Thoughts on ~$650 R9 295x2 BF Deal?

[TheCheapLuddite]

This was posted on Slickdeals a few days ago, and looks pretty spanking:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150710

Considering the card started out around ~$1500, and the performance still seems to blow everything but Titan Z or a 980 sli setup out of the water, it's pretty tempting.

There seem to be some negative reviews, though, and I've been lurking various forums and seeing chatter about the rumored AMD 390 series hitting early next year, and then further price drops on other things, etc, etc.

Furthermore, I wonder if my PC would even be able to run it? Looks like an 850w PSU is the minimum suggested, and that's what I have currently.

I'm running a 2 year old iBuypower pre-built that wasn't too shabby a few years ago, and still isn't bad, but I'm thinking it might be time to start looking at upgrades.

Full specs:

Windows 7 64bit
i7 2600k @ 3.4 GHz
8gb ram
AMD 7970
XFX Pro 850w PSU

I'm still on a 1080p screen, for now, but I'd like to upgrade to 4k eventually (though it looks like pretty much nothing runs Ultra/60fps on that right now).

Thoughts? Should I grab this? Is it too much for my computer/psu? Not really necessary if you're not gaming above 1080p for most titles? Better cards/prices just around the corner?

 

[ShintaiDK]

You got 1080p now with an unknown estimate for 4K?

If you wish to stay the AMD route, I would simply buy a single 290 or 290X(From 270-280$) then and wait.

Maybe its me, but I dont see 650$ as a crazy good deal for the 295X2, unless you are limited to 1 PCIe slot. Not to mention the love and hate with dual GPU issues.

 

[SteveGrabowski]

With a 7970 I'd just wait for the R9 300 series. The 295x2 makes no sense whatsoever for 1080p.

 

[lavaheadache]

hellaluva card for the money but beyond what you need for your monitor. Screen first then buy the card. Video cards are like rotting food. Overnight there could be something that shifts the entire market. Learn to use it to your advantage.

 

[TheCheapLuddite]

You got 1080p now with an unknown estimate for 4K?

If you wish to stay the AMD route, I would simply buy a single 290 or 290X(From 270-280$) then and wait.

Maybe its me, but I dont see 650$ as a crazy good deal for the 295X2, unless you are limited to 1 PCIe slot. Not to mention the love and hate with dual GPU issues.

With a 7970 I'd just wait for the R9 300 series. The 295x2 makes no sense whatsoever for 1080p.

Cheers - that's the sort of feedback I was looking for.

I'm playing Dragon Age: Inquisition right now, and getting 30 - 60fps with everything on Ultra (at an average of 47fps), depending on the location. Judging by some benchmarks, a 290x would get an average of 57fps. It's an AMD optimized game, so it looks like I'd have to go all the way up to a 980 with nvidia to get around 60fps (970 with current drivers performs just a few fps better than my 7970, according to benchmarks), which is only a little cheaper than the 295x2 on sale right now.

A 295x2 would obviously max and run at 60fps, but I'm not sure that's the best buy at this point, and your responses also seem to suggest that.

DA:I aside, 290x seems to be nowhere near as good as the 870 in just about everything else, and that's probably down to drivers. Seems I'm better off waiting, tempting as an upgrade right now is.

 

[alcoholbob]

It's good if you need a card to run UHD/4K right now with the caveat being if the game has good multi-GPU support.

 

[njdevilsfan87]

As good as a price this is for a 295X2, you'll need to have either a 144Hz monitor or 4K monitor to really get the most out of it. The 380X also looks like it could be a game changer, so I think the best route is to go 290 (or find a dirt cheap used 7970 for CF) and wait for the 300 series.

 

[TheCheapLuddite]

As good as a price this is for a 295X2, you'll need to have either a 144Hz monitor or 4K monitor to really get the most out of it. The 380X also looks like it could be a game changer, so I think the best route is to go 290 (or find a dirt cheap used 7970 for CF) and wait for the 300 series.

You know, I might actually give the 7970 CF a shot:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-031-_-Product

$150 for a 7970? Not bad.

 

[SlowSpyder]

What motherboard do you have? You can get two non-reference R9 290's or even R9 290X's for less. You'd need two slots though. You could even start with just one R9 290/R9 290X and add one later since the 7970 is already running everything well for you, one card would already be an upgrade and should only run things better yet. Then add a second card if you want later. Just a thought.

*edit - I'd also suggest bumping up your 2600K's clockspeed a bit if you can. A 3.4GHz Sandy Bridge i7 is still quite capable, but it may limit you at certain points in games.

 

[TheCheapLuddite]

What motherboard do you have? You can get two non-reference R9 290's or even R9 290X's for less. You'd need two slots though. You could even start with just one R9 290/R9 290X and add one later since the 7970 is already running everything well for you, one card would already be an upgrade and should only run things better yet. Then add a second card if you want later. Just a thought.

