R9 390 vs GTX 970?

[AlfaKayzer]

Few days ago, some guys were helping me choosing new pc parts.
My local store already has some new GPUs.
But now i dont know which one should i buy.
Which one is better now and will have a better "futureproof"? Because i really hope i can play at least 4 years.

GPUs:

R9 390:
-Gigabyte Radeon R9 390 G1 Gaming 8 GB


GTX 970:
-EVGA GeForce GTX 970 SC ACX 2.0 4 GB

-Asus GeForce GTX 970 STRIX 4 GB

-EVGA GeForce GTX 970 FTW 4 GB

-Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 G1 Gaming 4 GB

-Zotac GeForce GTX 970 AMP! Extreme Core Edition 4 GB

Thank you again guys!

[Moe]

for the 300$ price range the R9 390 is a better buy out of the two. 8gb vram (970 - 4gb), a much larger 512bit memory interface (970 - 256bit), dx12 async shaders support on hardware level. it beats the GTX 970 slightly in most benchmarks, worst case scenario it trades punches. the massive 8 gigs of memory will future proof the card for a few years easily.

the R9 390 consumes more power. about 60 watts more. but the real world difference is not worth bringing up honestly. if I game'd 8 hours a day for 365 days straight at max load, @15cents per kW it would only cost me about 10$ extra year. that's nothing!!! not to mention the r9 390 runs cooler than the 970. (at least the Sapphire and MSI makes that is). they top out at about 70-72c. while the GTX970 is more closer to 76-80c.

truly a nice GPU for the 300 dollar range! it will last you longer than the 4gb nvidia card that doesn't support Async Shaders (DX12 feature) on the hardware level, Nvidia is still currently trying to make a driver fix to correct this but it will never be as good as having true native hardware support to it.

PS - i own both r9 390 & the GTX970. no fanboyism on my behalf. both are great cards the 390 is just a better deal in performance and longevity (Future proof).

Please refer to these videos. Jayztwocents is a well known techie, the 2nd video is a little bit more on DX12 Async shaders.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9cKZiJw6Pk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLOAQFpaGh8

[FluffyPinkDecoyBunny]

There is no "future proof" in technology. You get the best of what you can afford and go with it.

Folks will tell you the 390 has 8GB - better for you.
Folks will tell you that the 970 has gimped .5GB of memory that can hold you back.
Folks will tell you the 970 draws less power over the 390.
Folks will tell you the 970 runs cooler over the 390.
Folks will tell you the 390 is faster than the 970.
Folks will tell you the 970 is faster than the 390.
Folks will tell you they cards are similar in performance, depending on the game.
Folks might bring up how Nvidia has Physx.
Folks might bring up G-Sync with Nvidia.
Folks might bring up Free-Sync with AMD.

You need to decide what sparks your interest more and go with it.

[AlfaKayzer]

FluffyPinkDecoyBunny の投稿を引用：

There is no "future proof" in technology. You get the best of what you can afford and go with it.

Folks will tell you the 390 has 8GB - better for you.
Folks will tell you that the 970 has gimped .5GB of memory that can hold you back.
Folks will tell you the 970 draws less power over the 390.
Folks will tell you the 970 runs cooler over the 390.
Folks will tell you the 390 is faster than the 970.
Folks will tell you the 970 is faster than the 390.
Folks will tell you they cards are similar in performance, depending on the game.
Folks might bring up how Nvidia has Physx.
Folks might bring up G-Sync with Nvidia.
Folks might bring up Free-Sync with AMD.

You need to decide what sparks your interest more and go with it.

That's the problem, i dont know which one is better or worse?
I personally dont care about a lot of stuff, but the GPU will work, minimal-none bugs.
Also heard AMD Free-sync is something pretty good, but Crimson is also giving problems (underclock, high temp, etc).
I have a HD 6950 right now and it never gave me any trouble. But i dont want Crimson o any software driver be a problem.

[Moe]

alfaphantom の投稿を引用：

FluffyPinkDecoyBunny の投稿を引用：

There is no "future proof" in technology. You get the best of what you can afford and go with it.

Folks will tell you the 390 has 8GB - better for you.
Folks will tell you that the 970 has gimped .5GB of memory that can hold you back.
Folks will tell you the 970 draws less power over the 390.
Folks will tell you the 970 runs cooler over the 390.
Folks will tell you the 390 is faster than the 970.
Folks will tell you the 970 is faster than the 390.
Folks will tell you they cards are similar in performance, depending on the game.
Folks might bring up how Nvidia has Physx.
Folks might bring up G-Sync with Nvidia.
Folks might bring up Free-Sync with AMD.

You need to decide what sparks your interest more and go with it.

That's the problem, i dont know which one is better or worse?
I personally dont care about a lot of stuff, but the GPU will work, minimal-none bugs.
Also heard AMD Free-sync is something pretty good, but Crimson is also giving problems (underclock, high temp, etc).
I have a HD 6950 right now and it never gave me any trouble. But i dont want Crimson o any software driver be a problem.

Crimson 15.11 has been working great on my 390. the people who had issues with it are the people who upgraded from catalyst to crimson without cleaning out the old drivers first. AMD has already released a hotfix for the users who upgrade to crimson this way.

