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[komplanen]

Well the case won't fit anything larger. And that's about 200 watts over what I really HAVE to have. Do you expect more power hungry small form factor cards to come out in the future?

I don't expect the power requirements to go up if the only thing you ever want are those Nano-sized cards that are a relatively new niche. Before the R9 Nano there was really no powerful cards in that size at all

My point is, what if you want a proper-sized card? But I guess that wouldn't fit your case either.

 

[RGM79]

What are my options for cooling my PC/GPU other than liquid cooling the entire pc?

I already have a Asetek 550LC 120mm Watercooler for my CPU which seems to be working pretty well but my GPU is always getting too hot. Im using a NZXT Source 340 Mid-Tower case that only came with the top fan so I picked up 2 more fans and installed them on the front for intake and made the top fan an exhaust. Do I have any other options or does anyone recommend a better solution?

You could check if any of those All-In-One closed loop water cooling sets work with your GPU.

Corsair and NZXT both sell brackets that you install on your GPU so it can take a 120mm water cooling unit meant for the CPU.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=nzxt+bracket
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MY3TS2C/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Don't you have a GTX 950? What model is it and how hot is it getting? I highly doubt any GTX 950 needs water cooling..

Thanks. I like the number of usb ports in the back and usb c is a nice addition. Is the ram I picked good or is there another set you prefer?

Jet has a 2x4GB kit of 3000MHz RAM for $6 more.

 

[bomblord1]

I don't expect the power requirements to go up if the only thing you ever want are those Nano-sized cards that are a relatively new niche. Before the R9 Nano there was really no powerful cards in that size at all

My point is, what if you want a proper-sized card? But I guess that wouldn't fit your case either.

I could probably get a 500W for a similar price is that still too low?

 

[opticalmace]

The R9 Nano just got a pricedrop from a $649 MSRP to $499 (USD).

http://techreport.com/news/29584/amd-slashes-the-r9-nano-price-tag-to-499

 

[komplanen]

I could probably get a 500W for a similar price is that still too low?

My personal minimum is 550W which is enough for almost anything a "normal" build could have. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with what you're going with, it's just that it might end up limiting you in the future.

In a way, though, the PSU only costs very little in your bulld so perhaps swapping it when the need arises isn't that big of a deal

 

[bomblord1]

The R9 Nano just got a pricedrop from a $649 MSRP to $499 (USD).

http://techreport.com/news/29584/amd-slashes-the-r9-nano-price-tag-to-499

Holy shitballs that's major!

 

[BorntoPlay]

Maybe a little late, but here's my haul from Black Friday:

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($165.99 @Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 ($18.75 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($82.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB ($67.49 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170XP-SLI ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($69.99 @Amazon)

Total: $405.21

My complete build:

Core i5-6500 3.2Ghz (OC 4.0Ghz) CPU
Gigabyte GA-Z170XP-SLI Motherboard
Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB DDR4 2666MHz RAM
evga NVIDIA GTX 660 2GB Graphics Card (Waiting for Pascal)
Samsung 850 EVO 250GB SSD
Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB HHD
Cooler Master Hyper TX3 CPU Cooler
Cooler Master CM 690 Case
Corsair TX850 Power Supply
Lite-On IHAS124-04 24X RW Dual Layer Drive

 

[OriginofHysteria]

I have currently 8gb of ram (2x4gb). If I decide to upgrade to 16, can I just pop in two more 4gb sticks of the same ram or will I experience better performance with 2x8gb?

 

[Osiris]

Well the case won't fit anything larger. And that's about 200 watts over what I really HAVE to have. Do you expect more power hungry small form factor cards to come out in the future?

Regardless of everything else, that PSU is one to avoid unless you want to end up tearing your hair out.

The CX range are terrible, find another model.

 

[WhiskerFrisker]

Quick question: Would I be able to build a PC and use a 40 inch 1080p TV as the monitor? Any downside to doing this?

 

[Sleeping Lesson]

Quick question: Would I be able to build a PC and use a 40 inch 1080p TV as the monitor? Any downside to doing this?

