Build now or later? AMD vs Nvidia and the real next generation.

Shifty Effect

Shifty Effect

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I've been planning to build a killer gaming PC for the past few months. Mostly doing research on builds, pros and cons of this over that etc. By now I've saved up a lot of money, I thought I would be building it by now. What's stopping me? AMD and Nvidia, sort of. I was only waiting to see the new cards the two companies were going to announce. Turns out that the most interesting stuff they had were software and other tech. AMD is coming out with Mantle, an API that is suppose to narrow the gap between PC and console development, getting more performance with multiple cpu cores and more from graphics cards. Something PC devs been wanting for a long time. They claim it will increase fps performance 15% - 20% or more. Fantastic, so I thought I would go AMD. Then Nvidia shows their hand, a killer GPU in the 780ti and G-Sync. Basically eliminating tearing and has been praised to be revolutionary. Plus DDR4 is suppose to be coming out in December, and new motherboards will soon follow.

I've already waiting a while and my steam library is getting larger and larger. I think AMD's Mantle seems like an API that will replace DirectX, even if the performance boost is marginal, it's still a boost. It might be a thing that really takes off and puts AMD a head of the game. I get the feeling Nvidia doesn't go all out, they know they have the faster GPUs and while AMD plays catch up, Nvidia takes their time making slightly better cards at a high premium. AMD says that Mantle will be available to whomever wants to pay for it, including Nvidia. But who here think they will do that? I don't.

As far as G-Sync goes, its only available for upcoming 1080p LCD panels, not IPS/PLS panels, especially the 1440p ones that I was really looking to buy with my next build.

What do you guys think about this new stuff? Is it worth waiting a couple more months to see which benefits a gamers build now and the near future? I thought it would be a good topic.

Oh and yes, I realize that this train of thought on waiting isn't great. There will always be something new coming around the corner. But I generally think that applied to standard stuff like generational components, not new ways on how a PC works and new monitor refresh rate tech.

 
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i think you should go ahead and build it if you have a big libray of games but next gen tech def has me excited too.

broadwell
maxwell
ddr4
gysnc

i'm thinking of going with a

i5 4670k
z87 micro atx
gtx 760 2gb

build myself, or whatever that can max titanfall 1440p.

argh! decisions, decisions...

 
The latest reports are that DDR4 has been delayed until spring or even 2015 and that's just release date not necessarily optimal purchasing date unless you don't mind spending tons of money for the bleeding edge tech (which is never a good idea).  As far as AMD vs. Nvidia... it's a toss up now.  If you have the luxury of waiting six months, might as well do it.  Then we might have a better idea of what GSync and Mantle deliver in terms of practical results.

As of right now if you want to use something larger than 1080 for the next few years you should probably go with the 280x for the additional VRAM.  If not then the 770 is fine with 2 GB. 760 is also fine with 1080 but keep in mind that it only gets 30ish FPS for games like Metro LL maxed.  It'll have a shorter life span than a 770 and you're only saving about $50.  I don't expect prices on either brand to go down anytime soon as both Newegg and Amazon completely sold out of their stock of 280x cards over the last two weeks.  Same for 770 except for a few EVGA cards that are about $30ish overpriced because of EVGA's 'reputation.'  Hopefully they get more stock in soon but when they do I wouldn't expect to pay anything less than $320ish or so either way.

Of course if you're spending in the 780ti category then you really aren't going to notice much of a difference between that and a 290x.

Edit: Checked Newegg.  In addition to EVGAs they still have Asus 770 for $310 and Gigabyte 770 for $324.  They also still seem to be honoring the Nvidia game bundle.

 
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I keep thinking Titanfall is Xbox only, don't know why.

I didn't know DDR4 was pushed back. Before the 280x, I was thinking going the 7890 route. 280x ended up being a rebranding of the 7890. I could always throw another 280x in it. I hear the 280x non-reference cards take up 3 slots, ftw.