*edit - I'd also suggest bumping up your 2600K's clockspeed a bit if you can. A 3.4GHz Sandy Bridge i7 is still quite capable, but it may limit you at certain points in games.

I'm thinking about buying a second 7970 for $150 right now, just to give me an FPS boost till the next series of cards hits sometime next year.

Seems like that would be the cheapest option to boost performance right now?

I have a Gigabyte GA-Z68A-D3H-B3: http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3856#ov

Says it should support CF.

It also looks like my processor was factory clocked to 3.7, even though it's listed as 3.4 (shows 3.7 in my system menu).

I should mention that I have a fairly low tech level when it comes to PC building - most I've done is replace a GPU. I've never tried CF, though I've heard a lot of mixed dialogue around crossfire.

 

[SlowSpyder]

I'm in the same place as you... haha. Trying to decide on a second 7970, CF 7970's are cheap and is a potent combination. Having 3GB of memory really added to their longevity (I've had mine almost three years now, still plays games quite well). I think I'm going to grab a second 7970 vs. going with a GTX980 / R9 290 / R9 290X, then when 20nm GPU's come out I'll look at spending bigger money at that time. Probably my strategy, might make sense for you as well. Decisions..!

 

[RussianSensation]

If you waited this long and the game you primarily play right now runs well enough for you, might as well see what happens when R9 300 series launches. 2-3 months before 970/980 launched, many of us said to wait on GPU upgrades and those who did benefited tremendously (780Ti went down from $600-700 to $350-400, while R9 290/290X also saw price drops of $100-150, and 970 for $330-350 is a great deal too). I would say AMD has to launch something faster and/or with better price/performance. Therefore, I think you should be able to pick up 2 cards for $700 that will beat 295X2 in games and have better power usage and newer features. In your case it doesn't seem like you are limited to just 1 PCIe slot, which means 295X2 isn't the must buy for you as it is for someone with a MicroATX/MiniITX case.

 

[TheCheapLuddite]

I'm in the same place as you... haha. Trying to decide on a second 7970, CF 7970's are cheap and is a potent combination. Having 3GB of memory really added to their longevity (I've had mine almost three years now, still plays games quite well). I think I'm going to grab a second 7970 vs. going with a GTX980 / R9 290 / R9 290X, then when 20nm GPU's come out I'll look at spending bigger money at that time. Probably my strategy, might make sense for you as well. Decisions..!

Yeah, I think I'm going to give a second 7970 in CF a shot, then see what else comes down the road... $150 for an upgrade doesn't sound bad right now. Thanks everyone for the advice!

 

[RussianSensation]

Yeah, I think I'm going to give a second 7970 in CF a shot, then see what else comes down the road... $150 for an upgrade doesn't sound bad right now. Thanks everyone for the advice!

See if you can sell your 7970 and instead of spending $150 on a 2nd 7970, just get dual 290s and sell the game coupons that come with them. Overall you might spend just a bit more but get 20-30% more performance, 4GB of VRAM, and better Mantle performance in modern games too, and CF over XDMA engines which is supposed to be much smoother than 7970 CF.

 

[positivedoppler]

Its about a hair more than two 290x but you get the smaller form factor and water cooling. Then again, do you get more free games if you purchase two 290 or 290x individually

 

[TheCheapLuddite]

I ended up buying a second 7970 for CF, from NewEgg, since it was $100 off for BF. I've got until the end of January to return it if the CF doesn't work out, so I think that should hold me for now (at least until new GPUs hit).

 

[Vesku]

I'd ride the 7970 out until the next actual node shrink GPUs show up. Considering my 7950 does alright at 1440P I don't think you will have any problems waiting 6-9 months for significantly better performing cards.

 

[3DVagabond]

Crossfired 290's won't run as cool as the 295x2 and will be slower. You need to worry about throttling and getting all the heat out of your case with 2 cards.

 

[wand3r3r]

I think it's the best card over $300. Maybe the only good choice in that price segment.

There are a few ways you could look at it.
980 $550 vs. 295x2 $650 isn't even a slight competition.
$330 970 vs. 295x2, 970 SLI is pretty bad based on the few reviews that actually investigate it (where are the 7970 xfire bashers). The 295x2 is pretty close to $1100 SLI, especially at higher resolutions.

The weakest comparison is against the 290/290x. They are pretty cheap and if you can find a $200 290 then the 295x2 doesn't provide much to consider it. If you compare it to the 290x then I'd go 295x2.

Basically if you want to buy today, I'd either go 295x2 or 290x2.

Now the other consideration, the 380/390x/980 ti.

I think the 980 ti will be delayed like the 780 ti was, with the professional card coming first and the titan to milk out the top dollar sales first. I think the only way we will see the 980 ti soon is if the 390x is considerably faster than the mid range 980.

The 390x will probably be in the $550+ price range. I don't see it hitting double the 290x performance so the 295x2 will still be a strong contender.

tldr;
290 or 295x2 vs. 390x/980 ti. They all have something to consider.