Which Graphics Card is Best choice

[jasong1645]

Hello All,

I will be running X-Plane a my main game, I want to able to run with full graphics and lots of add-ons.

This is my first ever build that I am putting together, see below the hardware already bought:

Memory - Corsair LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 Ram 3200MHz
Motherboard - Gigabyte LGA1151 Intel Z170 DDR4 Gaming 3
Hard Drive - Samsung 850 EVO - 250GB 2.5-Inch SATA internal SSD
Seagate - 2TB Desktop HDD SATA 6Gb/s
Processor - Intel i7-6700k 4.0 GHz 8m Cache LGA1151
Fan - Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO with 120mm
Power - EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G1, 80+ GOLD, Fully Modular
Tower - Corsair Carbide SPEC-02

NOW THE BIG QUESTION:
Which is the BEST Pick

XFX Radeon RX 480 DirectX 12RX 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0, 8GB Video Card

or

MSI GAMING GeForce GTX 970 4GB OC DirectX 12 VR ready

I value your advice, and if there is a better choice within budget, please feel free to suggest.

 

[manddy123]

RX 480 mainly benefits from DX 12 and Vulcan, which i don't think your simulator is.

Overall both are very similar cards IMO, but as we're talking about a simulator, i'd advise you to pick a stronger card maybe a GTX 1070 or an r9 fury.
What's your bugdet actually?

 

[Isokolon]

GTX 1060?
a 1070 is significantly more expensive.
but a 1060 would be the best fit for your needs.

if it comes down to these two, I'd go for the Rx480 if it isn't the reference 6PIN card

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

the 8GB RX 480 is better in every way. is cheaper, is faster, has over twice as much GDDR5 VRAM, is fully DX12 compliant. unless you can get the older GTX 970 for <$150, the 8GB RX 480 is the way to go for sure.

 

[manddy123]

the 8GB RX 480 is better in every way. is cheaper, is faster, has over twice as much GDDR5 VRAM, is fully DX12 compliant. unless you can get the older GTX 970 for <$150, the 8GB RX 480 is the way to go for sure.

don't be so biased, really. If his game do not support dx 12, rx 480 will lose to a GTX. So he should go with a 970 or higher.

 

[Isokolon]

the 8GB RX 480 is better in every way. is cheaper, is faster, has over twice as much GDDR5 VRAM, is fully DX12 compliant. unless you can get the older GTX 970 for <$150, the 8GB RX 480 is the way to go for sure.

don't be so biased, really. If his game do not support dx 12, rx 480 will lose to a GTX. So he should go with a 970 or higher.

in dx11 it's usually on par or better than the 970 from the reviews I know. and that's comparing a reference 480 with a custom OC 970.

but if the 970 is significantly cheaper, its the better value buy
for performance the Rx480 is slightly better
but looking at the prices of the Rx480, the 1060 is the sweet spot

 

[manddy123]

the 8GB RX 480 is better in every way. is cheaper, is faster, has over twice as much GDDR5 VRAM, is fully DX12 compliant. unless you can get the older GTX 970 for <$150, the 8GB RX 480 is the way to go for sure.

don't be so biased, really. If his game do not support dx 12, rx 480 will lose to a GTX. So he should go with a 970 or higher.

in dx11 it's usually on par or better than the 970 from the reviews I know. and that's comparing a reference 480 with a custom OC 970.

but if the 970 is significantly cheaper, its the better value buy
for performance the Rx480 is slightly better
but looking at the prices of the Rx480, the 1060 is the sweet spot

my point exactly. Thanks

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

in dx11 it's usually on par or better than the 970 from the reviews I know. and that's comparing a reference 480 with a custom OC 970.
but if the 970 is significantly cheaper, its the better value buy
for performance the Rx480 is slightly better
but looking at the prices of the 8GB Rx480, the 1060 is the sweet spot

my point exactly. Thanks

no, your point exactly was, "If his game do not support dx 12, rx 480 will lose to a GTX. So he should go with a 970..".
but you are wrong. as I stated, the RX 480 is faster(in both core and memory speeds), has over twice as much GDDR5 VRAM, and is still cheaper than a regularly priced 970.

 

[jasong1645]

Ok guys, very helpful info, as I was so confused!! So basically you all saying I should go with a GTX!!

