Replace 2 780ti Classified with 2 290x Used Reference

[blackened23]

Do you have a link for that? I'm very curious, I've only seen speculation on both sides of the issue until now so I'd love to have some data. I checked their site but I wasn't able to find it, is it in the forums? Thanks in advance

I double checked and the statement was that RMA's at AMD "tripled" due to mining. I thought it was up 30%, but the statement was tripled. Search sushiwarrior's post history at hardwarecanucks, go google it.

I just did, and I am assuming that this is the post in question:

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/759329-post39.html

Sushi Warrior specifically mentioned RMAs for Tahiti cards, not "across the board", as you are claiming in this thread. Since the discussion here is about Hawaii, you are derailing the thread.
-- stahlhart

 

[rtsurfer]

I double checked and the statement was that RMA's at AMD "tripled" due to mining. I thought it was up 30%, but the statement was tripled. Search sushiwarrior's post history at hardwarecanucks, go google it.

Tripled from original of what. ?
Also how would a journalist know a company's RMA rates.
Such information is not made public, as far as I know.

 

[Sohaltang]

I double checked and the statement was that RMA's at AMD "tripled" due to mining. I thought it was up 30%, but the statement was tripled. Search sushiwarrior's post history at hardwarecanucks, go google it.

My grand father was in Detroit during the Auto industry boom. Per his tails ad-libed the saying was "a 1% break rate would bankrupt the company". In context he was saying that even a very very small "RMA" rate was unlikely/ highly avoided.

Triple 1% is only 3% chance of RMA. Not bad odds.

No one has chimed in about trifire 3 of them for 900$? I have a extreme 4 asrock z87.

 

[wand3r3r]

Are you sure mining cards are the wise choice. AMD's RMA rates went up 30% across the board during the mining boom. (mentioned at hardwarecanucks). 30%. Take that as you will. I'd say they're cheap for a reason, i'd say 400$ for a new in warranty card would be better. Or staying where you are. It's your money though. Regardless of manufacturer, 30% increased RMA rate is not something I would take lightly.

Source please or is it just FUD?
Was it a forum user or a guess by a reviewer?

I like the mentioned at hardwarecanucks as if that "validates" the (presumably fud) statement.

 

[wand3r3r]

The 290x are literally 300$ each local. If I had a bigger psu I could likely trifire them. I game with a headset with decent ocercloxks and fans working hard anyway. Not sure if my extreme 4 z87 mb would let me run trifire. If so then I could break even but get a lil more fps.

Honestly my current setup can't push the fps I want at 120hz on new games with max settings.

What is your question?

Technically your motherboard will support it based on their site.

1. 3 x PCIe 3.0 x16, 2 x PCIe 2.0 x1
2. Supports AMD Quad CrossFireX™, 3-Way CrossFireX™, CrossFireX

http://www.asrock.com/mb/intel/Z87 Extreme4/

The other point, your PSU, you can hook up another PSU to the 2nd or third card.

$300 290x's are the best deal of the this generation!

Complain all you want about the cooler, it's a smoking deal. You will have a tough time keeping the clocks, but for the price even if they run throttling a little they are an unheard of value this generation for the high end.

Some are going to whine about mining use, however have you seen the same posters recommend an amd card even when they a better value new (mostly it appears to be a brand thing)? A few months of mining is negligible imo. I'd be a bit more picky considering a 3+ year old mining card.

 

[blackened23]

My grand father was in Detroit during the Auto industry boom. Per his tails ad-libed the saying was "a 1% break rate would bankrupt the company". In context he was saying that even a very very small "RMA" rate was unlikely/ highly avoided.

Triple 1% is only 3% chance of RMA. Not bad odds.

No one has chimed in about trifire 3 of them for 900$? I have a extreme 4 asrock z87.

Okay? Take your chances. It's your money.

 

[blackened23]

Source please or is it just FUD?
Was it a forum user or a guess by a reviewer?

I like the mentioned at hardwarecanucks as if that "validates" the (presumably fud) statement.

Your boy sushiwarrior posted it. IF you think his posts are fud, go ask him. There is speculation that he works for AMD, and for good reason. I don't know if he does. But his post history seems to indicate that he PROBABLY does work for AMD which lends credibility to his statement.

