"Old" Gigabyte R9 290 version

[Jonathan19]

Hi,

I found on Ebay a 'not sold anymore' R9 290 graphic card, and I can't find many reviews..

Here it is

http://www.ebay.fr/itm/GIGABYTE-car...e_Composants_Cartes_Vidéo&hash=item1c42a1652d

http://www.gigabyte.fr/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4821#ov


Does anyone knows/have this card ?

The cooling system looks pretty limited isn't it ?

 

[Kenmitch]

That is the standard reference design AMD cooler. It's performance will be limited by it unless your not noise anal.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7481/the-amd-radeon-r9-290-review

Old review so there will be better performance with newer drivers.

Might be best to spend a little more on one with a better cooler.

 

[Jonathan19]

That is the standard reference design AMD cooler. It's performance will be limited by it unless your not noise anal.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7481/the-amd-radeon-r9-290-review

Old review so there will be better performance with newer drivers.

Might be best to spend a little more on one with a better cooler.

Oookay..

And I bet it has been used for mining so.. (Seller selling also a mining rig with 2 identical card )


Thx Kenmitch

 

[spat55]

I like pre-mined cards as long as they work when I get it because it is like one long stress test, if it hasn't broken yet then it must be a tough cookie

 

[toyota]

I like pre-mined cards as long as they work when I get it because it is like one long stress test, if it hasn't broken yet then it must be a tough cookie

that is some wacky logic.

 

[MtSeldon]

Reference coolers are terrible. Works hot and very noisy.

only advantage is ,it blows the hot air outside the case. If it is very cheap, it maybe an option, other than that go with the new coolers.

 

[Techhog]

that is some wacky logic.

It seems perfectly logical to me. Overclocking/overvolting would do far more damage than 24/7 operation ever could (in fact, silicon which can't handle 24/7 operation is faulty), and if anything it might have even been undervolted. The only possible problem is the fan.

 

[toyota]

It seems perfectly logical to me.

wow ok then. really its one of the dumbest things I have heard when it comes to something pc related. just because it has not broken yet does not mean that its not much more likely to break.

 

[Techhog]

wow ok then. really its one of the dumbest things I have heard when it comes to something pc related. just because it has not broken yet does not mean that its not much more likely to break since its been very hard.

See my edit. If it's within specs, its lifespan hasn't been affected much. Maybe it'll lose a year of its life. If you were right, then this mining thing would have been useless from the start due to needing replacements every 6 months.

 

[borderdeal]

If u get it for a good price is worth it. I got a reference 290 for $211 from ebay. Card had been used for minning and I ran it with the stock cooler for like 5 weeks. Cooler is bad. Noisy and card gets really hot. I knew this beforehand so I bought it because I wanted to water cool it with a Kraken G10 and a H50. Which I did and after using the Kraken and the H50 I am really happy with it. Mine also unlocked to a full 290x. If u do not plan to replace the stock cooler u better have a high tolerance for noise and it would help a lot if u play with headphones. Otherwise spend the money for the custom cooled ones like Saphire or MSI or Powercolor

 

[PliotronX]

wow ok then. really its one of the dumbest things I have heard when it comes to something pc related. just because it has not broken yet does not mean that its not much more likely to break.

Well they are not mechanical devices. Its not like comparing a new car to a used car althought a car with some miles and no needed repairs might be an indication of its reliability *cough*Toyota*cough*. Hes got a point if it hasnt failed in all those Bitcoin calculations its proven reliability far better than any game will.

 

[toyota]

Well they are not mechanical devices. Its not like comparing a new car to a used car althought a car with some miles and no needed repairs might be an indication of its reliability *cough*Toyota*cough*. Hes got a point if it hasnt failed in all those Bitcoin calculations its proven reliability far better than any game will.

that makes no sense. a component that has been put under much more stress than normal is still MUCH more likely to fail at some point. saying that it must be tough just because it hasn't failed yet is silly.

