Which R9 290 card to get?

[sapped]

Hey guys,

I'm thinking of building a new PC specifically for gaming, and am thinking of getting a R9 290 for the GPU,
however I'm wondering which brand exactly should I get?

Here's the list I'm looking at:
http://au.pcpartpicker.com/parts/video-card/#c=152&sort=d5

Also this is the store I'm using since I can get a special price there:
https://www.umart.com.au/umart1/pro/index.phtml?bid=9

Which one on that list would be the best bang for the buck? The Sapphire one seems to be the most popular,
but is it really the best in terms of value/performance ratio? And also low temp heat and great cooling?

Since I can't seem to find a benchmark comparing all those cards together

Also on Tom's card suggestion list:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-4.html

It says that:
Make sure you opt for a model with aftermarket cooling though, since the reference model is somewhat loud. Fortunately, Radeon R9 290s equipped with that noisy fan have been replaced by more customized solutions.

Does it mean the cards on the list are already customized versions with aftermarket cooling? Or do I need to buy a separate cooler?

Sorry I'm still relatively new to PC building, appreciate any help and recommendations!

 

[Shmee]

Hey, the Sapphire Tri-X cards have one of the best coolers, and come with good clock speeds too. And to answer your question, they come pre-configured with the better cooler. At the slightly higher end is the MSI lightning and the Sapphire Vapor-X. This may not be worth the price premium to you, depending on your local prices.

 

[Leyawiin]

I love my XFX Double Dissipation R9 290. Its a stock 947 Mhz model, but the HSF is great - quiet and cool running. I get about 65C while gaming and 71C while running Heaven. I have a well ventilated case, but that's still quite good. Plus its just a good looking card. Its cheapest on your list, but it doesn't seem to be in stock at your preferred store. Still, I highly recommend it.

 

[raghu78]

yes the sapphire R9 290 OC Tri-X is one of the best coolers. lower noise than other models like Asus R9 290 Direct Cu, MSI R9 290 Gaming, Gigabyte R9 290 Windforce etc . here are a few reviews to prove the same. definitely go with Tri-X. :thumbsup:

http://www.mwave.com.au/product/sapphire-amd-radeon-r9-290-4gb-overclocked-trix-video-card-ab53420
https://www.umart.com.au/umart1/pro/Products-details.phtml?id=&id2=422&bid=9&sid=161284
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=26373&cPath=877

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-r9-290-and-290x,3728-8.html

https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.computerbase.de%2F2014-05%2Famd-radeon-r9-290-290x-roundup-test%2F3%2F&edit-text=

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7601/sapphire-radeon-r9-290-review-our-first-custom-cooled-290/4

"At 41.1dB the 290 Tri-X OC beats a number of Tahiti based cards, including our 7970GE and Sapphire’s own 280X Toxic, and it even edges out Asus’s impressive 280X DirectCU II. This not only makes Sapphire’s 290 the quietest high-end card we have, but it also means we’re seeing Sapphire dissipate an estimated 250W of heat while only generating a very, very limited amount of noise while doing so. Or to put this another way, Sapphire’s 290 is 16dB quieter than the reference 290, nullifying our earlier noise concerns and then-some."

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/foru...72-sapphire-r9-290-4gb-tri-x-oc-review-7.html

"AMD’s R9 290 and R9 290X are known as two of the loudest-running cards in recent memory if you want to squeeze the most out of them. Sapphire takes care of this in truly impressive form with a custom heatsink design that not only delivers low temperatures but also remains whisper quiet. If there’s anything that sells the Tri-X OC, it will be its ultra low acoustical output. "

 

[sapped]

Hey guys, sorry if this sounds weird.

Since it looks like the Sapphire one runs the coolest from multiple accounts, was also wondering does it also have less power consumption compared to the others, especially MSI?

 

[raghu78]

Hey guys, sorry if this sounds weird.

Since it looks like the Sapphire one runs the coolest from multiple accounts, was also wondering does it also have less power consumption compared to the others, especially MSI?

power consumption will be quite similar. any slight difference will be due to the characteristics of the particular chip like leakage and voltage at which the chip is run at. But these chips arebinned well so as to perform similarly and draw similar power.

 

[wilds]

When I heavily OC'd my Tri-X to really innificient clockspeed/voltages, I did notice an increase in ambient air temperature coming out of the case -- at load. At the moment I am running mine stock as the games I'm playing are CPU limited, so the GPU always runs near idle temps.

Very efficient/quiet card overall.

 

[WittyRemark]

+1 for Sapphire tri-x
XFX DD is also a good option considering it's $30 cheaper and has a decent cooler.

 

[SteveGrabowski]

Check this video to see a bunch of the R9 290s compared:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwRWi3Bz0qc

 

[Bradtech519]

I've had good luck with my MSI R9 290 with temperatures. 100% load on the GPU and it usually stays around 58-63c with fan turned up to 100%.

