Upgrading to R9 290 from 7970

[n3cw4rr10r]

Is it worth it? If so which one of the AMD partner cards should I get?

Thanks.

 

[blastingcap]

what's the rest of your system including monitor resolution?

 

[Yuriman]

I'm assuming you have the non-GHz version: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1032?vs=1068

Not worth it to to me, but it is an improvement. Might want to look into a second card instead.

 

[nitromullet]

Get a used one on eBay. Cards used for crypto coin mining sell for under $300 all the time. Ideally, look for a brand that carries a 3 year warranty from the date a manufacture without a receipt (MSI and Gigabyte), but if you find a good enough deal on another brand it might be worth it to roll the dice.

 

[n3cw4rr10r]

i5-3570k | CM HYPER EVO | AsRock Z77 Extreme4
Corsair Vengeance 16gb | Gigabyte Radeon 7970 OC
Corsair 300R | Corsair CX750 | ASUS 23" IPS 1080p | Vizio 47" 3D 1080p 120hz

Have a Corsair TX 850 V2, I havent put in yet. Also I will be picking up the Vizio 4k tv sometime this year when it hits the market. Not sure if I will be picking up a 4k monitor anytime soon. I use my rig purely for gaming. Windows 8.1 pro.

 

[Bateluer]

I'm assuming you have the non-GHz version: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1032?vs=1068

Not worth it to to me, but it is an improvement. Might want to look into a second card instead.

That looks like a pretty significant bump to me. Keep in mind, the older AMD cards have the Crossfire microstutter issues, only the Hawaii based cards actually resolve it.

Assuming the rest of your system is up to speed, I'd say go for it. Just get one with a decent cooler on it, easy enough these days.

 

[n3cw4rr10r]

I dont want to crossfire. Here is my reasoning anyway for it: Crossfire would add more heat and power draw than using a single card. I dont mind paying for a newer card (single gpu) especially if the performance diff is minimal compared to crossfiring the card I already have. I can always recoup some of my money selling my old card.

 

[IEC]

He's saying go for the R290 as opposed to crossfiring 7970s. Which I would agree with, especially if you can find one of those ~$300 290s.

 

[Yuriman]

I dont want to crossfire. Here is my reasoning anyway for it: Crossfire would add more heat and power draw than using a single card. I dont mind paying for a newer card (single gpu) especially if the performance diff is minimal compared to crossfiring the card I already have. I can always recoup some of my money selling my old card.

Crossfire will be significantly faster, but with all the baggage that dual cards bring...

 

[n3cw4rr10r]

So, now that the minor question if the upgrade is worth it has been answered ... which one of the R9 290s should I get? I dont mind paying for a new card. In fact I rather pay for a new card for warranty purposes just in case.

 

[wand3r3r]

XFX DD, which I saw for $400 on the Tech Buyers Guru hot deals (in sig), otherwise probably the Sapphire tri-x would be a couple great choices. The Vapor-x would also be awesome too but it's a bit expensive still.

I really like the MSI gaming but the oil leak from the fan has me a bit cautious on it.

 

[Mondozei]

Go for it. Sapphire's Tri-X is the best cooler this generation. I'm sure you've read Anandtech's review of it late last year for the R9 290.

 

[n3cw4rr10r]

http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Versi...apphire+r9+290

http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-VAPOR...apphire+r9+290

Its only a $30 difference between the Tri-X and Vapor-X cards. But I am hearing there is some kind of issue with the Vapor-X 290 cards.

The XFX Black DD is very very interesting considering the lifetime warranty. But I have heard xfx cards have a higher failure rate. Please correct me if I am wrong.

 

[IEC]

In order of cooling performance:
0. Water cooling or other exotic cooling solution (voids warranty except for factory waterblocked cards)
1. Powercolor PCS+ with 3 slot cooler or Sapphire Vapor-X
2. Sapphire Tri-X
3. Every other non-reference 290
99. Reference 290

As mentioned before, certain manufacturers only need a valid serial # within warranty for RMA. MSI and Gigabyte are a few and if you don't mind buying used you can sometimes pick up used 290s for under $300, which is as good as you'll get price-wise.

I'm currently buying some of those cards used for mining on the cheap for gaming PCs for friends. Best bang for the buck for high end gaming.

