Which graphics card should I get?

[Jeradwtf]

This is the last part of my build that I havent bought yet. Its come down to this serious decision.

I wanted to go for a GTX 780 at first but its $500. So then I decided on the GTX 770 $400.

But now im thinking of staying in the $200 - $300 price range. And later in the year saving up for a 780.

So far I've come to these 2 cards.
I have read very good things about the Sapphire one, but the other is a level higher. Which should I get?

Sapphire Radeon TOXIC R9 270X 2GB GDDR5 DVI-I/DVI-D/HDMI/DP with Boost (UEFI) PCI-Express Graphics Card 11217-02-40G

OR


XFX RADEON Double D R9 280X 1000MHz BOOST Ready 3GB DDR5 2XmDP HDMI 2XDVI Graphics Cards R9-280X-TDFD


PLZ help me decide!

 

[leeb2013]

first, not the XFX, the cooler is rubbish and they get VERY hot.

second, I'd get the decent card now, otherwise that's money is going to be wasted on a slightly cheaper card which will be worth very little in the future. (plus you'll be thinking you wish you had better performance).

How about compromise on cost and get the R9-290?

 

[Vinny54]

first, not the XFX, the cooler is rubbish and they get VERY hot.

second, I'd get the decent card now, otherwise that's money is going to be wasted on a slightly cheaper card which will be worth very little in the future. (plus you'll be thinking you wish you had better performance).

How about compromise on cost and get the R9-290?

I agree. I'm in the process of saving for a build that uses the 780. It will be well worth the extra money it will cost compared to the cheaper cards, and you will be much happier with it. If possible, reduce price elsewhere in your build to get the better card, or just do what i'm doing and wait awhile longer to save up the money for the build you really want.

 

[Jeradwtf]

my Specs if it helps.

CPU - i5 4670K
COOLER - H100i
MOBO - ASUS Maximus VI Hero
GPU -
RAM - 8GB Corsair Vengeance
CASE - NZXT H440
PSU - Corsair RM650
STORAGE - 120GB SSD, 1 TB HDD
Win 8.1 BOOTS ON SSD

 

[Vinny54]

Do you plan on overclocking the CPU? if not, save yourself a few bucks and get the 4670 instead of the k. Also, if you're not going to overclock, save a few more dollars by getting an h87 mobo instead of the z97.

 

[Jeradwtf]

yeah I already have my 4670K, I have it clocked at 4.4 GHz. And my Mobo is the Z87 model.

 

[Vinny54]

Okay, well if the graphics card is an absolute must at this moment, then I agree with Leeb2013 saying that you should compromise and go with the R9-290. But if it's possible to wait and save a little more, I would save for the 780

 

[Jeradwtf]

yeah I wanted to budget for a graphics card for the meantime, when I upgrade later on i could put this one in another PC for my gf to play.

Is there an affordable R9 290?

 

[Vinny54]

That would also work. If by affordable you mean under $400, then not that I have seen. You may find one with a lesser quality fan and heatsink for cheaper, but I'd stick with the $400 to ensure good temps and quality

 

[leeb2013]

yeah I wanted to budget for a graphics card for the meantime, when I upgrade later on i could put this one in another PC for my gf to play.

Is there an affordable R9 290?

yes, they've dropped in price recently $392

http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-GDDR5-4GB-2xDVI-Graphics-GV-R929OC-4GD/dp/B00HS84DFU/ref=sr_1_16?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1405484647&sr=1-16&keywords=r9+290

vs $469 for the GTX 780

http://www.amazon.com/MSI-Computer-Corp-N780-3GD5/dp/B00DIH8OOQ/ref=sr_1_10?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1405484997&sr=1-10&keywords=gtx+780

R9-290 has arguably better performance, 4GB Vram and Mantle is making an impact now, with more games to come.

 

[Jeradwtf]

okay so on amazon I see that the Gigabyte windforce R9 290 is about thw same price as the XFX R9 290. but the XFX shows almost sold out. Which of these 2 companys makes the better card. I honestly like the look of the XFX card. Is gigabyte or XFX better?