[kaisersouse]

Short version: I want to remove my AMD 280x and replace it with a GTX 950, but the computer might explode if I touch it too much so I was looking for opinions on if there will be a significant performance gain by swapping cards.



Long version:

Looking for some video card advice I have a gaming rig I just built from old parts left over from a customer upgrade (I bought them back). It came with an AMD R9 280x 3GB video card, and I already have an nVidia GTX 950 2GB card. Everything runs/plays fine with the 280x, but I'm curious how a few of my favorites (or one, Planetside 2) will run w/ the GTX 950.

Found this online, it kinda didn't help make my mind up:
http://gpuboss.com/gpus/Radeon-R9-28...eForce-GTX-950

Rig specs:
Core i7 4820K 3.7GHz
Gigabyte GA-X79-UP4 mainboard
16GB 2133 DDR3 RAM (4x4GB)
AMD R9 280x 3GB video card
Thermaltake 750w (might swap to Corsair 650w)
Open-loop liquid cooling w/ 240mm intercooler and a slightly annoying pump
256GB SATA 6Gb/s SSD

The reason I don't just swap cards and test myself:

I had to 'rebuild' some of the CPU pins in the 2011-style socket. 3 had broken, a bunch were bent. It took HOURS of trial and error to build new pins out of scrap (used a single hair-thin strand of copper from old TV coax and wrapped around a thin bit of steel wire from a twist-tie). The computer is FINALLY booting and had passed all CPU tests. Its not exactly a solid fix, and I don't want to jostle things around needlessly and risk screwing it up. If I stand to see a significant gain from swapping the cards, I'll take the risk. If any gains are tiny and almost-useless....then I'm not going to poke around inside the computer unless I really really have to haha.

So anyone here have experience going from the 280/280x to an equivalent-ish nVidia card?

Thanks!

[Kyle]

wow, nice one that you managed to create the pins yourself! (Should you really be here, especially after you said you've a project to complete and that you've shut up shop! xD)

I can't really offer much help but why don't you sell one of the cards and buy the same card again and have SLI/Crossfire!

[kaisersouse]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KyleSmith wow, nice one that you managed to create the pins yourself! (Should you really be here, especially after you said you've a project to complete and that you've shut up shop! xD) I can't really offer much help but why don't you sell one of the cards and buy the same card again and have SLI/Crossfire!

Yeah working from home, trying to get a SOGo/Nethserver email service running w/ ALL of the same features offered by Microsoft Exchange. Its possible, but feels like putting your face in a belt-sander.

I had that thought as well about SLI/Crossfire and if I went that route I'd sell the 280x and buy another 950 (since the 950 is close to $100 cheaper). BUT then I'd be messing with the computer twice (once to swap cards so i can sell the 280x, and again to install the second 950 once I buy it).

[JasperM]

Why would you replace a R9 280X with a GTX 950? That makes absolutely no sense. If you would replace it with a GTX 960 some games might give better performance, but a 950 is a step back.

Some sources you might find interesting:
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/answer...x-gtx-950.html
http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare...80X/3510vs2192

[iMTube™]

GTX 950 isn't tht good... ill suggest a 760...

[[UE]Milan]

I'd suggest Nvidia GTX 950 for the long run.

[Kyle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaisersouse Yeah working from home, trying to get a SOGo/Nethserver email service running w/ ALL of the same features offered by Microsoft Exchange. Its possible, but feels like putting your face in a belt-sander. I had that thought as well about SLI/Crossfire and if I went that route I'd sell the 280x and buy another 950 (since the 950 is close to $100 cheaper). BUT then I'd be messing with the computer twice (once to swap cards so i can sell the 280x, and again to install the second 950 once I buy it).

You could buy it out of your own money, then when you install the other card when you remove it.
Either way, if someone recommends changing over to the other card, you've still got the hassle of taking it out and swapping it over.

[JasperM]

There are a lot of NVidia Fanboys (AKA AMD Haters), who would even recommend a GTX 950 above an R9 390, so I recommend doing your own research on known-to-be-good websites.

[Vince]

R9 390 seems to be the best bang for the buck right now, but I personally stay away from AMD because of past experiences (crappy control panel and drivers).

If you can wait, consider saving up for the new nVidia Pascal line of cards which ought to be released sometime this year (probably April-June). They will reportedly support up to 32GB of VRAM and I reckon most mid-range consumer cards will come with at least 8GB.

[Mauzen]

http://www.gamestar.de/hardware/graf...3235225,2.html

Heres a german website with actual benchmarks. The 950 is significantly slower than the 280x (up to 30%)
It would be a big step backwards. The only pro of the 950 is the much lower energy consumption (typical for nvidia). None of the tests I found indicates that the 950 would be better, I really wonder why you considered to swap them in the first place.