Hey guys, my first post, but not new to the forum..
I'm looking to upgrade my r9 280x at some point in the next few months. Power consumption isn't a worry, I'd just like the quietest and best performing card I can afford (around £300).
I've narrowed it down to 4 options and I'd like to know what you guys think would be the best option;
1.) GTX 970 prices are dropping quick, shall I get one? (My favourite option, despite the 3.5gb shenanigans)
2.) R9 290x? (again, prices are dropping quick)
3.) Get another r9 280x? These are now unbelievably cheap bang for buck wise and I wondered if buying another would be worth it, most likely not but I'm open to the idea (I have the space and capable psu)
4.) The last option is to wait for the new AMD options, I know it will be a long wait but would it be worth it?
i say wait for the AMD cards with the new tech they might come out we might see something mind blowing or okay performance bumps but nvidia cards prices will drop when they hit.
If your PSU can handle it, I don't think you would be disappointed with getting another R9 280X.
That said, it may be worth it to see what AMD has up its sleeve with the 300 series. I don't foresee the R9 280X prices goes up anytime soon, so even if you aren't impressed with the jump in architecture, you could can still just buy another 280X and call it good.
I have an R9 280X as well, and I, personally, am waiting to see what sort of jump forward the next series will be. If it is acceptable, I'm going to sell my 280X to help mitigate the costs of a new video card.
I had a similar situation not horrifically long ago with my 7970 the pre re-brand of your 280x, I went to a 780 it was relatively pointless and unsatisfying. From there I went to the 290x which was worth the change which also got me to 1440p. My recommendation is either the 390 or the 970. The 390 is a great card a much better empowered 290 non X; it will overclock fairly well and has the Vram for any current game but costs much more when compared to Nvida in the EU. The 970 is also a powerful card which is on par or better than the 390 it will overclock hugely use less power and currently has better drivers and support. The downsides are: its compute power is much less, it only has 3.5GB of Vram which is a problem in some games at 1440p. If you can hold out and get more money at 980 Ti is a hugely better card.