Upgrading from XFX R9 280 X 3G DDR5... to what?

[jasonhickman17]

I am looking at building another PC, the first one i built was based around an AMD FX6300, XFX R9 280X, and HyperX Red. That build was more to see if it would be worth it to play games on PC, but now that that question was more than answered, I am building another. My Question Is:

What card is the best value for the money, an upgrade from the XFX i currently have, and under 500 CAD (3-400 USD)?

It seems like a lot of threads have been recommending the gtx 970 as the best value card, any and all advice is appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Jason H

 

[bicycle_repair_man]

The GTX 970 is the best GPU in its price bracket. The R9 390 is a good contender, but performance is much the same and TDP and noise is considerably greater.

 

[jasonhickman17]

The GTX 970 is the best GPU in its price bracket. The R9 390 is a good contender, but performance is much the same and TDP and noise is considerably greater.

Thanks! Do you have a preference when it comes to the stock 970 or another companies rendition in that price range?
Also, would i be better to run two XFX 280X's or one GTX 970? I am only using 108p gaming at the highest frame rate i can and trying to play BF4 and COD BO3 at ULTRA preferably, right now with 1 the best i can do is high at 60fps.

 

[bicycle_repair_man]

It's a difficult call to make, but I think a 280X Crossfire and single GTX 970 will offer much the same performance.

The issue with Crossfire and SLI is that you're entirely dependent on the game developer implementing support for it; Arkham Knight is a good example. As well as this, you need a motherboard and PSU capable of supporting a second GPU. Just because the motherboard has another PCIe slot, that doesn't mean it can support another GPU.

With regards to your build, a 280X Crossfire and FX-6300 would likely create a bottleneck, so I wouldn't pursue it.

Unless your monitor has a 120hz or 144hz refresh rate, you won't see a frame rate higher than 60. It's also worth remembering that certain graphical effects are very demanding on even the most powerful GPUs, so don't set the bar too high.