 

[Magic Carpet]

I have toyed with an MSI R9 290 GAMING 4G wih dual fans and it seemed to be all right. It only consumed 40 watts more than my ASUS GTX 670 @ 1.25 Ghz in Metro Redux. Not a bad card, considering there were situations where it was waaaaaaay faster than my ageing 670. Dead silent, no significant coil whine was heard.

Personally, I would stay away from 3-fan designs (even though, technically they can offer better cooling). First they add up to the size of the card, second, there is a 30% more chance of one fan going out of order. They all do, it's just a matter of time and luck. Replacing 2 is better than 3.

 

[therealnickdanger]

I really liked my Gigabyte Windforce 290. It was cool and quite and overclocked well. I sold it in anticipation of the GTX 900-series (while the prices were still high) and ended up with a GTX 970 instead for quite a bit less, but of course today the prices make the 290 a better deal... but I needed HDMI 2.0 for my 4K60 TV.

 

[Mondozei]

I got the 290 Tri-X(actually I just bought another recently for Crossfire) and I'm very satisfied with their performance for me.

They are quiet, cool and powerful for the price you pay. In Crossfire, I get 70-80% scaling most of the time. 60% is the floor. In other words, for two 290's, you get a combination that is much more powerful than a single 980. You might not afford it now, but 6 months down the line, wouldn't be surprised to see sub-200 dollar for a 290. Even then a Xfire setup would be very hard to beat.

 

[kawi6rr]

290 Tri-X OC

 

[Shamrock]

Another Sapphire R9-290 Tri-X OC user!

It's not even a 290X and it quadrupled my performance over a 7850 OC in rFactor 2. From 51 max to 236. Now I can crank up the goodies to max everything and still get 121.

 

[Zanovar]

amd 290 pcs + if i was buying now.

 

[Bateluer]

I have the Asus DCU2 290X. No complaints.

The MSI Lightning, the Sapphire TriX, and the Asus DCU2 versions seem to be the most recommended models.

 

[Skurge]

I have a 290X vapor X, but the cooler and PCB design is the same on the 290. It's probably the quietest card you can buy at idle that isn't passive and it never goes above 75c and it's very quiet. This in Summer in Namibia where temps during the day regualry exceed 35c.

The Vapor X costs quiet a bit more than the Tri-X though, so it might not be worth it for you.

 

[boozzer]

I have a 290X vapor X, but the cooler and PCB design is the same on the 290. It's probably the quietest card you can buy at idle that isn't passive and it never goes above 75c and it's very quiet. This in Summer in Namibia where temps during the day regualry exceed 35c.

The Vapor X costs quiet a bit more than the Tri-X though, so it might not be worth it for you.

the weeks leading up to bf 290x vapor x was at 300$ the same as the tri x version alot of people missed those incredible sales.

 

[Silverforce11]

You are in Australia and temps get very hot here during summer. Do not rely on review sites for the noise/temp test since they do it at very low ambients.

You want a model that runs low fan speed, low temps, low noise to start with so that under the aussie summer conditions, it can cope and still be good.

There's only a few inexpensive variants that fit the requirements: Tri-X and PCS+. The VaporX model is nice but the premium is quite high.

 

[Z15CAM]

For the Ultimate Price Vs Performance, I would choose the AMD 290 OME PCB Reference Card in CF under water with either the XSPC or EK water block with say either the XSPC RAZOR or EK GPU Water Block and the Koolance RP-401X2 /Coolgate 180x60x280 Rad and perhaps 2 Noctia 140's in pull.

 

[Rally1969]

Hey guys,

I'm thinking of building a new PC specifically for gaming, and am thinking of getting a R9 290 for the GPU,
however I'm wondering which brand exactly should I get?

Here's the list I'm looking at:
http://au.pcpartpicker.com/parts/video-card/#c=152&sort=d5

Also this is the store I'm using since I can get a special price there:
https://www.umart.com.au/umart1/pro/index.phtml?bid=9

Which one on that list would be the best bang for the buck? The Sapphire one seems to be the most popular,
but is it really the best in terms of value/performance ratio? And also low temp heat and great cooling?

Since I can't seem to find a benchmark comparing all those cards together

Also on Tom's card suggestion list:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-4.html

It says that:
Make sure you opt for a model with aftermarket cooling though, since the reference model is somewhat loud. Fortunately, Radeon R9 290s equipped with that noisy fan have been replaced by more customized solutions.

Does it mean the cards on the list are already customized versions with aftermarket cooling? Or do I need to buy a separate cooler?

Sorry I'm still relatively new to PC building, appreciate any help and recommendations!

You cannot sell anything outside of FS/T forum.


esquared
Anandtech Forum Director

 

[Headfoot]

Tri X or PCS+ for sure. The Tri-X is fantastic, put a couple in buddy's builds and they are really astoundingly quiet compared to the stock fan