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GPU update - R9 270X with 2GB or 4GB VRAM

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bämbabäm
7 Feb 2015, 21:16 PM
#1
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Posts: 246

Hi guys,

I am planning a CPU+GPU update from my Phenom II X4 645 & HD6850 to some i5 4xxx and a R9 270X (the Sapphire Dual-X as they seem to be quite quiet ;) ). I noticed that there is also a version with 4GB VRAM instead of 2GB. Normally I'd say that 2GB fits the perfomance of this card better and from what I've seen in the past ~15 years, buying more VRAM for a middle class GPU does not pay off, but has anyone of you any real experience with CoH2's VRAM hunger? (we all know how badly optimized this game is) Maybe this game is one exception where the extra VRAM does pay off?
Maybe anyone here has some experience with 4GB he might want to share? :) (I've read Cyanara's guide, but it is not enough for this decision ;) )

Thanks in advance!

edit:
- The prices in my country are ~170 / 200 bucks.
- My screen resolution is 1680*1050.
- The only other "HW-intense" games I play: BF3/4
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JimmyC7A1
7 Feb 2015, 21:31 PM
#2
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Posts: 94

This might be completely wrong, but I always though that high amounts of vram is only beneficial if you have multiple monitors. I think 2 should be fine, I have a 280x with 3gb and it runs well.

Hope this helps :p
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Ginnungagap
7 Feb 2015, 21:47 PM
#3
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Posts: 324 | Subs: 2

4GB VRram is not needed to play CoH2 or BF4 on your resolution.

There are however quite a few games that eat VRam for breakfast no matter the resolution (Shadows of mordor, Dying light, Ubisoft games) partly because they're unoptimized console ports (new consoles have unified memory, which doesn't translate all to well to PC in some cases), so keep that in mind.

http://www.coh2.org/ladders/playercard/steamid/76561198041705871

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AchtAchter
7 Feb 2015, 21:50 PM
#4
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Posts: 1604 | Subs: 3

4gb ram on a 270x is pretty useless imo. The card has not enough power to utilize the 4gb ram. It's like putting Racing wheels on a Volkswagen Polo.

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aradim
7 Feb 2015, 21:56 PM
#5
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Posts: 110

Unless you plan to play at 4k just go with 2gb
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niutudis
7 Feb 2015, 22:03 PM
#6
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Posts: 276

The thing about vram and ram is, it´s always better to have it and don´t need it, then to need it and not having it...

In short: bigger is always better.

In my 25 years experience with building my own and friends/families computers, not even 1 person cried about having too much vram or ram.
:wave: Hug me, I am german :hyper:
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Mirage357
8 Feb 2015, 04:21 AM
#7
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Posts: 341

for only $30 more go with the 4GB

I'm running 2xR9 290X 8GB VAPOR-X cards :hyper: at 7680x1600 :loco: When it comes to RAM and VRAM always use the condom theory, better to have one and not need it than need it and not have one!
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_underscore
8 Feb 2015, 08:54 AM
#8
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Posts: 322

It's not a sweet spot. If you don't mind spending more then get a gtx960 - a bit better in Coh2 and a lot better in many other games.

If you want to go cheap then get the cheapest 270x.
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bämbabäm
8 Feb 2015, 10:09 AM
#9
avatar of bämbabäm

Posts: 246

Thanks for all the answers!

jump backJump back to quoted post8 Feb 2015, 08:54 AM_underscore
It's not a sweet spot. If you don't mind spending more then get a gtx960 - a bit better in Coh2 and a lot better in many other games.

If you want to go cheap then get the cheapest 270x.


I just took a quick glance at the GTX 960 before and quickly decided it was beyond what I was willing to spend for a 2GB card. But I took a closer look and wow, the energy efficiency of that thing is amazing which leads to fantastic noise levels! Maybe I spend the 30 extra Euros for completely silent card in desktop mode and almost inaudible card at load (my PC is built to be quiet, so this would probably fit even better than the 270X)
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scratchedpaintjob
8 Feb 2015, 10:31 AM
#10
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jump backJump back to quoted post8 Feb 2015, 10:09 AMbämbabäm

I just took a quick glance at the GTX 960 before and quickly decided it was beyond what I was willing to spend for a 2GB card. But I took a closer look and wow, the energy efficiency of that thing is amazing which leads to fantastic noise levels! Maybe I spend the 30 extra Euros for completely silent card in desktop mode and almost inaudible card at load (my PC is built to be quiet, so this would probably fit even better than the 270X)


that is not entirely true! yes, the gtx 960 has a good efficiency, but if you buy a good custom amd, they are very quiet aswell. imo nvidia means less bang for your buck.

i would rather buy a r9 280, it has 3 gigs ram and is faster than the 960. if you buy a good custom one, it should be the price range of a gtx 960, at least here in germany.
“Ha! They're scratching your paint job, Helmut!”
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Mirage357
8 Feb 2015, 11:35 AM
#11
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Posts: 341

To spread a little light on the situation at hand I'm going to introduce a little scaling. This is based on performance for value/cost.