The fact that he knew that the 295X2 would be water cooled, and the code name, 5 months before everyone else did? I'd say he probably does work for AMD. I'm only stating this to point out that his statements should be taken as a sign of credible evidence, given that he has inside information for AMD.

So if he works at AMD (I don't know) that means he's your buddy. So go ask your bud sushiwarrior if the triple RMA statement is fud. Oh by the way. He also mentioned that the MTBF concept applies to GPUs. He also mentioned that mining does take a toll on cards. So say what you will. But i'd take the word of a guy that works for AMD, if he says mining takes a toll on GPUs, I'd tend to believe it if it came from someone who (probably) works for AMD and who KNOWS this information better than I do.

TL'DR:

-MTBF concept applies to GPUs as it does to HDDs
-AMD's RMA rate tripled after the mining boom.
-Mining takes a toll on GPUs due to the MTBF concept

All of this information came from someone who should be taken seriously. Someone who is apparently IN THE KNOW at AMD. If you want to ignore it, then by all means, ignore it. Go search his post history at hardwarecanucks. Use google and use your resources at hand. He did make these statements. I've screenshotted them, but, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Go look for yourself.

Infraction issued for callout.
-- stahlhart

 

[Atreidin]

For $300, even if you keep the original cooler quiet and let the card throttle, that's still awesome price/performance. The reason they are cheap is market saturation, not magical warranty gremlins.

There are risks buying used, just like someone buying from you would be taking risks. Overall I think the risks are minimal when weighed against the potential gains of hundreds of dollars are taken into account. Sometimes the stability of just keeping things the way they are is worth something. No walls of text with rants and diatribes are necessary.

 

[rtsurfer]

Your boy sushiwarrior posted it. IF you think his posts are fud, go ask him. There is speculation that he works for AMD, and for good reason. I don't know if he does. But his post history seems to indicate that he PROBABLY does work for AMD which lends credibility to his statement.

The fact that he knew that the 295X2 would be water cooled, and the code name, 5 months before everyone else did? I'd say he probably does work for AMD. I'm only stating this to point out that his statements should be taken as a sign of credible evidence, given that he has inside information for AMD.

So if he works at AMD (I don't know) that means he's your buddy. So go ask your bud sushiwarrior if the triple RMA statement is fud. Oh by the way. He also mentioned that the MTBF concept applies to GPUs. He also mentioned that mining does take a toll on cards. So say what you will. But i'd take the word of a guy that works for AMD, if he says mining takes a toll on GPUs, I'd tend to believe it if it came from someone who (probably) works for AMD and who KNOWS this information better than I do.

TL'DR:

-MTBF concept applies to GPUs as it does to HDDs
-AMD's RMA rate tripled after the mining boom.
-Mining takes a toll on GPUs due to the MTBF concept

All of this information came from someone who should be taken seriously. Someone who is apparently IN THE KNOW at AMD. If you want to ignore it, then by all means, ignore it. Go search his post history at hardwarecanucks. Use google and use your resources at hand. He did make these statements. I've screenshotted them, but, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Go look for yourself.

So just speculation & conspiracy theories.
Got it.
FUD.

 

[blackened23]

Indeed RTSURFER, indeed. The guy who works at AMD (sushiwarrior, apparently) posts FUD about his own companies products. He posts FUD about his companies RMA rates. Take it up with him if you got a problem with his FUD. What we have learned from you is that you think AMD employees post FUD about their own merchandise. Guy who works at RMA states that mining has taken a toll on their GPUs. RMA rates have gone up. Of course, according to you, we shouldn't believe the dude who works at AMD telling us this. Is that true or not? I don't know. You ask him and tell me. Sounds like you to take your FUD issue up with the guy who works for AMD. If it's FUD it's his FUD. The AMD employee FUD. Not my FUD. Toodles.

 

[rtsurfer]

Indeed RTSURFER, indeed. The guy who works at AMD (sushiwarrior, apparently) posts FUD about his own companies products. He posts FUD about his companies RMA rates. Take it up with him if you got a problem with his FUD. What we have learned from you is that you think AMD employees post FUD about their own merchandise. Guy who works at RMA states that mining has taken a toll on their GPUs. RMA rates have gone up. Of course, according to you, we shouldn't believe the dude who works at AMD telling us this. Is that true or not? I don't know. You ask him and tell me. Sounds like you to take your FUD issue up with the guy who works for AMD. If it's FUD it's his FUD. The AMD employee FUD. Not my FUD. Toodles.

