R9 295 x2 worth it?

ChuckFx

Member
Nov 12, 2013
162
0
76
I got offered a 3 months old R9 295x2 for 700 CAD with shipping, is this card still a winner or am I better with holding back on it?

My rig is 100% gaming. Bf4, Crysis 3...

I will go into 4k in spring most likely.
 

SolMiester

Diamond Member
Dec 19, 2004
5,330
17
76
Personally, I would get a 2nd Vapor-X for half the price. They could be even cheaper now with 970 showing up again on the shelf.
 

dn7309

Senior member
Dec 5, 2012
469
0
76
the 295x2 will run cooler and more consistent since it has a better closed loop cooler than two open air cards. The top vapor-X will be starving for air and will run hotter, less efficient and slower.
 

ChuckFx

Member
Nov 12, 2013
162
0
76
the 295x2 will run cooler and more consistent since it has a better closed loop cooler than two open air cards. The top vapor-X will be starving for air and will run hotter, less efficient and slower.

Question is : does it worth 700$ at this point in time or am I better to wait. I'm in a position where my R9 290 kills everything so it's just to know if that r9 295x2 is a good deal right now..
 

Spanners

Senior member
Mar 16, 2014
325
1
0
Question is : does it worth 700$ at this point in time or am I better to wait. I'm in a position where my R9 290 kills everything so it's just to know if that r9 295x2 is a good deal right now..

In that case I would wait until you actually get the 4K screen and make a purchase then.
 

dn7309

Senior member
Dec 5, 2012
469
0
76
Question is : does it worth 700$ at this point in time or am I better to wait. I'm in a position where my R9 290 kills everything so it's just to know if that r9 295x2 is a good deal right now..

At 700 I think its a good deal. You can sell the 290 to shave off the cost or just three way crossfire it.
 

Mondozei

Golden Member
Jul 7, 2013
1,043
41
86
I would actually not buy one, nor would I buy another 290. Getting a 290 Vapor-X was a mistake to begin with, the difference between one of those cards and the Sapphire Tri-X is minimal.

Better to wait until 2015 20 nm comes out, and you won't have to wait very long, too. HBM on 20 nm is out for AMD within the first few months. Nvidia shouldn't be far behind. Getting a top-range card then would be better.

And again: why Vapor-X? Not a good move.
 

ChuckFx

Member
Nov 12, 2013
162
0
76
I would actually not buy one, nor would I buy another 290. Getting a 290 Vapor-X was a mistake to begin with, the difference between one of those cards and the Sapphire Tri-X is minimal.

Better to wait until 2015 20 nm comes out, and you won't have to wait very long, too. HBM on 20 nm is out for AMD within the first few months. Nvidia shouldn't be far behind. Getting a top-range card then would be better.

And again: why Vapor-X? Not a good move.

Well it's the best r9 290 you can get first of all and then, everyone knows 4k is on AMD side as of right now so the choice wasnt hard to make at all. Bangs for the bucks..
 

guskline

Diamond Member
Apr 17, 2006
5,338
476
126
Have 2 watercooled Sapphire Tri-X 290s in CF in rig below. Very fast!
 

3DVagabond

Lifer
Aug 10, 2009
11,951
204
106
295x2 is better than 2x290X crossfire if you aren't going to water cool the 2 card setup. For $700 it's a lot of performance, especially @ 4K. As has been said you can either sell the Vapor-X or tri-fire. 4K could make use of the Tri-fire setup maintaining +60fps at max settings in almost every game.
 
Sep 27, 2014
92
0
0
I would wait until you have a 4k monitor. Barring that I would wait until 2015 and see what drops, you have GM200 from Nvidia waiting in the wings, persistant rumors of a 990 (2x980) card, and then AMD 20nm and HBM as well. You stand to lose nothing and gain quite a bit from waiting... especially since if all goes well AMD will be back in the game next year which should push everyones prices down...

I know I've been really itching to upgrade but im holding out for a 980TI, 990, or an effective single card 4k solution, stay strong and you will be rewarded.

EDIT: I know the 295x2 is an effective single card 4k solution, but I just think we are very close to so much newer stuff that it'd be worth it to wait.
 

_UP_

Member
Feb 17, 2013
144
11
81
I think it's a good deal. It's a lot of performance, good cooling system, and CFX with this gen of AMD is quite great.
If you want to pass on it though, feel free to pass it to me. I think my lightning will appreciate the company :)
(I can't keep my sig up to my upgrades and changes...)
 
Feb 19, 2009
10,457
10
76
295X2 is an excellent multi-GPU solution now, you get all the benefits without the disadvantage associated with typically running two powerful GPUs squashed next to each other: ie. dumping 500W of heat into your case, the top card starving for fresh air, noisy etc.

For $700 its a bargain. Performance and elegance combined.
 

positivedoppler

Golden Member
Apr 30, 2012
1,144
236
116
That's a freaking bargain considering an individual 290X just dropped to $400. It's like getting two recently dropped price 290X for $100 off and water cooling.

The 970 and 980 are nice, but I think a lot of people are jumping the gun and sellling their 290 and 290x gears. At 4k resolution, the 970 and 980 performance over the 290s really seem to get narrow. So about $630 US dollar for a water cool 4k rig is a freaking bargain. You can see the review below at 4k the 980 sli trades blow with the 295x

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/geforce_gtx_980_sli_review,22.html
 
Last edited:

3DVagabond

Lifer
Aug 10, 2009
11,951
204
106
That's a freaking bargain considering an individual 290X just dropped to $400. It's like getting two recently dropped price 290X for $100 off and water cooling.

The 970 and 980 are nice, but I think a lot of people are jumping the gun and sellling their 290 and 290x gears. At 4k resolution, the 970 and 980 performance over the 290s really seem to get narrow. So about $630 US dollar for a water cool 4k rig is a freaking bargain. You can see the review below at 4k the 980 sli trades blow with the 295x

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/geforce_gtx_980_sli_review,22.html

Maxwell SLI is a no go until they can address the dropped frames. Hawaii Crossfire doesn't suffer from dropped frames. I'd definitely recommend the 295x2 over Maxwell SLI. The water cooling is icing on the cake.
index.php


It might not be noticeable to the reviewers in these tests because they are running +100fps. It doesn't change the facts though.
 

Abwx

Lifer
Apr 2, 2011
11,839
4,792
136

Guru3D are a boggus site with arranged results, particularly in Hitman Absolution, in this game even a regular 290 does better than an ocked 980, i guess that they had to doctor the most annoying numbers :

getgraphimg.php


http://www.hardware.fr/articles/928-16/benchmark-hitman-absolution.html

index.php


http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/geforce_gtx_980_sli_review,12.html

The 295x2 at 4K at hardware.fr :

IMG0044496.png


http://www.hardware.fr/articles/919-15/benchmark-hitman-absolution.html

And Guru3D, or rather Guru3Troll, at the same definition with the same game :

index.php
 
Last edited:

ChuckFx

Member
Nov 12, 2013
162
0
76
Thanks all for your help, I really appreciate all the info you gave but ultimately the seller decided to sell for 900CAD so just under the retail price. That was a deal breaker so I'll be waiting to see what comes around in 2015..
 

SlickR12345

Senior member
Jan 9, 2010
542
44
91
www.clubvalenciacf.com
The question is why do you need more performance? Do you have a 4k monitor and plan on playing at 4k, if so then sure the 295x is a great purchase.

Otherwise I'd just wait. You can get a 290 for $300 these days and ultimately adding one more would give you similar performance for the cheaper price.