290 vs 290x for single-gpu OC

[wilds]

Since prices between the GTX 780 and R9 290 are really close, it really comes down to how noise tolerant the user is, and software. I don't think there is a wrong answer here unless the OP depends on certain software that is incompatible with one or the other.

I just don't think the 780 ti or 290x are worth what their prices are. If I had no budget, I'd definitely go with the 780 ti for single GPU and 290/290x for multi-GPU.

The Sapphire R9 290 Tri-X is the card I would choose in reality though. Its quieter and cooler than a reference GTX 780 and is generally faster plus an extra gig of VRAM. Unfortunately, the pricing and availability of it has inflated the prices. I would either wait for more supply, or go with the GTX 780.

 

[Elfear]

Considing that's sub 900MHz 780 performance its not really hard to see how that changes so quickly.

Where are you seeing the clockspeed referenced?

 

[aaksheytalwar]

Considing that's sub 900MHz 780 performance its not really hard to see how that changes so quickly.

It really doesn't. Let us assume it over clocks to about 1200 MHz that is about 30-35%. Expected performance boost is around 20-25%. So a highly oced 780 barely matches a stock 290X. And when you start overlooking 290X then no matter how high the 780 oc is, it either stays close or way behind.

 

[aaksheytalwar]

It makes more sense to compare 290x to 780ti with 780ti being 10-20% faster max oc to max oc.

 

[BallaTheFeared]

Real life experience.

You seem upset I don't think its a good idea to give my credit card to a no name website with a crap return policy, why is that? I mean it seems like a legitimate stance, is it because plugging the 290 at this point hinges on passing $470 off as some kind of deal on a slower product with inferior gaming software support?

 

[MrK6]

OP, great questions and unfortunately the market for video cards isn't so great right now. If you can find a 290 for $400 it's the way to go, but unfortunately mining demand has assaulted AMD's supply channels and they simply aren't meeting demand, resulting in the price hikes. The 780 Ti is a nice card, but the price is laughable with 20nm cards coming out this year (do you want to drop $700+ on a card that will be obsolete that soon?). I very much advise spending as little as you can and waiting for 20nm cards or the associated price drops on older hardware.

It isn't the obvious. You are stating OPINION. Unless, of course, you have any real backing to your claim that the retailer is shady...

Don't even bother, just ignore and move on.

Thanks for posting your experiences with other etailers as it's certainly helpful to the community. Having other options made known is better for everyone and prevents this sheep mentality of only shopping at Newegg/Amazon/etc., which is bad for the consumer.

 

[BallaTheFeared]

It really doesn't. Let us assume it over clocks to about 1200 MHz that is about 30-35%. Expected performance boost is around 20-25%. So a highly oced 780 barely matches a stock 290X. And when you start overlooking 290X then no matter how high the 780 oc is, it either stays close or way behind.

Some factory OC 780s give almost 780 Ti performance , 290x at 1140 is only 4% faster than a stock Ti.

Some factory OC 780s are faster than stock R290x'es.

 

[Slomo4shO]

It really doesn't. Let us assume it over clocks to about 1200 MHz that is about 30-35%. Expected performance boost is around 20-25%. So a highly oced 780 barely matches a stock 290X. And when you start overlooking 290X then no matter how high the 780 oc is, it either stays close or way behind.

The review does mention that GPU Boost 2.0 was enabled. How exactly can one assert that the core clocks of the 780 were 900MHz? In fact, it can't even be assumed that the 780 in question is of reference design since the reviewer provides no details.

However, the Anandtech review of the 290 Tri-X does specific a reference 780 but it also does not specify GPU Boost 2.0 clocks...

Real life experience.

You seem upset I don't think its a good idea to give my credit card to a no name website with a crap return policy, why is that? I mean it seems like a legitimate stance, is it because plugging the 290 at this point hinges on passing $470 off as some kind of deal on a slower product with inferior gaming software support?

Your "real life experience" also seems to conclude that a product is inferior even though actual reviews contradict your sentiment... I am sure that confirmation bias has nothing to do with your unsubstantiated position...

I don't care where you spend your $$$. I took the time to determine if the site was reputable before purchasing and my American Express affords me much more protection than Paypal ever will... Good day.

 

[wand3r3r]

Some factory OC 780s give almost 780 Ti performance , 290x at 1140 is only 4% faster than a stock Ti.

Some factory OC 780s are faster than stock R290x'es.

Some custom cards are faster than some reference cards? :whiste: We're going back there again.