Often times TVs have more input latency. They also may not have the inputs you want (newer TVs tend to only have HDMI). Depends on the TV, some of them are great for a monitor.

 

[komplanen]

Quick question: Would I be able to build a PC and use a 40 inch 1080p TV as the monitor? Any downside to doing this?

PC's work with TV's well but make sure:

- your TV supports native unscaled 1:1 pixel mode
- your TV supports 4:4:4 format

EDIT: As said above, watch out for input latency!

 

[inner-G]

Quick question: Would I be able to build a PC and use a 40 inch 1080p TV as the monitor? Any downside to doing this?

Make sure it's a true 1920 X 1080 (most are but some older TVs have a weird 1366x768 native res)

Some TVs don't like to show weird resolutions so your BIOS may not display when you boot up

Make sure to use a picture mode like 'screen fit' to eliminate overscan and sometimes labeling the input as 'PC' in the TV settings will favorably change some things.

 

[komplanen]

Quick question: Would I be able to build a PC and use a 40 inch 1080p TV as the monitor? Any downside to doing this?

And just to be certain, I hope you are planning to use the TV as a TV that you hook up a PC into and not a replacement for an on-desk computer monitor that you sit right in front of. That would not be pleasant

 

[WhiskerFrisker]

Often times TVs have more input latency. They also may not have the inputs you want (newer TVs tend to only have HDMI). Depends on the TV, some of them are great for a monitor.

PC's work with TV's well but make sure:

- your TV supports native unscaled 1:1 pixel mode
- your TV supports 4:4:4 format

EDIT: As said above, watch out for input latency!

Make sure it's a true 1920 X 1080 (most are but some older TVs have a weird 1366x768 native res)

Some TVs don't like to show weird resolutions so your BIOS may not display when you boot up

Make sure to use a picture mode like 'screen fit' to eliminate overscan and sometimes labeling the input as 'PC' in the TV settings will favorably change some things.

The TV in question is a Sony kdl40w600b. When I bought it reviews raved about the low input lag. The problem now is that it seems to only accept HDMI as Sleeping Lesson mentioned. So I guess I won't be able to use it?

And just to be certain, I hope you are planning to use the TV as a TV that you hook up a PC into and not a replacement for an on-desk computer monitor that you sit right in front of. That would not be pleasant

Yeah, I have all of my systems hooked to that tv. I don't have a monitor at all.

 

[Deleted member 22576]

I finally just switched from DVI to Displayport and I can't tell if I'm just imagining it but the difference seems substantial at the moment.

 

[komplanen]

The TV in question is a Sony kdl40w600b. When I bought it reviews raved about the low input lag. The problem now is that it seems to only accept HDMI as Sleeping Lesson mentioned. So I guess I won't be able to use it?

Your PC doesn't have HDMI output? If it does, then you're good to go. You'll most likely have to play around with full and limited HDMI settings to find out what your TV accepts.

 

[inner-G]

The TV in question is a Sony kdl40w600b. When I bought it reviews raved about the low input lag. The problem now is that it seems to only accept HDMI as Sleeping Lesson mentioned. So I guess I won't be able to use it?

Yeah, I have all of my systems hooked to that tv. I don't have a monitor at all.

DVI > HDMI adaptor if your card/board doesn't have HDMI out?

There's no a problem using HDMI for a PC video signal, it can send the audio too

 

[WhiskerFrisker]

Your PC doesn't have HDMI output? If it does, then you're good to go.

PC hasn't been built yet My current PC is prettty crappy and it's from 2010 so it has a vga port.

 

[komplanen]

PC hasn't been built yet My current PC is a garbage from 2010 so it has a vga port.