R9290x>R9290>R9280x>R9280>R9270x>GTX960>GTX770>GTX760>R9270

This is consistent over most titles besides the few that favour Nvidia heavily and even then it only changes to.

R9290x>R9290>R9280x>GTX960>R9280>GTX770>R9270x>GTX760>R9270

As for sound levels the 960 is barely ahead at roughly between 33-38db under load compared to R9280 35-40db under load, Though Sapphire's Vapor-X cards smash thru with some 280X and 290x models being able to achieve less than 30db under load. R9290and 290X models beat the 960 hands down. Only one thing changes this...EVGA GTX 960 SSC. :drool: I have two of these puppies on my work computer, these bad boys wont even turn on their fans until you hit temps above 50 odd degrees celsuis, quietest PC in the shop, besides the bosses. :(

The 960's best asset is power consumption, being significantly less than its AMD counterparts.

The biggest factor here is that you'll get better performance from an AMD card for the price you pay than you will paying the same price for a Nvidia card. Not to mention AMD is soon to release their 300 series soon meaning even more price drops for cheaper AMD cards.
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hacker9001
8 Feb 2015, 12:12 PM
#12
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Posts: 16

fact, 760 > 270x
btw,2gb is enough for 1050p
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_underscore
8 Feb 2015, 13:27 PM
#13
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Donator 33

Posts: 322

Not in Coh2, the 760 is massively weaker. Not even comparable.
Also take note that Mirage is ranking price/performance, not raw performance.

Does depend where you live though - where I am the 960 is cheap right now but the 280 costs a lot more o_O

Sorry for offtopic :D
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FeelMemoryAcceptance
8 Feb 2015, 13:31 PM
#14
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Posts: 834 | Subs: 2

I prefer Intel and nvidia Kappa

Nvidia because of many update, better quality Kappa
I was ranked 1 in 1vs1 with the 4 factions available in 2015.
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Mirage357
8 Feb 2015, 13:34 PM
#15
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Posts: 341

jump backJump back to quoted post8 Feb 2015, 13:27 PM_underscore
Does depend where you live though - where I am the 960 is cheap right now but the 280 costs a lot more o_O


Really??? what prices if I may ask?
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_underscore
8 Feb 2015, 13:46 PM
#16
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Donator 33

Posts: 322

Cheapest 280 is 20% above 960. But 280x is fine, only another 5-7% on top of that. Small country so depends how much stock is floating around.
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Mirage357
8 Feb 2015, 13:59 PM
#17
avatar of Mirage357

Posts: 341

huh interesting here an MSi or Sapphire 280 if 50 aussie dollars cheaper than a cheap arsed Galaxy 960
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bämbabäm
8 Feb 2015, 14:35 PM
#18
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Posts: 246

Just for comparison, here in germany it is roughly (always cheepest version, not the ones with better / silent fans):

270 ~140
270X ~160
280 ~185
280X ~210

960 ~190

The 270X I'm interested in is ~170, the 960 ~200, so you get roughly the same bang for the buck.
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Mirage357
8 Feb 2015, 15:36 PM
#19
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Posts: 341

Straight up performance the 280 or 280X will out perform the 960, as will the 960 out perform the 270 or 270X (but not by much).

As it's not much difference in price for a better card just go with the best you can afford. I strongly recommend staying clear of the 960 its barely better than a 760.

To help you out a little more take a gander at this http://www.futuremark.com/hardware/gpu

NOTE: 960 does not appear on this list, some sort of clue ;)
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bämbabäm
8 Feb 2015, 15:48 PM
#20
avatar of bämbabäm

Posts: 246

Maybe that is outdated, but AFAIK these "synthetic" benchmarks don't reflect gaming performance that well. A great overview with lots of games can be found here (you just have to go back for each game and the dBA-levels):
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GTX_960_G1_Gaming/28.html
Btw, that is the GTX I'm glancing at ;)

With the prices here in Germany, the price-performance-ratio is roughly the same for 270's/280's and the 960. :)

edit: Dammit, the 960 was not listed correctly in idealo.de, it is definitely a worse price-perfomance-ratio (fps) at least for this model.
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