Looking for Gfx recommendation

Hardware Hub GPU
1

Hey all.

It's a sad time.

The original graphics card that went into my first PC build has died on me. =(  I had a Radeon HD 6870 graphics card for 2 years now, it did a fine job for the games and programs that i use frequently.  It decided it had had enough, and choked out on me.

A good friend of mine was kind enough to loan me a GeForce 9800 GTX that he had in his closet.  It isn't as good as my card, but it will do until I get a replacement.

I have a $200 budget, give or take a few bucks.  I want a decent graphics card, and with all of the holiday sales coming up, i'm actually glad that my card died before, and not after the new year.

 

Specs:

  • AMD FX 8320 8-core
  • GeForce 9800 GTX  =(
  • 8gb RAM
  • Win7 x64
  • 2 1080p Monitors DVI
  • 1tb hdd and 500gb hdd
  • 500 psu - Needs upgraded too?
  • EDIT: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard

 

Let me know if i need to give more info.

I really appreciate the help.  I know a fair amount about computers, but i always worry about compatibility. 

2

$200: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-video-card-r9285acdfc

If you can stretch a little bit: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-video-card-r9280xtdfd

If you can stretch a lot: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-r9290dc2oc4gd5

3

There's always the option to wait for Black Friday or Cyber Monday.

If you're willing to stretch your budget a bit, I'd say that an R9 290 for $250 is a great buy.

Otherwise, I'd look at R9 270s for around ~$140. With the 270 and 290 being so low, I don't think the 270x/280/285/280x are really worth considering anymore.

4

If you take Morgoth's suggestion of the R9 270, I've got a pair of XFX R9 270 DDs that I would gladly hand over for $160. That's assuming you can do Crossfire.

5

My tip: R9 290 from Ebay. Average price is 211 $ right now. Your overall system is good, so why cheap out on the GPU.

I just bought a Sapphire R9 290 Tri-X OC for 216 € last week for my AMD system.

6

Looking at Newegg right now.  The R9 280s are right at $200

The R9 290s, however are about $260.   I may be able to stretch my budget to that, but i would like to know exactly how much power i get out of it.

Would it really be worth the extra $60?

7

The R9 290 is significantly more powerful, so I would argue yes.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1068?vs=1332

8

Next question then.

Along with the rest of my parts in the OP...  do you think i would need to upgrade to a power supply more substantial than 500 to use the card?

That would be another investment.

9

I just added all of my parts to PCpartpicker...  I came just over 500w....  i may need to upgrade it, afterall.  Might be able to get a trade with someone...  i have another 450 as well.  

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/BfWLf7