As PC gamers, it is always a joy and a pleasure to scour the internet for new components to fit into our rigs. Whether it be a new CPU, additional RAM or a more powerful graphics card, we always strive for creating the most beastly gaming machine we possibly can. This is certainly the case for me, and if you’re reading this, I suspect it might be same the same for you.
If this is true, then rejoice fellow gamer, for it may soon be time to reach for a new level of graphical fidelity! Whether you support team red or team green, all signs are pointing towards GPU upgrade time!
Team Red – The New AMD
With the recently released R7 and R9 series, AMD are giving PC gamers a whole plethora of powerful new gaming solutions. Starting with the entry-level R7 series cards, the prices will fall within the range of $80 to $140. Mid-High range cards from the R9 series include the R9 270X and the R9 280X, which fall within a price range of $200 to $300. The most high-end card within the R9 series is the much-anticipated R9 290X, nicknamed the “Titan Killer.” The price of this killer card has not yet officially released, however, sources suspect the card will run you anywhere between $500 – $600.
With the entire price range covered, team red has made sure to cater to all forms of gamer, whether they be casual, or hardcore. All the new R7 and R9 series cards will come with support for the newly announced Mantle API, TrueAudio technology, as well as support for Ultra HD displays. With such great offers, it is becoming harder and harder to resist the upgrade!
Team Green – A GeForce Experience
I have personally, always been inclined to purchase GPU’s from team green, due to the fact the first card I ever owned was from Nvidia. However, with the recently released AMD cards, I am finding myself increasingly tempted to find out what the other half live like. So what are Nvidia offering to combat the new R7 and R9 series?
No new cards have been officially announced, although the talk around the water cooler is that Nvidia are contemplating the release of Turbo editions of existing cards within the $150 – $250 price range. Although these turbo editions are not based on new GPU architectures, they would provide some form of performance enhancement.
Rumours also claim team green are planning on slashing prices on their GTX 700 series cards sometime in November. With all four cards in the series being priced between $250 and $1000, a drop in prices would be a welcome gesture for gamers undecided on which team to support! Alongside the possible changes in price, there is also the potential for a new GTX 790 card, which will be the direct predecessor to the powerful GTX 690.
The GPU for You
With the release of the new R7/R9 series, and the possibility of dropping Nvidia prices, the stars seem to have aligned to give us gamers a great chance to upgrade! I am personally undecided on which route to take, with both teams offering great rewards.
Whether you choose to go with AMD and its new Mantle API, or Nvidia with its amazing PhysX capabilities, either way, we – the gamers – win! With games such as Battlefield 4 and Star Citizen on the horizon, the future looks bright indeed.
Game on friends!
Published: Oct 8, 2013 11:14 am