R9 380 2GB Vs GTX 960 4GB

[Thunderbird2242]

Hi Guys!
I was upgrading my GPU, and I had a certain budget.
So, I have to choose b/w the Two mainstream-ish GPUs:
Zotac GTX 960 4GB AMP!
or
Sapphire R9 380 2GB
The 380 was a larger Memory bus, but I get more VRAM on the 960.
Which one will be better??
Any help at all will be appreciated!
Also, should i wait for the 970 to get cheaper(doesn't looks like its gonna get any)
And the R9 480, if it is ~240$??

 

[Thunderbird2242]

I don't agree with turning the settings down to make up for less memory. If the card can handle max settings and can run it at 1080p thats just dumb to back them down.

Let me rephrase what I said earlier, most games can max out or at least med-high in 1080p on a 2GB 380 or 960. That said SOME games will take advantage of 4gb. This is a known fact. Some games are also not very well programmed and so may have some slight stuttering when the GPU is short on ram (because it then reverts to system ram which is far slower).

The point of this explanation is there is no catch all, and in most cases 2GB is fine, however as I said if 4GB doesn't cost much more (depending on card/model) it may well be worth it. When it comes to your budget you need to decide.

The thing is, I've seen many comparisons b/w the GTX 960 2GB/4GB versions.
There isn't much difference b/w the both of them in most of the games, but when in comes to poorly optimized games like Assassin's Creed Unity, Far Cry 4, BF4, etc, There is some difference. However, it is only about 3-4 FPS on an average.
Meanwhile, the diffrence b/w the 380 2GB/4GB is somewhat significant.
In the above mentioned Poorly optimized games, there is sometimes a difference of upto 5-9 FPS!
so, in that context, I think that It would be better to buy either a 4GB R9 380, or wait for some time for the Polaris cards to come out, and hope for a price drop in the costs of the R9 390s, as well as the costs of the GTX 970s.
Polaris, according to certain leaks, outperforms the 390 by a significant margin, so 390s should eventually become cheap.

 

[himmatsj]

Look, I just bought a 4GB GTX 960, and I did my research before buying.

R9 380 vs GTX 960 (assuming both 2GB models):

- Cons for R9 380: It runs hotter, it produces more heat, and it requires substantially more power to run. If these are not a factor for you, then disregard this con.

- Pros for the R9 380: It has got on the whole better performance compared to the GTX 960. In DX12 games especially, it can be up to 20% faster. With DX12 looking like the future, the R9 380 would in this regards be the better purchase.

2GB vs 4GB:

- For those who say 2GB is enough for 1080p gaming, nonsense. We already have games hitting 4GB at 1080p. The MAJOR benefit of a 4GB VRAM card is that it should allow you to play at ULTRA texture settings in the short term, and at high texture settings in the medium to long term. Textures can make a game look good or ugly. I play TW3 at medium preset + ultra textures, and it uses 2400MB of VRAM. I also play Everybody's Gone to the Rapture at Medium + Ultra textures, it uses 2800MB of VRAM. I play Hitman at Medium + Ultra textures, it uses 2700MB of VRAM.

4GB VRAM also gives about a 5-10% performance boost (depending on game) and it will be almost impossible for you to stutter in games due to the VRAM buffer maxing out.

4GB VRAM will of course future proof you, 2GB will be dead within the next year or so for AAA 1080p gaming.

OP, get which is cheaper and see which fits your use case scenario better.

EDIT: OP, you should STOP looking at those useless 2GB vs 4GB benchmarks. Most of the games being tested are pre-2015 linear games in there. The future is open world, no more linear. And in open world games, 4GB WILL make a difference. Trust me on this. Lack of stutter plus slightly higher regular framerate. I can confirm this from my own experience.

See this 2GB vs 4GB Rise of the Tomb Raider comparison: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iA-vOSAsOhs

 

[Thunderbird2242]

Look, I just bought a 4GB GTX 960, and I did my research before buying.

R9 380 vs GTX 960 (assuming both 2GB models):

- Cons for R9 380: It runs hotter, it produces more heat, and it requires substantially more power to run. If these are not a factor for you, then disregard this con.

- Pros for the R9 380: It has got on the whole better performance compared to the GTX 960. In DX12 games especially, it can be up to 20% faster. With DX12 looking like the future, the R9 380 would in this regards be the better purchase.

2GB vs 4GB:

- For those who say 2GB is enough for 1080p gaming, nonsense. We already have games hitting 4GB at 1080p. The MAJOR benefit of a 4GB VRAM card is that it should allow you to play at ULTRA texture settings in the short term, and at high texture settings in the medium to long term. Textures can make a game look good or ugly. I play TW3 at medium preset + ultra textures, and it uses 2400MB of VRAM. I also play Everybody's Gone to the Rapture at Medium + Ultra textures, it uses 2800MB of VRAM. I play Hitman at Medium + Ultra textures, it uses 2700MB of VRAM.

4GB VRAM also gives about a 5-10% performance boost (depending on game) and it will be almost impossible for you to stutter in games due to the VRAM buffer maxing out.

4GB VRAM will of course future proof you, 2GB will be dead within the next year or so for AAA 1080p gaming.

OP, get which is cheaper and see which fits your use case scenario better.

EDIT: OP, you should STOP looking at those useless 2GB vs 4GB benchmarks. Most of the games being tested are pre-2015 linear games in there. The future is open world, no more linear. And in open world games, 4GB WILL make a difference. Trust me on this. Lack of stutter plus slightly higher regular framerate. I can confirm this from my own experience.

See this 2GB vs 4GB Rise of the Tomb Raider comparison: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iA-vOSAsOhs

Agreed.
The 4GB version has certain pros, and in this case, I can overclock My GTX 960 to such an extent, hopefully, that it will be a whole lot better than the 2gb R9 380, and somewhat equal or better than the 380 4GB version.
As of now, both of them cost me exactly the same (no idea why).
I would prefer waiting until 3rd party GTX 1070/1080 arrives, hopefully pushing the price of the GTX 970 down,
or the polaris from AMD, As recent leaks Indicate that it should be well within the 200-250$ price range!
THANKS FOR THE ADVICE!

 

[BurgerandChips66]

If you want to play the newest games at 1080p without 'too many' compromises then I think the days of 2GB being 'enough' are starting to disappear.

Forza 6 Beta is an example of this, but more and more are appearing. It's often not that a card benefits from having 4GB, more than it needs more than 2GB (so 2.3 or 2.5 or whatever).

As others have said, the new Polaris cards are about to be released, so the best advice is to wait....

Yes, either get one of the next-gen cards or make a decision when prices drop on the current gen (new and used).

For example, I am helping a friend build a new gaming PC, 1080p - 60 fps - Ultra are the targets.

I'm monitoring prices of cards almost daily and the prices of current gen stuff in Western Europe is staring to fall nicely now.

E.g. Used but 'as new' GTX 970 now only 240€ and the expectation is they'll drop a bit more.

(Gainward GeForce GTX 970 Phantom 4GB in this case, which is a very good card for 1080p!)