Edit: No clue if rumors of higher failure rates for XFX cards are true or not. I've got two XFX 290s hashing away in my garage with no issues since November.

 

[n3cw4rr10r]

Seems like sapphire is universally accepted as the best of the lot. The vapor-x would go nicely with my case/color combo. The yellow on the tri-x is :|.

I think the XFX looks the best of the lot.

 

[Attic]

I'd avoid XFX. Nice looking cooler, but has VRM temp issues and i'd give them another few rounds of cards to prove themselves after their disaster on the 7970 series.

290 is a beast, look for the Tri-x or PCS+ versions of the card. Both proven.

There were some issues with the PCS+ on a limited batch that has been resolved and put to rest AFAIK.

 

[nitromullet]

No clue if rumors of higher failure rates for XFX cards are true or not. I've got two XFX 290s hashing away in my garage with no issues since November.

The reference cards are all the same AFAIK. I believe the mentioned issue with vrm cooling would be with the XFX custom cooler versions.

The MSI Twin Frozr cards seem to suffer from an issue with the fans leaking bearing lubricant. You can actually see greasy looking stuff that the seller has tried to wipe off in some of the pictures on eBay. I'm not sure if MSI has addressed this issue or not, but I personally avoided the Twin Frozr cards for this reason. Sure, they come with a 3 year warranty, but buying someone else's RMA issue is not my idea of a good value. MSI reference cards should be fine and also carry the 3 year warranty.

I have an reference XFX 290 en route I picked up for $260 shipped. I just hope the cooler isn't too noisy.

 

[blastingcap]

Sapphire is not universally recognized as the best, sorry. Their fans have failed me too often compared to other companies. I don't care if they cool marginally better if I have to keep RMAing cards, and that goes double if they price their cards MORE than the competition.

People need to get over XFX's 79xx coolers. The R9 2xx series DD coolers are in line with everyone else's. They are fine and give you a lifetime warranty unlike everyone else who has 3 years or fewer.

MSI claims to have addressed the MSI 4G Gaming fan lubricant leakage issue in newer cards, and you can send older ones in for RMA if you want. http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showpost.php?p=25969080&postcount=203

 

[nitromullet]

People need to get over XFX's 79xx coolers. The R9 2xx series DD coolers are in line with everyone else's. They are fine and give you a lifetime warranty unlike everyone else who has 3 years or fewer.

XFX has a 2 year warranty on most of their cards now.

 

[blastingcap]

XFX has a 2 year warranty on most of their cards now.

R9 DD = lifetime warranty. And that is the relevant cooler, the cooler people are discussing in this thread.

 

[nitromullet]

R9 DD = lifetime warranty. And that is the relevant cooler, the cooler people are discussing in this thread.

It's possible, but I don't see any mention of the R9's.

Which products are eligible for a limited lifetime hardware warranty?

The following Graphics Cards are eligible for an extension of the standard two-year limited hardware warranty:

1. XFX Radeon HD 7000 Series Dual Fan (Double Dissipation Edition) Graphics Cards with Ghost Technology; a floating cover design that maximizes airflow by creating exceptional venting throughout the card.
- See more at: http://xfxforce.com/en-us/support/xfx-warranty#sthash.I6vqRc6J.dpuf

either way, a lot of these warranties have gotten really convoluted...

 

[n3cw4rr10r]

XFX has a 2 year warranty on most of their cards now.

I believe XFX cards have a lifetime warranty if registered within 30 days of purchasing them. The BE runs around $420 on amazon. Its by far the cheapest.

It does have a lower clock speed than the other cards. Will this make a difference in performance and if so how bad will it be? I will be getting a 4k TV sometime this year.

P.S: I play games like bf4, skyrim, diablo, bioshock etc

 

[Makaveli]

Not much of a bump in performance if you ask me. Are you planning to sell the old card to finance the upgrade?

Also are you sure a 290 is going to be strong enough for gaming at 4k?

 

[Rezist]

I'd say hold onto the 7970

 

[Attic]

1 290 is not ideal for 4k.

Beyond that, there is the consideration for getting video into a 4kTV. AFAIK you are limited to 3840x2160 to 30fps max. You can run as many fps as your system can, but the input of the current 4kTV's won't take over 30fps.

4k Computer monitor you are fine for 60fps.