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ASRock Z87E ITX
i3-4330 3.5ghz 4m cache
2x8GB 1600

Having a real hard time deciding on R9 270X vs GTX760

Will be getting a 4GB card either way as this will see duty for a good long while before upgrading.

Output will be 1080p. I know either of these cards should do just fine at mid-to-max settings/1080p. Just wondering if there is a strong case for one or the other?

I'd go AMD for Mantle + TrueAudio but as I understand it, you only get that on the 290 which is way out of pricerange.

Thanks!

Mantle is for all GCN cards including the 270X. TrueAudio is only on some cards, but should be on the entire range in production now *I believe.* I'm not sure on that, I know it started out as only some cards.

melk wrote:

ASRock Z87E ITX
i3-4330 3.5ghz 4m cache
2x8GB 1600

Having a real hard time deciding on R9 270X vs GTX760

Will be getting a 4GB card either way as this will see duty for a good long while before upgrading.

Output will be 1080p. I know either of these cards should do just fine at mid-to-max settings/1080p. Just wondering if there is a strong case for one or the other?

I'd go AMD for Mantle + TrueAudio but as I understand it, you only get that on the 290 which is way out of pricerange.

Thanks!

Why a 4GB card when only running at 1080P, is this a multi monitor setup, even then I don't think you would need 4GB card.

I'm of the mindset that more memory can't hurt. Will it help? Maybe, maybe not.... but for a few extra bucks to double it... it's worth it, to me. Especially since I expect this to last at least 2-3 years.

Also, re: Mantle - Savyg is right, it is supported. Looks like only TrueAudio is a 290-exclusive (at least, according to Wikipedia )

Savyg wrote:

Mantle is for all GCN cards including the 270X. TrueAudio is only on some cards, but should be on the entire range in production now *I believe.* I'm not sure on that, I know it started out as only some cards.

Trueaudio is only on the 260 and 290 cards. The 270 series does not support TrueAudio.

Voldenuit wrote:

Savyg wrote:

Mantle is for all GCN cards including the 270X. TrueAudio is only on some cards, but should be on the entire range in production now *I believe.* I'm not sure on that, I know it started out as only some cards.

Trueaudio is only on the 260 and 290 cards. The 270 series does not support TrueAudio.

(Also on Kaveri, on that note.)

Fair enough.

So it looks like the GTX760 does beat it out in most benchmarks at 1080/max quality, usually by a pretty signifcant margin (10+ fps) which I guess makes sense as it has higher overall memory bandwidth and texture fillrate. You do pay for the performance though...

If you want an AMD card, the 280X is probably what you'd be looking for. They are mad overpriced right now because of Litecoin, but give it a month or two and the situation will resolve itself.

For 1080p you should go for the 280X or GTX770 for sure. Even these cards cannot max out every current game now, but close.

melk wrote:

So it looks like the GTX760 does beat it out in most benchmarks at 1080/max quality, usually by a pretty signifcant margin (10+ fps) which I guess makes sense as it has higher overall memory bandwidth and texture fillrate. You do pay for the performance though...

It kinda depends on Mantle at this point. While I think the 270X would end up worth it on newer titles, it obviously isn't better for current ones. Either way I don't doubt you'll love the card, hell I bought my 660 like a week or two before the 760 was released and I still love it.

Well a 770 is +$100 over a 760 which at $280 for a 4GB card is already on the high side of what I want to spend.

A 4GB 270X is cheaper at $250 but to bump up to a 280X is $400+

I got an MSI gamer 2G twinfrozr for my bro and its a pretty nice card, I got it for $205 and included BF4 also, I think there is a review of it at techpowerup. It does not have true audio though, it is basically an overclocked 7870, with a nice cooler and dual bios. I don't know it you can still get a 7850 on the cheap (150 or less) but that might be a good option.

I think 4GB of ram is a waste at 1080p though.

melk wrote:

A 4GB 270X is cheaper at $250 but to bump up to a 280X is $400+

280X is supposed to be a $300 card. That's why you should wait a month or two if it's what you want.

