looking for a good graphic card around $300/place to look into upcoming graphic cards

zuv

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So, I got some money and decided to build a new with it but didn't have enough for the graphics card.
I have been looking at the GTX 970 recently hoping it would pop below $300 and so far it hasn't but that doesn't really matter to me.
So, now I just want some advice to know if there are any other graphic cards that are very close in performance that are cheaper or if there are any that might be even better for a few extra bucks which especially includes cards that might not be released yet. Does anyone know an answer or might be able to point me in the direction of somewhere to find out info on graphic cards that may be released in the near future?
 
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I would go for the 970, or wait until something impresses you. I don't think anything has been announced for the near future as far as new technology is concerned.

As popular as it is currently, I doubt the price will fluctuate much until the market changes (more AMD price drops?).

chenw

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So far all of the cards that fall into the 'may be released' are speculations (EG chiphell's leak of what appears to be a Pirate island GPU, but absolutely no indication what it might be) and rumors (980 TI, 960, etc etc).

The only card that MIGHT fit your category is 290, 290x is comparable in price to 970, but generally doesn't perform as well as 980 (it's neck in neck with 970), so I assume 290 is going to perform less than a 970.
 

Robertwhyte

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the r9 290 is pretty much AMDs competition to the 970, its cheaper yes but the price difference dosnt make up for how power hungry it is and how hot it can get, it also dosnt have no where near as many features as the 970. performance wise they are pretty similar, but the maxwell architecture allows for less power consumption which means less heat, and less heat means better overclockability. when you overclock a 970 it blows away the r9 290. go with the 970 if you can.
 

BrandonYoung

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I would go for the 970, or wait until something impresses you. I don't think anything has been announced for the near future as far as new technology is concerned.

As popular as it is currently, I doubt the price will fluctuate much until the market changes (more AMD price drops?).
 
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zuv

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And the last thing is, if I went with the AMD one according to eXtreme psu calc I only need a recommended 600 watt PSU but is that accurate or am I missing something?
currently have a
fractal design define r4 silent case with 3 silent 140mm fans, ASRock Z97 Extreme3 mobo, Team Xtreme 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3 2400, plus a coolermaster 212 evo, i7-4790k, Western Digital RE3 WD1002FBYS 1TB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" 7200 RPM, and a disc drive that came with my old computer not sure exactly what it is and its not easy enough to take out and check.....but I'm almost sure its not a blu-ray but it could be a dvd+rw....and i have a 750 watt PSU....so I wanna make sure that is enough....is there anything else I'm missing?
 

zuv

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I was basically asking if the competitive AMD was worth it compared to the gtx 970 or if I should stay with the 970 and if there's a places to find info on new graphic cards. Then when people said the 290x is competitive I wanted to make sure my PSU would be fine if I did end up buying it....?
 

BrandonYoung

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Newegg states the 290x require a 500 watt psu.
Newegg also states that the 290x requires a 750 watt psu (minimum).

So I guess it depends on the card manufacturer, however the 970 is very efficient wattage wise, compared to the 290x's
(and subsequently, cooler)
 

BrandonYoung

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Haha, the op said
"currently have a
fractal design define r4 silent case with 3 silent 140mm fans, ASRock Z97 Extreme3 mobo, Team Xtreme 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3 2400, plus a coolermaster 212 evo, i7-4790k, Western Digital RE3 WD1002FBYS 1TB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" 7200 RPM, and a disc drive that came with my old computer not sure exactly what it is and its not easy enough to take out and check.....but I'm almost sure its not a blu-ray but it could be a dvd+rw....and i have a 750 watt PSU....so I wanna make sure that is enough....is there anything else I'm missing? "

I don't see a CPU in that list of stuff. I was just making sure the OP had/was going to get one.

 

zuv

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sorry bit tired and not thinking i have a i7-4790k. my bad... Its already built and I'm fine with the intel graphics till I see a deal I like.
 

zuv

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idk if anyone else will read this....but are there any good crossfire/sli setups that would still cost around $300 and work just as well or would it cost $400+ to get crossfire/sli to be as good as a 970 or 290
 

chenw

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If you mean dual SLI, X8/X8 setup is good enough for it, so a 4790k paired with a mobo that can do a X8/X8 lane arrangement (EG Z97x-UD5H), you are good to go.

The X99 stuff is only if you want to push for 3x or 4x GPU SLI/XFire setups.
 

zuv

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but how would say,
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127744
2 of those compare to 1 gtx 970 or is there another graphic card for close to $150 or less even that would be worth doing crossfire or sli with?

or is crossfire/sli not worth getting into...?
 

chenw

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My general rule with SLI are:

1. SLI cards with model numbers that either end in x70, x80, x90, or is called Titan
2. SLI cards from the latest generation, or the top card from the previous generation.

Since 760 falls into neither category, I do not recommend going SLI with them. I thought your $400 cost was for the CPU and the motherboard, not including GPU.

My advice is, if your other option is to SLI 760's, get a single 970.

Currently SLI is more suited for those who want to use Surround, 4k monitors or using 144hz 1440p monitors.
 

BrandonYoung

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I would not recommend doing this as typically single card solutions provide a much better experience than SLI/Crossfire.

That said, if you already have an existing card that is starting to perform sub-par, perhaps adding a second card for SLI/Crossfire would be better then spending ~$350 an upgrade. Assuming your system is setup to run SLI/Crossfire that is.