Xfx radeon 7990 boost- a good buy?

[sam_816]

Hello to all my tech savvy brethren,

Before everyone go for my throat for asking this question please read why I am asking this.

My main concern is this card is officially discontinued (I don't remember when it was properly launched officially :|) so can I, as a buyer expect support(drivers and all) in future? I don't understand how this card is architecturally different from other high end gpus and if AMD provide gpu specific updates or they are applicable to all gpus with same architecture.

Please help me understand. I really like this card and want to buy it.

 

[DownTheSky]

How much you're supposed to pay for it?

The only card I'd buy now would be a 2nd hand aftermarket R9 290. Or maybe two.

 

[Flapdrol1337]

Depends on how cheap it is. They never really fixed the multigpu stutter with the 7000 series.

also, might be an ex mining card, which have been running on 100% load for a very long time, often with worn out fans etc.

 

[RussianSensation]

Depends on how cheap it is. They never really fixed the multigpu stutter with the 7000 series.

also, might be an ex mining card, which have been running on 100% load for a very long time, often with worn out fans etc.

For single monitors the stuttering for HD7000 series has been fixed excluding some DX9 games and using resolutions higher than 2560x1600. From a performance and smoothness, 7990 was faster than a 690 for more than a year now. As far as worn out fans, XFX has transferable warranty to the 2nd user.

But with prices of used R9 290s so low, at this point it is better to pay $450-550 for 2 used after-market 290s rather than get a 7990.

 

[biostud]

7990 is basically two 7970 cards on one board and it requires that a game supports crossfire (multi-gpu) if you want to take full advantage of it. Most games does support it, and when it works best you can get up to +90% more speed than using one card. In most cases it's around 70-80%. Some games doesn't support it at all.

Performance wise when crossfire works it is up to ~50% faster than a 290X, when it doesn't it is ~30% slower.

When I bought mine around the 290 launch the 290X and 7990 was priced similar, so I opted for a 7990.

 

[sam_816]

firstly, anserwers to questions asked:
i am getting it for 450USD.(my upper limit for a gpu)
warranty remaining is till 16 Jan 2016 assuming xfx will honor it
i am looking to build a mini-itx build and want a little 'future-proofing'(hopefully)
i know used r9 290x can be bought at this price point but many users have posted problems with them. so, in case i don't go for this card i'll get a GTX780

For single monitors the stuttering for HD7000 series has been fixed excluding some DX9 games and using resolutions higher than 2560x1600. From a performance and smoothness, 7990 was faster than a 690 for more than a year now. As far as worn out fans, XFX has transferable warranty to the 2nd user.

But with prices of used R9 290s so low, at this point it is better to pay $450-550 for 2 used after-market 290s rather than get a 7990.

I have considered that but won't they require much more power and dissipate more heat? at 200-250USD i will find stock ones. as i am in favor of building a mini-ITX build 2 290s wont make the whole system too hot?

7990 is basically two 7970 cards on one board and it requires that a game supports crossfire (multi-gpu) if you want to take full advantage of it. Most games does support it, and when it works best you can get up to +90% more speed than using one card. In most cases it's around 70-80%. Some games doesn't support it at all.

Performance wise when crossfire works it is up to ~50% faster than a 290X, when it doesn't it is ~30% slower.

When I bought mine around the 290 launch the 290X and 7990 was priced similar, so I opted for a 7990.

mate do you mind sharing more of your experience with this card? and do you think in future (1-2 years from now) the card will still be a good bet?

now in light of new info i've added, what do you guys think? my questions about if AMD launches universal of device specific updates is still un-answered. can someone throw some more light on that? will this card be relevant in 1-2 years time?
i thank all of you for your inputs.

 

[Kenmitch]

I have considered that but won't they require much more power and dissipate more heat? at 200-250USD i will find stock ones. as i am in favor of building a mini-ITX build 2 290s wont make the whole system too hot?

You can only run 1 card if your going with a m-ITX build.

2x 290's you'd most likely want to go to a ATX build to allow enough spacing between the cards.

 

[davie jambo]

I've ran 2x7970s in crossfire for a while , no driver issues

Just remember though , these things use lots of power and are very hot

 

[blastingcap]

For single monitors the stuttering for HD7000 series has been fixed excluding some DX9 games and using resolutions higher than 2560x1600. From a performance and smoothness, 7990 was faster than a 690 for more than a year now. As far as worn out fans, XFX has transferable warranty to the 2nd user.

But with prices of used R9 290s so low, at this point it is better to pay $450-550 for 2 used after-market 290s rather than get a 7990.

This. You get improvements like better Crossfire, TrueAudio, FreeSync, etc.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

snip warranty remaining is till 16 Jan 2016 assuming xfx will honor it i am looking to build a mini-itx build and want a little 'future-proofing'(hopefully) i know used r9 290x can be bought at this price point but many users have posted problems with them. so, in case i don't go for this card i'll get a GTX780
.

1) XFX did away with warranty transfer, might want to check if it is applicable.

2) XFX didn't make very good 7xxx series cards IMHO.

