R9 285 VS HD 7970 For Upgrade

[3key]

So currently I can get either a HD 7970 or a R9 285 used for the same price, I have a 650w EVGA 80+ Gold Psu so thats not a problem and a AMD FX 8320 @ 4ghz (Lost the silicon lottery BAD), which shouldn't bottleneck either of these, currently have a R9 270@ 1100mhz. Thanks for any replys.

Update: Currently selling One Of My Cards (I had 2 in crossfire but actually performed worse, either compatibility issues or PCIE 2.0 x4 slot holding 1 card back) Here:http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PowerColor-R9-270X-/252481856173?hash=item3ac91762ad:g😀ToAAOSwbsBXnLCa (Shameless Ad), If It Sells Then My Budget Will Go Upto £200, May Be Getting R9 290X For £155, Any Other Recommendations Will Be Appreciated.

 

[jimmysmitty]

Is there a price limit? Because depending on what you plan to pay for either of those you might be able to get a newer GPU for the same or a bit more that would give better performance.

 

[Sakkura]

At stock clocks they'll probably perform fairly similarly, but the 7970 should pull ahead once you overclock (since it's just a lower clocked 280X). The 285 is more power-efficient though, and supports newer features. So that's a bit of a tradeoff.

 

[3key]

Is there a price limit? Because depending on what you plan to pay for either of those you might be able to get a newer GPU for the same or a bit more that would give better performance.

My budget is about £130 (Due to leaving the EU, thats about $0.25), and found both the cards locally for about £100, don't mind buying used.

 

[miningshark23]

I would go for the R9 285, it's a newer GPU and is a great card for 1080p gaming. I have an R9 380 which performs similarly and is a delight. The 7970 is older and has less features but may pull a head in a few benchmarks. The choice is up to you, but my vote is the R9 285.

 

[jimmysmitty]

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8460/amd-radeon-r9-285-review

The R9 280X is the same as a HD7970.

The R9 285 overall a much slower GPU. Less SPUs, less TMUs, lower clock speed, lower VRAM speed, less memory bandwidth and less VRAM.

The only benefit is that it has 8 ACE engines so if you happen to play a game that uses ASYNC it might actually be better but overall the HD7970 will be the better GPU.

There are some GPUs for around $130 British Pounds but the closest I could fins was a R9 380 2GB which is in essence the same thing as a R9 280 2GB.

 

[3key]

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8460/amd-radeon-r9-285-review

The R9 280X is the same as a HD7970.

The R9 285 overall a much slower GPU. Less SPUs, less TMUs, lower clock speed, lower VRAM speed, less memory bandwidth and less VRAM.

The only benefit is that it has 8 ACE engines so if you happen to play a game that uses ASYNC it might actually be better but overall the HD7970 will be the better GPU.

There are some GPUs for around $130 British Pounds but the closest I could fins was a R9 380 2GB which is in essence the same thing as a R9 280 2GB.

Due to your suggestion, I might purchase this: http://www.ebuyer.com/730576-sapphire-nitro-r9-380-4gb-gddr5-dvi-i-dvi-d-hdmi-displayport-pci-e-graphics-11242-13-20g?mkwid=s_dc&pcrid=51482416379&pkw=&pmt=&gclid=CjwKEAjwz4u9BRCbioK3stnBznESJADA75xbRQwYK-apXXjb6tERNJJmPvE7xIhk3L9pFVFrBcry4RoCY_nw_wcB, great seller in UK, bought my current R9 270 from there back in 2014 (I think) for £200, bit of a Rip-off, bought my cheap HP laptop from there and an Athlon XP based Acer PC back in 2005.

 

[jimmysmitty]

Has more VRAM but lower others:

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1495?vs=1591

The HD7970 still comes up better in most games.

 

[miningshark23]

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8460/amd-radeon-r9-285-review

The R9 280X is the same as a HD7970.

The R9 285 overall a much slower GPU. Less SPUs, less TMUs, lower clock speed, lower VRAM speed, less memory bandwidth and less VRAM.

The only benefit is that it has 8 ACE engines so if you happen to play a game that uses ASYNC it might actually be better but overall the HD7970 will be the better GPU.

There are some GPUs for around $130 British Pounds but the closest I could fins was a R9 380 2GB which is in essence the same thing as a R9 280 2GB.

