280x or 7990

[Donok]

Im running 2560x1440 on a dell u2711

I can go brand new asus 280x (non top model) for £175

or

I can go asus 7990 used in a mining rig for £250

what would you do ?

 

[Feronix]

Well...A 280x is a rebadge of the HD 7970.
A 7990 are 2 x 7970 chips on one card.

The 7990 will definitely perform better, at the cost of needing a bigger PSU, producing more heat and probably noise and some driver issues because the chips run in CrossfireX.

It's up to you whether you want to buy a used card that's been pushed to its limits and has probably ran out of warranty. You can also have a look at the HD 7970s which are basically the same as the 280x, but you might be able to find them cheaper.

You could buy one 280x/HD 7970 right now and just add another one down the line if you really need it, assuming your PSU, motherboard and all that support it.


Edit; What do you use your PC for and what are the rest of your specs like?

 

[Donok]

i5 2500k
8gb ram
asus p67-m pro
500gb hdd

I use it for uni work and also game on it also

 

[Feronix]

What kind of games do you play and what power supply do you have?

 

[Donok]

BF4
Starcraft 2
call of duty

i have a cx600 corsair psu

 

[PaddieMayne]

With that PSU go for a single 280x and your next upgrade should be an SSD.

 

[barnsley]

unless you're after a new PSU get the 280x, although not that one. I have it and it is quiet, but not much else (it sags badly, build quality is pretty poor).

 

[Donok]

iv got money for a 240gb ssd but was going to wait and get a 480/500gb ssd and then use my server for all other storage and remove my 500gb mech hdd and go ssd only

 

[PaddieMayne]

Have you seen this deal at the moment not the fastest but still a country mile faster than a HDD and very good capacity, if your in the UK..
http://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials...lid+State+Drive&utm_campaign=newsletter290414

 

[barnsley]

Oh and I probably should add that mining 7990s will have heaps of issues. The cooling was pretty crap for gaming let alone mining.

 

[Donok]

unless you're after a new PSU get the 280x, although not that one. I have it and it is quiet, but not much else (it sags badly, build quality is pretty poor).

is the asus 280x really that bad ? I'm thinking about going for it as reviews say its the quietest 280x

 

[barnsley]

is the asus 280x really that bad ? I'm thinking about going for it as reviews say its the quietest 280x

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7fXCvW9h4E
^This happens to mine at complete random (heck its even my video). When I had it in my old case it sagged very badly very quickly. Compared to the ol' ASUS coolers its noticeably cheaper as well (I've extensively worked with a a pait of DCU GTX 660s). It has a heavy cooler and no support for it. I'd also say that while it is quiet and pretty efficient at cooling there are much nicer ones out there, especially if you want something to overclock with. If you want quiet and cheap go for the MSI one, if you want the best look at the Sapphire Tri x/toxic 280x.

 

[Donok]

did you have to RMA it after that rattling started

 

[barnsley]

did you have to RMA it after that rattling started

Its an ongoing issue. There is no reliable way to reproduce the sound. It (the sound) went away until recently and I had been under the impression it was fixed somehow. I'm planning to repair it myself.

 

[Feronix]

Definitely get the 280x and spend the rest on an SSD or just save yourself some money. If you need the extra horse power in the future, you'll have to get a new PSU and should be able to pick up a 280x fairly cheap by then.

 

[Donok]

Definitely get the 280x and spend the rest on an SSD or just save yourself some money. If you need the extra horse power in the future, you'll have to get a new PSU and should be able to pick up a 280x fairly cheap by then.

I agree Im going for the asus 280x for £175 and will grab an ssd next