[SOLVED] I have a R9 295x2 that i bought in 2014 and considering upgrading. Is it worth it?

[yeon_yoon]

I am wondering what benefits I would be getting by upgrading. I am looking at the RTX 2070 for example. It seems like a lot should have changed since 2014 but the R9 is still $700 used on Amazon. Would getting a RTX 2070 (which is around $700) be worth it?

 

[Gam3r01]

That is entirely up to you.
Is your card performing the way you want? Or are you struggling to play games?

 

[yeon_yoon]

That is entirely up to you.
Is your card performing the way you want? Or are you struggling to play games?

Thanks. The card isn't struggling to play games but it is somewhat loud. I only have a 1900x1200 monitor and I can play most of my games at the highest settings. I may look to upgrade to 4k at some point though.

 

[Gam3r01]

When you are ready for the move to 4k, consider a new card then. You will get more out of your money.

 

[geofelt]

R9-295x2 is roughly equivalent to a RX2060 today.
Past that a single gpu implementation may do a better job for some games than the dual gpu implementation of the R9-285X2.

You never seem to get what you hope for when selling, but if you can come anywhere near close, a 2070 would be a good deal.
In the process, you will get a cooler running and quieter card.

I always think one should make a big jump when upgrading a graphics card. How about targeting a 2080??

 

[King_V]

I agree with the above sentiments in general when it comes to GPU upgrades. If your current GPU is doing the job, keep it until it's no longer doing the job.

Some people like the idea of a more efficient GPU, though. Usually I think that tradeoff isn't worth it.

HOWEVER...

In this case, the R9 295x2 is a 450W card. That's a crap-ton of power draw, along with the added heat, fan-noise, etc., that would be required.

I don't know if those prices you're seeing for used R9 295x2 cards are anywhere near reality, or the seller's wishful thinking. As mentioned by @geofelt , the RTX 2060 is about equivalent in performance. Worth noting is that the 2060 draws about 160W. That's just over 1/3 of the power draw of your existing card.

Would I change one for the other? Maybe, if living in a state with pricey electricity, warm weather, and if the cooling-fan-noise and heat was really bothering me.

Another thing to consider is a used GTX 1070 (150W) or 1070Ti (180W), though, in those cases, the usual caveats and warnings of buying a used video card apply.


Side note: by the standards of today's high-end cards, 1920x1200 assuming 60fps isn't hugely taxing. What is your monitor's refresh rate? And, am I correct in assuming that it does NOT have either GSync or FreeSync?

If your monitor is 60hz, then, even the R9 295x2 and the above cards I mentioned are overkill, and a "downgrade" to a 1660Ti (POSSIBLY even to a 1660, both are 120W) would be all the performance you'd need to maintain 60fps at your resolution.


On the other hand, if you're planning to upgrade your monitor relatively soon, then consider putting off any video card upgrade.


(side note: I'd steer clear of 4k unless you REALLY need it, because 1: I'm a fan of ultrawides, but more importantly 2: more pixels = more taxing on a video card, and at 4k, only the 2080Ti can give maxxed out details on modern games AND maintain 60fps).

 

[geofelt]

Just checked. R9-285x used on ebay is actually selling for $200-$250 on ebay.

 

[King_V]

Just checked. R9-285x used on ebay is actually selling for $200-$250 on ebay.

That's a completely different card than the R9-295x2, though . . . it seems like the 285x was supposed to be an R9 285, but with a 384-bit memory width instead of 256-bit. I wasn't aware that the 285x was ever released, though.

 

[geofelt]

That's a completely different card than the R9-295x2, though . . . it seems like the 285x was supposed to be an R9 285, but with a 384-bit memory width instead of 256-bit. I wasn't aware that the 285x was ever released, though.

OOPS!! my error.

R9-295X2 is more like $250 on ebay.