Well any modern PC and motherboard (for integrated video) has HDMI

 

[RGM79]

Maybe a little late, but here's my haul from Black Friday:

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($165.99 @Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 ($18.75 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($82.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB ($67.49 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170XP-SLI ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($69.99 @Amazon)

Total: $405.21

My complete build:

Core i5-6500 3.2Ghz (OC 4.0Ghz) CPU
Gigabyte GA-Z170XP-SLI Motherboard
Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB DDR4 2666MHz RAM
evga NVIDIA GTX 660 2GB Graphics Card (Waiting for Pascal)
Samsung 850 EVO 250GB SSD
Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB HHD
Cooler Master Hyper TX3 CPU Cooler
Cooler Master CM 690 Case
Corsair TX850 Power Supply
Lite-On IHAS124-04 24X RW Dual Layer Drive

Amazing price on that motherboard.

I have currently 8gb of ram (2x4gb). If I decide to upgrade to 16, can I just pop in two more 4gb sticks of the same ram or will I experience better performance with 2x8gb?

It'd be cheaper and more practical to just add to your existing RAM. There's nothing wrong with running 4 sticks of RAM, and there's no performance benefit to 2x8GB. I'd recommend 2x8GB for new PC builds or if for some reason the user had to get all new RAM.

 

[WhiskerFrisker]

DVI > HDMI adaptor if your card/board doesn't have HDMI out?

There's no a problem using HDMI for a PC video signal, it can send the audio too

PC hasn't been built yet.

Well any modern PC and motherboard (for integrated video) has HDMI

Really? I have to check it again then. But, I should be able to use my TV right? The only reason for this is because my pc would be in my room, not the living room where the main PC is. I don't want my siblings and mom to use my computer and fuck it up.

 

[komplanen]

PC hasn't been built yet.

Really? I have to check it again then. But, I should be able to use my TV right? The only reason for this is because my pc would be in my room, not the living room where the main PC is. I don't want my siblings and mom to use my computer and fuck it up.

Well I guess if your old PC is some weird cheapo computer then it might not have HDMI but I haven't had a PC for the past 5+ years that didn't have an HDMI port.

Your new one will have one for sure.

Also as suggested, if you want to hook up your old PC, check if it has DVI.

 

[WhiskerFrisker]

Well I guess if your old PC is some weird cheapo computer then it might not have HDMI but I haven't had a PC for the past 5+ years that didn't have an HDMI port.

Your new one will have one for sure.

Also as suggested, if you want to hook up your old PC, check if it has DVI.

lolololol my mother got it on sale from Walmart in 2010. And I really don't want to hook the old one up. It's pretty useless for gaming. It saves me from hassle.

If you just want something for media, you could get a basic video card with DVI for probably dirt cheap (under $20)

Nope. How will I run Dragon's Dogma and Pillars of Eternity with a basic graphic card?

 

[inner-G]

If you just want something for media, you could get a basic video card with DVI for probably dirt cheap (under $20)

For gaming though yea build new

 

[komplanen]

In summary: Build new PC, it'll hook up to your TV just fine. Perfect for comfy couch console-like PC gaming and media viewing.

Also one thing to consider: Some text-heavy games on PC might not have the text size work well with TV's. Game developer sized everything for a monitor and then on a TV text can be hard to read.

 

[teiresias]

Got my RVZ02 for Christmas for my mITX build for my TV room in the new house. However, the 6700k raising in price pretty high has put a kink in my plans - looking like I may have to settle for a 6600k. Ugh!!

 

[bomblord1]

Regardless of everything else, that PSU is one to avoid unless you want to end up tearing your hair out.

The CX range are terrible, find another model.

Should I avoid Corsair in general or just the CX range?

 

[Otheradam]

What's everyone's opinion on using a m.2 drive as the OS drive? I know a few of them are the same speed as a SATA ssd but there are those 2 samsung models that are like 3x as fast. From research, it says its almost pointless in real world use.

 

[komplanen]

Got my RVZ02 for Christmas for my mITX build for my TV room in the new house. However, the 6700k raising in price pretty high has put a kink in my plans - looking like I may have to settle for a 6600k. Ugh!!

What about 4790K? It's an i7 and not really any worse to be honest. Though I do know the urge to always buy the latest, it just might be a good choice

Should I avoid Corsair in general or just the CX range?

