AMD R9280x vs gtx 960

[Brad Neil2]

Which one is better for my games? Skyrim with heavy graphics mods.
Fight!

 

[Brad Neil2]

Don't buy the GTX 960 4GB. It can't use more than 2.2-2.5GB VRAM.

Go for the R9 290.

Indeed. Custom 290's is alot better choice than 960 4gb. I mean come on, 960 just isnt powerful enough to even use 3gb properly.

I just assumed that nvidia wouldn't lie about the gpu not being able to handle 4GB

 

[Brad Neil2]

Don't buy the GTX 960 4GB. It can't use more than 2.2-2.5GB VRAM.

Go for the R9 290.

290 would be good but a 290x is cheaper then a 970 so I would go with that. We are talking a heavily modded skyrim so AMD is more then capable to run AO and hbao through mods rather then nivdia forced settings.

We're also talking about a budget here, going with the r9 290 is pushing it already.

 

[disturbed force]

Don't buy the GTX 960 4GB. It can't use more than 2.2-2.5GB VRAM.

Go for the R9 290.

290 would be good but a 290x is cheaper then a 970 so I would go with that. We are talking a heavily modded skyrim so AMD is more then capable to run AO and hbao through mods rather then nivdia forced settings.

We're also talking about a budget here, going with the r9 290 is pushing it already.

Okay... but do you understand that you have the 970 on the list of being in your budget and the 290x is cheaper in most cases, so why is it out of your budget?

970 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487076&cm_re=970-_-14-487-076-_-Product

290x http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202145&cm_re=290x-_-14-202-145-_-Product

 

[Brad Neil2]

Don't buy the GTX 960 4GB. It can't use more than 2.2-2.5GB VRAM.

Go for the R9 290.

290 would be good but a 290x is cheaper then a 970 so I would go with that. We are talking a heavily modded skyrim so AMD is more then capable to run AO and hbao through mods rather then nivdia forced settings.

We're also talking about a budget here, going with the r9 290 is pushing it already.

Okay... but do you understand that you have the 970 on the list of being in your budget and the 290x is cheaper in most cases, so why is it out of your budget?

970 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487076&cm_re=970-_-14-487-076-_-Product

290x http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202145&cm_re=290x-_-14-202-145-_-Product

Some are more or less expensive than the 970 where I come from. http://nz.pcpartpicker.com/parts/video-card/#c=186,146&sort=d8&page=1

 

[disturbed force]

Okay, got ya now. It's crazy how different the price range is between the 2 from here to there.

 

[RCFProd]

Don't buy the GTX 960 4GB. It can't use more than 2.2-2.5GB VRAM.

Go for the R9 290.

Saying a GTX 960 4GB can't use more than 2.2 to 2.5GB of VRAM is like saying a GTX 670 or GTX 680 can't. Rather ridiculous statement.

How is this in response in any way relevant? Benchmarks show no significant increase in performance compared to the standard 2GB edition.

The GTX 960 has a 128-bit memory bus.

The GTX 670 has a 256-bit memory bus, same story for the GTX 680. Double the amount.

In comparison the SIMILARLY priced AMD R9 290 has a 512-bit bus. Miles ahead of the GTX 960 4GB while priced identically.

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 960 4GB Video Card ($243.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $243.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-27 06:48 EDT-0400

Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290 4GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($259.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $259.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-27 06:48 EDT-0400

It is a no brainer and shouldn't have a reason for defending it. The GTX 960 4GB is more marketing than anything.

 

[Brad Neil2]

Don't buy the GTX 960 4GB. It can't use more than 2.2-2.5GB VRAM.

Go for the R9 290.

Saying a GTX 960 4GB can't use more than 2.2 to 2.5GB of VRAM is like saying a GTX 670 or GTX 680 can't. Rather ridiculous statement.

How is this in response in any way relevant? Benchmarks show no significant increase in performance compared to the standard 2GB edition.

The GTX 960 has a 128-bit memory bus.

The GTX 670 has a 256-bit memory bus, same story for the GTX 680. Double the amount.

In comparison the SIMILARLY priced AMD R9 290 has a 512-bit bus. Miles ahead of the GTX 960 4GB while priced identically.