 

[blackened23]

It really doesn't. Let us assume it over clocks to about 1200 MHz that is about 30-35%. Expected performance boost is around 20-25%. So a highly oced 780 barely matches a stock 290X. And when you start overlooking 290X then no matter how high the 780 oc is, it either stays close or way behind.

Nice work. The truth is, stock 290X is equal to the stock Titan. An overclocked 780 easily passes the stock titan by the order of 15-20% in aftermarket variants. Even the reference 780 with locked voltage passes stock Titan when overclocked by 8-10%.

21% faster than Titan when OC'ed:

290X is equal to the Titan at stock.

Equal to Titan roughly:

**And Yes I know the 290X can overclock as well. I'm addressing the argument that the overclocked 780 barely matches the 290X, which is flat out absolutely not true. If the 290X is equal to Titan, which nearly every website that tested the ref 290X established, then the 780 can easily pass the stock reference 290X, and pass it by a good margin of up to 20ish percent. Again, yes I know the 290X can overclock as well before anyone states it.

The overclocked aftermarket 780 variants pass stock titan by a wide margin. Therefore, it stands to reason they would also pass the stock reference 290X by a wide margin.

 

[Slomo4shO]

We'll just ignore that stock 290X is equal to the Titan at stock. We'll pretend to be in an alternate reality where that isn't the case.

I guess we will also be ignoring the fact that there are non-reference cards on the market for the 290 and 290X that surpass the stock 780 Ti and only assume that they only exist for the 780s... :whiste:

 

[Gikaseixas]

FOR SOME OF YOU AMD GUYS

You really need to stop with that, it only makes you look biased

OP i would get a non reference 290 if i could find one @ $450-470 tops
290x non reference if it was $570 tops or 780 TI reference @ $600
Anything higher than that is way too much for these cards

 

[guskline]

I just received a EVGA GTX780 Classified 2 days ago to put in rig2 below. I previously had 2 GTX660s in SLI. It is a solid card well worth it's cost ($559 less a $20 rebate). It runs cool, OC's well and is incredibly well built.

I considered the Sapphire Tri-X R9 290 but it was never in stock long enough for me to snag one.

I ran 3D Mark Firestrike this morning with a moderate OC via Precision of +65 Core, +145 memory and my Firestrike score was 10230.

 

[wand3r3r]

You really need to stop with that, it only makes you look biased

OP i would get a non reference 290 if i could find one @ $450-470 tops
290x non reference if it was $570 tops or 780 TI reference @ $600
Anything higher than that is way too much for these cards

I mostly agree.
I'd say <$500 290

$~500 780

Or nothing. Well of course the 780 ti's an option, but with budget mentioned by the OP it's probably not worth the relatively small percentage of FPS for $200 over those two options.

 

[blackened23]

You really need to stop with that, it only makes you look biased

That's pretty funny. Anyone stating with a straight face that they're not biased in some form or fashion is straight up probably not telling the truth.. I have absolutely no problem with someone who is fan of brand "X". I really don't care.

Everyone is biased, that's just how it is. Here's the problem. Look man. I do prefer nvidia, they've won me over in the past year or so with their software and intangible features which in my opinion they just do much better than AMD. I use adaptive vsync, driver AO, downsampling, driver FXAA, and lots of other stuff continually. CCC offered me no such features with 7970s in 2012. And AMD has outstanding bugs with crossfire on 7970s still to this day, well past release.

Anyway, nvidia won me over through their quick bug fixes, quick performance drivers, and higher than AMD feature set. I'm not going to sit here and tell you that I don't prefer nvidia. That isn't to say that I won't consider AMD cards for certain uses - I will. But it isn't my first choice for PC gaming. For HTPC use? Hey why not. But my first choice for PC gaming is nvidia. Clearly some in this thread are AMD fans and have AMD as their choice for whatever reason. I. DO. NOT. CARE.. Everyone is biased. That isn't an issue, and I do not care. Let me make that clear.

Bias is not a problem. Being a fan isn't a problem. What is the problem? The issue comes from spreading non factual information with intentionally or unintentionally, which for *I don't know* some people on the internet is the thing to do.

It is widely accepted that the stock reference 290X is equal to the stock reference GTX Titan. We all know that the 780 easily surpasses the Titan when overclocked, especially aftermarket variants, so that statement is questionable at best. And then all of the statements that the 290 can be found "everywhere" at MSRP. It really is quite hilarious. But I don't have an issue with bias. In fact, if someone just came to the thread and proclaimed themselves to be the biggest brand X fan in the universe, hey. That's cool. That isn't a problem. Misinformation, some intentional some not, is the real issue.

 

[wand3r3r]

And then all of the statements that the 290 can be found "everywhere" at MSRP.

