Nvidia or AMD video card

[NexusDota]

Hey guys, I currently have a Radeon HD 7970 that is dead, fans are running but simply no response when plugged in... THE BLACK SCREEN OF DEATH APPEARS. A sapphire card it was, less than a year of goodness.

However to the actual question I have been reading loads of forums, youtube comments, benchmarks and haven't come to a conclusion on what is best for myself.

Also my budget is around 200 - 300 dollars in price, can go slightly over if possible. I don't really care if I have to ship it back here as long as the card doesn't get damaged.

Now you see the games I really want to and already run on my PC is Battlefield 3 and hoping 4 (tell me if it is good) DOTA 2, wanting to run Assassins creed Unity and also Farcry 3, hoping for 4 (again tell me if good). My bias is towards a AMD video card but if a nvidia is truly better then if its price is good I will lean towards that.

Another important thing is my case is a Bitfenix Prodigy, which as you may know is a small case and has a max of a two fan video card. Anyway, I will hope for a good answer as this forum rolls out.

So in other words I am asking you guys to pick a relatively good video card that is affordable and can run these games at a moderately good framerate on high settings.

Thanks for reading.

 

[DonQuixoteMC]

Since your budget is $300, you'd be crazy not to spend a bit more and get the GTX 970. It's the true king of price to performance right now. It usually retails for $330, but you might be able to find it on sale this time of year. If you simply can't exceed $300, then I recommend the R9 290. Either card will power through any title at 1080p, but the 970 is a cut above the rest.

Another thing to keep in mind: the R9 290 runs insanely hot. The GTX 970 might be a better fit for a small case for that reason alone.

I hope that helps!

As for Battlefield 4... It's fun, there are some great moments, but honestly it frustrates the hell out of me. Going from BF3 to 4, the biggest thing you'll notice is that the guns aren't lasers anymore. It feels like the game was designed to be a camper's paradise.
Another thing that bothers me, and this comes with having not played the game much, is that you never can quite tell what team people are on, the uniforms are so similar that you have to rely almost solely on HUD.
Anyway, that's my two cents. Still a fun game, but it's my least favorite Battlefield title to date. I mean, come on. No Wake Island!?

 

[bootcher]

For ~$270 you can get a R9 290, or for ~$330 you can get a GTX 970.
You can compare them on different benchmarks here:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1068?vs=1355

You should check if your current cpu is up to the task for these demanding videocards, if your cpu is too weak it might bottleneck the gpu.

Also, if your Sapphire card is less than a year old you should send it back, Sapphire cards have 2 years warranty.

 

[nimits]

GTX 970 4GDDR5

 

[jitpublisher]

Go here and read this first.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107.html

 

[ohiou_grad_2006]

Question, have you talked to Sapphire to see if there is any warranty on the card? If so maybe you can get a new card for it. Then if you were still set on a new card, sell the one they give you back and get an even stronger card or have money left.

 

[NexusDota]

Ok, hope you all still are reading, I don't have the most advanced CPU ever, I have a Intel I5 3570

 

[NexusDota]

Since your budget is $300, you'd be crazy not to spend a bit more and get the GTX 970. It's the true king of price to performance right now. It usually retails for $330, but you might be able to find it on sale this time of year. If you simply can't exceed $300, then I recommend the R9 290. Either card will power through any title at 1080p, but the 970 is a cut above the rest.

Another thing to keep in mind: the R9 290 runs insanely hot. The GTX 970 might be a better fit for a small case for that reason alone.

I hope that helps!

As for Battlefield 4... It's fun, there are some great moments, but honestly it frustrates the hell out of me. Going from BF3 to 4, the biggest thing you'll notice is that the guns aren't lasers anymore. It feels like the game was designed to be a camper's paradise.
Another thing that bothers me, and this comes with having not played the game much, is that you never can quite tell what team people are on, the uniforms are so similar that you have to rely almost solely on HUD.
Anyway, that's my two cents. Still a fun game, but it's my least favorite Battlefield title to date. I mean, come on. No Wake Island!?

Hey, is there a huge difference between the GTX 770 and the 970? Because I have read the pricing and the only reviews and stuff I could find is of the 770... And also are the drivers for the AMD honestly that bad? Because I am no expert at computers and I don't want to be updating drivers every 2 seconds so I want goodness of updated drivers that last! An i5 3570 would be able to handle games like that right?

 

[bootcher]

The GTX 970 is much better than the GTX 770:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1037?vs=1355
There is nothing wrong with AMD drivers, always worked fine for me. AMD and nVidia drivers get updated on a regular base, both auto-update so i don't think it is really a hassle anymore.
Whilst the cpu can be make a slight difference in gaming, the gpu is the most important factor for games. The 3570 will be able to run fine with thr GTX 970.

 

[logainofhades]

Ok, hope you all still are reading, I don't have the most advanced CPU ever, I have a Intel I5 3570

Your CPU is still just fine. I agree on either an R9 290, unless you can spring for the extra for a GTX 970.

 

[Jeff Baffalo]

http://www.ncixus.com/products/?usaffiliateid=1000031504&sku=93995&vpn=R9290-DC2OC-4GD5&manufacture=ASUS&promoid=1416
r9 290

 

[NexusDota]

The GTX 970 is much better than the GTX 770:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1037?vs=1355
There is nothing wrong with AMD drivers, always worked fine for me. AMD and nVidia drivers get updated on a regular base, both auto-update so i don't think it is really a hassle anymore.
Whilst the cpu can be make a slight difference in gaming, the gpu is the most important factor for games. The 3570 will be able to run fine with thr GTX 970.

So will a 770 be WAAAY cheaper than a 970 or does the 970 achieve really high prices, just wondering because I am juggling the price differentiation's.

 

[NexusDota]

Also how long until a new model that is better comes out from both Nvidia and AMD?

 

[ohiou_grad_2006]

The 970 is a brand new line so probably a year, though i think they have the 980 already.

Amd you'd have to be talking about the 290 or 290x to be comparable.

 

[bootcher]

Waiting for new models to come out can be tedious. Both brands have repeatedly introduced new chips, but them actually being available can take months after introduction. Also I don't like buying the newest, it has the greatest chance of having bugs, that are usually worked out at the next revisions.
What helps make a right choice is what cpu you have and what resolution you play at.