R9 290 or GTX 780?

[Amman]

Benchmark tests typically seem to show these cards are fairly equivalent in performance but the 780 would cost me £30-£40 extra.

I definitely will not be getting a 290 with the reference cooler, so not worried about temps (looking at asus and powercolor).

Power consumption is another thing but not worried about the utility bills. Whichever card I choose I plan on getting another next year for cf/sli. Now, if I cf two 290's I would have to spend a bit extra on the psu, which will just balance costs.

Which option would you choose, and why?

Thanks!

 

[cdrkf]

You'd need a pretty powerful PSU for either 2 x 290's or 2 x 780's, the difference in benchmarks between the two isn't that much.

Personally I'd go with the 290 due to the 4gb frame buffer (potentially better at 4k), and the fact it adds True Audio support and Mantle (which appears to be a big boost for Crossfire set-ups if you're planning on using 2 cards).

Don't get me wrong- the 780 is a great card as well, personal preference though is the 290 (non reference ofc).

 

[Amman]

Was looking at xfx pro850w core edition, corsair rm850 and corsair ax860 (in price 80 plus rating ascending order).

These any good? Is 850w enough?

 

[Vic 40]

Considering p[irce/performance would i go for the r9 290 too.

For a psu could 850watts be enough,but it depends on which cpu too and if you're going to overclock.

 

[terry4536]

It is strange because in the US the GTX 780 is cheaper than the R9 -290. If you are planning on two, I would go the GTX780 route.

The performance is approximately the same. The lowest energy cost goes to the GTX 780 which you said didn't matter, but it should because with two of these in a case it is going to get very hot in the case. The more efficient 780 is going to put out less heat. It is therefore going to be easier to cool two GTX780's in SLI than two RR9-290s in crossfire. In my opinion.

 

[Vic 40]

Cooling two cards depends on which case too.If the ts has a good case will two r9 290's also be cooled well.

From what i read in reviews will there be a bigger power consumption form the r9 290,but that's about 30watts,i don't know if that justifies the higher price i see via the partpicker,which is about $60 at least.Not taking into account the power color options for a r9 290.

 

[terry4536]

Two high end cards is going to be an electric heater. He will have to have lots of fans either way.

 

[geofelt]

From a performance point of view, you can't tell the difference without a synthetic benchmark.

If you are planning on dual cards, I would consider a card with a reference blower type cooler. In a case, the top card will run hot if it does not get good airflow. Blower type coolers get the heat out of your case directly and reduce the issue.

Ultimately, you may make the decision on which driver you prefer.
Most seem to prefer the nvidia drivers. Any dual card solution will leave you exposed to stuttering and tearing. AMD has improved there, but you might want to research for the games you will play.

Lastly, I might suggest planning on a good single card like a GTX780ti.
You will avoid dual card issues, and by the time you want to upgrade, the new Maxwell or R9-8000 cards will be out.

 

[terry4536]

That 's a good point, but he was framing the discussion about one or the other (gtx780 or R9-290).