 
I think one of the older versions of the Asus 280x might have.  Possibly the Gigabytes (those things are pretty huge as they have three fans) but I think most only take up 2 slots.  I've tried to read up a lot on the pros and cons but it's problematic since, when relying on forum posts, you have no idea what the level of expertise and/or bias is of the person making the post.  That said, if you look at benchmarks from review sites then there's basically no difference in 770 and 280x at 1080 for existing games.  In the future will the extra VRAM make a difference at 1080?  Quite possibly but since I tend to game about a year or two behind the curve (never preorder/day one purchase anything) I figure by the time that happens in three or four years it'll be time for a new card, anyway.

When looking across manufacturer brands (Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, etc.) some reviewers/posters will try to distinguish them in terms of cooling, noise level, and other factors.  What they usually don't point out is that while, for example, Asus tends to run cooler we're only talking about three to five degrees.  Moreover, Asus has a lower out-of-the-box over clock speed than the other cards so it stands to reason it'll be cooler.  Since I'm sort of in need of a card immediately (old system died and was woefully antiquated, anyway) I've been wracking my brain trying to choose between them and any effort to distinguish them has been largely futile.

If you're leaning more towards AMD then XFX is one of the better manufacturers who used to do Nvidia, too, but now focuses exclusively on 'team red.'  And while I don't have any personnel experience with their customer support everything I've read seems to be overwhelmingly positive.  Additionally the ancient rig that I've been using the last five years had an XFX Nvidia card in it -- 9500 GT 512 mb.  This thing lasted THAT long and I'm pretty sure it still works just my motherboard has died.

 
Yeah, my last dedicated graphics card had was a Geforce with 512mb, but cannot remember the name. That too was a long time ago. I've went the console route after everything went to crap and never really got back into PC gaming. Basically playing on a laptop the last couple years. I've missed such good games and I'm looking forward to building a rig that will max games out and run smooth.

 
Mooby said:
Same for 770 except for a few EVGA cards that are about $30ish overpriced because of EVGA's 'reputation.'
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Oh? Has EVGA gone downhill since I last used their cards? Probably been five years or so since I had one, but their RMA is/was best in the biz.

I think I'll be building a new PC soon too, with Titanfall and Witcher 3 coming out I'll need a new rig since mine is nearly four years old now. I usually don't keep tabs on the industry in between but it sounds like I've got some reading to do.

 
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I don't really know.  Most of the feedback I've read on them is positive but there has been some negative.  Only thing I know for sure is that they've gotten rid of their double lifetime warranty in favor of a three-year one but that's perfectly fine by me.  They've also introduced a new type of cooling system, the AXC, which is a step up from their reference cards/coolers they've done in the past.  It seems like they're a 'safe' choice but, again, they are consistently priced $30-50 higher than their competitors.  MSI, Gigabyte, and Asus are the other big names but I've heard mixed things about their warranty/customer service.  Still, their card construction is a bit flashier/more bells and whistles than EVGA cards.

Here's a comparison of an EVGA, Gigabyte, and MSI (although it's the Lightning version which is priced higher than the standard one) done a over a month ago.  The AMD 280x versions perform roughly the same but I've read more instances of people having issues with artifacts/AMD drivers, etc. than I have issues with the 770s.

Also, for what it's worth, apparently EVGA also gives two additional games beyond the Nvidia bundle: Deadfall Adventures and Rise of the Triad which can be redeemed on their website upon registration of your card.

 
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As someone who doesn't keep up with hardware news and occasionally flirts with the idea of building a new rig, I found this thread to be quite interesting. Thanks for the informative posts, Shifty and Mooby.

 
I read about that and it sounds like videophile talk over tech the average gamer doesn't 'need'.  It might be important to pro FPS gamers but that's about it.  Even with v-sync on I don't really experience input lag that affects my gameplay and without it I don't notice screen tearing since my monitor is pretty decent.  To me this sounds more like when audiophiles talk about being able to hear differences in sound quality when 95% of other people can't tell the difference.

 
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