Where has that been said? There has only been a few places listed since you said it can't be found. Big difference.

 

[BallaTheFeared]

I guess we will also be ignoring the fact that there are non-reference cards on the market for the 290 and 290X that surpass the stock 780 Ti and only assume that they only exist for the 780s... :whiste:

This is completely impossible unless you're cherrypicking . 290 needs 1100/1600 just to match a sub 1GHz 780 Ti, last I checked there was no such card.

 

[Leadbox]

Nice work at intentionally skewing reality. The truth is, stock 290X is equal to the stock Titan. An overclocked 780 easily passes the stock titan by the order of 15-20% in aftermarket variants. Even the reference 780 with locked voltage passes stock Titan when overclocked by 8-10%.

Nice work at the attempt to spread misinformation , though.

21% faster than Titan when OC'ed:

We'll just ignore that stock 290X is equal to the Titan at stock. We'll pretend to be in an alternate reality where that isn't the case.

Equal to Titan roughly:

Is there anywhere else but TPU that can backup your "equal to TItan at stock" claim?
They have Batman AO,Splintercell, AC, Starcraft in their bench suite, so to come away equal with that sort of advantage is not at all impressive.
AT's 780TI review had it equal to a reference uber mode 290X
A mere 40MHz oc on a custom 290X has it winning 4 of 6 titles vs the Ti at Pcper
Oh, what's the overall percentage faster for the oc 780 vs Titan, are we to conclude it's 21% from that one title you linked?

 

[Slomo4shO]

This is completely impossible unless you're cherrypicking . 290 needs 1100/1600 just to match a sub 1GHz 780 Ti, last I checked there was no such card.

The reference clocks of the VisionTek CryoVenom R9 290 ($550 MSRP) are 1175/5800 ... Or did you not bother to utilize the link...

 

[Rvenger]

Slomo4sho and Ballathefeared, If I see anymore bickering, you both will be out of this thread. You are obviously not here to help the OP, you are just here to stir up trouble. I am deleting your non constructive posts in the meantime. There should be no reason posts with no substance other than trying to argue a point will stay in this thread. The OP wants answers not arguments.

Please keep it civil guys.



-Rvenger

 

[BallaTheFeared]

The reference clocks of the VisionTek CryoVenom R9 290 ($550 MSRP) are 1175/5800 ... Or did you not bother to utilize the link...

No, I ignored the water cooling since it isn't aio, plus up to was never my thing.

 

[el etro]

290x DirectCU hands down for overclock, if it not costs you more than $650. Otherwise pick GTX 780 Ti Classified.

If you are not a pro overclocker GTX 780 Classified will be no better buy than a R9 290 clocked at 1000Mhz.

If you want multiple cards on a Xfire setup and don't want to try to do a record on FireStrike, you can go Multiple R290.

 

[ICDP]

If you live in the US, the 290 and 290x shouldn't even be on the table for consideration.

Red mod is terribad at the 290/290x's true weakness, VRM temps.

This is not true. I red modded a friend's R9 290 that unlocked to R9 290X and the VRM temps were perfectly fine, even at +100mV on the core.

Corsair H50
12cm fan over the VRMs with a decent VRM heatsink and it would get mid to high 80s at 1180 and +100mV. At stock volts and clocks it was getting low 70s Celsius on the VRMs.

To be honest now that R9 290 custom cooled cards are available I would just go that route and avoid red modding. In the US AMD pricing is starting to get better (just avoid newegg). If you can get a good GTX780 for a similar price that would also be a great option.

Though here in the UK even custom cooled R9 290 cards are around £35 cheaper than the cheapest GTX780s. Doesn't sound like a lot but that is 10% more cost for identical performance and 1GB less VRAM.

 

[IEC]

You know, on the bright side, AMD has forced nVidia to compete in pricing. Without the Radeon 290/X we'd be looking at $700+ GTX 780s and $1000+ GTX 780 Ti's. The fact that there can be bickering about value between R9 290/X and GTX 780/Ti is good for the consumer, regardless of which card(s) they end up picking.

 

[Silverforce11]

I honestly don't understand how a thread started by the OP about a buying decision between R290 vs R290X turn into this crapfest.

As it was said in the first few threads, there is no gaming reason to ever get the X variant due to the marginal performance difference at the same clocks, and since both are capable of reaching similar clocks, its a moot point to pay $150 extra for the R290X.

Again, 780 comparability only comes into play when all the R290 you have access to are from Gouge-egg, if you take some time to shop around or visit real life shops (the horror!), its a different scenario. Telling people to pay more for a 780 when it HAS to be OC heavily to match a stock R290 is idiotic.