R9 280 vs 285 - And are they even worth buying anymore?

[Exeynora]

I'm looking for a budget replacement for my old 6670 and i've found a 280 and a 285 for approximately the same price. I've done some research but honestly, the results really aren't consistent. Some benchmark videos show that the 285 comes on top, others give it to the 280. I'm playing on a 1080p monitor and i doubt i'll be changing that in the next 5 years. So overall what do you think is better for gaming? The 280 has 3 GB VRAM but that's more or less the only thing it has in advantage. I still tend to look at the 280 more, because games keep getting more and more VRAM demanding (e.g. GTA V)

Also, is it even worth getting either of those cards? I'm looking for something that will be able to handle the newest titles for at least 3 more years. I'm not really an "Ultra settings or gtfo" kind of guy, i just want a smooth framerate.

 

[disturbed force]

I would not look at the 285 because of he 2gb vram, new games are easily going over that at 1080p, I would go for the 280 or the 280x if you can afford it. You could get a more powerful card for future proofing but I'm guessing $200 or less is your budget and the 280 is the best in that price range IMO.

 

[jerdle]

One is more powerful, one has more memory. Both will work with your monitor for a while as long as you are content with high then medium settings.

 

[Pyre]

And are they even worth buying anymore? Well if the rip off gtx 960 is out and about(yes it is good but still not worth its price) then the r9 285 will be good for the job it is in par with 960 and is cheaper in some countries...don't know your location.

My advice go for 285, 280 is good but the performance is slightly under 285 and 960. If 285 is cheaper than 960 why not buy unless your a nvidia only then i guess got for the gpu that aint its price(gtx 960).
By the way not fanboy for amd or nvidia for that matter, but I help guys pay for what is worth it. 285 is more worth 960 at the moment in my location with the price it has.

 

[Pyre]

I would not look at the 285 because of he 2gb vram, new games are easily going over that at 1080p, I would go for the 280 or the 280x if you can afford it. You could get a more powerful card for future proofing but I'm guessing $200 or less is your budget and the 280 is the best in that price range IMO.

some 280x are sold at 960's price you can opt for the 280x instead.

 

[Wisecracker]

I suspect the R9 285 'Tonga' supports FreeSync.

1080p will remain 'mainstream' for a few years but as we are seeing now, folks are jumping on 1440p (and up). If you are not an 'Ultra' eye candy super-texture fancy-mods kind of guy, 2GB should be fine even at that resolution.

And, FreeSync should keep things nice and smooth.

 

[Exeynora]

I looked around in a few local sites and i managed to find an insanely cheap 280x. It seems brand new so i think that's what i'll be getting. Thanks for all the responses, appreciate it.