HD 7970 vs R9 270 vs HD 7870

[MickeyBG]

Hey, folks!

So, I'm browsing for a new GPU and I found some, in my opinion, good deals. I'm looking for 'best performance - best price' here, I'd like to know what do you guys think:
1. AMD Radeon HD 7970 3gb 384 Bit - $115 (used, no warranty)
2. Gigabyte HD7870 - $104 (used, but got +1 year warranty)
3. Gigabyte / ASUS / Sapphire R9 270 2GB - ~ $97 (some got a bit warranty, some - none; not sure which manufacturer is the best)
4. AMD Radeon HD 7870 Ghost Edition + SeaSonic 550W - $108 (no warranty, but I think I will need a new power supple, that's why I am considering this offer, too)
5. HD 7870 XT and a HD 7870 Tahiti LE - each for a $104 (no warranties here, too; not sure which one is best either)
6. Gigabyte Radeon HD 7870 OC 2GB - for $84 (but no warranty)

Those are best choices I have in my local second hand site. It's the best choice to buy from, because I won't be paying for shipping (which is around 20-30 euro or more, depends from different sites)

And something that bothers me and I think I should ask before I try it - do I need to change my 400W power supply if I get any of those GPUs?

 

[Shaun o]

Depending on how long you intend to keep the card for gaming.

Your best option in my opinion to you Mickey would be to opt for a 7970 card out of all the cards you have listed.

First of all current games such as Black ops III, Fallout 4, And Rainbow six siege, utilize as much memory on a graphics card as it has on board. All of the games listed use up close to 3Gb of card memory for reasonable game play.

The reason why is to keep all of the game data, textures as close as it can to the GPU for rendering and setup of graphics and FX.

The less memory a card has in theory cripples how good a card can perform in speed.
It is quicker to call a texture and process it for example if stored on the GDDR 5 memory of the graphics card.

Than it is for the card to have to make requests for example to the cpu to get the data from system memory and then having to constantly update or send it to the bank of GDDR 5 memory of the graphics card in frequent requests.

That is why that although you see a 7970 based graphics card with 3GB of memory on them.
You are now seeing cards that support up to 8Gb of texture storage.

With the event of the push to 4k gaming as a standard this trend is not going to back down, in fact it`s a sign that texture quality and bitmaps are going to get bigger and take up more room per texture hence the increase in memory being fitted to graphics cards.

The 7970 card in the list is the most powerful with 2048 cores, 128 tmu`s, 32 Rop`s
At a later date by ATI they were re badge as the 280 X card as i`m sure you know.

The other thing to look for when you choose a graphics card, is how wide the bus width of the card is.
The higher the better as more data in larger blocks of data can be sent in a clock cycle or process of the gpu ect.
The memory bus on a 7970 card is 384-bit, this can effect how much memory bandwidth in gigabytes per second a card can run at in a 7970 card it`s 264 GB/s Flinging textures around and processing, plus setup and computing.

Looking at all of the numbers I have explained here tells you on how good a card is, higher numbers will mean it will perform better for you, and last that little bit longer.

If you opt for a 7970 card then you will be looking at buying a higher wattage power supply to keep it well fed with power, and the rest of your system components also. If you can afford it somewhere in the region of 600W to 650W as an example.

It may sound a bit high, but there is nothing wrong with going a bit higher to avoid any problems with power if you intend to make any more additions of hardware to your system as other future upgrades.

 

[MickeyBG]

I know the 7970 one is the highest class and the best. But is it worth the money in your opinion? That's why I'm also sharing the money I will have to pay, so I know if it's worth the quality I get for the money I pay . If I buy a GPU now, I will change it in some years maybe, I don't have the budget to constantly upgrade my PC. This will be my first upgrade from 2007 to be honest. So, you know... I try to make the best out of it. And is a 400W power supply enough?

 

[Shaun o]

I know how you feel Mickey,

My last upgrade was six years apart. If you think your in a sticky place.
The last graphics card I had in the last system was a Nvidia 9800 GT.

From that I went to the 7970 card, currently it is playing all the games I listed in the other post I made at around 50 to 60 Fps
With the detail settings set on High and a few turned of like motion blurring, personal preference.
AA is on at x4 at 1920x1080p for all.