Due to your suggestion, I might purchase this: http://www.ebuyer.com/730576-sapphire-nitro-r9-380-4gb-gddr5-dvi-i-dvi-d-hdmi-displayport-pci-e-graphics-11242-13-20g?mkwid=s_dc&pcrid=51482416379&pkw=&pmt=&gclid=CjwKEAjwz4u9BRCbioK3stnBznESJADA75xbRQwYK-apXXjb6tERNJJmPvE7xIhk3L9pFVFrBcry4RoCY_nw_wcB, great seller in UK, bought my current R9 270 from there back in 2014 (I think) for £200, bit of a Rip-off, bought my cheap HP laptop from there and an Athlon XP based Acer PC back in 2005.

That's the exact GPU that I purchased off of Amazon a few weeks ago, so far it is working flawlessly performance wise and it outperforms anything else in its price range and for the cherry on top I believe that one comes with a backplate.

 

[3key]

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8460/amd-radeon-r9-285-review

The R9 280X is the same as a HD7970.

The R9 285 overall a much slower GPU. Less SPUs, less TMUs, lower clock speed, lower VRAM speed, less memory bandwidth and less VRAM.

The only benefit is that it has 8 ACE engines so if you happen to play a game that uses ASYNC it might actually be better but overall the HD7970 will be the better GPU.

There are some GPUs for around $130 British Pounds but the closest I could fins was a R9 380 2GB which is in essence the same thing as a R9 280 2GB.

Due to your suggestion, I might purchase this: http://www.ebuyer.com/730576-sapphire-nitro-r9-380-4gb-gddr5-dvi-i-dvi-d-hdmi-displayport-pci-e-graphics-11242-13-20g?mkwid=s_dc&pcrid=51482416379&pkw=&pmt=&gclid=CjwKEAjwz4u9BRCbioK3stnBznESJADA75xbRQwYK-apXXjb6tERNJJmPvE7xIhk3L9pFVFrBcry4RoCY_nw_wcB, great seller in UK, bought my current R9 270 from there back in 2014 (I think) for £200, bit of a Rip-off, bought my cheap HP laptop from there and an Athlon XP based Acer PC back in 2005.

That's the exact GPU that I purchased off of Amazon a few weeks ago, so far it is working flawlessly performance wise and it outperforms anything else in its price range and for the cherry on top I believe that one comes with a backplate.

Only Just noticed that! Seriously considering that and OCing the hell out of it, just will see if my 270x sells!

 

[3key]

Don't mind the slight lack of speed, the higher vram amount of the 380 and the fact it's new, I know what cooler I'm getting (Cards only had stock photos) and also the sapphire card I'm thinking of getting has a backplate, so if the R9 270x dosen't sell, that's what I'm getting.

 

[miningshark23]

Don't mind the slight lack of speed, the higher vram amount of the 380 and the fact it's new, I know what cooler I'm getting (Cards only had stock photos) and also the sapphire card I'm thinking of getting has a backplate, so if the R9 270x dosen't sell, that's what I'm getting.

It's a more than solid card.

 

[3key]

Don't mind the slight lack of speed, the higher vram amount of the 380 and the fact it's new, I know what cooler I'm getting (Cards only had stock photos) and also the sapphire card I'm thinking of getting has a backplate, so if the R9 270x dosen't sell, that's what I'm getting.

It's a more than solid card.

Which One?

 

[jimmysmitty]

Don't mind the slight lack of speed, the higher vram amount of the 380 and the fact it's new, I know what cooler I'm getting (Cards only had stock photos) and also the sapphire card I'm thinking of getting has a backplate, so if the R9 270x dosen't sell, that's what I'm getting.

I would prefer new as well, mainly because of a warranty and it is in new condition, so I agree with you.

I just want to make sure you have the facts to make a well informed decision.

 

[3key]

Don't mind the slight lack of speed, the higher vram amount of the 380 and the fact it's new, I know what cooler I'm getting (Cards only had stock photos) and also the sapphire card I'm thinking of getting has a backplate, so if the R9 270x dosen't sell, that's what I'm getting.

I would prefer new as well, mainly because of a warranty and it is in new condition, so I agree with you.

I just want to make sure you have the facts to make a well informed decision.

Sure thing, thanks for replys!

 

[Sakkura]

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8460/amd-radeon-r9-285-review

The R9 280X is the same as a HD7970.

The R9 285 overall a much slower GPU. Less SPUs, less TMUs, lower clock speed, lower VRAM speed, less memory bandwidth and less VRAM.

The only benefit is that it has 8 ACE engines so if you happen to play a game that uses ASYNC it might actually be better but overall the HD7970 will be the better GPU.

There are some GPUs for around $130 British Pounds but the closest I could fins was a R9 380 2GB which is in essence the same thing as a R9 280 2GB.

The 285 is not much slower; it's on par with the 280. In addition, the 7970 is clocked lower than the 280X and thus doesn't perform as well at stock clocks; it's probably about on par with the 285. But the 7970 should have more overclocking headroom.

