Which gpu should i get for my eyefinity???

[bpun1p]

Specs
x3 27" 1920x1086 monitors for eyefinity
msi z87-g45
i5-4690
asus r9 280x direct cu ii 3gb TOP
xfx r9 280x double dissapation
8gb 1600mhz cosair vengeance ram
750w psu
Samsung 840 evo 250gb

Hey guys, im planning to change my graphics card to one graphics card cuz crossfire is too much of a hassle and very few games support crossfire. ever since ive crossfired my graphic cards, my computer has been showing shittier potential than normal.

So now ive decided to purchase one graphic card instead. for my set up which graphic cards should i purchase?? here are the choices i found:

r9 290x
r9 290
gtx 970

these are all i found to upgrade into my comp. i didnt want to get gtx 980 because it seemed a bit pricey. i was kinda looking at not going over 500 dollars. gimme other suggestions if there are any.

one more question, whats the difference between getting a r9 280x reference card and a non reference one?

 

[17seconds]

Seems like you already have your two 280X cards for Crossfire/Eyefinity? If you are in the market for a new video card, and are looking to stick with AMD, you'll want to go no lower than a 290 or 290X. Eyefinity frame pacing is apparently never going to be properly fixed for the older GCN cards, like your 280X's.

Of course, your motherboard supports SLI, so you would face no such problems with frame pacing on a system with Nvidia graphics.

 

[bpun1p]

i dont really mind going from amd to nvidia, it seems like r9 290x is more expensive than 970, but on gpuboss it rates 970 a lot higher. i just want a graphics card that will support my 3 monitors better. i was looking at the reference 290x but some people say it will over heat quicker and stuff

 

[JackNaylorPE]

The 970 is faster at up to 1440p than the 290x.... and faster at all resolutions once overclocked, tho the advantage shrinks at the higher resolutions. Have 3 SLI boxes here, only issue has been betas may not have a profile for 2 weeks or so.

The R9s do get warm.... that's why the 970 overclocks better ... it has more room since the R9s are aggressively clocked in the box. Hard to say either a choice is one you will regret but the 970 has a small but significant edge on noise, power, heat, performance and cost, at least till June 30 when Wicther 3 promo ends (or AMD does more price cuts)

 

[Karadjgne]

http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-VAPOR-X-PCI-Express-Graphics-11226-11-40G/dp/B00P9RDI9Y

What gpu boss doesn't take into account is that it's impossible to compare AMD to nvidia. The basic architecture is so drastically different. They simply don't work the same. It's no different than comparing a 780 to a 970. By specs, the 780 has more of everything, yet the 970's architecture is so much more effective it'll outperform a 780, with quite a bit less to work with.
Gpu boss also only tests with the reference design. Partner cards often are a whole different beast.

Reference cards are amd/nvidia OEM cards and are a great idea, at first. Then you get companies like Asus, Gigabyte, EVGA and Sapphire who rip those cards apart, rebuild the pcb to their own higher specs and standards, then drop on a much better cooling system on top. The old reference 290x were absolute heat monsters and had multiple thermal problems, especially in CF. The 970 reference don't have the same heat issues, but they also don't have the same performance as their OC/SC partner cards either.

Stick with the partner cards, its a Six Million Dollar Man difference. Bigger. Stronger. Faster. Better.