3) 7990 frame pacing and crossfire not exactly stellar

4) While a 7990 may technically work in an mITX build its going to require some thoughtful cooling solutions

5) Going R9 and crossfire doesn't really work in a mITX

6) All of this is solved by going with a GTX780.

 

[biostud]

firstly, anserwers to questions asked:
i am getting it for 450USD.(my upper limit for a gpu)
warranty remaining is till 16 Jan 2016 assuming xfx will honor it
i am looking to build a mini-itx build and want a little 'future-proofing'(hopefully)
i know used r9 290x can be bought at this price point but many users have posted problems with them. so, in case i don't go for this card i'll get a GTX780

I have considered that but won't they require much more power and dissipate more heat? at 200-250USD i will find stock ones. as i am in favor of building a mini-ITX build 2 290s wont make the whole system too hot?

mate do you mind sharing more of your experience with this card? and do you think in future (1-2 years from now) the card will still be a good bet?

now in light of new info i've added, what do you guys think? my questions about if AMD launches universal of device specific updates is still un-answered. can someone throw some more light on that? will this card be relevant in 1-2 years time?
i thank all of you for your inputs.

I've been happy with mine and expect and don't plan on upgrading it until 2016. (Depending on whether I get upgradatitis before). Since the newer cards uses same architecture GCN 2.0 I don't suspect drivers will be a problem in the foreseeable future, but minor glitches and game specific optimizations might not get same attention as newer cards. Running one of these in a m-ITX setup will require very good cooling as it dissipates a lot of heat inside the case. For m-ITX I would go with a faster single GPU like the 290 (X) or 780 (Ti).

 

[sam_816]

OK, so from all the feedback i am getting. m-itx is out of the race. will micro-atx be a good option? i am going to use asus maximus vi/vii gene and i5 4690k(or 2nd hand i7 4770k)

This. You get improvements like better Crossfire, TrueAudio, FreeSync, etc.

i am just a novice. i just want to assemble a pc and then only touch it when i have to clean the filters, vents etc etc. btw doing research on v-sync.

1) XFX did away with warranty transfer, might want to check if it is applicable.

2) XFX didn't make very good 7xxx series cards IMHO.
:\
3) 7990 frame pacing and crossfire not exactly stellar
really? i was sold on the benchmark scores in every game and on the possibility of 'future proofing'
4) While a 7990 may technically work in an mITX build its going to require some thoughtful cooling solutions
dropped the idea.
5) Going R9 and crossfire doesn't really work in a mITX

6) All of this is solved by going with a GTX780.

GTX 780 is my 2nd choice. i somehow prefer is over r9 290x s

I've been happy with mine and expect and don't plan on upgrading it until 2016. (Depending on whether I get upgradatitis before). Since the newer cards uses same architecture GCN 2.0 I don't suspect drivers will be a problem in the foreseeable future, but minor glitches and game specific optimizations might not get same attention as newer cards. Running one of these in a m-ITX setup will require very good cooling as it dissipates a lot of heat inside the case. For m-ITX I would go with a faster single GPU like the 290 (X) or 780 (Ti).

that's reassuring
i don't know why but my mind is stuck on this one. performance close to gtx 780 ti. factory crossfire. lower power consumption and heat dissipation compared to 2 R9 290x. big enough to use as a weapon of self defence lol

 

[RussianSensation]

that's reassuring
i don't know why but my mind is stuck on this one. performance close to gtx 780 ti. factory crossfire. lower power consumption and heat dissipation compared to 2 R9 290x. big enough to use as a weapon of self defence lol

If you haven't considered it, EVGA Classified 780 with voltage control. If you can overclock it to 1.28-1.3Ghz, it'll beat 780Ti and 7990. The small premium for it gives you a new card, EVGA warranty for 3 years, and not having to worry about CF scaling. I've seen this card for $500-510 on several occasions.

http://www.fudzilla.com/home/item/3...772-evga-gtx-780-classified-reviewed?start=13

Just keep in mind 870/880 are rumored to come out in Sept. Maybe you can wait 1 more month to get clarity on those cards.

 

[sam_816]

If you haven't considered it, EVGA Classified 780 with voltage control. If you can overclock it to 1.28-1.3Ghz, it'll beat 780Ti and 7990. The small premium for it gives you a new card, EVGA warranty for 3 years, and not having to worry about CF scaling. I've seen this card for $500-510 on several occasions.

http://www.fudzilla.com/home/item/3...772-evga-gtx-780-classified-reviewed?start=13

Just keep in mind 870/880 are rumored to come out in Sept. Maybe you can wait 1 more month to get clarity on those cards.

will it come in $450 range?
can you spare a moment and find some listings on ebay or some other sites u trust? i am looking too.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

OK, so from all the feedback i am getting. m-itx is out of the race. will micro-atx be a good option? i am going to use asus maximus vi/vii gene and i5 4690k(or 2nd hand i7 4770k)

i am just a novice. i just want to assemble a pc and then only touch it when i have to clean the filters, vents etc etc. btw doing research on v-sync.

Sounds like you are planning a build. What's your budget and planned resolution? It's hard to provide good advice without it.

