Which R9 280X ? Sapphire Or GIGABYTE

[Bar20]

Hi,

So i'm planning on buying the new R9 280X and I have two options in simiilar price:

GIGABYTE Radeon R9 280X Windforce X3 3GB
Sapphire Radeon R9 280X VAPOR-X OC 3GB GDDR5

Which one is the best choice? especiialy for OC!

 

[escrow4]

Sapphire; I bought one yesterday, but it was only brand preference as they are both good options. You need a decent PSU for the Sapphire one, it needs 2 8 pin connectors. Also what are your system specs? Little point buying a grunty card if you'll be bottlenecked.

 

[KentState]

My Sapphire 7970Ghz has been going great and overclocks well. I can run it at 1150/1600 without any issues and the temps stay low.

 

[blackened23]

The Gigabyte model is 299$ MSRP which isn't shabby, and the cooler is very very good. I've been pretty impressed with the Windforce 2.0 design. That said, you can't go wrong with sapphire either. IMO just get whichever one is cheaper.

 

[Bar20]

Sapphire; I bought one yesterday, but it was only brand preference as they are both good options. You need a decent PSU for the Sapphire one, it needs 2 8 pin connectors. Also what are your system specs? Little point buying a grunty card if you'll be bottlenecked.

I7 920
2.66GHz 8MB CORE I7 1366 QUAD 920

MB
GAX58AUD3R

Ram
8GB

psu
600W

 

[toyota]

I7 920
2.66GHz 8MB CORE I7 1366 QUAD 920

MB
GAX58AUD3R

Ram
8GB

psu
600W

you need to oc that cpu for sure. and what is the EXACT model psu as just saying 600 watts means very little. also what resolution are you going to be playing at???

 

[Bar20]

you need to oc that cpu for sure. and what is the EXACT model psu as just saying 600 watts means very little. also what resolution are you going to be playing at???

Psu:
12CM FAN A.PFC WIN+600 600W HEC

Res:
1080/1920

 

[el etro]

Gigabyte. This round Windforce is best, competes in quality with top-end Cooling+PCB design solutions like Lightning, Matrix and Hawk.
Last two years there were several reports of Windforces 7970 hitting 1250-1300Mhz on air, so then Gigabyte locked the voltage of the cards.
Other recommended is the IceQ versions.
But i still think you will not go wrong with Sapphire too...

 

[raghu78]

OP go with a card with a better cooler like ASUS R9 280X DCII TOP or HIS R9 280X iceq x2. both the sapphire vapor-x and gigabyte wf3 are loud according to reviewers.

 

[Teizo]

...both the sapphire vapor-x and gigabyte wf3 are loud according to reviewers.

That is actually a point all too often overlooked imho. I'm a bit of a silence freak, but then again with good components this day and age performance =/= loud.

My rig is high performance, but it hardly makes a sound, even under load. I personally would have it no other way.

 

[escrow4]

I tested out the Sapphire I bought gaming and I can't hear it in my HAF XM case. Ice cold too, relatively, hits 50 celsius or so in Crysis 3.

 

[BallaTheFeared]

Why would you buy either with $180 7950s?

280X is a rebadge 7970, the 7970 wasn't worth $60 more than the 7950, let alone the $120 they're asking for the 280X.

 

[Bar20]

Why would you buy either with $180 7950s?

280X is a rebadge 7970, the 7970 wasn't worth $60 more than the 7950, let alone the $120 they're asking for the 280X.

You can't compare between the 280x to the 7950, the new amd is much better in the overall benchmarks and tests that i have seen so far

 

[BallaTheFeared]

It's a 7970 with a new sticker and a higher clock speed, please don't be that guy.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

I agree. Buy the 7950 and overclock it. You'll get 90 to 95% of the performance for 60% of the cost of a 280x.
It's about a no brainer as it gets if buying a high end gpu today.

