I am not trying to thread crap so please don't take it that way.
Aren't we real close to new cards with smaller dies that should be multiple times more powerful? I realize they'll be expensive but is now the right time to buy a high end card?
Based on current rumors, it doesn't seem like we will have anything significantly more powerful than a 970/290X until June at the earliest. The leaked Polaris 10/11 chips seem low-end to mid-range with maximum rumored die size of 232mm2. If true, that sounds like barely faster than a 290X level of performance but still ways off. Other rumors point to GTX970/980 successors only for Q3 2016. Of course it's impossible to say with certainty the performance increase and time frame of when the new cards will launch. At the same time, someone who is upgrading now or wants a new card for the next 6 months could easily use this 290X and sell it for $200 US without much effort consider it = 390X and has lifetime warranty.
Of course with next generation we should get a card for $299-349 card that's 25-50% faster than the 290X so if you can afford to wait and have a decent card now (280X or 780), keep waiting.
Just ordered to pair with 290 Tri-X. Nice find RS.
:thumbsup: Nice! Let us know how it overclocks/how cool and quiet it runs.
Make sure to register the card within 30 days to lock in the lifetime warranty. Although I always recommend waiting 20-25 days or so before sending in the rebate in case the card fails. That gives you plenty of time to test out the card for any issues, while still post-marking the rebate on time and enough time to register the card for lifetime warranty.
All graphs are a 4gb card. Whats the Clock speed on that memory vs this cards 8gb memory ?
Specs state that the memory operates at 5500Mhz,
which is about 10% higher than reference but 500Mhz slower than the 390X's. I think it should be possible to overclock this card to 1100+/6000+ on the core/memory, which is essentially a 390X.
Tough call here. GTX970 for $290 shipped or this card at $306 shipped no rebate turned in.
I don't see how it's a tough call at all. If you look at the latest benchmarks, 390X walks all over 970, especially at 1440P. This card has 8GB of VRAM vs. 3.5GB on the 970. In the Division, Hitman, Far Cry Primal, the 390X (290X) obliterates the 970.
http://www.computerbase.de/2016-02/far-cry-primal-benchmarks/2/
Plus, with this deal there was lifetime warranty. It's actually possible to bios mod a 290X to a 390X:
http://www.overclock.net/t/1564219/modded-r9-390x-bios-for-r9-290-290x-updated-02-16-2016
Once NV shifts focus to Pascal, it's even riskier to buy a 970:
1) 970's Asynchronous Compute is software based which means for any true DX12 games, unless it's UE4 engine based, 290X/390/390X will smoke the 970;
2) NV's driver focus will move to Pascal (we've already seen Kepler get neutered), which means 970's 3.5GB VRAM bottleneck will not get special driver optimizations.
On these 2 factors alone, I wouldn't even consider a 970 against a 390/390X/290X, and not a chance in hell when the AMD cards actually cost less. The only way I see 970 making any sense is if you absolutely have to get the Division game coupon or you have a weaker older CPU.
Right now XFX also has the R9 390X for sale for
$340. I'd easily pay $30-40 over any 970 for this card. 390X competes with the 980 but costs $100 less.
Now you see why $276 for a 290X 8GB was such a great deal because the cheapest 980 is $440.
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