GPU Selection Dilemma

[cheez it kid329]

I've run into a bit of a brick wall with my GPU selection. I thought I had decided on an HD 7870 but when I tried to find a website that sold one most were out of stock. Apparently the whole Bitcoin thing has made most AMD GPUs a rare and expensive commodity. I thought that maybe I could spend a few bucks more and get a 7950 but same deal there, couldn't find one under $300 that was still in stock.

My options are:

1. Switch to Nvidia, but my mobo doesn't support SLI, only CrossFire, which would restrict me from adding another card later which I was kind of hoping to do.

2. Pay an inflated price because Nvidia isn't nearly as good as mining as AMD.
or
3. Risk used on eBay.

So I guess my questions are:

Would it be worth less hassle to buy a Nvidia card and not be able to add another later? And if not then should I spend more on one of the few new AMDs or buy one used on eBay?

Also: if I do go the Nvidia route, which card would you recommend for under $250ish, while being on par with the 7870 or 7950?

Thanks

 

[nikoli707]

r9-280, same thing as the 7950, same tahiti architecture, same amount of streams. though the r9-280s are voltage locked and not like the early 7950s that can be overclocked and undervolted and the whole 9 yards.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127789

also your motherboard is just crossfire certified, its a certification, not a rule. as long as your motherboard will run both lanes at at least pcie8x speeds, "both of them at the same time", not x16 and x4 etc., then you can do sli with nvidia. are you using the gpu to mine? if you are then you would be better off with the amd option. if its just for gaming.... get a gtx760 since its cheaper.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125466

 

[Mouldread]

Hey,

you weren't able to find these cards 7870/7950 as they kinda have been replaced now. The 7870xt got replaced by the R9 270x and the 7950 got replaced by R9 280. The higher version - the 7970 was replaced by the R9 280x.

So if you wanted a 7870 you have to start looking for a R9 270x instead.

Here are a few different brands http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/video-card/#sort=d7&qq=1&c=147

 

[nikoli707]

Hey,

you weren't able to find these cards 7870/7950 as they kinda have been replaced now. The 7870xt got replaced by the R9 270x and the 7950 got replaced by R9 280. The higher version - the 7970 was replaced by the R9 280x.

So if you wanted a 7870 you have to start looking for a R9 270x instead.

Here are a few different brands http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/video-card/#sort=d7&qq=1&c=147

the 7870xt(le) is a gimped tahiti chip, not a pitcairn like the 270x. too bad i didnt buy like 50 of them suckers when they were going for as low as $140 last fall.

 

[cheez it kid329]

r9-280, same thing as the 7950, same tahiti architecture, same amount of streams. though the r9-280s are voltage locked and not like the early 7950s that can be overclocked and undervolted and the whole 9 yards.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127789

also your motherboard is just crossfire certified, its a certification, not a rule. as long as your motherboard will run both lanes at at least pcie8x speeds, "both of them at the same time", not x16 and x4 etc., then you can do sli with nvidia. are you using the gpu to mine? if you are then you would be better off with the amd option. if its just for gaming.... get a gtx760 since its cheaper.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125466

I'm not really sure on what the whole 8x means if you could explain that to me it would be great. My motherboard is the Asus m5a97 r2.0. And, am I correct in saying that more memory would only be better at this point if I was running multiple monitors at 1080p?
Also, yes this will be used for gaming.

 

[nikoli707]

well you cant really run crossfire either on that motherboard as the second slot will run at x4 speeds. x16, x8, x4, they are bandwidth terms letting you know how much information can flow.

so crossfire/sli is out, your need to get the fastest single card you can get.

 

[cheez it kid329]

So based on your earlier post you would recommend the gtx760 out of the two? I'm leaning towards that one right now.

 

[nikoli707]

the 760 is a fairly powerful video card on its own and for 1080p gaming it offers exceptional performance. in some games even having a 780 wouldn't amount to any appreciable performance difference since the 760 is already supplying plenty. im not as big of a fan of the 770 as it only offers marginal gains compared to the 760 for a big chunk of change.

the 760 is roughly equal to and or slightly better than the 7950/r9-280.

 

[cheez it kid329]

Well I guess I'll go with the 760 then. Thanks for all your help!