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I'm looking to upgrade my computer's graphics card and am looking at an ATI R9 270X as being both worthwhile and within budget.
There are a wide range of manufactures producing 2Gb R9 270X cards but with prices differing by about £30 (there are even a few 4GB cards for less than some 2Gb units).
When buying a motherboard or PSU for example I'd tend to go for a recognised name with quality components over price and was wondering whether the same should apply with graphics cards. Will there be anything performance or quality-wise separating all the R9 270X cards or should I just plump for the cheapest?
Yes, quality of heat sinks/fans and other non-chipset components differ. Plus warranty terms might be different, etc.
Coolers and possibly free games. Possibly worth paying for a better (quieter) card, some clocked a bit faster too.
Consider the GTX760 too, especially if you have any Linux leanings...
Yes, they differ mostly when it comes to coolers. The AMD reference coolers are notorious for running the cards hot and loud, the quietest and coolest running AMD cards are the MSI or Asus DirectCU II cards.
http://www.asus.com/Graphics_Cards/R9270XDC2T2GD5/
If you don't mind your card sounding like a jet turbine spooling up when under load then by all means get a reference card.
http://www.eteknix.com/msi-r9-270-twinfrozr-gaming-oc-edition-2gb-graphics-card-review/14/
The 4 gig card might be worth it though.
for 40 or 50 quid more than a 270, you can get a hell of a lot more card! That's a bargain!
Factory overclock? Not normally worth paying for imo but not everyone agrees. Better cooler (provided it's actually better- some are just different) is worth the extra though, nothing enhances a game quite like the roar of a reference cooler.
I prefer the overclocked cards as you usually get a better/quieter cooler set up. I recently got the Sapphire R9 270X toxic, factory overclocked and very quiet, the only thing to watch with these latest cards is that you have the space to install them, the Sapphire is over a foot long.