GTX 970 vs. R9 390

[rshafer]

I know we'll have to wait until benchmarks are released to know more about card performance, but I am wondering what the community thinks.

So, it appears to me that the R9 390 should outperform the GTX 970. And it is also slightly cheaper. I know the 970 is more efficient. However, is there something else I'm missing?

 

[rmpumper]

Go for 970 and forget about AMD. 390x struggles to beat 970 at ~1080p while using twice as much power. Don't expect any better from 390.

 

[zared619]

I know we'll have to wait until benchmarks are released to know more about card performance, but I am wondering what the community thinks.

So, it appears to me that the R9 390 should outperform the GTX 970. And it is also slightly cheaper. I know the 970 is more efficient. However, is there something else I'm missing?

We have some benchmarks for the 390 found here:
http://www.techspot.com/review/1019-radeon-r9-390x-390-380/page3.html

It looks like the 390 will edge out the 970 in just about everything and an improvement in efficiency over the previous generation should help it in performing more closely to the 970 in power consumption. I think AMD has done well with this series and has slightly upped Nvidia's current offerings.

 

[rshafer]

Go for 970 and forget about AMD. 390x struggles to beat 970 at ~1080p while using twice as much power. Don't expect any better from 390.

Did you read that somewhere? I would like to get the GTX 970, but was hoping the price would go down. I have also not ruled out the R9 390 yet.

 

[rshafer]

I know we'll have to wait until benchmarks are released to know more about card performance, but I am wondering what the community thinks.

So, it appears to me that the R9 390 should outperform the GTX 970. And it is also slightly cheaper. I know the 970 is more efficient. However, is there something else I'm missing?

We have some benchmarks for the 390 found here:
http://www.techspot.com/review/1019-radeon-r9-390x-390-380/page3.html

It looks like the 390 will edge out the 970 in just about everything and an improvement in efficiency over the previous generation should help it in performing more closely to the 970 in power consumption. I think AMD has done well with this series and has slightly upped Nvidia's current offerings.

Hmmmmm...now that is interesting. I almost bought the 970 this week, but decided to wait and see how the new GPUs would compare. I was hoping for a price drop on the 970 (the efficiency is still very appealing), but I have no idea how long that could be.

 

[zared619]

It is true that the 970 is slightly more power efficient, but not by much. At load, the 970 was found to be only 9-40 watts more efficient, depending on the game. As far as temperatures go, the 970 runs about 4 degrees C cooler than the 390 (at least this version of the card). I'm also sure that with driver optimizations, that the 390 will pull slightly ahead.

The obvious biggest advantage is the 8Gb of VRAM that you'll get with the 390. However, the 970 will overclock a little better if you're into that. It really comes down to personal preference. I'd wait until next week to buy anything because they'll be more reviews out, as well as possible price drops.

 

[rshafer]

It is true that the 970 is slightly more power efficient, but not by much. At load, the 970 was found to be only 9-40 watts more efficient, depending on the game. As far as temperatures go, the 970 runs about 4 degrees C cooler than the 390 (at least this version of the card). I'm also sure that with driver optimizations, that the 390 will pull slightly ahead.

The obvious biggest advantage is the 8Gb of VRAM that you'll get with the 390. However, the 970 will overclock a little better if you're into that. It really comes down to personal preference. I'd wait until next week to buy anything because they'll be more reviews out, as well as possible price drops.

Okay, thanks for the info!

 

[Wisecracker]

Either should work just dandy at 1080p.

If you want to save some money, the Sapphire R9 280X is less than $200 after rebate and promo code (EMCATKX36).

It should handle 1080p just fine, too.

 

[Hartassen]

I'm in the same boat considering gtx 970 or r9 390. They both cost pretty much the same.

So this is my current setup I'm planning on buying: https://www.inet.se/kundvagn/visa/8112327/2015-06-22 Running on 1920x1080

I chose the evga ssc because it has the highest overclock of all 970's and it's the same amount of money as a msi r9 390.

The evga has higher memory frequency, higher gpu speed, but only 256 bit bus vs 512 and less transfer speed also it doesn't have the overkill 8gig ram but that doesn't bother me, only the 3.5gb/0.5gb is what is keeping me wondering if r9 390 wouldn't be a better card..

Any ideas?

 

[sephirotic]

I have a MSI 970 And i'd say go for the 970, no contest.
IT's extremely quiet and solid.

A good 970 model overclocks up to 1530+ mhz easily, and at that level of speed that is actually 10% faster than a reference 980 gtx. The power consumption don´t go above 210w.

It's no contest, if you overclock the 970, it's going to reach the same level of a 390x while consuming 90w less.

The biggest advantage is the hdmi 2.0, If you buy an UHD Television and would like to use it as a display, you won´t be able to do full 2160p @60hz and 444 chroma, this might even be a problem for upcoming VR displays that don´t come with DP. Forget the AMD, it's crap and the 3xx are ridiculuous overpriced.

 

[RockyPlays]

Get a 970 for 1080p. Lower power consumption and better overclockability. If you want to go higher resolution get the 390 as it has 8gb ram and performs better at higher resolution making it more "futureproof."

 

[zerael]

I'm in the same boat as OP. However I'm leaning towards the R9. The latest reviews prove that R9 is equal or slightly better in most games, exception being nVidia optimized ones. 8gb seems like a nice future proof addition. Even though R9 consumes more power they both stay at similar temps and noise levels (I'm considering Sapphire's NITRO).

Nevertheless, GTX has more OC potential. Is it true that you can safely OC it to GTX 980 entry levels? Is it only the case with particular models, do you need extra cooling for that?

 

[SherbetAddict]

I'm in the same boat considering gtx 970 or r9 390. They both cost pretty much the same.