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 960 4GB Video Card ($243.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $243.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-27 06:48 EDT-0400

Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290 4GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($259.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $259.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-27 06:48 EDT-0400

It is a no brainer and shouldn't have a reason for defending it. The GTX 960 4GB is more marketing than anything.

As I said to that other guy, the prices are different where I'm from http://nz.pcpartpicker.com/parts/video-card/#c=208,152&sort=d8&page=1

 

[RCFProd]

I checked the prices and they're still really close to each other also in New Zealand, Brad.

 

[Letalis1]

Performance-wise the 290x is way better than the 770. Especially if you're going to play Skyrim with heavy mods, you are really going to see the advantage of the 512-bit 4GB of VRAM versus the 256-bit 2GB of the gtx 770.

 

[17seconds]

Alright guys, everyone needs to keep cool and be polite in this thread. Make your points, give your evidence, and don't try to force someone into preferring what otherwise seems to be a logical choice in your personal world. If it continues, I will close the thread and take other measures if necessary.

 

[disturbed force]

Alright guys, everyone needs to keep cool and be polite in this thread. Make your points, give your evidence, and don't try to force someone into preferring what otherwise seems to be a logical choice in your personal world.

By the way, I still seen anything to back up the statement: "a GTX 960 "can't use more than 2.2-2.5GB VRAM".

I'm not arguing that point, but if a 290 is in your price range, why would you get a 4gb 960 is the better question.

Asus R9290-DC2-4GD5 and the Gigabyte GV-N960G1 GAMING-4GD are about the same price where brad is from.
http://nz.pcpartpicker.com/parts/video-card/#c=208,152&sort=d8&page=1

 

[17seconds]

Alright guys, everyone needs to keep cool and be polite in this thread. Make your points, give your evidence, and don't try to force someone into preferring what otherwise seems to be a logical choice in your personal world.

By the way, I still seen anything to back up the statement: "a GTX 960 "can't use more than 2.2-2.5GB VRAM".

I'm not arguing that point, but if a 290 is in your price range, why would you get a 4gb 960 is the better question.

Asus R9290-DC2-4GD5 and the Gigabyte GV-N960G1 GAMING-4GD are about the same price where brad is from

Who knows? Maybe he wants HBAO+, Adaptive VSync, and PhysX, or maybe he owns a G-Sync monitor. There are other factors besides "Card A is faster than Card B for this price".

 

[disturbed force]

Alright guys, everyone needs to keep cool and be polite in this thread. Make your points, give your evidence, and don't try to force someone into preferring what otherwise seems to be a logical choice in your personal world.

By the way, I still seen anything to back up the statement: "a GTX 960 "can't use more than 2.2-2.5GB VRAM".

I'm not arguing that point, but if a 290 is in your price range, why would you get a 4gb 960 is the better question.

Asus R9290-DC2-4GD5 and the Gigabyte GV-N960G1 GAMING-4GD are about the same price where brad is from

Who knows? Maybe he wants HBAO+, Adaptive VSync, and PhysX, or maybe he owns a G-Sync monitor. There are other factors besides "Card A is faster than Card B for this price".

If this is the case then why is brad included AMD products everytime he changes his mind on the gpu's he wants to compare for the best performance? This thread is a mess of inconsistency, first it's 280x vs 960 then 290 vs 770, then he got mad because we weren't comparing the 290 with 970/980 and now who knows what he wants? At this point i'm not sure if he is looking for advice or a fight. He does have Fight at the end of his question lol.

 

[RCFProd]

I have a feeling you clowns don't know what you're talking about.

This is the first response we got after our effort in trying to help him.

I mean, I'm all cool with pros and cons discussions. I don't mind it actually but if we get ricochet response every time we try to help, I just wonder why we even bother to try and help?

Maybe someone else can assist him better or give a better insight to the strengths of each GPU's but it would be helpful if the OP could be a bit more open minded and be a bit more thankful that we put in this effort to help.

 

[17seconds]

Closing this thread for lack of structure and progress towards resolution, and a general sense of irritability.

Brad Neil you may open a new thread for a fresh start if you wish.