R9 390x vs R9 390 vs GTX 970

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nicolasdfz

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Jul 7, 2015
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Hey!

This is my first pc build and I would need some help on deciding what graphics card to use. I'm not really sure. So I'm debating myself between the 390x, the 390 and the GTX 970. Or if you know of any other good graphics card, please say so. I'm not sure if the price difference between the 390x and the 390 would really be worth it (I would like to see my setup a bit cheaper if possible, but without much notable difference of course)

I would mainly use my pc for gaming, perhaps some video editing and programming (college related), so if you could propose me a good motherboard then that would be greatly appreciated.

This is my current setup

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($328.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Nepton 240M 76.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z97X Killer ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($109.00)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Tactical 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($104.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($97.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 390 8GB Video Card ($329.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Core 2500 ATX Mid Tower Case ($46.99 @ Directron)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.89 @ OutletPC)
Wireless Network Adapter: Intel 7260HMWDTX1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($48.99)
Case Fan: Fractal Design FD-FAN-SSR2-120 40.6 CFM 120mm Fan ($9.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Fractal Design FD-FAN-SSR2-140 66.0 CFM 140mm Fan ($13.99 @ NCIX US)
Keyboard: Gigabyte GK-KM3100 Wired Standard Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($14.99 @ Micro Center)
Total: $1336.65
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-07 13:04 EDT-0400

Note: I'm considering another motherboard: the ASUS Z97-PRO GAMER (see other thread)
 
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udXCusTnRsY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZWqxclHV_Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9cKZiJw6Pk

the r9 390 generally performs better than the gtx 970 but will cost you more for your power bill

according to the second video's power benchmarks. If you ran both GPUs for a year on full load and the cost for power was 15 cents per kilowatt hour. you would spend 180$ more for the r9 390 if it runs 140 watts hotter than the 970. So it would be quite a bit more expensive to run full time.

It really depends on a few things. How much does your energy bill cost, how much do you game, and how long do you want to keep the card.

They are both great cards with the 390 definitely coming out ahead performance wise, there is no question. But it will cost more in power.
 
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Overall the 390 performs a slight bit better than the 970 at 1080p & 4K. Moderate performance gains at 1440p. If your power supply can handle it, I'd definitely go 390 over the 970. The price per performance gains just aren't there to justify buying the 390X over the 390, unless money is not a concern.

Also I'd look into getting a different power supply. The CX/CS series corsair units are of poor quality. Try one of the following

Antec
Seasonic
XFX
EVGA(B2 G2 P2 Models)
 
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a few other things i would change about your build is the cooler

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7738/closed-loop-aio-liquid-coolers/9

get the h110 or the 280l depending on how you care about sound.

The corsair CSM series PSU is pretty bad. Try to get a that is tier 1 or tier 2 and read the tier descriptions.
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

Only get the 4790k and the water cooler if you are big into editing and programming. This cpu is completely unnecessary for gaming and you will see basically the same performance while gaming with a xeon e3 1231 v3 without an aftermarket cooler.

that case is also quite expensive when you include shipping, i would recommend this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146197&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-PC&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-PC-_-pla-_-Computer+Cases-_-N82E16811146197&gclid=CjwKEAjw8e2sBRCYte6U3suRjFESJAB4gn_gPc4nAoas22AitpGUEM342sUttLAkYTqE6OgXBf-SZBoC8I_w_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 
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Since when do PC gamers care about power usage? As long as his PSU is adequate, and it is by the looks of it, then as proven in my post, the 390 delivers more for less money (to purchase) at the cost of some more hydro.
 
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My apologies, I had already changed my PSU to EVGA SuperNOVA GS 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply. Just didn't change it in the list, my bad. That PSU should be sufficient I'm guessing, I will also take a look at your other recommendations
 
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i mean he could get a 15$ cheaper PSU like the rosewill capstone if he wanted the gtx 970. He would need 650 watts for the 390.

So my point still remains.

and the capstone it 50$ without a rebate.
 
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$15 on a cheaper PSU will not save him the $20 cheaper that the R9 390 is., AND he will be getting him better performance. And I am aware its not the best of quality, but it will most definitely put out at LEAST continuously what he will need, 500 watts. Realistically though, it will be putting out at least 600 watts continuously. And hey, at least it is not a CX PSU. If you're in that price range, Evga is where its at for PSU's.
 
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im talking about the rosewill capstone not the corsair cx series. It is 15$ cheaper than a 650W supernova GS and that is after rebate.
 
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I'll be going with the R9 390, that is decided now. But if I go with the EVGA in my list, will I be good? And isn't the rosewill capstone tier II? And the rebates don't matter as I live in europe and thus can't take advantage of them. If you think a better PSU would be needed to be safe, then please say so. Otherwise I'll just stick the EVGA GS
 
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