[FluffyPinkDecoyBunny]

alfaphantom の投稿を引用：

FluffyPinkDecoyBunny の投稿を引用：

There is no "future proof" in technology. You get the best of what you can afford and go with it.

Folks will tell you the 390 has 8GB - better for you.
Folks will tell you that the 970 has gimped .5GB of memory that can hold you back.
Folks will tell you the 970 draws less power over the 390.
Folks will tell you the 970 runs cooler over the 390.
Folks will tell you the 390 is faster than the 970.
Folks will tell you the 970 is faster than the 390.
Folks will tell you they cards are similar in performance, depending on the game.
Folks might bring up how Nvidia has Physx.
Folks might bring up G-Sync with Nvidia.
Folks might bring up Free-Sync with AMD.

You need to decide what sparks your interest more and go with it.

That's the problem, i dont know which one is better or worse?
I personally dont care about a lot of stuff, but the GPU will work, minimal-none bugs.
Also heard AMD Free-sync is something pretty good, but Crimson is also giving problems (underclock, high temp, etc).
I have a HD 6950 right now and it never gave me any trouble. But i dont want Crimson o any software driver be a problem.

I hear where you're coming from. I started out with Nvidia GPUs and I've never had a problem with them aside from the occasional issue with a driver (happens on both Nvidia and AMD side), so I've stuck with them.

There isn't much difference between the two cards in gaming performance. So you need to either weigh the pros/cons of each side and make a decision....OR....if you like AMD and wish to stick with them then your choice is easy; get the 390.

We're just here to provide information - you need to make the choice as to what feels better.

[SundownKid]

Its doubtful either of those will last 4 years playing the most modern games. At the end of the 4 years they will probably have to be played on low settings. If you want 4 years go for a GTX 980Ti, its really the only thing that will probably last that long on 1080p.

[Moe]

SundownKid の投稿を引用：

Its doubtful either of those will last 4 years playing the most modern games. At the end of the 4 years they will probably have to be played on low settings. If you want 4 years go for a GTX 980Ti, its really the only thing that will probably last that long on 1080p.

i doubt that. GCN has a very good life span. the 290x is now what 3 years old? and it beats out a GTX970 (Nvidias newest architecture) in 1080p+ gameplay.

plus with a newer API DX12 being closer to metal... games should theoretically be more optimized for performance on "older" stuff anyway.

[Clint E]

got rid of my R9 390 and never looked back, got freaking hot and loud (how I like my women but not my GPU)

[Moe]

W8lifts の投稿を引用：

got rid of my R9 390 and never looked back, got freaking hot and loud (how I like my women but not my GPU)

mine runs pretty cool. 72c max with 55% fan speed. virtually silent (Sapphire Nitro).

[Clint E]

seriously doubt that.

[Moe]

W8lifts の投稿を引用：

seriously doubt that.

Doubt all you want. plenty of videos to prove it on youtube. just gotta look.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3rIOFP34Dg

[Moe]

W8lifts の投稿を引用：

seriously doubt that.

Hell even my GTX 970 runs hotter than my 390 lmao. playing the witcher 3 as we speak and my GTX 970 is around 78-80c

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=478142288

[Azza ☠]

It's quite simple really, it comes down to...

1080p? GTX 970 is better
1440p? R9 390 is better

8GB video memory is complete marketing, till you get to higher resolutions or multiple monitors, while using Crossfire of multiple cards, else it will never be fully used.

On the other hand, the GTX 970 is actually a remodel of the GTX 780 3GB, with an extra 0.5GB thrown in for free and an additional 0.5GB slower memory pool last reserve. Hense why you should use it only at 1080p resolution for optimal performance. Some of the custom duel fan models at this resolution can get up to GTX 980 performance. Making it the best cost to ratio graphics card of 2014.

[Moe]

Azza ☠ の投稿を引用：

It's quite simple really, it comes down to...

1080p? GTX 970 is better
1440p? R9 390 is better

8GB video memory is complete marketing, till you get to higher resolutions or multiple monitors, while using Crossfire of multiple cards, else it will never be fully used.

On the other hand, the GTX 970 is actually a remodel of the GTX 780 3GB, with an extra 0.5GB thrown in for free and an additional 0.5GB slower memory pool last reserve. Hense why you should use it only at 1080p resolution for optimal performance. Some of the custom duel fan models at this resolution can get up to GTX 980 performance. Making it the best cost to ratio graphics card of 2014.

Except for the fact that the 390 beats out the 970 in most 1080p benchmarks also. BTW, how is having 8gbs just "Marketing" ? games have been using more and more Vram over the years. it's been steadily rising. GTA5 and Shadow of mordor require more than 4gbs of ram for absolute max settings. he want's something more future proof its clear going the 8gb Vram route is the logical choice.

Look, eitherway you go you're going to have a very nice GPU. the 390 is just more bang for the $.

[AlfaKayzer]

All right guys i guess ill go for the R9 390 because, as you said, games need more and more vram.

But i heard a lot about Gameworks and how it does affect AMD GPU's performance, is that true?