<Solved> Best 1440p GPU (<$500)

It that time of year to do some GPU shopping. I've been looking around at different GPU's wondering what the best 1440p card would be. I would like to keep the price tag under $500 but I the main point here is performance, I want a card that will last, and perform well.

I would like to avoid NVIDIA due to the recent hardware bugs, but could it still be worth moving back to a 780ti?

The R9 290X is an option, but I have heard the drivers are a bit wonky at times and the card does not overclock well. And can be a bit of a power hog.

Would be great to get some opinions on this.

 

 
 

if you get a reference 290x it's gona be tough to overclock (reference cooler is CRAP) but the non references are pretty good. 

i would recommend Sapphire's 8gb R9 290x vapor-x OC

 

Funny enough, that was my first choice.

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2014/06/05/sapphire-radeon-r9-290-vapor-x-oc-review/9

they overclocked it to 1,180MHz on the core and 1.65GHz (6.6GHz effective) on the memory.

Hm, I'll probably need a bigger power supply for it. I hear the AMD cards suck a lot of power.

 

That is a pretty solid overclock, makes me feel a bit better about the speeds. I was a little disappointed with the original benchmarks of the card.

The latest drivers are fantastic as well for AMD.

I just read somewhere that the newest update solved a lot of the problems that had me worried. Things like BSOD and breaking windows.

i would allocate about 350ish watts to the card.

Yeah,I only have a 650W right now.

Might as well go big.

Although I have not been PC gaming for long I have always used AMD and the 7870 and now the 290 I have had zero issues with crashing or BSOD. A few small glitches along the way usually because I did not update cleanly.

650W is plenty....

Same. Never had any issues with drivers. Amd or nVidia. 

 

Yeah, one of the reasons I like to keep on a "older" card is because the drivers and stability are a ton better. Most of the bugs have been squashed. I almost jumped on a 970 but with the memory bug I have trust issues with NVIDIA.

I'm looking at the longevity. I also want to move to a quieter/ modular.

Longevity? Well GPUs are only going to get more effecient unless you're planning on Crossfire. But I understand going to something quieter and modular. 

I like the RM series. 

Corsair makes the best PSU's

I think I have a... TX?

But I'm checking out the RM's now. I think maybe 1000W is overkill. Maybe go with 750W instead? I like the extra headroom, might throw another GPU later. or just more things in general.

if you plan on going multi gpu i'd go 800+ gold-rated

I think I'll actually stay away from multi GPU, currently comparing corsair RM750 and AX760

Agreed. Two R9 290s pull around 700 or so watts maybe more. So 800+ would be best. I have an RM 850 in my new rig. Works well.