Graphics Card Upgrade HD 4890 -> MSI R9 280 3G

[Vrman]

Hey there,

I am planning to upgrade my old 4890 and found a good deal on a R9 280 on Tigerdirect
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...=RSC-102388442
It looks like it will come out to be $ 150 after rebate and adding a 10 off 100 coupon to existing deals which seems like a decent deal (right???)

My concern is to make sure that this card will work with my current setup, especially my mobo and my psu and case

Current Setup
AMD Phenom II X4 945 3.0GHz CPU
GIGABYTE GA-MA785G-UD3H ATX AMD Motherboard
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4890 100269HDMI Video Card
Antec EarthWatts EA650 650W Power Supply Unit
OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel
Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Computer Case
No Cooling (except built in case fans)
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive

I would also love any suggestions on increased cooling. My HD 4890 currently increases my room temp by 10 degrees F and I have no idea how the 280 will be like. Any suggestions on adding a cooling system or a better case would be appreciated.

 

[Vesku]

Should be fine, my last setup was a Phenom X6 1090T + 7950 in a regular Antec Three Hundred. Power supply is adequate assuming it's components are in good working order. Only way you'll get close to needing something beefier is if you drastically overvolt both CPU and GPU.

 

[SlickR12345]

Go for it. Should provide you with a massive boost in performance in all games.

 

[Vrman]

@Vesku: How was the cooling in your setup with the 7950? Cause right now its always burning hot in mine with the 4890 and i am concerned if the cooler on the 280 will help with the heat.
Power supply should be good then since i have no idea how to overclock anything and am too scared to do anything like that.

@SlickR12345: Thanks, its a big purchase for me since i built my entire rig in 2009 and have never had to change anything.

 

[Vesku]

Didn't have any heat or temp issues and that was with a mild OCs. I did have fans in both front positions, though, but it looks like the Illusion version has that by default.

Pretty sure the 4890s were just hot cards.

 

[Vrman]

Didn't have any heat or temp issues and that was with a mild OCs. I did have fans in both front positions, though, but it looks like the Illusion version has that by default.

Pretty sure the 4890s were just hot cards.

yup looking at it i have 2 fans in front 1 on top 1 on side and 1 on back.
And still its so darn hot!!!
Maybe I need to hand clean the entire inside when I swap out the cards
Thanks for the info.

 

[Leyawiin]

I'd bite if it were me.

 

[RussianSensation]

I can't see what version/AIB is for sale as TigerDirect prevent access from foreign countries it seems.

Newegg has the 7950 HIS IceQ with 953mhz Boost for $160. The advantage is that it will exhaust the heat out of your case.

Beyond this upgrade, you should strongly consider going Skylake/Cannonlake i5 at minimum in 2 years. That Phenom 945 is a serious bottleneck as it is.

 

[Majcric]

The card RS listed is a very nice looking card and cheaper. I'd get that but I'd get it at Amazon.

Edit: just realized Amazon is not offering the free games so you might want to consider Newegg after all. I just usually prefer Amazon for their return policy should a problem arise with the merchandise.


RS, you're searching or using the internet without a VPN

 

[Headfoot]

If you're concerned about case heat, I'd also suggest going with that blower model RS listed. +1 vote. 7950 is going to be a huge upgrade from the 4890

 

[WT]

It looks like it will come out to be $ 150 after rebate

It looks like it will come out to be .. OOS !! Didn't take long for that deal to sell out. I got tired of waiting for a 280/280X and bought a 7970 for a very good deal last week. More sales will soon start popping up on these cards.

 

[Vrman]

@RussianSensation Yikes I wish I was patient enough to wait for today. Ordered the MSI last night. I still haven't gotten any indication of shipping so maybe there is still time.

I realized that the heat situation was partially due to a clogged dust filter in the front of the Antec Illusion Case. Cleaned it just now and so far the heat has gone down by a lot.

Is the difference between the MSI and the HIS that big? I have tried to look up the two cards and compare specifications but it seems like there is very little difference. Would appreciate any advice I get.

I know this system is ancient, I am currently having trouble finding memory for the mobo (DDR2 1066!!!!). I plan to upgrade the cpu, mobo and memory in 6 months or so when I can afford it and use the new graphics card in the new setup (maybe even crossfire with another 280 if its cheap)

@WT I just checked the Tigerdirect link and it still lists it for me. Maybe its region specific?

@Majcric I also prefer Amazon because I have a lot of gift card points stored up. But those 3 free games are like another $60 off. Especially since I plan to get Star Citizen if it turns out to be good on release.

 

[Vrman]

So I just checked on my MSI Order and its back ordered. Tigerdirect sent me no notice so I just assumed it was being prepared. So I still have time to cancel and switch to the HIS 7950. It will be $10 more after rebate compared to MSI but I would rather get it a week or so sooner than be back ordered. Does anyone feel that the MSI is still worth getting rather than the HIS?

 

[Leyawiin]

I have an HD 7950 IceQ. I was a bit worried about the noise from the blower style HSF, but its very quiet (and I have a case with mesh sides so sound travels). Very effective at cooling too - rarely tops 62C while gaming. I'd recommend the HIS R9 280 IceQ if your MSI is on backorder.

 

[RussianSensation]

So I just checked on my MSI Order and its back ordered. Tigerdirect sent me no notice so I just assumed it was being prepared. So I still have time to cancel and switch to the HIS 7950. It will be $10 more after rebate compared to MSI but I would rather get it a week or so sooner than be back ordered. Does anyone feel that the MSI is still worth getting rather than the HIS?

I don't know what the MSI model is for the R9 280 on TigerDirect since I can't access it. Is it the MSI Gaming model? Newegg has the MSI R9 280 Gaming 1Ghz for $156 after 7% off coupon and rebate. Grab that over the HIS as MSI has a 3 year warranty vs. 2 for HIS.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-789-_-Product

 

[Vrman]

Ok so I have gone ahead and placed an order for the HIS Card. Now to cancel the Tigerdirect order. Thanks a lot everyone for all the advice. I probably would have been stuck on the MSI backorder for a while. Will update once I get the card

 

[f1sherman]

cant find any reviews of HIS R9 280 IceQ

that IceQ blower looks much more exciting than MSI x2

 

[Vrman]

Darn it!!! If I had waited 5 mins for your post @RS (My cursed impatience!!!!)

Now I need to do some quick research on the specifications.
The old MSI was not the gaming model like the one you linked.
Let me see the difference between MSI Gaming and HIS.

 

[Vrman]

Well I looked into the two products and they seem similar except the MSI has higher boosted clock speed (1000 vs 953) and it also has OpenGL support (does that even matter for gaming???). The deal breaker is that the HIS has 30 day return for newegg vs MSI having 30 day "Replacement only". Would rather have the option to return for refund if some amazing deal happens (290 for $200 *crossed fingers*)

Thank RS for the last minute heart attack haha. Appreciate you trying to get me a better deal but I would rather give up a 3% performance boost to have the 30 day return safety net