Corsair has some really good PSU's but their cheapest ones are not that good. Read PSU reviews at jonnyguru.com

 

[bomblord1]

What about 4790K? It's an i7 and not really any worse to be honest. Though I do know the urge to always buy the latest, it just might be a good choice



Corsair has some really good PSU's but their cheapest ones are not that good. Read PSU reviews at jonnyguru.com

Thanks

 

[BorntoPlay]

Amazing price on that motherboard.

Yes i know, I got it for a "price match" of a third party seller on the site...=D

 

[adamantypants]

What's everyone's opinion on using a m.2 drive as the OS drive? I know a few of them are the same speed as a SATA ssd but there are those 2 samsung models that are like 3x as fast. From research, it says its almost pointless in real world use.

That's not wrong. I wouldn't recommend it just because sometimes getting m.2 as a boot drive can be iffy if not completely incompatible (depending on mobo). For a gaming PC, m.2 as boot, or anything for that matter, is pretty pointless. Unless of course your bag is seeing really high benchmarks

 

[grendelrt]

Any opinions on a gigabyte z170x-ud5 vs Asus maximus hero or ranger for a 1151 build? I like that the ud5 has more pci-e and m2 slots, the layout seems better. I know the hero will overclock better but not sure if I need that much headroom vs the ud5. Planning on getting a 6700k with it if the prices ever get back down to retail.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

What's everyone's opinion on using a m.2 drive as the OS drive? I know a few of them are the same speed as a SATA ssd but there are those 2 samsung models that are like 3x as fast. From research, it says its almost pointless in real world use.

Having done it myself with a Samsung 950 Pro, I can tell you that testing on the only game benchmark I'm aware of which measures load times (FFXIV Heavensward Benchmark), the difference in measured load times between my regular Samsung 830 Pro and the 850 Pro was a gigantic game-changing world-revolutionizing 3 seconds.

The Windows boot time is nothing to sneeze at, seeing the Windows logo for exactly 1 second before the lock screen appears is pretty funny. But is that worth the $100 premium of the 950 Pro over the 850 Pro? I don't really think so. Having the 950 Pro is fun and for me there wasn't any point in building a new gaming PC if I wasn't being on the bleeding edge but on day-to-day usage I don't really notice any difference between the NVMe SSD and a conventional SATA SSD.

 

[Osiris]

Should I avoid Corsair in general or just the CX range?

Just the CX range.

The RMi & RMx models are good, can't speak for the others.

If in doubt, check if a unit you are interested in has a review up at JonnyGURU's site, probably the most comprehensive and qualified PSU reviewer online.

 

[Brandon F]

Having done it myself with a Samsung 950 Pro, I can tell you that testing on the only game benchmark I'm aware of which measures load times (FFXIV Heavensward Benchmark), the difference in measured load times between my regular Samsung 830 Pro and the 850 Pro was a gigantic game-changing world-revolutionizing 3 seconds.

The Windows boot time is nothing to sneeze at, seeing the Windows logo for exactly 1 second before the lock screen appears is pretty funny. But is that worth the $100 premium of the 950 Pro over the 850 Pro? I don't really think so. Having the 950 Pro is fun and for me there wasn't any point in building a new gaming PC if I wasn't being on the bleeding edge but on day-to-day usage I don't really notice any difference between the NVMe SSD and a conventional SATA SSD.

Thanks for this. I just built a new PC this weekend was seriously considering blowing a couple extra hundred on the 950 because reasons! Somehow I stepped myself back away from that ledge and stuck to my standard SSD taken from the old rig.

Considering the Windows logo only takes 3-6 seconds before lock-screen for me on reboot, minimizing that even lower is not a luxury I needed. Really glad to get some real world descriptions though! All the reviews and comparisons get so technical that I get lost thinking I would be CRAZY NOT to upgrade. 3-4x speeds!!

