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Hardware AMD Radeon R9 290X 4GB Review

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by Meanmotion, 24 Oct 2013.

  1. megadriveguy

    megadriveguy Minimodder

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    Custom cooler variants of the 290x wont be released until late december
     
  2. xaser04

    xaser04 Ba Ba Ba BANANA!

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    IIRC the initial release is reference coolers only with the custom cooled cards coming sometime in mid/end November.
     
  3. maverik-sg1

    maverik-sg1 Minimodder

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    We're stuck now, 28nm is maxxed out (judinging by power and thermals) as far as current architectures go - 20nm is rumoured to be in production in Q1 2014 so 20nm GPU's not expected until Q2.....will reds or greens release any new architecture on 28nm?

    For this card, it puts AMD right in the mix, Nvidia has enjoyed a very fruitful number of months being unchallenged top dog, there's money in the bank and margin to spare....expect to see 780's drop in price.

    As for 780Ti - I don't see any point releasing this beyond e-peen, probably better dropping Titan prices, unless they had a stock pile of gpu's binned and ready with the unlocked SMX unit?

    Congrats to AMD, this is a solid, albeit Toasty GPU at a reasonable price point.
     
  4. Baz

    Baz I work for Corsair

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    Excellent review Matt, great job. Glad to see GPU testing at bit-tech is in safe hands :)
     
  5. bawjaws

    bawjaws Multimodder

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    I can't really agree with this - most users who are considering buying a GPU like this will already have a pretty good cooling set up. As it stands, the power and heat performance of the stock cooler means that this card isn't going to be a good choice for those with smaller form factor cases, no matter how well they optimise their cooling set ups.

    Hopefully, we'll see some improvements once the usual suspects release their own cooling solutions, but I'd be worried that any cooler that doesn't exhaust hot air out of the case is just going to lead to the rest of your gear getting pretty damn toasty :D
     
  6. GuilleAcoustic

    GuilleAcoustic Ook ? Ook !

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    cheapest 290X I can found 499€ ... cheapest 780 I can found 569€

    Power under load :
    - 290X ........ 426W (Uber) / 423W (Quiet)
    - GTX780 ... 344W

    Heat (delta T at idle) :
    - 290X ........ 19W (Uber) / 30W (Quiet)
    - GTX780 ... 10W

    Heat (delta T under load) :
    - 290X ........ 71W (Uber) / 70W (Quiet)
    - GTX780 ... 59W

    The price tag is good regarding the performance .... but the price gap between 290X and GTX780 is tight (and will for sure be thinner soon). I can immagine that a GTX780 OC to the point of consuming and heating like a 290X will completly obliterate it ! 80W more power and +12°C is too much considering the little performance gap.

    I'm a huge AMD fan, but I'm really disapointed. I remember the GTX480 vs HD5870 ... where the GTX480 was a little faster but consumed more and heated more.
     
    Last edited: 24 Oct 2013
  7. rollo

    rollo Modder

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    If your not running water cooled CPU and this Gpu exhausts into your case you could have problems.95c in an open test bed is best case scenario as its a fully air con room. Playing the card on a hot summers day and you will have problems.

    Even if it does downclock that means your loosing performance that might put it behind other cards, I expect someone will do a review of it in a case that may highlight these issues.

    480 had similar issues and most people brought something else for there cash. Even custom cooled versions struggled to tame it.

    7990 is cheaper, cooler and consumes about the same power yet is a lot faster.

    If I had to buy today the 7990 would get my money.
     
  8. xaser04

    xaser04 Ba Ba Ba BANANA!

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    Not directly comparable but here in the UK you can get a pre overclocked GB Winforce 3x 780 for £479 (OCUK TWO). The average price for the 290x on the same site is around £440-450 (cheapest is £429 but not yet available). Factoring in that this particular 780 will perform like a Titan, I would find the 290x a hardcard to recommend (considering the heat/noise of the latter). Custom cooled 290x's will hopefully even the field in regard to heat/noise but at what cost?
     
  9. GuilleAcoustic

    GuilleAcoustic Ook ? Ook !

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    I've always liked blower type card more than traditional fan. It gets rid of unwanted heat and doesn't dump it inside your case. If they got fresh air direct access, they even do not spin too fast.
     
