MSI Radeon R9 290X Lightning PCB pictured

[gradoman]

I hope they do away with the stupid GPU reactor, pretty much negates any slot above the card. I like MB's with a 1x or 4x PCI-E slot on top.

Love them otherwise.. was so damn close to grabbing a 780 Lightning. Will prolly give in a few months from now, 290x or 780ti Lightning.

Can't you simply remove it?

Monster card by the way. Jeez.

 

[Elfear]

I've been very impressed with the build quality and overclocking headroom of the 780 Lightning. Can't wait for 290(X) versions to launch.

 

[blackened23]

I hope they do away with the stupid GPU reactor, pretty much negates any slot above the card. I like MB's with a 1x or 4x PCI-E slot on top.

Love them otherwise.. was so damn close to grabbing a 780 Lightning. Will prolly give in a few months from now, 290x or 780ti Lightning.

FYI, the GPU reactor is removable and always has been since the 7970 and 680 lightning series. It is intended for LN2 benchmarking folks who are going for world records.

But you can easily remove it. When I sli'ed the 680 lightnings, I had no issues with space despite the GPU reactor - I didn't remove them initially and I had no problems. But if your preference is for them to disappear, you can certainly do that.

 

[Hauk]

I had no clearance issues between cards; but the cap did interfere with space above #1 card. I suppose one could remove cap, and PCB if necessary. A naked area unprotected by backplate then. "Built to be perfect" could include a backplate patch for those needing to remove the assembly. Okay nuff on that

 

[raghu78]

450w thats a lot of freaking of power. i hope there are ek lightning full cover blocks when this card launches. also hopefully msi clocks these at 1150 - 1200 mhz at stock and bins these chips to make sure they are all capable of 1300+ mhz with voltage control. otherwise the card's design would be wasted.

 

[RussianSensation]

It seems to be 2014 launches with missed holiday sales. I wonder why it goes so slow because its against the "best business" practice.

For non-rebadged/refresh GPUs, the best after-market cards from AIBs often take 2-3+ months to launch for both AMD and NV.

GTX680 - March 22, 2012
MSI Lightning 680 - June 19, 2012 (3 months later)

GTX780 - May 23, 2013
Galaxy HOF GTX780 - July 29, 2013 (2 months later)
MSI Lighting GTX780 - August 28, 2013 (3 months later)

R9 290X - Nov 5, 2013

2 months later would be ~ Jan 5, 2014
3 months later for MSI Lightning R9 290X using a similar schedule to NV MSI Lightnings would be ~ Feb 5, 2014

Would be interesting to see R9 290X @ 1.3ghz vs. GTX780 Ti @ 1.3ghz.

 

[Borealis7]

i'm sorry but the PCB is the LAST thing that interests me in a custom 290X!

 

[Slomo4shO]

For non-rebadged/refresh GPUs, the best after-market cards from AIBs often take 2-3+ months to launch for both AMD and NV.

The GTX 780 was released Nov 7 and the EVGA GTX 780 Ti ACX SC is already available (albeit out of stock)

The Gigabyte GTX 680 Windforce was available April 8, 2012 and the Asus GTX 680 DirectCU II was available April 19, 2012.

The EVGA GTX780 ACX was released June 3, 2013 and the Gigabyte GTX 780 3GB WindForce 3x OC was available on release day of the 780.

The HD 7970 was released Jan 9, 2012 and it included the launch of the XFX Double Dissipation Edition on launch day. Asus launched their 7970 DirectCU II model on Jan 22, 2012.

So no, not every after market cooler requires 2-3 months to be released. Maybe your statement is true for high end specialty boards but it is a generalization that does not hold true otherwise. Many have been available on release day unless AMD or Nvidia prevented such launches. There has been a deliberate delay in the release of AIB cards on the Hawaii chips and it was a poor decision on AMDs part.

 

[OVerLoRDI]

Definitely interested in this guy, especially if someone makes a full cover block for it. Would be epic

 

[broken_pixel]

Finally I can replace my two 7970Ls. ^ EK made waterblocks for the Lightning edition cards.

 

[blackened23]

Definitely interested in this guy, especially if someone makes a full cover block for it. Would be epic

Fortunately, lightnings have a great track record of getting multiple blocks. I think both aqua computer and EK will make blocks for all lightning PCBs..

 

[3DVagabond]

i'm sorry but the PCB is the LAST thing that interests me in a custom 290X!

So, what's the first thing that interests you? The rest can be figured out.

 

[blackened23]

i'm sorry but the PCB is the LAST thing that interests me in a custom 290X!

Erm? That's like, the best part about it - We know the Twin Frozr cooler will perform really well and it won't have all the (ahem..) significant problems that the reference 290X has, and it will have a ton of OC headroom thanks to the PCB. Why wouldn't you be interested in the PCB?! Just curious.. That's like, the entire draw of halo cards like the classified, DC II, etc.... Personally i'm really interested in seeing how these custom cards do.

I do think the lightning will be expensive, but some of the other designs such as the DC II and Windforce III will be very reasonable in price and also will perform significantly better than reference (in terms of acoustics and clockspeeds sticking). Most of the GTX DC 2 and WF3 cards are only 10-20$ more than reference, so those will really be the best bang for the buck aftermarket cards for the 290 IMO.. I'd say the lightning will have a 70-100$ premium over reference, if prior pricing trends maintain.