 

[Otheradam]

Having done it myself with a Samsung 950 Pro, I can tell you that testing on the only game benchmark I'm aware of which measures load times (FFXIV Heavensward Benchmark), the difference in measured load times between my regular Samsung 830 Pro and the 850 Pro was a gigantic game-changing world-revolutionizing 3 seconds.

The Windows boot time is nothing to sneeze at, seeing the Windows logo for exactly 1 second before the lock screen appears is pretty funny. But is that worth the $100 premium of the 950 Pro over the 850 Pro? I don't really think so. Having the 950 Pro is fun and for me there wasn't any point in building a new gaming PC if I wasn't being on the bleeding edge but on day-to-day usage I don't really notice any difference between the NVMe SSD and a conventional SATA SSD.

Good to know. I'm probably going to wait until Pascal or later to build a new rig. if prices on that drop low enough I might consider it.

 

[Osiris]

I can't help it, I have a need for speed, the 950 Pro is still going in my build

I mean a drive where a 25Gb sized file can be copied to a 950 Pro in under 8 seconds is just something else. (Saw this in a video when researching the different PCIe SSDs, can't find it right now)

 

[Unknown Soldier]

Thanks for this. I just built a new PC this weekend was seriously considering blowing a couple extra hundred on the 950 because reasons! Somehow I stepped myself back away from that ledge and stuck to my standard SSD taken from the old rig.

Considering the Windows logo only takes 3-6 seconds before lock-screen for me on reboot, minimizing that even lower is not a luxury I needed. Really glad to get some real world descriptions though! All the reviews and comparisons get so technical that I get lost thinking I would be CRAZY NOT to upgrade. 3-4x speeds!!

It's 5 times faster for sequential read, and 3 times faster for sequential write. If you love big numbers, it's 2500 MB/s read and 1500 MB/s write.

This sounds amazing but unfortunately unless the only thing you do is copy Linux ISOs back and forth between two of these SSDs, which means you would need one of the motherboards which has 2 of the M.2 slots, this isn't exactly going to be a world-changing thing for you. Sequential read and write means little to people, even a conventional spinning platters mechanical hard drive easily reaches 120-150 MB/s sequential read/write and nobody is going to pretend a classic HDD isn't anything but watching grass grow slow nowadays.

The speed of 4K random reads/writes is the more relevant benchmark for typical usage and while the 4K random is faster on the 950 Pro it's certainly not 5 times faster. My own measurements show it's maybe 50% faster? Something like that. Which is fast sure, but it's not a huge difference even on the synthetics and in the real world in the single-user workstation setting it means almost nothing. The revolution in 4K random reads/writes already occurred when we moved from HDDs to SSDs and the increase was from ~75-100 IOPs on HDD to ~100,000 IOPs on a Samsung 850 Pro. From there, going up to the claimed ~300,000 IOPs on the 950 Pro sounds incredible but the real world observable difference is as I measured almost nil.

 

[QuantumSquid]

What's a good low-latency 1080p 60hz monitor with good colors and viewing angles that doesn't cost more than $200?

I've got my PC parts sorted out as well as my mouse but I need a monitor and keyboard.

 

[OraleeWey]

What's a good low-latency 1080p 60hz monitor with good colors and viewing angles that doesn't cost more than $200?

I've got my PC parts sorted out as well as my mouse but I need a monitor and keyboard.

Entry level 25 inch ultra wide monitor

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00V8FAWC2/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Just know what you're getting into if you choose this monitor. It's different from a 16:9. Here is a comparison between 21:9/16:9 25 inches.

It's good for gaming and movies. But for media that doesn't support 21:9, you'll see some black lines on the sides.

 

[BorntoPlay]

Should I avoid Corsair in general or just the CX range?

i have like 5 years using a Corsair TX850 Power Supply without any problem....

 

[Novum_Veritas]

Should I avoid Corsair in general or just the CX range?

Corsair is a good brand, recently bought a CS750M, no problems with it and no coil whine either, works smooth.

