I'm going with the option of buying a used gpu and have two options. KEEP IN MIND BOTH ARE USED.

Sapphire R9 Reference 290 - $200 , seller says it was used in a driving simulator machine for 8 months
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125490 - $150

I'll be gaming on 1080p, most likely on a 23/24 inch monitor if that helps. Not overclocking.

The R9 290 is a better all around card as long as your power supply can handle it. Also, Sapphire cards tend to get better reviews than Gigabyte cards on various websites.