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A Little Assistance Choosing A Gpu


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#1 Juodas Varnas

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Posted 29 November 2015 - 10:57 PM

Howdy,

I've been debating on upgrading my PCs GPU for quite some time and, even though, i'm on a pretty low budget.
Basically, i currently have the R7 250 and i'm planning on upgrading it to either of these: AMD R9 380 or GTX 960 (the 4GB versions). From what i understand, both of these GPUs are quite close to each other performance-wise and basically the same cost-wise, so this is why i'm asking for assistance.
Which one of them would be better for MWO and just gaming in general?
And also, if i buy one of these how much of a performance increase should i expect from a R7 250?

Thanks in advance.

#2 Goose

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 12:08 AM

Get a load of this: http://www.tomshardw...iew,3107-7.html

And about your PSU: http://outervision.c...pply-calculator

#3 Dragoon20005

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 12:10 AM

for the same price the R9 380 beats the GTX960 in most games

look up Crysis 3 benchmarks and you see the 380 pull ahead of the 960

#4 Spheroid

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 12:37 AM

You really don't need to spend that much to get a large improvement over the very modest R7 250, any mid-priced card would suffice.

I went from a 7750 to a R9 270. That got me about 10-15 fps improvement.


Those higher end AMD cards draw a lot of power. Max thermal output on your proposed R9 380 is 190 watts.

#5 Oderint dum Metuant

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 12:44 AM

The answer is either card.

Both trade blows, neither is outright better than the other. If i were to pick one i would go with the 960 for the (currently) better software side.

Having said that, can you wait 30-60 days? There is allegedly a 960TI due out in January using the same chip as on the 970 but obviously cut down to fit the performance gap between the 2.

#6 Yozaa

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Posted 30 November 2015 - 12:47 AM

Yeah I would look up some gaming benchmarks for your card.
You are looking for the best FPS per dollar, whilst staying with in your budget.

Toms Hardware Guide (www.tomshardware.com) has GPU Benchmarks as do other sites

Go to http://www.tomshardw...cs-cards,1.html,

In the section that says "2015 VGA Charts" look for the drop down box that says "01 3DMark Firestrike" and change it to
the game or app and resolution for the benchmark.

For example : Far Cry 3 1080p MSAA x 2, 1920 x 1080.

Another good link at Toms hardware is the "Best Graphics Cards For The Money" which is updated regularly.
http://www.tomshardw...eview,3107.html

Check these out and make an informed purchasing decision.

Plus I'm to lazy to do all the work for you (I usually charge ;)

OR

Just type in google " GTX960 Benchmarks".

Tip: Look for the benchmark result run at the maximum resolution of your monitor, as it is most relevant to your situation.
(Unless you plan to get a bigger monitor in the near future)

For Example (Assume your monitor supports 1900 x 1200)
Card A maybe faster at 1900 x 1200 whilst
Card B might be faster at 2000 plus resolutions.

If your monitor only supports 1900 x 1200, get card A especially if its cheaper.

Edited by Yozaa, 30 November 2015 - 12:49 AM.


#7 Juodas Varnas

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Posted 01 December 2015 - 06:59 AM

Alright, did some research and it seems that the R9 380 has better performance in *MOST* games i've seen benchmarks for (in some cases up to 10 fps more than the 960), however it has much higher power consumption and reaches higher temperatures than the gtx 960.
Still not sure what i value more though - performance or efficiency. ARGH! Why can't there be an obvious superior choice for me to choose?!

#8 Oderint dum Metuant

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Posted 01 December 2015 - 02:36 PM

View PostJuodas Varnas, on 01 December 2015 - 06:59 AM, said:

Alright, did some research and it seems that the R9 380 has better performance in *MOST* games i've seen benchmarks for (in some cases up to 10 fps more than the 960), however it has much higher power consumption and reaches higher temperatures than the gtx 960.
Still not sure what i value more though - performance or efficiency. ARGH! Why can't there be an obvious superior choice for me to choose?!


There will be. Wait till January for the TI version of the 960 on a 970 chip

#9 Dragoon20005

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Posted 01 December 2015 - 04:56 PM

View PostJuodas Varnas, on 01 December 2015 - 06:59 AM, said:

Alright, did some research and it seems that the R9 380 has better performance in *MOST* games i've seen benchmarks for (in some cases up to 10 fps more than the 960), however it has much higher power consumption and reaches higher temperatures than the gtx 960.
Still not sure what i value more though - performance or efficiency. ARGH! Why can't there be an obvious superior choice for me to choose?!



power draw dont mean anything

newer card can draw much higher wattage than stock when OC

even a simple setting power limit to 150% will make the GPU draw more power

if your PSU is a good PSU with good 12 volts rails

just get the best card you can buy

#10 M A S E

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Posted 01 December 2015 - 05:31 PM

A solid CPU is more important in MWO than a GPU. With the new features in graphics, yes the shadows and extra foliage, sprites and what not are now maxing out my GTX 760 easily (looking at you, Forest Colony). But the majority of the game is CPU intensive. The i7-6700k is a very affordable, top-end unit and runs the new DDR4 + all the new fixings from Intel (if thats the route you take).

With the current cards, A GTX 960 will do extremely well on MWO, given its a Cry Engine 3, and non-optimized title.

i7-6700k + decent heat sink, 8GB DDR 4, 256GB + SDD, GTX 960. Throw that all in a case of your liking and you got a PC that will eat MWO alive for around the $1,000 mark. Looking ahead at pc gaming, I wouldn't go any less than this so that you have a unit that won't be a bottleneck in the coming years, with alot of headroom for upgrading.





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