) It can easily run Battlefield 4, NFS Rivals, BioShock Infinite, and Tomb Raider without breaking out much of a sweat.
 

Haduken21

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Oct 14, 2014
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Well it seems the market decided for me. Unfortunately the 970s are now out of stock in the stores I would buy from and I can't wait the needed time for re-stocking. This happens when you spend a lot of time trying to decide. Until yesterday I could find some.
So I'm going for the R9 290 Tri-X OC as it is cheaper than the GT780 and probably a bit better (or at least on the same level).
I hope it is a solid card.
Thanks for the all input.
 

Haduken21

Honorable
Oct 14, 2014
13
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10,510
The thing is that this whole "bashing" of EVGA with the the heatsink defect and the negative comments makes me somewhat reluctant. I never had an EVGA so I do not have any opinion about the company (also I'm not a fanboy in PC components), but I think I'll play it safe here this time.