The 770 is cooler, quieter, and needs less power to run, all at about equal performance at 1080p. Not withstanding amd's recent attempts to solve driver issues, nvidia seems to still have the lead in better drivers, and still has better compatibility with Microsoft directX's api over that of AMD.
All in all, the gtx 770 is the better all-around card, for 1080p, even if the r9 290 will beat it in a few benchmark tests, and has better capability with more ram for higher resolutions or multiple monitor setups.