 

[chimaxi83]

Erm? That's like, the best part about it! We know the Twin Frozr cooler will perform really well and it won't have all the (ahem..) significant problems that the reference 290X has, and it will have a ton of OC headroom thanks to the PCB. Why wouldn't you be interested in the PCB?! Just curious.. That's like, the entire draw of halo cards like the classified, DC II, etc.... Personally i'm really interested in seeing how these custom cards do.

I do think the lightning will be expensive, but some of the other designs such as the DC II and Windforce III will be very reasonable in price and also will perform significantly better than reference (in terms of acoustics and clockspeeds sticking). Most of the GTX DC 2 and WF3 cards are only 10-20$ more than reference, so those will really be the best bang for the buck aftermarket cards for the 290 IMO.. I'd say the lightning will have a 70-100$ premium over reference, if prior pricing trends maintain.

Lightning PCB doesn't give "a ton" of OC headroom, it's just that they bin the chips. The PCB itself doesn't do nearly as much for AMD as it does for Nvidia and their mostly skimpy reference designs. I like Lightnings as much as the next guy, but having used them, they're not all that great in the OC department.

 

[blackened23]

Lightning PCB doesn't give "a ton" of OC headroom, it's just that they bin the chips. The PCB itself doesn't do nearly as much for AMD as it does for Nvidia and their mostly skimpy reference designs. I like Lightnings as much as the next guy, but having used them, they're not all that great in the OC department.

My experience was the opposite, but I admittedly did not use the 7970 lightning. I used the 580/680 lightnings which I considered downright fantastic products. I don't really care for the 780 lightning much because the aesthetics aren't pleasing and it is 2.5 slot, but....it's still a pretty good card.

What was the 7970 lightning like in terms of overclocking? Most opinions i've read about it have been very positive, yours is the first i've heard to indicate otherwise in terms of OC'ing.

 

[RussianSensation]

So no, not every after market cooler requires 2-3 months to be released. Maybe your statement is true for high end specialty boards but it is a generalization that does not hold true otherwise.

My statement was only referring to the best ones, like MSI Lightning or Asus Matrix. That's why I emphasized the "best after-market cards" like Galaxy HOF and MSI Lightning. Since we are discussing the Lightning specifically, ShintaiDK mentioned that AMD is very late on releasing this version but in fact it took 3 months for 680 Lightning and 780 Lightning to hit from their launches.

I don't disagree with you that AMD dropped the ball on 'standard' after-market AIB designs. However, if you recall, HD7970Ghz was sent to reviewers around June 21, 2012 I believe and it took 1 month for after-market versions to come. These things happen. Sometimes after-market cards are available very fast (GTX670/680 launch) and sometimes it takes at least 1 month for any after-market cards to drop.

What was the 7970 lightning like in terms of overclocking? Most opinions i've read about it have been very positive, yours is the first i've heard to indicate otherwise in terms of OC'ing.

A lot of those hit 1230-1250mhz, some hit 1275mhz. The problem is that card cost $580 when the other after-market 7970s cost $450 and overclocked to 1175-1200mhz. The small difference in overclocking didn't change the gaming experience at all. GTX680 Lightning I believe had a $50 premium over the standard version but lately the Lightning has been overpriced for 7970 and 780 series. When 780 Lightning came out, it was going for $740-750 vs. $650 for Asus DCUII version and $680 for Galaxy HOF. At launch the 780 Lightning was a complete rip-off vs. other 780s. Now it's down to a more reasonable $530-540.

There is nothing special about the Lightning's cooler either. It's inferior to Asus DCUII, Galaxy HOF and Inno 3D cards. If NV allowed its AIBs to increase voltage, I bet the Asus DCUII would overclock 99% as well as the Lightning on air for much less $. If MSI charges $50 over other competing cards, then I suppose its justifiable but the minute they start adding $75-100, no way.

 

[Borealis7]

So, what's the first thing that interests you? The rest can be figured out.

the cooling solution obviously! and how well can it cope with the massive amount of heat coming from the GPU.

 

[3DVagabond]

the cooling solution obviously! and how well can it cope with the massive amount of heat coming from the GPU.

It should be about the same as the 780 Lightning. The 290X uses about 10% more power while gaming. Not a big difference.

 

[Borealis7]

i'm not familiar with the number "Not a big difference". is that more or less than 90*C?

 

[3DVagabond]

i'm not familiar with the number "Not a big difference". is that more or less than 90*C?

Less.

 

[Z15CAM]

It's not about cooling the GPU so much as Cooling the VRM's - Sure would like to see a bottom end PIC of their Air Cooled Base Plate design.

It does look like MSI is using more Power Phases on their PCB design to regulate better VRM Temps. I would think the wider one pushes the GPU-PLL mv off-set range, the more Power Phases would be required to reduce VRM heat.

 

[OCGuy]

Wow the delay is mind boggling......any reputable tech sites trying to investigate?

 

[Elfear]

Wow the delay is mind boggling......any reputable tech sites trying to investigate?

No need to worry me thinks. Seems to be the norm.

 

[96Firebird]

No need to worry me thinks. Seems to be the norm.

Not really. Usually we see basic aftermarket coolers within a month of release, while the more exotic ones take longer. We have nothing right now...

Maybe the basic coolers don't cool well enough?

 

[Elfear]

Not really. Usually we see basic aftermarket coolers within a month of release, while the more exotic ones take longer. We have nothing right now...

Maybe the basic coolers don't cool well enough?

I agree we're a little late for the regular custom coolers but since the thread was about the Lightning I wasn't sure why OCGuy was up in arms looking for an investigation.