So I've been looking to upgrade my GPU recently. I know its an awkward time to do right now since both nVidia and ATI are release their new GPU series within the next several months. And I know that with that will come new, more powerful GPUs that will fill in the currently priced Cards. And also the current cards will go down in price as retailers are wanting to get rid of excess stock.

The main issue for me is that I have a Radeon HD 6850 from 2011. A 5 year old card and I really need a new upgrade. I'm looking at getting a 390 and it looks really tempting. But the issue is obviously if I should just wait for the newer cards. I don't really have interest in getting a 970 and I'm going to be buying around that price range regardless of whether I buy now or wait.

So should I wait for the new cards, and see if I should get the new cards in the current 390/970 price range, or even those cards at a discount, or if doing it now will be fine and those cards will still have good value for the new several years, even compared to the newer cards. Also I'm only going to be playing in 1080p in the foreseeable future.

If you have waited this long, just keep waiting.

Wait.

If you're really wanting to play games right now and your current card isn't cutting it at all, go for it. If you can wait, do that. Honestly I think the time you spend dwelling on upgrading or wanting to play games is far more painful than the sting of buying a graphics card and then having something better come out right after for the same price.

Personally I'm just going to wait for the new cards because I don't really need an upgrade right now based on the games I play.

I'd also suggest waiting unless there's something you're playing now that just isn't cutting it and you're totally 120% OK with what that upgrade will get you.

I think people overdo it waiting for new cards many times but it really is the right call for now.

It depends on when you want to buy another new card. If you get a 390 now and stick with 1080p, you'll probably get at least two years out of it (longer if you aren't bothered by lower settings or 30fps). Most games won't suddenly get more demanding once the new cards are out because only a small portion of the PC gaming community buys into every new card. It will take a little while before a 390 isn't a good card anymore. That said, if you want your next card to last 5 years, then it's probably better to wait and get one of the new cards.

Nvidia and AMD won't be releasing their flagship cards until 2017 due to HBM2's production rate. So what you're looking at coming this summer most likely won't be the wow factor people are expecting with the new architecture. It's more about having the flagship cards we have now pushed into somewhat smaller, cheaper cards. So is it worth it to you to wait 3-5 months (cards should drop in August) for a maybe ~15-20% increase in power over a 390? I think it might be a good idea to wait it out if you can manage, just because when these new cards drop you'll most likely see some price drops on current hardware.

OTOH, if you want to upgrade now, I would look to getting a used 290/x. They can run about $200-250 and would be a great option for anything at 1080p. OR get a 380 on the cheap and see how the new kush is. You could always sell the 380 and upgrade when Polaris is out. It's really easy to sell GPUs nowadays with eBay, r/hardwareswap, etc. So if you're really, really jonesing for an upgrade I'd say just go for it now if you can spare the cash.