  10. AlienwareAndy

    AlienwareAndy What's a Dremel?

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    Nice card, nice price. Doesn't beat the 7990 in anything though and costs the same, uses a little less power and hot potato.

    Glad I have the 7990 coming now :)
     
  11. Corky42

    Corky42 Where's walle?

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    ^^^This^^^
    Although they wont be around for long, rumor has it retailers may be out of stock by mid November.
     
  12. AlienwareAndy

    AlienwareAndy What's a Dremel?

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    I'm so glad I ordered one now. I mean don't get me wrong, 290x is amazing but that heat, and that fan, would drive me nuts.

    7990 is by far the performance champion and over 20c cooler whilst only using 50w more at load. It's looking better as the days pass really.

    £470 with a £110 PSU and three games. Epic value :)
     
  13. Panos

    Panos Minimodder

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    Got myself 2 7950s PCS+ a month ago for £320 BOTH (£260 actually since sold the game vouchers), OC them to 1100/1550 and doubt will be beaten until well into next year :D


    Either way 290X is great card, and can only be improved by more mature drivers and by Sapphire with it's TOXIC models. (see the 280X Toxic hehe).
    That is kicking the butt of the hugely expensive, overrated Titan, on resolutions above 1920x1080 is just funny. :D
     
  14. Mageoftheyear

    Mageoftheyear What's a Dremel?

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    9% Slower than the Titan. 43% Cheaper than the Titan. On beta drivers.
    And custom cooling designs have barely begun.

    I've got to hand it to AMD, there is some damn serious innovation going into their production process if thy're able to sell this card at $580 and make a profit.
     
  15. fingerbob69

    fingerbob69 Minimodder

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    This card beats the 780 and matches (or gets so near as to make no difference) the Titan for performance.

    It's at least £50 cheaper than the 780 and at least a whopping £350!!! cheaper than the Titan.

    But ppl are getting all prissy over heat and power draw all of a sudden? Way to go nvidia fan bois!

    Maybe some folks should consider upgrading their £30 off-the shelve Maplin's one fan case before worrying about a gpu upgrade!
     
  16. kent thomsen

    kent thomsen What's a Dremel?

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    Nice card, but I as well are concerned about temps.

    What is it with AMD? First they launched that über - that's how it's spelled - processor ( I can't remember the name, I've stopped keeping score of AMD's CPU's ) that needed 200 watts to run. And now this? Wrong way, AMD.
     
  17. GuilleAcoustic

    GuilleAcoustic Ook ? Ook !

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    It's all related to people point of view. Some are after performances / price, even if it means heat and more power required. Others are after price and less heat (because of case size for example). Even if well ventilated, in a small case the temperature will ramp up quickly.

    Do not forget that adding 80W can force you to change your PSU (for those with 450/500W PSU), thus nullifying the lower price. Heat is not good for electronic components, even if you get it out of your case quickly it will increase nearby components ambiant temp ... and sorry, a card running at 30°C above ambiant temperature at idle (with quiet profile) is too much ! How long will the card last before failling ? At this price this is not a rugged hardware.

    It has nothing to do with fanboyism (unless people complaining have no argument).
     
    Last edited: 24 Oct 2013
  18. bawjaws

    bawjaws Multimodder

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    Seriously, it would be awesome if there could be one discussion of a GPU or CPU where someone didn't trot out the same old tired "fanboy" ********.

    For me, personally, this card has sensational performance and gives amazing bang-per-buck, but it's not a product that I'd ever buy - partly because I don't have £500 to drop on a GPU and partly because my priorities are noise and temperature rather than raw performance. That said, I really hope that we see some top-quality variants of this card with better cooling solutions, especially if better cooling allows for even more overclocking performance.
     
  19. fingerbob69

    fingerbob69 Minimodder

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    If the case were that small then there would be problematic fitting the card in let alone running it.

    And this is still a site for pc enthusiasts right? I mean how many ppl here would even think to try any of these type of cards of a 400/500w psu?
     
  20. Instagib

    Instagib Minimodder

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    A lot of concerns about 95 degrees. That's nothing. I used to have a 320mb 8800gts that'd hit nearly 110 under load. And it was retired after 3 years rather than failed.
     
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