I think I have settled on a card, the PNY GTX 760 2GB for $250

I chose the PNY because it comes with factory OC to Core 1111 MHz Boost 1176 MHz which is higher than any other 760 card I could find, netting a Effective Memory Clock of 6208 MHz

melk wrote:

I think I have settled on a card, the PNY GTX 760 2GB for $250

I chose the PNY because it comes with factory OC to Core 1111 MHz Boost 1176 MHz which is higher than any other 760 card I could find, netting a Effective Memory Clock of 6208 MHz

Better deal:

EVGA B-Stock Sale:

GTX 760 ACX $199
http://www.evga.com/Products/Product.as ... P4-2763-RX

Or, you should really just spend an extra 20 bucks over the PNY you chose and get a GTX 770 for $269.
http://www.evga.com/Products/Product.as ... P4-2770-RX

Many more cards here:
http://www.evga.com/Products/ProductList.aspx?type=8


BTW I have a PNY GTX 670 OC edition in my 2nd PC and it is the most terribly loud card I have ever owned. I would advise against getting a PNY card at all costs for that reason. The EVGA GTX 670 FTW edition I have in my main rig is silent by comparison.

Not to thread hijack, but im also debating between these 2 cards. But I have 1 difference. I have 3 monitors. 1 is for gaming, 1 is for browsing, and the other is for watching movies on the couch. If I am gaming at 1080p, and trying to watch a vid at 1080p on the other monitor, do I need more vram or raw power?

For 259$ you can get the ACX cooled EVGA GTX 760 FYI EVGA make the best NV hardware and cust support is the best.
Or pay 299 for a higher clocked ACX 4gb card.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814130933

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814130949

every EVGA ACX 760 Has a 5 star rating

Better yet what Prestige worldwide linked for price!! saves u 59$

Awesome, thanks for those links. I was not aware of the B-Stock cards... are these refurbs or something?

The price bouncing is pretty nuts. No more $200 cards, cheapest 760 is now $250 or a 770 for $360

XorCist wrote:

Not to thread hijack, but im also debating between these 2 cards. But I have 1 difference. I have 3 monitors. 1 is for gaming, 1 is for browsing, and the other is for watching movies on the couch. If I am gaming at 1080p, and trying to watch a vid at 1080p on the other monitor, do I need more vram or raw power?

I'm curious about this too - I'll be adding a second monitor soon too. A question tho - if you are gaming fullscreen on screen1 is there any way to control screen 2 at the same time? Maybe utilizing Virtual Machines?

melk wrote:

Awesome, thanks for those links. I was not aware of the B-Stock cards... are these refurbs or something?

The price bouncing is pretty nuts. No more $200 cards, cheapest 760 is now $250 or a 770 for $360

XorCist wrote:

Not to thread hijack, but im also debating between these 2 cards. But I have 1 difference. I have 3 monitors. 1 is for gaming, 1 is for browsing, and the other is for watching movies on the couch. If I am gaming at 1080p, and trying to watch a vid at 1080p on the other monitor, do I need more vram or raw power?

I'm curious about this too - I'll be adding a second monitor soon too. A question tho - if you are gaming fullscreen on screen1 is there any way to control screen 2 at the same time? Maybe utilizing Virtual Machines?

Screen 2 does not blank when gaming on screen 1. However, most games will blank if you alt-tab into another application. The solution is to run the game in 'windowed fullscreen'. This will eat a little performance (~10-20% depending on application) but can be worth it. Some newer games support windowed fullscreen natively, for most others, you can use a program like Game Companion to force it.

Hmm, alright thanks. You're still restricted to 1 set of inputs (kbd/mouse) though. I'd love to figure out a way to run a game on screen1 and be able to browse the web at the same time with a second kbd/mouse on screen2. Guess that's not easily accomplished though.

melk wrote:

Hmm, alright thanks. You're still restricted to 1 set of inputs (kbd/mouse) though. I'd love to figure out a way to run a game on screen1 and be able to browse the web at the same time with a second kbd/mouse on screen2. Guess that's not easily accomplished though.

If you have a keyboard with media controls it lets you control most media players even when they're not in focus. I'm usually gaming or even just working on screen 1, while screen 2 has a playlist of stuff I'd like to watch/listen to.

This is one of the reasons I find it so hard to switch to the new mechanical keyboards -- I've yet to see a model with proper media keys.

The MSI custom cooler cards have the best coolers atm, their sound:cooling performance ratio is fantastic.