Help picking a GPU

[jman523]

Hey guys,
I am calling on your advice again. So I need help picking out the best card for me to use for gaming. I know it is relatively straight forward, the more money you spend, the better the performance, but I have some specific questions that need answering.
1. Is there a noticeable difference between a GPU with a core speed of 900mhz and one of 1000mhz?
2. Would I want a faster processor or more GPU memory in order for my card to be more “future proof”
3. What card do you think is the best out there right now?
4. At the risk of starting a war, is there a substantial difference between comparable NVidia and AMD cards IN TERMS OF THEIR PERFORMANCE. I know they use different technologies, and I know they for specific games one may be better than the other. I am looking for a more general answer.
Thank you guys for your time!

 

[Danbuscus25]

1. if it is the same gpu, for example a R9 280 at 900 and 1000 mhz, yes, there is a performance difference, but for every 10% difference in clock speed, expect a performance difference around 8%, usually.
2. it depends, hard to say. 1gb or 2gb vram wont last very long, but 3gb and 4gb cards should have enough vram to last awhile. likewise, a cheap card, like an R7 240 with 4gb vram (yes, they exist) is a pointless card, because it is sooooo slow, even though it has 4gb vram.
3. it depends on your budget.
4. performance per dollar wise, AMD wins.

 

[i7Baby]

1. Yes
2. Faster gpu
3. GTX780Ti
4. No difference

You need to work out a budget and what will fit in your case and whether you need a new power supply.

 

[jman523]

I am not looking to simply get the most expensive card, but I've been working all summer and I've saved up a bit over 2,000 dollars. To get a gaming system built.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/MVPJgs
That contains the GPU I was considering, but my uncle suggested I look into a card that has more memory. Dambuscus25 thinks 3gb will last a while (how long is awhile) and i7Baby suggests that a faster GPU will make more of a difference. Can someone elaborate more on these points please?
Thanks

 

[Danbuscus25]

well, you need a fast enough gpu to handle the graphics, however you also need enough vram to store all the textures and stuff. so basically you want the fastest card with enough vram. ill go build a pc for $2000 and tell you what i changed and why

 

[jman523]

Thanks very much Danbuscus25. You are being incredibly helpful. But also could you elaborate on how long a 3g vram card would last me? Should I seriously consider going higher?

 

[Danbuscus25]

new build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($339.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($92.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VII HERO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($199.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($115.49 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 290 4GB DirectCU II Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($379.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 290 4GB DirectCU II Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($379.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($123.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1982.34
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

slightly cheaper mobo, no need for that other one, i added an aftermarket cpu cooler, it will let you overclock and keep your cpu cooler, while being quieter than the stock cooler, i only got 8gb of ram, because for gaming, you dont need more than around 6gb, smaller ssd and hdd, but you can get larger if you need too, i got 2 R9 290's instead of the 780Ti, because it was cheaper, it will be way faster, it has more vram, and the only drawback is it will draw more power, be hotter, and be louder, but for the added performance, it is totally worth it, i got a similar psu, but less wattage, still enough though, and it is slightly higher quality, and you forgot a case in your build

 

[Danbuscus25]

and as far as vram goes, it depends on the game, the settings, the resolution, and the number of monitors you are gaming on. 3gb vram will handle any game on max settings at 1080p, except maybe watchdogs, on a single monitor, maybe 3 monitors is the games isnt too demanding. 4gb vram will handle any game on max settings at 1440p on a single monitor, and 1080p or 1440p when using 3 monitors.

 

[i7Baby]

There's not much difference between 4gb and 2gb vram performance -http://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Video-Card-Performance-2GB-vs-4GB-Memory-154/

 

[jman523]

Thanks so much Danbuscus25. That really helps a lot. Also if I wanted to overclock and such is 850 watts still going to be enough?

 

[jman523]

I am sorry I must have missed it when you addressed it originally, my bad. In any case...haha...I already have a case, and a monitor too. I don't know if the money saved means you would change anything in the build, but for the record I have a thermaltake swordm case. It is huge.

 

[jman523]

i7Baby, I would differ to you expertise over my lack thereof, but in that article isn't that probably because the games just didn't use that much Vram back in 2011?

 

[Danbuscus25]

^^ exactly, if the game uses 1.5 gb vram, the performance difference between 2 and 4 is none, however, if the game uses 3gb vram, the difference between 2 and 4gb is huge.