 

[raghu78]

You can't compare between the 280x to the 7950, the new amd is much better in the overall benchmarks and tests that i have seen so far

OP the R9 280X is a HD 7970. R9 280X and HD 7970 have 2048 sp while HD 7950 has 1792 sp. rest of the chip is the same. the core clocks are lower on HD 7950 at 925 mhz. all these 3 cards are based on the same Tahiti chip.

HD 7950 is 5 - 7% slower than HD 7970 at same clocks. the HD 7950 cards are unbeatable for value for money. with voltage tweaking 1150 mhz is fairly common. sapphire has a good cooler and unlocked voltage

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814202026

so if you want the best value for money go with a HD 7950 and overclock it. but if you don't want to try your hand at the silicon lottery and want the R9 280X aka HD 7970 thats fine too. remember R9 280X cards don't come with 3 free games while with HD 7970 and HD 7950 you get the GOLD rewards coupon.

if you want the R9 280X go for the ASUS R9 280X DCII TOP. one of the quietest coolers :thumbsup:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121803

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2013/10/07/asus_r9_280x_directcu_ii_top_video_card_review

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/asus_radeon_r9_280x_top_review,10.html

http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/graphics/61013-asus-radeon-r9-280x-directcu-ii-top/?page=10

 

[runzwithsizorz]

Why not wait for the 290x and see what shakes out? Prices may lower on all cards...
can you wait a month or two? Have you considered the 290's?

The Wife

 

[Shmee]

I would go for the sapphire 7950. Going to see if I can order one this weekend!

 

[raghu78]

I would go for the sapphire 7950. Going to see if I can order one this weekend!

I think you should wait till oct 15th and then decide on going CF. a voltage overclocked R9 290 could get close to HD 7950 CF with all the advantages of a single GPU. Hawaii seems to be a real beast with 64 ROPs and a massive 4GB framebuffer.

 

[Ieat]

You can't compare between the 280x to the 7950, the new amd is much better in the overall benchmarks and tests that i have seen so far

Congrats OP you almost fell for the rebranding trap. Good thing you checked here first. As for which company I'm always partial to the companies with a 3 year transferable warranty. At the same prices I'll always take MSI, Gigabyte, Asus or Evga(Nvidia) first. No grey area, no hassles if and when I need to sell.

 

[Shmee]

I think you should wait till oct 15th and then decide on going CF. a voltage overclocked R9 290 could get close to HD 7950 CF with all the advantages of a single GPU. Hawaii seems to be a real beast with 64 ROPs and a massive 4GB framebuffer.

It is a possibility, but I don't think I have the budge atm. My understanding is that the 290 series is closer to $600, while I could almost double my performance for about $190 AR with a second 7950.

 

[blackened23]

Personally, unless budget is a huge huge concern, i'd go with the 280x instead of the 7970 just to avoid the dreaded coil whine problem that affects so many 7970 SKUs. I got lucky with my 7970s where it wasn't really an issue, but had friends that would have to exchange card after card because SO many of them have coil whine. Apparently the coil whine issue is fixed on the 280x. It was particularly pronounced on the original non GE sapphire 7970 dual x.

I also disagree about the GBT windforce cooler being noisy. I've tested the Rev 2.0 windforce and it really is fantastic in terms of (lack of) noise. Easily one of the best IMO. Plus, the GBT 280X boosts to 1100mhz. Not too shabby.

 

[BallaTheFeared]

Probably won't make a difference, coil whine is hit or miss and has been around since forever. It's unlikely this will be the rebadge that changes that.

 

[Bobisuruncle54]

OP go with a card with a better cooler like ASUS R9 280X DCII TOP or HIS R9 280X iceq x2. both the sapphire vapor-x and gigabyte wf3 are loud according to reviewers.

I'm going to get a 280X soon too and was wondering about the noise levels in particular, so thanks for pointing this out!

Have you got a link to a review where they compare noise levels?

 

[raghu78]

It is a possibility, but I don't think I have the budge atm. My understanding is that the 290 series is closer to $600, while I could almost double my performance for about $190 AR with a second 7950.

R9 290 is likely to end up at USD 450 - 500. so wait and decide.