What concrete proof do you have that he works at AMD.?
It's just a theory from your side.

And even if he did, there is no way they would allow him to make this information public.

Edit: Also, you have to take it up with sushiwarrior get him to prove that he works for AMD, because it is your theory, not mine. Its your task to prove it.

 

[blackened23]

Yep, just a theory, when he told us that 295X2 code-name vesuvious existed in September of 2013 and he told us that it would use an Acetek cooler. September 2013. Did you see code name vesuvious for the 295X2 before September 2013? I sure didn't. Mysteriously, 6 months later, it came true. Mysteriously, the 295X2 ended up using an ACETEK cooler just like he said it would in September 2013. It was the real code name. I guess he knew it because..why? What's the obvious conclusion? And he told it was up and running at AMD. That was definitely common knowledge back in September of 2013. Doesn't sound like someone in the know though. If you have questions ask him. If you think his posts are FUD ask him. Not me. Now go do your homework and sift through his posts and see why people speculate as they do. He more or less indirectly stated that what he does at another board. But if you're interested in finding out more, you're gonna have to either go talk to him or use your googling skills to search his post histories at various forums. Toodles.

I have no interest in discussing this anymore. I only posted his relationship to AMD to lend credibility to the increased RMA statement. That's the ONLY reason. Not as an attack on him. I really don't care what he does, although perhaps he could be more upfront about it. I wanted lend credibility to the statement that mining 24/7 did take a toll on AMD GPUs. People who mined 24/7 did cause a dramatic increase in AMD RMA rates. If you have an issue with that - take it up with him. Not me. His problem not mine. I really don't care. It's up to the consumer to make a smart choice. To me the smart choice is not saving money on a card that has an increased chance of failure regardless of the $ savings. I'd rather get a new with warranty, that's me though. IF you want to buy a hundred AMD 290X used GPUs off ebay for 380$, you go ahead and do it. Don't pretend to tell everyone that there's no risk though. That's the consumer in me thinking about the long term operation of my gear. If the OP wants to take that risk, go for it. His money not mine, I really don't care, and i'm done discussing it.

 

[rtsurfer]

Yep, just a theory, when he told us that 295X2 code-name vesuvious existed in September of 2013 and he told us that it would use an Acetek cooler. September 2013. Did you see code name vesuvious for the 295X2 before September 2013? I sure didn't. Mysteriously, 6 months later, it came true. It was the real code name. I guess he knew it because..why? What's the obvious conclusion? And he told it was up and running at AMD. That was definitely common knowledge back in September of 2013. Doesn't sound like someone in the know though. If you have questions ask him. If you think his posts are FUD ask him. Not me. Now go do your homework and sift through his posts and see why people speculate as they do. He more or less indirectly stated that what he does at another board. But if you're interested in finding out more, you're gonna have to either go talk to him or use your googling skills to search his post histories at various forums. Toodles

I have no interest in discussing this anymore. I only posted his relationship to AMD to lend credibility to the increased RMA statement. That's the ONLY reason. To lend credibility to the statement that mining 24/7 did take a toll on AMD GPUs. If you have an issue with that - take it up with him. Not me. His problem not mine. I really don't care. It's up to the consumer to make a smart choice. If the OP wants to take that risk, go for it. His money not mine, I really don't care, and i'm done discussing it.

Nailing a leak doesn't make him an official AMD employee.

Also, please even the reviewers have to sign an NDA when they receive a card to review so that they don't release the information before the embargo lifts. I would expect the companies to do the same with their employees.

And yes buying mining cards is a Gamble, it is OP's decision he wants to play it.


OP, if you want to buy mining cards, try this Guy
http://www.overclock.net/t/1481835/sapphire-r9-290x-bf4-edition-xfx-r9-290x-asus-r9-290

I expect a guy who ran a mining operation with 45 cards, to know a thing or two about how to take care of them.

And please, I have no affiliation with him. Before anyone brings out the pitchforks.()

 

[wand3r3r]

I agree mining will take a bigger toll on a card then one that sits idle most of the time. Either way that's not what is being presented here, trying to push a constant negative view on a company gets old to read, especially when it's based on hearsay and portrayed as fact.

