I am torn between which GPU I should get for my next upgrade. Do I get an R9 390 8GB card or the new R9 380X 4GB? I am only gaming at 1080P with no plans to go up in resolution for at least 2 years (just picked up a new monitor) and wish to play my games with all the fruit turned on and try to hit that 60FPS sweet spot. I had been saving for the 390 which are around the AUS$500 but with the 280X coming in around AUS$100 cheaper, the decision has become harder. Will the extra 4GB frame buffer be of any benefit at 1080P? I am also after a card that will keep going strong for the next couple of years. I will be pairing this card with an i5 4690K and z97 motherboard.
The games that I will need this for are: Witcher 3 Shadow of Mordor Rise of the Tomb Raider and whatever else that may come out in the next 2 years.
It's not really about the huge frame buffer - the GPU core itself is a lot stronger. The 380X isn't that much greater of a performer over something like the original 380, which is similar to the 285.
If I were you, I'd definitely try to save for a 390.
If you're looking to use VSR, the 380X would actually be better, because it is a newer architecture and supports 4k VSR, while the 390 does not. If you're going to get a new screen in the foreseeable future or you're not worried about VSR, then I think the 390 would definitely be worth it.
I own a 390 sapphire and just put it under water using a generic block from swiftech. This card kills it at 1080 if you are expecting framerates above 390. Have to work through out the week so if you want benchmarks let me know and I will provide them when I am able.
I have, and I have the 390. The only issue is that it isn't a perfect scale (e.g. 4k>1080p) because the highest supported resolution is 1440p. Other than that, it seems to work fine, albeit a little fuzzy in my opinion.
Thanks. What brand 390 and how are your temperatures? I have been buying Sapphire cards for years (I still have my Sapphire ATI HD4870 in a box somewhere) and I am looking at the tri-x as the card to get.
I have the Sapphire Nitro. Right now I'm sitting at 41 C idle. I haven't benchmarked it or anything yet, so I can't speak as to how it performs at peak, but I haven't had much issue playing games so far. That's not saying much, though, because I've mostly been playing games like CS: GO, i.e. not very graphically advanced games.
I can do some testing and get back to you tomorrow.
I have the 390 for a few weeks now and am perfectly happy with it, the 8GB vram are a bit overkill, but in a world where Shadow of Mordor needs 6GB just for shits and giggles I want to be as prepared as I can be with my budget.
@Jeol I got the 390 at 3200x1800 with VSR so it seems 1440p isn't the highest supported resolution.
Had the same predicament so I'll share my thoughts. The idea of the 390 in sheer performance is great however at 1080p the 380x will do very well and be completely playable, thinking about price the 380x comes on top, another factor to price is your power supply, I had to get a new psu if I wanted the 390 where as the one I had can run the 380x with headroom, all in all I managed to keep ~ £130 for games to play on a new graphics card which is a blessing after being stuck with a 7770 hd 1GB for 2 years
I ran Unigine Valley. Max temps 72 C with no overclocking (though the default fan curve is pretty conservative, only got up to 46%). Windows 10 (despite what it says), 15.12 Crimson drivers.
My CPU is probably throttling it a bit, though. I have it overclocked to 4.3 GHz, and I want to upgrade it soon.
Edit: I ran it with with much harsher settings this time (VSR @ 1440p, Ultra, 8xAA), didn't change anything for the fan curve or anything, and the graphs and mins/maxs were the same.
I would say jump the R9-390, its definitely the better performing card. The Msi 390 Gaming is the highest clocked 390 out of the box. But the Sapphire 390 Nitro OC has the better cooling unit on it.
You are correct. It was the other PSU i was looking at when deciding which one to get that was made by seasonic, an XFX one IIRC. My FSP has run perfectly fine so far, but not overly taxing it ATM.
