Graphics Card Review: R9 280x vs GTX 770

The R9 280X from AMD and GeForce GTX 770 from Nvidia have taken the graphics cards market by storm. Why? Because they bring together two important aspects of any graphics card purchase: performance and cost. They are powerful cards yet the most gamers can afford them. That’s majorly why they are so popular. And they are not far apart. A meager $80-100 USD price range separates them. The GTX 770 is the pricier of the two. So, which card suits you best? Here is a review to help you decide.

Hardware and Memory Speeds

Let’s start with AMD’s product. The 3GB of GDDR5 RAM has an impressive 6GHz. So when really you look at it, the 28nm Tahiti XTL GPU is just an enhanced Radeon HD 7970. But the 6GHz is powerful enough for most people.

Now let’s put Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 770 on the spotlight. Remember the GTX 680? Well, the GTX 770 has the same 28nm GK104 GPU. But for an upgrade, it has to be better right? The GTX 770 doesn’t disappoint. The memory speeds have been enhanced to 7GHz from the previous 6GHz. When the GTX 780 was released, it came with the GPU Boost 2 technology. Nvidia has taken this and incorporated it into the 770 version. It’s an extra treat to woo you.

Comparing Core Clock Speeds

The 280X has a Boost facility that enables it to hit 1GHz. This is pretty impressive, but its Nvidia competitor outranks it. The GTX 770 starts you off with a 1046MHz clock rate, already beating the 280X. But wait, there’s more. With a boost, you can propel it to 1085MHz. Sure the numbers are close and the differences look like they only cause a few disparities. However, when it comes to display, everything counts. You may not notice it if you’re playing a basic old game. But if you’re using the cards for demanding games, you’ll appreciate the need for every bit of advantage in clock speeds.

Nevertheless, both cards do have the same number of texture uits-128. Clock speeds and texture fill rates go hand in hand. If you set them up using their default settings, the GTX’s will reach about 139 GT/s whereas the 280X will get you 128 GT/s. This difference becomes more glaring if you use typical third-party boards that utilize the GPUs.

Those Extra Operational Features

When it comes to Raster Operations, both GPU’s have the same number for you-32. Both cards have an impressive capability to support 3 display gaming. However, the GTX 770 does have PhysX support capability.

This next bit if for those that like going into the more minute details. The GTX 770 is more power efficient and saves on your power bills, and it also doesn’t need much more in its design. It’s also much quieter in comparison to the 280X.

At the end of the day, both the R9 280X and the GeForce GTX 770 give you superb gaming performance for most of your typical games. It’s only when you start getting to the more demanding ones, at resolutions like 2560 x 1440 and above, that you’ll begin stretching them beyond their scope. Everything under that is well catered for. Add their pocket friendly prices and, with either choice, you’ll have yourself a great deal.