I mean you should get a bit longer out of the 7970 card due to it`s power, it depends on how willing you are on the graphical detail settings in games. to be able to get a constant decent frame rate in the game as well as the resolution you are intending to play each game on.

That has an impact, a game can look fantastic with all the eye candy and graphics turned right up, But game play wise it may have little play ability for the user, that might be more important to you. everyone is different.

As any card ages and games become better and bigger with more graphical fx your going to have to make sacrifices with the in game, detail settings. it`s how much you are prepared to compromise.

Gameplay - Fps vs Graphics it`s the way i look at it.

You can never have it all unless you have large pockets of cash can you.
So you have to ask what you are willing to compromise, and live with, what your ideal goal is, intentions, and needs are.

 

[geofelt]

Those cards are old gen and power hungry.
You should not use any of them with a 400w psu.
Here is a chart to help:
http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm

 

[MickeyBG]

Thank you both for answering!

@geofel - I guess I will need a new PSU anyway .

@Shaun o - I know I will have to compromise and let go of some of the features a game can offer, it will be impossible to run everything on high/ultra. All I want is to make a configuration, which can run the latest stuff. And I am willing to pay around $120 maximum for a GPU. So those were my best options, I think. If someone has better GPU to recommend, please do!

 

[geofelt]

What is your current gpu?
Do not buy a small upgrade, or you will be disappointed if you do not see a significant improvement.

If you are using integrated graphics, a GTX750ti is a very nice, efficient upgrade.

What exactly is the make/model pf your psu?
If it is of decent quality, then a GTX960 is about the strongest card you can use, but that is a $200 card.

 

[logainofhades]

I wouldn't go above a GTX 950, with a 400w PSU, of questionable quality. Even then, I would probably want to change PSU.

 

[MickeyBG]

I am using a GeForce 8600GT. My PC is from 2007... So, yeah, I will feel a difference with almost any other GPU, lol.

I looked inside that case and actually found the PSU - it's Linkworld LPE2 (400W). I will buy a new one, that is for sure. Any recommendations? I don't feel like paying more then $60 for a new one (or used).

Okay, what GPU would you guys recommend to me? In the range of $110-120. I am really considering the HD 7970 while I still can buy it, because there is a lot of interest around it and might be gone soon.

 

[geofelt]

Your psu is a tier 5 unit on this list:
NOT RECOMMENDED. Replace ASAP
https://community.newegg.com/eggxpert/computer_hardware/f/135081/t/45344.aspx?Redirected=true

Pick a tier one or two unit.
This SeaSonic S12II 520w is probably the best unit you can buy under $60.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151094

The 7970 should be ok.

 

[logainofhades]

My go to budget PSU, is an XFX 550w. Seasonic made, so still quite good.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($55.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $55.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-04 02:48 EST-0500

 

[MickeyBG]

Actually, I found one SEASONIC M12II-750 BRONZE(SS-750AM ACTIVE PFC) for ~$76 and it's got 5 months more warranty. I might get it. In the list above, it's in tier 2, which I believe is good.

The HD 7970 is gone already. But I am considering R9 280, it's about the same price, but it's newer. Will get something else, if it is a good deal, tho .

Thanks again for the opinions!

PS: I am having troubles choosing a budget CPU... I think I will try to get something to last for another year maybe, and then upgrade it (I am considering getting AsRock Z97 Pro4). Is Intel Dual Core G3258 still good enough? Especially if I get one of the GPUs I listed before?

 

[geofelt]

R9-280 is similar to all the others.
Here is tom's graphics card hierarchy chart to help with evaluating other options:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-7.html

What is your current cpu and motherboard?
CPU-Z will tell you.

The G3258 is a great budget processor, but it is not good for everyone.
It can oc two cores as high as the 4790K, but it only has two.
It excels in games that depend on the performance of a single master core.
That is typically strategy, mmo and sims.
For fast action shooters, the graphics card is more important.

 

[MickeyBG]

I thought R9 280 will be better because of the 3GB RAM and 384 bits (assuming this from the replay of @Shaun o). It's not that much more pricier then the others, too.

My CPU is Intel Core Duo E6300 (which isn't really mine, I borrowed it)
My motherboard is ASUS P5LD2-X/1333 (also borrowed)

Any thoughts on the PSU I mentioned?

PS: @geofelt, nice rig, man! It must feel good to be used!