 

[teiresias]

What about 4790K? It's an i7 and not really any worse to be honest. Though I do know the urge to always buy the latest, it just might be a good choice

I have a 4790k in my desktop system, but in my admittedly cursory search it looks like the availability of Z97-based motherboards in the mITX form factor has grown somewhat sparse.

 

[DUFFMCWALIN]

If interested in overclocking, I suggest you move up to the i5 6600K. Otherwise the i5 6500 is also unofficially capable of overclocking, but it's not as user-friendly as overclocking with a K model processor. There are also some other slight changes to be made if you want greater performance for the price. This is what I recommend:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($263.48 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H5 Universal 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170XP-SLI ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($115.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Toshiba 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($68.59 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 390 8GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($274.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro M ATX Mid Tower Case ($70.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($61.50 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($89.88 @ OutletPC)
Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($29.89 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer V246HQL Cbd 60Hz 23.6" Monitor ($110.16 @ Amazon)
Total: $1232.35
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-10 20:49 EST-0500

That costs over $100 less while getting you mostly equal if not slightly better parts. The processor is faster, the cooler is not quite as good but still more than enough for overclocking, the motherboard should be more than adequate for your needs and the GQ power supply is newer and arguably better quality than the older G1 model you were looking at. The monitor is also quite a bit cheaper while remaining very similar. You say you needed another monitor, this saves you enough money to get a two of the Acer V246HQL monitor.

So this is basically what I went with. I ordered all of the parts today and they should be here by the end of the week. I'll have this weekend to set it up and go pick up a couple of games to test it out. I'll probably be using my steam link for steam controller gaming and keep it in my room.

 

[hooijdonk17]

My 500W PSU is now 5 years old, and is no longer as silent as it once was, the fan is starting to make slight rattling noises from time to tome.. I guess I should consider upgrading it? System is AMD FX-6100 running at 4.2GHz, 2x4GB DDR3, Radeon 7770, SATA 7200RPM HDD. I'm planning on upgrading to an R9 380 this summer. I'll probably run out of juice then, right? What would be a good budget PSU to get for that? I don't need the best, just a good bang for buck PSU.

 

[Jabronium]

I'm looking to get a new GPU just to limp along until I build a new system next year. Will be sticking at 1080/60 for now. I'm looking at the R9 390 and GTX 970, and they seem to trade blows and occupy the same price point. Is there a right choice here, or should I just go with the best deal when I pull the trigger? I don't really have any preference or loyalty to either brand, fwiw.

 

[QuantumSquid]

Entry level 25 inch ultra wide monitor

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00V8FAWC2/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Just know what you're getting into if you choose this monitor. It's different from a 16:9. Here is a comparison between 21:9/16:9 25 inches.



It's good for gaming and movies. But for media that doesn't support 21:9, you'll see some black lines on the sides.

Thanks for the suggestion, but I'm more comfortable with 16:9. Just a standard 1920x1080, 60hz, good color vibrancy, minimal latency would be what I'm looking for.

 

[RGM79]

My 500W PSU is now 5 years old, and is no longer as silent as it once was, the fan is starting to make slight rattling noises from time to tome.. I guess I should consider upgrading it? System is AMD FX-6100 running at 4.2GHz, 2x4GB DDR3, Radeon 7770, SATA 7200RPM HDD. I'm planning on upgrading to an R9 380 this summer. I'll probably run out of juice then, right? What would be a good budget PSU to get for that? I don't need the best, just a good bang for buck PSU.

What model is your existing PSU? You can use this wattage calculator to determine how much wattage your PC will use. I like the EVGA 600B ($44) as a decent "bang for buck" option.

I'm looking to get a new GPU just to limp along until I build a new system next year. Will be sticking at 1080/60 for now. I'm looking at the R9 390 and GTX 970, and they seem to trade blows and occupy the same price point. Is there a right choice here, or should I just go with the best deal when I pull the trigger? I don't really have any preference or loyalty to either brand, fwiw.

Either one should meet your needs very well. The R9 390 comes in somewhat cheaper, but the GTX 970 consumes less power. What are your current PC specs, particularly what model of power supply do you have?