So this is my current setup I'm planning on buying: https://www.inet.se/kundvagn/visa/8112327/2015-06-22 Running on 1920x1080

I chose the evga ssc because it has the highest overclock of all 970's and it's the same amount of money as a msi r9 390.

The evga has higher memory frequency, higher gpu speed, but only 256 bit bus vs 512 and less transfer speed also it doesn't have the overkill 8gig ram but that doesn't bother me, only the 3.5gb/0.5gb is what is keeping me wondering if r9 390 wouldn't be a better card..

Any ideas?

Isn't FTW even higher OC?

 

[slamm]

I know we'll have to wait until benchmarks are released to know more about card performance, but I am wondering what the community thinks.

So, it appears to me that the R9 390 should outperform the GTX 970. And it is also slightly cheaper. I know the 970 is more efficient. However, is there something else I'm missing?

PhysX is more and more important in games not all, But AMD just does not have it so.

 

[Ivan Rosic]

Go for 970 and forget about AMD. 390x struggles to beat 970 at ~1080p while using twice as much power. Don't expect any better from 390.

Did you read that somewhere? I would like to get the GTX 970, but was hoping the price would go down. I have also not ruled out the R9 390 yet.

y thers really no need to lower price for nvidia cos amd didnt do anything spectacular at that range ... i remember when nvidia did 900 serie out and forced amd to go way way down whit prices only thing what looks promesing is HBM memory ... tbh i would still get gtx 980ti which i can get around 20-30€ cheeper then fury x

 

[SamSerious]

20-30% of what? However it's quite a lot lower than 100%, obviously.

 

[zared619]

Yeah dude I just switched from Sapphire R9 290 to GTX 970 EVGA ....Amd S*** bakes all my components...After Switching I realize 20-30% performance in FC4,Arkam night And Hardline..... F@#$ AMD

First, please avoid using profanity on this forum. It's not necessary. Second, the real-world difference between a 290 and a 970 is roughly 5-10% in most games.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1068?vs=1355

Additionally, this thread is comparing the 390 and 970, not the 290. Despite the re-badge, the 390 does have improvements in thermals, increased VRAM, as well as higher clock and memory speeds that has allowed it to surpass the 970 in just about every category except power usage.

 

[gravesmeister]

390 is going to more future proof. My 290X is quieter than the GTX 970 I had. They performed about the same at least on my machine.

 

[Outlander_04]

Go for 970 and forget about AMD. 390x struggles to beat 970 at ~1080p while using twice as much power. Don't expect any better from 390.

Actually most reviews I have read say the R9 390 is fractionally ahead of the GTX 970 at 1080p and well ahead at higher resolutions .
The power draw can be more under load but its about the same as running a light bulb so you have to keep it in perspective .
Added performance is always going to mean added power usage .

What Ive read tells me that unless I have a special need for a low wattage graphics card the R9 390 is a better choice
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/powercolor_radeon_r9_390_pcs_8gb_review,19.html

 

[SherbetAddict]

Dat fanboy flame war...

 

[jtrdfw]

I know we'll have to wait until benchmarks are released to know more about card performance, but I am wondering what the community thinks.

So, it appears to me that the R9 390 should outperform the GTX 970. And it is also slightly cheaper. I know the 970 is more efficient. However, is there something else I'm missing?

We have some benchmarks for the 390 found here:
http://www.techspot.com/review/1019-radeon-r9-390x-390-380/page3.html

It looks like the 390 will edge out the 970 in just about everything and an improvement in efficiency over the previous generation should help it in performing more closely to the 970 in power consumption. I think AMD has done well with this series and has slightly upped Nvidia's current offerings.

No, it is literally a 290 rebrand, if you think thats done well im not sure what to say.

Any 970 you are able to actually buy will beat a 390 no question as has been proven many times over. Those benchmarks are using reference clocks, which you have to go way out of your way to find for a 970. Add 10% to those numbers and the 390 loses in every single way.

If you are intent on buying a 390, purchase a 290. A 390 cannot use more than 4gb before it chokes on the the chip itself. A 290 is otherwise the same exact card.

 

[Outlander_04]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udXCusTnRsY

At the same price then definitely the R9 390

 

[RockyPlays]

Neither card is going to be a bad choice, each has advantages so just choose whichever suits your needs.

 

[Knave]

I know we'll have to wait until benchmarks are released to know more about card performance, but I am wondering what the community thinks.

So, it appears to me that the R9 390 should outperform the GTX 970. And it is also slightly cheaper. I know the 970 is more efficient. However, is there something else I'm missing?

We have some benchmarks for the 390 found here:
http://www.techspot.com/review/1019-radeon-r9-390x-390-380/page3.html

It looks like the 390 will edge out the 970 in just about everything and an improvement in efficiency over the previous generation should help it in performing more closely to the 970 in power consumption. I think AMD has done well with this series and has slightly upped Nvidia's current offerings.

No, it is literally a 290 rebrand, if you think thats done well im not sure what to say.

Any 970 you are able to actually buy will beat a 390 no question as has been proven many times over. Those benchmarks are using reference clocks, which you have to go way out of your way to find for a 970. Add 10% to those numbers and the 390 loses in every single way.

If you are intent on buying a 390, purchase a 290. A 390 cannot use more than 4gb before it chokes on the the chip itself. A 290 is otherwise the same exact card.

My R9 390 can use more than 4 GB...it used 7.2 GB in Advanced Warfare with fill remaining memory enabled.

 

[topmech]

Almost always go with AMD card...I don't know care what the nvidia kingpins say. Better value for the money and the future too, they have a leg up on HBM technology and now have free sync as well. With the new catalyst driver you also frame rate control to help games run more smoothly.