 

[tviceman]

If the cards don't have open air coolers, your setup will be extremely loud. But if they're of the AIB-custom coolers (MSI gaming, ASUS DCU2, etc.) then heck yes it would be a great financial switch for you.

 

[Attic]

My grand father was in Detroit during the Auto industry boom. Per his tails ad-libed the saying was "a 1% break rate would bankrupt the company". In context he was saying that even a very very small "RMA" rate was unlikely/ highly avoided.

Triple 1% is only 3% chance of RMA. Not bad odds.

No one has chimed in about trifire 3 of them for 900$? I have a extreme 4 asrock z87.

Yea, love the idea for TriFire@9hundo. The extreme 4 z87 supports trifire at 8x/4x/4x. It has 16x PCI-Express 3.0 lanes. 2 on air yes, 3 on air no. 3 on water, *maybe.

Your slots are 1-7:
PCI Express x1
PCI Express 3.0 x16
PCI Express x1
PCI
PCI Express 3.0 x16
PCI
PCI Express 3.0 x16

The PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots operate at, 16x/0x/0x or 8x/8x/0x or 8x/4x/4x. You could also run 8x/0x/4x.

Using the first and second PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots will run at x8 speed which is more than adequate. You can also run in the first and third PCI Express 3.0 slots and first card will run at x8 and second card at x4, since both those are at 3.0 speeds it's also fine for 290x xfire.

Getting up with 3 cards is a problem because the 2nd and 3rd PCI Express 3.0 slots are on double width instead of triple width like the 1st and 2nd graphics slots. This will cause the 2nd and third card to be sandwhiched together and exacerbate heat problems (particularly given 3 cards).

*** If you want to water cool and run 3, then I think that's fine. I'll hunt down a review of 290x running on PCI 3.0 at 4x/8x/16x so you can look at speeds. I don't think an 8x/4x/4x config at PCI Express 3.0 speeds for trifire will be a problem, but i'd dig around on that.


Edit:
Impact of PCI-E Speed on Gaming Performance

Only goes up to 2cards, but worth looking through. PCI 3.0 x4 speed is equal to PCI 2.0 x8 speed.

 

[chimaxi83]

Your boy sushiwarrior posted it. IF you think his posts are fud, go ask him. There is speculation that he works for AMD, and for good reason. I don't know if he does. But his post history seems to indicate that he PROBABLY does work for AMD which lends credibility to his statement.

The fact that he knew that the 295X2 would be water cooled, and the code name, 5 months before everyone else did? I'd say he probably does work for AMD. I'm only stating this to point out that his statements should be taken as a sign of credible evidence, given that he has inside information for AMD.

So if he works at AMD (I don't know) that means he's your buddy. So go ask your bud sushiwarrior if the triple RMA statement is fud. Oh by the way. He also mentioned that the MTBF concept applies to GPUs. He also mentioned that mining does take a toll on cards. So say what you will. But i'd take the word of a guy that works for AMD, if he says mining takes a toll on GPUs, I'd tend to believe it if it came from someone who (probably) works for AMD and who KNOWS this information better than I do.

TL'DR:

-MTBF concept applies to GPUs as it does to HDDs
-AMD's RMA rate tripled after the mining boom.
-Mining takes a toll on GPUs due to the MTBF concept

All of this information came from someone who should be taken seriously. Someone who is apparently IN THE KNOW at AMD. If you want to ignore it, then by all means, ignore it. Go search his post history at hardwarecanucks. Use google and use your resources at hand. He did make these statements. I've screenshotted them, but, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Go look for yourself.

Indeed RTSURFER, indeed. The guy who works at AMD (sushiwarrior, apparently) posts FUD about his own companies products. He posts FUD about his companies RMA rates. Take it up with him if you got a problem with his FUD. What we have learned from you is that you think AMD employees post FUD about their own merchandise. Guy who works at RMA states that mining has taken a toll on their GPUs. RMA rates have gone up. Of course, according to you, we shouldn't believe the dude who works at AMD telling us this. Is that true or not? I don't know. You ask him and tell me. Sounds like you to take your FUD issue up with the guy who works for AMD. If it's FUD it's his FUD. The AMD employee FUD. Not my FUD. Toodles.

