austinrol :
pretty sure this is a no brainer but, I have a choice to choose between a 690 for $250 or a 970 for $350 which one should I get.
Wait wait wait. GTX
690 for $250? Wow. What a deal. (Are you sure it's not a GTX 680 or something?
)
Regardless, I would go with the 970 as well. Although the GTX 690 is a more powerful card, dual GPU cards have their problems. Getting one powerful standalone card usually is the most pleasant approach.
More importantly, what resolution do you play at?