Now make the final pick for me based on my existing hardware and compatibility, as there are some many different brands and types out there and my budget is $350 maximum.

Below are basically the only games I will be playing:

Call Of Duty,
Forza
X-Plane (the main reason for this rig)
Fifa


Thanks in advance

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

Ok guys, very helpful info, as I was so confused!! So basically you all saying I should go with a GTX!!

between the 480 and the 970, you definitely should go for the 480. but as Isoklon also mentioned, the GTX 1060 is also a great card in your budget, better than either for 1080p gaming.

the Sapphire Nitro is a very nice 8GB RX 480 option for ~$285:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202223

the ASUS ROG STRIX is also a very nice 6GB GTX 1060 option for ~$320 after rebates:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814126113&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&PageSize=10&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&IsFeedbackTab=true#scrollFullInfo

 

[fry178]

the 480 is not powerful enough to really make use of 8gb vram (exception proves the rule) , while 4 isnt really enough
(running R6 siege at 1080p with nice IQ settings will use +4gb).

the 1060 will reach about 2Ghz without added voltage (just crank up power/temp limits in afterburner), and still run cooler/silent vs480, and has 6gb.
get the cheapest "custom" 1060 which will be enough for "maxed out" settings at 1080p, reduced settings (med-high) will even allow for 1440p.

i would recommend swapping the seagate for a different brand, and ocz's coverage for ssd's is much better than samsung (replacement will get shipped before returning the broken one) and will perform the same.
i would upgrade the psu to the cheapest platinum rated you can get (as long as its 500-650w)...

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

the 480 is not powerful enough to really make use of 8gb vram (exception proves the rule)

well that is definitely not true. even my 8GB 290X can max out settings in most games available with AA set to 2x at 1440p with 50-60fps. games that make use of more than 4GB have no problem doing so and also run with no problems passed that 4GB usage mark.
The Witcher 3, GTA V(heavily modded), Shadow of Mordor, RotTR, Metro Redux, Fallout 4(heavily modded) all reach closer to 5-6GB when at 1440p and never have a problem doing it and staying over 50fps.
and i have a OCZ ARC100 & a OCZ Vertex 460A. and my older Samsung 840 EVO gets ~25MB/s faster write speeds and ~40MB/s faster read speeds than either.

@ jasong1645,
he is right about the PSU in some regard. you will be better off with the EVGA G2 over the G1.

 

[fry178]

sorry, my post was missing "at higher res". as soon as you go past 1080p, its not enough.
most ppl will run higher res/settings (vs heavily modding), so for 70-80% of buyers 6gb are enough.

at the price of the 850 evo, i can get a vector180 which is as fast/faster, comes with build in power protection,
allows 50GB/day written, and a 5-Year Warranty that will ship a replacement drive (no cost) before i even ship back the broken one (for free).

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

sorry, my post was missing "at higher res". as soon as you go past 1080p, its not enough.
most ppl will run higher res/settings (vs heavily modding), so for 70-80% of buyers 6gb are enough.

you did see "at 1440p" twice in my post, right?
the RX 480 is quite a bit faster than the 290X so it would be doing even better at these resolutions and settings.

 

[jasong1645]

In regards to the PSU which one would you recommend within the same price range? And why woul di Choose a G2 PSU over a G1?

I see the below one available, but it dosent ay if its modular and I am just not sure of the quality of that brand, what are your recommendations on this one, or any other you suggest is the right pick within my buget.

https://www.amazon.com/Antec-Earthwatts-Certified-EA-650-Platinum/dp/B0064LWI40/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1473265451&sr=8-2&keywords=650+platinum+psu



the 480 is not powerful enough to really make use of 8gb vram (exception proves the rule) , while 4 isnt really enough
(running R6 siege at 1080p with nice IQ settings will use +4gb).

the 1060 will reach about 2Ghz without added voltage (just crank up power/temp limits in afterburner), and still run cooler/silent vs480, and has 6gb.
get the cheapest "custom" 1060 which will be enough for "maxed out" settings at 1080p, reduced settings (med-high) will even allow for 1440p.

i would recommend swapping the seagate for a different brand, and ocz's coverage for ssd's is much better than samsung (replacement will get shipped before returning the broken one) and will perform the same.
i would upgrade the psu to the cheapest platinum rated you can get (as long as its 500-650w)...[/quotemsg]