1) If the 7990 is somewhere around $400.- then it's probably worth it. Are you certain it's working properly?
2) mATX is the smallest that I would put a 7990 on. Make sure the case can handle that long a card.
3) Understand that for games that do not use crossfire you will get 7970 performance. Still very good but not full utilization.
4) For a bit more Russian Sensations recommendation on the EVGA 780 is good.
5) For crossfire/sli it's better to go full ATX

 

[sam_816]

Sounds like you are planning a build. What's your budget and planned resolution? It's hard to provide good advice without it.

1) If the 7990 is somewhere around $400.- then it's probably worth it. Are you certain it's working properly?
2) mATX is the smallest that I would put a 7990 on. Make sure the case can handle that long a card.
3) Understand that for games that do not use crossfire you will get 7970 performance. Still very good but not full utilization.
4) For a bit more Russian Sensations recommendation on the EVGA 780 is good.
5) For crossfire/sli it's better to go full ATX

ok, here is my build so far.
i5 4690k (also getting i7 4770k for $280)
GPU - my budget is 450. getting xfx 7990 for 456 and gtx780 classfied for 480 both used)
mobo- asus rog maximus vi gene (used for $130)
Ram - 16 GB(2x8) g skill ares ($139)
PSU - evga supernova 850w modular($140)
storage - crosair 120gig SSD ($110)
cabinet - flexible
total- ~$1400 pls suggest any changes i should make.
don't need dvd drive and have some old laptop hdds if they can be used.
EDIT: I am not going for an extensive 2-3 montor setup. i will be using it on my 720p plasma for about 4 months n then will buy a good monitor. i do not intend to run games on high resolutions (full HD is enuff) but would prefer to have all the bells n whistles like AA etc.

 

[sam_816]

If you haven't considered it, EVGA Classified 780 with voltage control. If you can overclock it to 1.28-1.3Ghz, it'll beat 780Ti and 7990. The small premium for it gives you a new card, EVGA warranty for 3 years, and not having to worry about CF scaling. I've seen this card for $500-510 on several occasions.

http://www.fudzilla.com/home/item/3...772-evga-gtx-780-classified-reviewed?start=13

Just keep in mind 870/880 are rumored to come out in Sept. Maybe you can wait 1 more month to get clarity on those cards.

found one. $480 + ship. i have offered 450 as 'make an offer' option is avaialble.
lets see.

 

[tweakboy]

Or wait a few months. I say pull the trigger on this. Its fast, and very fast when you OC. gl

 

[njdevilsfan87]

780 or aftermarket cooled 290. Dual GPU only makes sense when you're buying the current high end because it's really the only option for more performance. Buying dated dual GPU = bad decision. Microstutter will make your frame rate feel a good bit lower than what the counter displays. I can feel it on my Titans at times and Nvidia is supposedly better in that regard.

 

[Rezist]

For building now I'd still try to stretch for a single 290, or wait for the 800 series bring they could reduce the power consumption enough for a good ITX build card.

 

[3DVagabond]

780 or aftermarket cooled 290. Dual GPU only makes sense when you're buying the current high end because it's really the only option for more performance. Buying dated dual GPU = bad decision. Microstutter will make your frame rate feel a good bit lower than what the counter displays. I can feel it on my Titans at times and Nvidia is supposedly better in that regard.

As far as mstutter the 7990 will benefit from current framepacing like the 280X does. That said, the 7990, unless being put under water, is going to be loud. Too loud for me to recommend. It is a fair bit faster though than current top single GPU cards. A single 290 is ~20% slower overall.

 

[sam_816]

bought GTX 780 classified Part Number: 04G-P4-3688-KR
for $450 and according to the seller it is just 1 month old with about 50 days to opt for extended warranty by evga. i think i got a good deal anybody thinks it is not?

Spoiler

and piss on my spirits

which RAM should i get with this? any 1600 mhz will do? or do you guys suggest any specific one? i have mentioned about my proposed built in a message above.

 

[sam_816]

As far as mstutter the 7990 will benefit from current framepacing like the 280X does. That said, the 7990, unless being put under water, is going to be loud. Too loud for me to recommend. It is a fair bit faster though than current top single GPU cards. A single 290 is ~20% slower overall.

i really wanted to buy a 7990 but i think it's for people with deeper knowledge and experience. i am a noob building my 1st build.

 

[3DVagabond]

i really wanted to buy a 7990 but i think it's for people with deeper knowledge and experience. i am a noob building my 1st build.

That's fine. You can choose what you want. It's important that you have a positive feeling rather than questioning your choice right from the start.

Personally I would get a 290 and save a lot of money for the same gaming experience, but I saw how you weren't comfortable with the 290 from the start. If you got one you would have been sitting their in anticipation of problems and it could interfere with your enjoyment. The 780 is a fine card and not a terrible value.

 

[biostud]

As far as mstutter the 7990 will benefit from current framepacing like the 280X does. That said, the 7990, unless being put under water, is going to be loud. Too loud for me to recommend. It is a fair bit faster though than current top single GPU cards. A single 290 is ~20% slower overall.

Doesn't bother me when gaming. And it's very quiet when idle.