ASUS R9 390x Strix or MSI GTX 970 Gaming taxe prices +3yrs longevity @1080p

Discussion in 'Videocards - AMD Radeon' started by sandvic28, Aug 15, 2016.

  1. sandvic28

    sandvic28 Guest

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    Hello all, I've been an occasional reader and decided to join especially since I face a dilemma and can't decide which route to take :eyes:

    My last GPU ( ASUS gtx 560TI ) died on me last december after 4 years of service, so i've been on iGPU ( HD 3000) since then.
    I couldn't buy any new gpu for the past months mainly to 2 reasons : hardware where i live is imported and prices are affected by huge import taxes they can become really ridiculous, and awfull random availability as not a lot of poeple buy that sort of hardware where i live.

    I've read multiple reviews but alas i'm restrained by the availability in my region (online purchase is impossible XD)
    I'm torn between the Asus r9 390x strix 8Gb and the MSI gtx 970 Gaming 4Gb... they are priced respectively @ roughly 604US dollars and 512US dollars here which really intrigues me, is that extra money worth the performance bump ? can it "warrant" somehow better longevity with 8Gb ? i plan on keeping the card for at least 3 to 4 years as conditions don't permit to upgrade frequently and i fear the 3.5Gb "effective" vram on the 970 will be soon put to it's knees... i don't really plan to OC however or maybe slightly because when i had the 560ti i think running it very frequently OC'd to the max with the tempretures here al though i have decent cooling affected it's life span. I don't want to buy a card then be limited in performance in a "short" time period leading me to OC and repeating the same case scenario as with the 560ti. Also i did my research on the threads here and nobody seems to speak of the stric 390x is there a particular issue with the model ?

    I play on 1080p with a 60Hz monitor, i play games like the witcher 3, tomb raider and it's sequel, metal gear solid V , GTA V middle earth and the upcoming AAA titles, i also play other less demanding games from time to time. As for the settings i'm not an absolutely maxed out or nothing type of guy, but i like them on high to ultra whenever possible in the 50+ fps range.
    I have looked in the gtx 1060 and while it's compelling it will not be available anytime soon here, the gtx 1070 is around 700US dollars and gtx 1080 around 1000US dollars so you see the picture :)

    I look forward to your experienced suggestions and i'm sorry for the long post and possible langage mistakes, i'm not a native english speaker :p

    EDIT : my mainbord is a Z77 Mpower from MSI and PSU is a Club3d CSP-D850CB 80+bronze.. they didn't show under my avatar for some reason XD
     
  2. Spartan

    Spartan Guest

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    With those prices, I would say 1070, if not then 390x.
     
  3. PrMinisterGR

    PrMinisterGR Ancient Guru

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    Unless you have a bad case/PSU, go with the 390x. The extra VRAM, the async support and the general orientation of the architecture will carry it much further. The 970 is already VRAM bottlenecked on even NVIDIA sponsored games like Tomb Raider. Don't even think about it. Keep your case clean and well ventilated and you should be fine.
     
  4. sandvic28

    sandvic28 Guest

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    thank you for the replies. I see that the 970 is irrelevant at this point in time... the 1070 would be another step in my budget which is around 600 and plus there is no garantee that it'll be available next monday and at that price; they fluctuate.... for the case i have a corsair graphite 600T with the mesh panel however in the review of the 390x strix @guru3d it reaches up to 83°c and that's on open bench setup... is that ok for the long run ? i'm not used to temps reaching this high my ancient 560ti wouldn't go over 75 in furmark so i'm a little concerned.
     

  5. Embra

    Embra Ancient Guru

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    I prefer Sapphire, but Asus is generally very good.
     
  6. sandvic28

    sandvic28 Guest

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    the Tri X one ? it does have lower temps than this Asus one however i'm not sure if i'll be able to find it here.

    EDIT : Any 390x Strix owner who might share his experience with the cooler on a day to day basis ?
     
    Last edited: Aug 15, 2016
  7. PrMinisterGR

    PrMinisterGR Ancient Guru

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    If you have the chance, go for the 1070, no second thoughts. The Strix is actually fine. Hawaii as a core is made to work up to 95C, you won't have any issue with that. Do a clean cable job and have a clear airflow path to the card, and you won't have any issue. A properly ventilated case is better for temps than an open bench.
     
  8. sandvic28

    sandvic28 Guest

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    I see, always thought that since open bench is well open ( XD ) it would provide better ambiant temperature than the inside of the case, thanks for correcting me. So if it comes down to 390x i should be fine then. The 1070 I think is the founders edition here, availability is for next week fingers crossed, as for the 390x I can grab it tomorrow and it's the latest one available.. tough choice XD
     
  9. PrMinisterGR

    PrMinisterGR Ancient Guru

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    No, not a tough choice. If you CAN get the 1070, even if it's the one with the Founders edition cooler, GET IT.
     
  10. sandvic28

    sandvic28 Guest

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    All right, i'll wait a bit and see how things play out as it seems the wait will be worth it. Thank you for your help :)
     

  11. OnnA

    OnnA Ancient Guru

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    Why not order in CaseKing or Mindfactory?

    You got:

    299€ RX 480 Custom
    359€ Fury Nitro OC
    460€ 1070 iChill 3xFan
     
  12. sandvic28

    sandvic28 Guest

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    I'm afraid they don't ship to my country (Algeria), but thanks for the suggestion anyway :)
     
  13. primetime^

    primetime^ Master Guru

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    I would go for the custom rx480's.....I prefer xfx usually cause they have a very helpful rep here in North America
     
  14. sandvic28

    sandvic28 Guest

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    You would be baffeled by the price XD; around 600US dollars plus it's the xfx reference model with the backplate and not available in the shop around town.. I think it would have been really interesting if the price was lower...
     
  15. dwiewolverine

    dwiewolverine Guest

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    go for GTX1070
     

  16. sandvic28

    sandvic28 Guest

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    yes i think i'll wait until next week if stocks replenish and prices are within my reach, otherwise no choice but to get the 390x
     
  17. sandvic28

    sandvic28 Guest

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    Been reading some additional articles and threads etc and had a thought about the 1070 : what about DX12 ? since amd seems ahead of nvidia in terms of async compute implementation on the hardware level won't the 1000 series suffer from it in the long run more so than amd's current lines ? won't their current advantage shift towards existing or upcoming red cards ? i mean sure there will be updated drivers from both camps but won't nvidia hit the hardware threshold (from which there will be a need for new hardware for further implementation ) faster than amd will ?
     
  18. Spartan

    Spartan Guest

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    ^ 1070 eats the 390x alive.
     
  19. Kaarme

    Kaarme Ancient Guru

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    Nobody's going to code any decent game so weirdly that async would help 390X beat 1070.

    You should always go for the newest technology if you can afford it. 390X is already old. It would be worth it if you got a really good deal, but it doesn't sound like the stores in your parts offer such.
     
  20. sandvic28

    sandvic28 Guest

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    I see... but what's that latency issue i just read about ? :O there are even people saying they want to send back their 10 series cards and the hotfix doesn't resolve the issue for everyone. I know i may have asked a lot but i just want to know my way around everything before i make a purchase :)
     

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