Upgrade from Radeon HD 7950

[red-rock-run]

The subject line basically describes my question. I want to upgrade from my 7950 and don't have any experience with GPU's other than buying the original for the computer I built (1st build).

 

[TopLuca]

can you list your build and your budget for us ?

 

[pauls3743]

The list isn't that big. Tom's do an almost monthly update of graphics card tiers, here's Novembers

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/gaming-graphics-card-review,review-32899-7.html

 

[red-rock-run]

can you list your build and your budget for us ?

Sorry about that. Here's my system.

Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-D3H LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
GPU: SAPPHIRE 100352-2L Radeon HD 7950 3GB 384-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
RAM: 2x G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9S-4GBRL

My price range is anywhere between 200-300$

 

[CAaronD]

If you are in the US, the R9 290 is currently at $222. And the R9 290 should be around 30% faster. However, if you can spare SLIGHTLY above $300, at $320ish the GTX 970 is also a great choice.

 

[red-rock-run]

If you are in the US, the R9 290 is currently at $222. And the R9 290 should be around 30% faster. However, if you can spare SLIGHTLY above $300, at $320 the GTX 970 is also a great choice.

When did the GTX 970 come out? I don't see it on that list. Also, how do I compare cards against each other?

 

[CAaronD]

To compare the specs directly, I normally use Game Debate. But specs don't mean everything sometimes. Normally I check benchmarks on Youtube from Digital Foundry.

 

[red-rock-run]

To compare the specs directly, I normally use Game Debate. But specs don't mean everything sometimes. Normally I check benchmarks on Youtube from Digital Foundry.

How so? Also, I'm pretty much a complete layman when it comes to hardware. Could you define what a benchmark is? Is it the best possible graphics attainable with a card?

 

[bicycle_repair_man]

The best way to judge GPU performance is to look at benchmark results for the specific games you play, or want to play. A Google search is all you need to do. The GTX 970 is still very new, so finding benchmark results may be trickier.

A benchmark is simply a measurement to judge performance, like the 0-60mph time for a car.

If you're pricing in USD, you can buy a GTX 970 for around $350 according to PCPartPicker. It's a great card and generally performs better than an R9 290, but the increase is relative. For example, the GTX 970 may give you 90 fps whereas the 290 may "only" give you 70 fps. If you have a 60hz monitor, nothing above 60 fps is registered anyway, so the extra performance of the GTX 970 becomes obselete.

 

[red-rock-run]

The best way to judge GPU performance is to look at benchmark results for the specific games you play, or want to play. A Google search is all you need to do. The GTX 970 is still very new, so finding benchmark results may be trickier.

A benchmark is simply a measurement to judge performance, like the 0-60mph time for a car.

If you're pricing in USD, you can buy a GTX 970 for around $350 according to PCPartPicker. It's a great card and generally performs better than an R9 290, but the increase is relative. For example, the GTX 970 may give you 90 fps whereas the 290 may "only" give you 70 fps. If you have a 60hz monitor, nothing above 60 fps is registered anyway, so the extra performance of the GTX 970 becomes obselete.

Ah, thank you! This clears a lot up. Also, yes I do have a 60hz monitor, so should I just go with the R9 290? What of the GTX 780, too?

*edit * I'm looking at a site called PassMark Software at benchmarks, and it's showing the 780 marking higher than the 970. How is that possible? Also the 780 is more expensive???

 

[CAaronD]

To compare the specs directly, I normally use Game Debate. But specs don't mean everything sometimes. Normally I check benchmarks on Youtube from Digital Foundry.

How so? Also, I'm pretty much a complete layman when it comes to hardware. Could you define what a benchmark is? Is it the best possible graphics attainable with a card?

^ already answered lol.

Also what I mean by "specs don't mean everything sometimes" is that a big portion of the Game's performance depends on the optimization. Like suppose, some game with Crysis like graphics runs at 60 FPS 1080p ultra with a certain card. You could say that it is well optimized. And another game with Counter Strike looking graphics runs at 40 FPS 900P medium, with the exact same card, you could say that it is poorly optimized. Sometimes developers are biased towards certain card brands and they optimize it specifically for that brand. Such as Watch Dogs, which used to be horribly Nvidia biased. An AMD card which was just as powerful as it's Nvidia counterpart had somewhat half the performance. And even with that bias, people with Nvidia's Titans were still struggling to run the game on high 1080p. Then again, some games just have plain poor performance. Like I remember there was one game that I played a while ago. My PC was able to run Just Cause 2 just fine at ultra 760P with an average of 30 FPS. However, it lagged behind horribly in the other game. I was barely getting a stable 18 FPS with medium settings 760P. So I decided to lower the resolution and settings. And guess what. I was playing at 600p lowest settings and still barely getting 25 FPS. So I decided to quit that game. Also that game had the same system requirements as Just Cause 2. You could say that the game was badly optimized.

 

[bicycle_repair_man]

The GTX 780 is still considered a tier above the 970 as it has features that the GTX 970 doesn't. In gaming terms, these features are irrelevant, but certain benchmarks still include them, hence the higher rating. This is why general benchmark results should be treated with suspicion.

An R9 290 will do a fine job, but the GTX 970 is faster in the majority of games I've checked, and by a considerable margin. Whilst the 290 may be fine now, it may struggle in a few years time.

If you want top-notch quality and 60 fps right now and in the future, the GTX 970 is more likely to provide it. If you're happy with lower quality and/or a lower frame rate, the R9 290 is the one to buy.

 

[red-rock-run]

Okay, I've decided to get a GTX 970. Any brand recommendations? I'm considering this MSI model.

 

[CAaronD]

MSI's Twin Frozr model is one of the top tier GTX 970's. Seems that it is a very popular choice too. Go for it.

 

[red-rock-run]

MSI's Twin Frozr model is one of the top tier GTX 970's. Seems that it is a very popular choice too. Go for it.

What about this Gigabyte model?