As for less VRAM, that's counteracted by the 285 having improved compression that lets it use the memory more efficiently.

 

[3key]

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8460/amd-radeon-r9-285-review

The R9 280X is the same as a HD7970.

The R9 285 overall a much slower GPU. Less SPUs, less TMUs, lower clock speed, lower VRAM speed, less memory bandwidth and less VRAM.

The only benefit is that it has 8 ACE engines so if you happen to play a game that uses ASYNC it might actually be better but overall the HD7970 will be the better GPU.

There are some GPUs for around $130 British Pounds but the closest I could fins was a R9 380 2GB which is in essence the same thing as a R9 280 2GB.

The 285 is not much slower; it's on par with the 280. In addition, the 7970 is clocked lower than the 280X and thus doesn't perform as well at stock clocks; it's probably about on par with the 285. But the 7970 should have more overclocking headroom.

As for less VRAM, that's counteracted by the 285 having improved compression that lets it use the memory more efficiently.

Or I could Purchase a R9 380 which is basically a oced 285...

 

[jimmysmitty]

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8460/amd-radeon-r9-285-review

The R9 280X is the same as a HD7970.

The R9 285 overall a much slower GPU. Less SPUs, less TMUs, lower clock speed, lower VRAM speed, less memory bandwidth and less VRAM.

The only benefit is that it has 8 ACE engines so if you happen to play a game that uses ASYNC it might actually be better but overall the HD7970 will be the better GPU.

There are some GPUs for around $130 British Pounds but the closest I could fins was a R9 380 2GB which is in essence the same thing as a R9 280 2GB.

The 285 is not much slower; it's on par with the 280. In addition, the 7970 is clocked lower than the 280X and thus doesn't perform as well at stock clocks; it's probably about on par with the 285. But the 7970 should have more overclocking headroom.

As for less VRAM, that's counteracted by the 285 having improved compression that lets it use the memory more efficiently.

Unless he is getting a first gen HD 7970 this is probably a HD7970GHz, most people just call them HD7970. If it is a HD7970GHz then it is clocked at the same speed as a R9 280X. My HD7970GHz Vapor-X is clocked at 1050bas with a 1100 boost. Same as the R9 280X Vapor-X.

 

[3key]

If my 270x sells, which would be better, a used 290x/290 or a new 380x here:http://www.ebuyer.com/729764-powercolor-r9-380x-myst-edition-4gb-gddr5-dual-dvi-hdmi-displayport-pci-e-axr9-380x-4gbd5-ppdhe?mkwid=s_dc&pcrid=51482416379&pkw=&pmt=&gclid=CjwKEAjwz4u9BRCbioK3stnBznESJADA75xbkbyB-ERhFpdqkozlPIeoOste9zDQtUBvx5CZ2aSAlRoCgTfw_wcB, i know the 290x would be faster but they run WAY hotter if I get a stock card and use WAY more power, is the heat and power worth it. (Keep in mind I really like powercolor cards, my 2 PowerColor R9 270s overclocked VERY well and I have never seen temps above 78C.

 

[jimmysmitty]

A stock R9 290x290x, and by stock I mean the blower cooler, is not worth it as it will throttle a lot due to the blower not being able to keep it under its target temp.

If the 270X sells a 380X would not be a bad card as it was similar to a HD7970/280X but improved in some ways (more VRAM, faster VRAM, ACE engines etc).

 

[3key]

A stock R9 290x290x, and by stock I mean the blower cooler, is not worth it as it will throttle a lot due to the blower not being able to keep it under its target temp.

If the 270X sells a 380X would not be a bad card as it was similar to a HD7970/280X but improved in some ways (more VRAM, faster VRAM, ACE engines etc).

I was thinking about that, and as I plan to overclock these cards to the limit (My current 270 cannot be pushed any further, 5mhz more and it crashes.), my only other option is either wait for the RX 470 or for the RX 480 4gb to be in stock (reference xfx on ebuyer.com), but that won't be until the 19th, and I'm not in the slightest bit pacient.

 

[3key]

Update: This litterly just showed up: https://www.cclonline.com/product/213907/11256-01-20G/Graphics-Cards/Sapphire-Radeon-RX-470-Nitro-Plus-4GB-OC-Graphics-Card/VGA3571/?gclid=CjwKEAjwz4u9BRCbioK3stnBznESJADA75xbelMg3_YlU8dQ5IKTiznpbYxCzxBnDefInmsI_pg71RoCHSXw_wcB

If the price goes down, or the card sells for a tiny bit more, it's a possibility.