 

[Gikaseixas]

Was it overvolted? overclocked?
If not, even running at high speeds for long periods it will work just fine. We haven't seen people complaining about cards such as this failing prematurely.
OP if the price is right, just get it

 

[Jonathan19]

If u get it for a good price is worth it. I got a reference 290 for $211 from ebay. Card had been used for minning and I ran it with the stock cooler for like 5 weeks. Cooler is bad. Noisy and card gets really hot. I knew this beforehand so I bought it because I wanted to water cool it with a Kraken G10 and a H50. Which I did and after using the Kraken and the H50 I am really happy with it. Mine also unlocked to a full 290x. If u do not plan to replace the stock cooler u better have a high tolerance for noise and it would help a lot if u play with headphones. Otherwise spend the money for the custom cooled ones like Saphire or MSI or Powercolor

Yeah, if I could get a decent overcooling system I wouldn't care but I can't just yet :hmm:

I might consider a better cooled 280X instead.. :sneaky:

 

[Jonathan19]

Was it overvolted? overclocked?
If not, even running at high speeds for long periods it will work just fine. We haven't seen people complaining about cards such as this failing prematurely.
OP if the price is right, just get it

I'm still worry about the thermal actually (for me) and also not sure about its integrity if it has been used hard when badly cooled :\

 

[Techhog]

I'm still worry about the thermal actually (for me) and also not sure about its integrity if it has been used hard when badly cooled :\

Integrity? Do you mean the TIM? If so, that's not really affected and easily replaced. I'd personally get an aftermarket cooler anyway.

 

[borderdeal]

Yeah, if I could get a decent overcooling system I wouldn't care but I can't just yet :hmm:

I might consider a better cooled 280X instead.. :sneaky:

I spent less than $270 for all. I bought a used H50 from ebay for $29, Kraken was $30 and the VRM heatsink was $11. You just have to be patient and u can get really good deals

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2387957&highlight=

 

[PliotronX]

that makes no sense. a component that has been put under much more stress than normal is still MUCH more likely to fail at some point. saying that it must be tough just because it hasn't failed yet is silly.

Basically most solid state device failures that are bound to happen do so pretty close to the first power cycle. Im just saying if those cryptokeys have been generated without error in so many hours its a good card.

 

[Headfoot]

Yeah, if I could get a decent overcooling system I wouldn't care but I can't just yet :hmm:

I might consider a better cooled 280X instead.. :sneaky:

Don't waste your time with that crap if the 290 is the same price. If the 290 throttles, who cares? It will still be faster than the 280x...

Get the used 290 and put an aftermarket cooler on it and it will still be $100 cheaper than a new aftermarket 290.

 

[Jacky60]

I don't know how obsessed with noise you are but I'm much more concerned with performance. I have three of these reference models in trifire and apart from benchmarking when they do make a racket I find the noise quite tolerable as my speakers and game noise easily drown out the whirring of fans. If you live somewhere very quiet and have an otherwise silent PC or are obsessed with noise then I'd go non reference (not with crossfire or trifire though) but otherwise the noise really isn't as bad as people say it is. Mine are at 1050 and keep below 70c with afterburner fan profile and never throttle but that's in Arma 3 where they aren't working at 100% load all the time whereas benchmarking they are.

 

[n0x1ous]

The 290 reference cooler is a lot better than the reviews would have you believe IMO. It's quieter than the 7970 reference cooler to me. Does a good job on the vrms too

 

[Headfoot]

Yep, I have to agree with you two. The reference fan CAN be obnoxious once it hits 60% fan speed, but all you have to do is limit your fan curve in MSI afterburner to 50-55% depending on your personal sensitivity and it won't throttle and it remains highly tolerable

 

[Z15CAM]

One thing I have to say is that the early reference 290 and 290X Gigabyte cards had a great PCB compared to other Reference Mfgr's - Very Stirty Card indeed although limited with Alpida 1500Mhz DDR but can easily do over 1200Mhz on the GPU especially if Water Blocked without throttling.

Don't expect more then 1130x1300Mhz without the OEM Fan howling and GPU not throttling.

 

[Unoid]

I run two of the early reference gigabytes.

They work great.

 

[Madpacket]

I also have 2 reference 290's and don't mind the noise when gaming. I wouldn't pair one up in a HTPC but in a large tower with ample cooling they are perfect in crossfire. The ref PCB's are also built very well and if you get one with Hynix memory that also unlocks you'll be pretty happy with the performance.

Also one thing to keep in mind is the smart miner does not overvolt / overclock these cards as the power efficiency goes out the window and earns you less, most knowledgeable miners undervolt and keep the temps under 80 celcius to obtain maximum efficiency.

I also wouldn't be too concerned buying a 290 as they came out during a time when you had to be power conscious unlike the 7970 era so the likelihood of these 290 cards being run for more than 4-6 months is next to nill. Just look for a brand with a decent warranty that does not require proof of purchase to RMA (Gigabyte, I think MSI?) in case the card has issues.

Generally the worst thing that happens with mining cards (that were treated properly) is dust buildup in the fans that can lead to premature death but the irony is the fans in the reference cards are built like tanks and run forever unlike the fragile aftermarket cards.