just throw in 200MHz at start then see if it crashes after Unigine or 3D stress software

if it does, then slowly throttle by 5-10MHz down per test (rinse repeat) until you reached a point where it doesnt insta BSOD or CTD

then test it on that clock speed with games or the benchmark software for 12-24hrs to make sure its stable (skip this if you dont feel like doing it, i do sometimes )

sometimes, games can run on the super high clock speed while insta CTD during benchmark or vice versa. dont fret, its normal

just reach to the threshold where GPU-Z tells you voltage is the limiting factor. then only you decide whether mau pump extra anot

AMD said their R9 290 series are designed to run at 95C

so you should be fine

but ofc that is just AMD's GPU chip, the other parts may not fare so well

i thought faster than 280X, no?

WTS : R9 290X 1 year old

ill suggest at least a R9 270

which is more or less equivalent to current gen consoles tier graphics

if consoles can last long, the equivalent tier will do the same

GTX970 perhaps?

nah it doesnt

just because each sides are constantly in competition and they release their flagships on diff time of the year, so it can kinda look like "omg Nvidia GTX900 beats AMD R9!!" but they conveniently forget that R9 series is previous gen GPUs (months old since launch)

as for reliability and quality, thats wrong to say too since ofc every manufacturer aims to bring the best quality lest they have their reputation tarnished. driver reliability wise, AMD and Nvidia have their fair share of 'lousy drivers' so you cant really say which side have the bad driver support.

in short, there is no need to go for specific brands unless youre opting for the special features that AMD/Nvidia can provide. for example, i take Nvidia for their GPU Boost 2.0, Physx, reference cooler design and Shadowplay.

then another 3 month wait for GPU waterblock?

well publicised mah

1150/1400 sounds good though i think you can push memory more

i like how they buff up the memory bandwidth side

higher texture packs needs some serious firepower

just turn off the PC whenever not in use then, best power saving method

like terradrive said, downgrading degrades the user satisfaction and doesnt provide enough returns in savings of electricity

were not in the older days where PC chugs power like us chugging water, both sides are extremely power efficient already

in fact, i think its much better if you start looking at other electronic devices at your parents house first. things like switching on lights in your room can easily exceed what your PC idle at times

we are not assuming, we use the information on power consumption provided by credible sites and then advice you on what would be most suitable.

trust me, when youre comparing the perf difference between a R9 270X vs a R9 280X, there is quite a gap of performance diff. you will notice the difference, and ask yourself can you deal with the difference?

its the same subjective problem where i used to game with a GTX660, i thought its performance was already decent. and then i upgraded. i can safely say ill never go back to that level of performance again. there just is too much of a gap

its not also abt the "i-can-afford-this-card-so-i-can-afford-to-pay-this-level-of-electric-bill" matter. as i reiterate my previous point, tech these days are already power efficient enough to the point where the power consumption gap between mid end to high end is not much. say (an example) a 200W card can give 100% level of perf, then a 250W can give a 200% level of perf. which would be a better buy? 50W could be considered alot to most users, but given that level of performance trade off, its much worth it. your original question was a 'what is the most powerful build i can get at lowest power consumption?" and you were comparing the 270X to 280X, 280X still ofc the more powerful one but with higher power consumption

how would you define a proper answer anyways? if we were to agree with what you are planning in the first place? do not discount our opinions, were just planning to avoid the situation where if we gave the wrong advice, then you picked R9 270X, then became disillusioned by the level performance it can give and then upgraded later in future

i could argue that with a R9 280X, you can always throttle down perf to power levels of a R9 270X, but thats beside the point as why would you reduce perf level when you have a powerful card at default already.

assuming Intel doesnt change the socket again

well done anon, well done... APES having sale for Bitfenix Neos btw, can check it out

planning to grab fans from them soon

get new casing and PSU

disregard dust filter je, be like me (although casing bagi free)

air flow over dust

inb4 you throw 5500RPM Sanyo Denki fans inside your casing

check the GPU fans, is it running at right speed to keep the GPU cool to perform at its best?

i rmb i once turned off my GPU fan from auto to temps, it stucked at 30% entire time. GPU went full 95C, and i was wondering why am i stuttering so badly in Batman Arkham Origins, only when i checked HW Monitor i noticed the fan isnt responding to the temps