Yep, just a theory, when he told us that 295X2 code-name vesuvious existed in September of 2013 and he told us that it would use an Acetek cooler. September 2013. Did you see code name vesuvious for the 295X2 before September 2013? I sure didn't. Mysteriously, 6 months later, it came true. Mysteriously, the 295X2 ended up using an ACETEK cooler just like he said it would in September 2013. It was the real code name. I guess he knew it because..why? What's the obvious conclusion? And he told it was up and running at AMD. That was definitely common knowledge back in September of 2013. Doesn't sound like someone in the know though. If you have questions ask him. If you think his posts are FUD ask him. Not me. Now go do your homework and sift through his posts and see why people speculate as they do. He more or less indirectly stated that what he does at another board. But if you're interested in finding out more, you're gonna have to either go talk to him or use your googling skills to search his post histories at various forums. Toodles.

I have no interest in discussing this anymore. I only posted his relationship to AMD to lend credibility to the increased RMA statement. That's the ONLY reason. Not as an attack on him. I really don't care what he does, although perhaps he could be more upfront about it. I wanted lend credibility to the statement that mining 24/7 did take a toll on AMD GPUs. People who mined 24/7 did cause a dramatic increase in AMD RMA rates. If you have an issue with that - take it up with him. Not me. His problem not mine. I really don't care. It's up to the consumer to make a smart choice. To me the smart choice is not saving money on a card that has an increased chance of failure regardless of the $ savings. I'd rather get a new with warranty, that's me though. IF you want to buy a hundred AMD 290X used GPUs off ebay for 380$, you go ahead and do it. Don't pretend to tell everyone that there's no risk though. That's the consumer in me thinking about the long term operation of my gear. If the OP wants to take that risk, go for it. His money not mine, I really don't care, and i'm done discussing it.

W. T. F.?

Holy effing trolling and call outs, batman. Hint hint dude, if you "didn't really care" like you constantly say, why are you trolling, calling out members, and posting insane walls of text CONSTANTLY?

 

[UaVaj]

for creditability comparison - predicting stock (up or down or stay) is easier than predicting amd next gpu's actual code name and actual description.

knowing those inside info way before launch. blackened23 source is definitely associated with amd somehow. sushiwarrior comments should be taken with a grain of creditability when it is about amd.

buying used has its rewards and its risks. folks need to be paying attention to credible info (blackened23 info) and facts (post #25) when making decisions. otherwise just buy new and stop getting all bent.

 

[UaVaj]

as for extreme4 z87 running tri-fireX. it will run it 8x/4x/4x.
do bear in mind that the last gpu will be running pcie 2.0 4x off the chipset. also bear in mind that crossfireX also need to run on the pcie.
how much of a performance hit. you will be the gineau pig. do report back.



if you are seriously considering 290x x3. it is time to consider a plx motherboard.

 

[wand3r3r]

for creditability comparison - predicting stock (up or down or stay) is easier than predicting amd next gpu's actual code name and actual description.

knowing those inside info way before launch. blackened23 source is definitely associated with amd somehow. sushiwarrior comments should be taken with a grain of creditability when it is about amd.

buying used has its rewards and its risks. folks need to be paying attention to credible info (blackened23 info) and facts (post #25) when making decisions. otherwise just buy new and stop getting all bent.

I agree sushiwarrior is credible/has credibility (on ATF, who knows if someone has nicked the username on other forums). However the whole issue I had was the way blackened23 presented the info (as fact which we don't know if it is).

 

[Erenhardt]

Since when do you trust AMD sources Blackened23?

Infraction issued for thread crapping.
-- stahlhart

 

[Attic]

as for extreme4 z87 running tri-fireX. it will run it 8x/4x/4x.
do bear in mind that the last gpu will be running pcie 2.0 4x off the chipset. also bear in mind that crossfireX also need to run on the pcie.
how much of a performance hit. you will be the gineau pig. do report back.



if you are seriously considering 290x x3. it is time to consider a plx motherboard.

All three graphics slots on this and other z87 boards with 3 PCI Express 16x slots should run off CPU at PCI-Express 3.0.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6989/intel-z87-motherboard-review-with-haswell-gigabyte-msi-asrock-and-asus-at-200

 

[stahlhart]

snip

snip

Next time, just report the post, and spare everyone here the drama and hand-wringing.
-- stahlhart

 

[Gikaseixas]

At those prices i'd be willing to buy them, perhaps two for $600 and enjoy 295x like performance for $900 less. To me, this is worth whatever risk is involved in buying second hand from a miner. Do it OP