Need help with GPU upgrade

[Alexander E]

In order to experiment with crossfire, i bought 2 HD 7770's which i must say perform extremely well, in crysis 3 with settings maxed (No AA) i get no problems at 1080p. the problem is that i cant play all the games i want to play because of compatibility with crossfire, farcry 3 multiplayer being the main one.

I recently received/earned enough money for an upgrade, my budget is about £300. i could stretch it to getting a gtx780/r9 290 (£380) but only if its worth it, im not really into spending money because i can just if its going to help since i'd like to get an ssd too.

So i suppose the question im asking is the usual 280x or gtx 770 for which i can never find a definitive answer to. i have been waiting for mantle but im starting to lean towards Nvidia and their 3 game bundle.

so R9 280X with possibility of mantle perfomance increase
OR GTX 770 with 3 'free' games
OR spend a little more on gtx 780/r9 290

I hope someone can help,

thanks in advance

 

[Edge]

Wait, people actually play FC3 MP? xD Might have to take a look. I loved that game.

Are you intending to sell your 2x7770s? That would make a 780 a reachable goal, wouldn't it?

Also, lots of Radeon cards come with free games. You'll have to check with the vendor, but depending on where you buy it from, you can get into their "Never Settle" promo.

http://sites.amd.com/us/promo/never-settle/Pages/nsreloadedforever.aspx

Other than that, the toss-up between 770 and 280x is probably just personal preference. Personally I've stuck with AMD recently, and in light of recent controversy I probably will for the foreseeable future.

For a little over £300, I'd say get an R9 280x Toxic, or an R9 290 reference card (assuming you have good cooling/airflow.

EDIT: I don't think the 280x has Never Settle, but it's equivalent, the 7970 (same card) does!

 

[Alexander E]

yea on eBay the HD 7770 cards i have go for and average of about £60, i did look at the 280x toxic and would have bought it if it had stays at £250 now i can only find it for £320 which is too much for a 280x.

I's heard so many bad things about AMD's new line up of cards lately (most about the 290/290x) the only thing thats keeping them in this choice is the possibility that mantle will work as well as they say it will.

When comparing the Sapphire R9 280x toxic and the EVGA gtx 770 SC ACX (same price), will the 1GB VRAM difference reduce FPS when using a single 21.5" 1080p monitor?

Also i noticed you mentioned the r9 290 and not the gtx 780 (both same price atm) is there a reason for this, is one considered better than the other.

thanks for the help so far!!

Edit: In terms of never settle- i already have all the games on offer that i'm interested in.

 

[Edge]

yea on eBay the HD 7770 cards i have go for and average of about £60, i did look at the 280x toxic and would have bought it if it had stays at £250 now i can only find it for £320 which is too much for a 280x.

I's heard so many bad things about AMD's new line up of cards lately (most about the 290/290x) the only thing thats keeping them in this choice is the possibility that mantle will work as well as they say it will.

When comparing the Sapphire R9 280x toxic and the EVGA gtx 770 SC ACX (same price), will the 1GB VRAM difference reduce FPS when using a single 21.5" 1080p monitor?

Also i noticed you mentioned the r9 290 and not the gtx 780 (both same price atm) is there a reason for this, is one considered better than the other.

thanks for the help so far!!

Edit: In terms of never settle- i already have all the games on offer that i'm interested in.

1GB VRAM difference won't change anything at 1080p, but it'd be beneficial if you decide to move up to 1440p in future.

Are you planning on getting a reference card or one with a custom cooling solution? For reference cards, I'd advise on the nVidia series simply because they run cooler. If you are after a custom cooler, then again, it's a toss-up. Preference really. I'm not sure what you heard about the 290x/290. They do run hot, which is why generally you only want them with a custom cooler, or with your own custom loops. Performance wise they are fantastic cards for the money.

As for mantle, whether or not it will make a big difference in future games is still not certain/proven. At this point I'd still go for the most powerful card on paper I can get for my money, which in your case is probably a custom cooled 770 or a 780.

 

[Alexander E]

is the additional £120 to get a GTX 780 instead of a GTX 770 worth the money?