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Which of these two 4890 cards is better?

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I recently was recommend both of these 4890 cards, each in favour over the other. Which one is better than the other? (I know, I'll save $2 on one, 😛)

XFX 4890

MSI R4890 Cyclone

So, what's the difference, and which one should I go with?
 
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XFX has the best warranties.

There's really not much else different other than which fan you like more...
 
Sorry to revive an old thread but I had a similar question between the two cards. I'm planning to build a new pc (current one doesn't even have a pci-e slot....) and need help selecting a new video card. I can't decide between the MSI R4890 Cyclone OC 1gb or the XFX from newegg. My concern is the lack of heatsinks on the memory, which seems to be the major issue with these cards. How are the quality of MSI cards?
The MSI card is also cheaper at 160 usd so I'm leaning towards that.

Any assistance is greatly appreciated.
 
MSI:

- The MSI card is $160 with no rebate vs. XFX which requires a rebate
- HDMI port vs. none for XFX.
- MSI card is factory overclocked 880mhz vs. XFX which is not
http://www.msi.com/index.php?func=proddesc&maincat_no=130&cat2_no=137&prod_no=1849
- Hi-c CAP (Highly-conductive Capacitor) for better GPU stability & overclocking ability
- SSC (Solid State Choke) for No Buzz noise
- Solid Capacitor for longer lifespan (this doesn't matter anyway).

XFX
- Double lifetime warranty
- Likely exhausts more air outside of the case than the MSI card

Based on this, I'd pick the MSI card.

Review of MSI Cyclone SOC (1 ghz though vs. 880mhz for the one at zipzoomfly)
http://www.guru3d.com/article/msi-radeon-4890-cyclone-soc-review-1ghz/3
 
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Thanks for the response RussianSensation. From your sig, I see that you have the same card. What are your thoughts on it? Temps, stability and etc. I plan on building an i5 system. Monitor rez is 1680x1050, so it should last me a couple of years.
 
+1 for XFX. If you plan to sell or give away the card at some point, having another warranty to pass on is great. I really like EVGA's warranty service too, but they are NV only, unfortunately.
 
I have the XFX 4890 and it is a powerful card that hasn't died on me yet after a lot of heavy usage. Though I'm switching back to Nvidia ASAP because my favorite MMO has some serious problems with ATI drivers. Nothing bad about the card, it ran Crysis very well and preforms very well with other games.
 
MSI Cyclone for $159 at zzf was too amazing to pass up. I ordered 2 on Sunday and they just arrived. There are two really good reviews of the msi if you google it. The odd cooler seems to really work.
 
I saw on HardForums that XFX apparently used crap parts for some of their 4890s and they overclock for crap too.
Kinda surprised me cause my Nvidia cards from them were spectacular in oc'ing, but quite a few people were saying this.
 
imported_GiN,

The card I have is not the Cyclone. The Cyclone replaced my card instead (i.e., same specs). However, my card uses the reference design but came overclocked with 880 mhz gpu. It runs at only 26% gpu fan at idle (really quiet for me and is easily overpowered by my case fans). However, the fan speed is noticeable above 34-35%. At idle it runs at 59-61*C and at load about 77-79*C.

Either way you go, 4890 is a great choice at the moment (other than the lack of DX11 which isn't important just yet).
 
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