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Which R9 290 card to get?

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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 Fortunately, Radeon R9 290s equipped with that noisy fan have been replaced by more customized solutions.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!
 
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Well, if you want silence, then go for nothing else than Gigabyte WindForce 3X models. These are massive coolers and don't really require very high fan speeds. I have it on my HD7950 which is highly overclocked and BIOS modded to run at ridiculously low RPM and it works great. R9-290 shouldn't be much different and heat levels should be around the same or very similar as mine.

Then again, why are you at least at the moment insisting on Radeon where GTX 970 is clearly a better value despite slightly higher price? Or you really don't like NVIDIA this much?
 
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Hi

Nothing can cool down gpu better than sapphire cooling system, fat pipes + quiet, fan blades give maximum performance.
If you have time, just open youtube you can found some videos where guys stress some GPU and check temp + noise level.

Regards - Tomas
 
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Does it mean the cards on the list are already customized versions with aftermarket cooling?

On your list two cards are with stock coolers (XFX R9290AENFC and XFX R9-290A-ENBC) and the rest are with aftermarket coolers. The best coolers are gigabyte windforce and the sapphire - see different reviews for noise/temp differences at stock.

GTX 970 is clearly a better value

This, why don't you give green team a chance? They are faster and cooler (less noisy) at the moment.
 
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I would recommend ASUS, but since its carrying a big premium, I would go for the Windforce which is also pretty decent.
 

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I bourght Sapphire R9 290 TRI-OC about 9 months ago, and it runs everything, the cooler says almost nothing even under heavy load.
 
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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?
 
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the best choice according to shop you've decided to buy is msi r9-290
but as far you choose radeon, be ready for high temps
by the way msi support consider to think that above 109°C gpu and 125°C vrm - ok, no problem, it's built to these specs)
 
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I have hit 82ºC on my Gainward GTX970 it`s all about the cooling of the card and case, those high temps for R9 290/290x were with stock cooling.
 
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I have hit 82ºC on my Gainward GTX970 it`s all about the cooling of the card and case, those high temps for R9 290/290x were with stock cooling.
indeed, most of the custom 290/290X have good temps, i ran a reference 290 with the fan at 65% constant and never got above 85° tho it was quite loud :D now under water and 42° is the highest i see while gaming (from 29-31° idle)

so far getting a 2nd hand ref for 190$ and adding 130$ (waterlbock) +~120$ for the loop was a good idea 350$ total (location and luck dependent of course) i played the lottery with a seller who did put some ex miner 290 in auction (luckily mine was a perfectly fine sample)
 
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it's just an example
you can get a card with low temps,but you can get a card with high temps and noone will RMA it or moneyback just because of temperatures(if srsly - amd rocks, but temperature problems are still here, even in non ref design))
 
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it's just an example
you can get a card with low temps,but you can get a card with high temps and noone will RMA it or moneyback just because of temperatures(if srsly - amd rocks, but temperature problems are still here, even in non ref design))
well as long as it is in the defined TDP you can't call that high temperatures but "temperature include in the regular margin" it's not like a GTX 480 oh wait it is like a GTX 480 ... toaster :roll: (well not mine tho ...) so no reason to RMA indeed ...

a little example my ref 8800ultra stock : 58° after a Prolimatech MK-26 installation : 46°, conclusion : don't bother with non ref design and buy a aftermarket cooler or do a custom loop ... (personal opinion ofc but that's what i do now :roll: )

but good custom 290/290X include MSI/ASUS/Sapphire the TWNFRZR IV is still one of the best and the DCUII are not bad at all Tri-X and Toxics follow shortly behind or on par with the DCUII
 
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I have a Sapphire R9 290 Vapor X. Love the card. My temps are usually between 75c-79c full load (depending on the time of year and the game or benchmark). Stock voltage w/ OC @ 1100/1440. I had 2 7870 Windforce cards before this one, and they great too. This is my 5th Sapphire GPU, and I've had great luck with each one.
 

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I've also got a Sapphire Vapor X. runs quieter than the twin 6950's I had while running Elite, and everything else I've thrown at it. That's my vote :)
 
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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 between the same GPU's normally do not differ much except when core clocks come into play as usually the fans on the devices do not add much difference. Biggest differences are some of the higher models start to be binned out and have better efficiency and higher clocks which can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer but generally not in any extreme levels.

If your looking for the best R9 290, ill show you a few of the top models and what their major differences are:

Sapphire Tri-X OC R9 290
One of the top favorites for value and performance. The card runs cool, overclocks well, and is pretty quiet as far as the R9 290 coolers go.
Asus DCU II OC
Got some decent clocks on the core and even a RAM overclock. Its ok but the cooler is generally not the best even though its decently quiet so I would avoid but that's my opinion based on what I have been seeing.
XFX R9 290
The cooler is actually decent, I have heard this revised XFX cooler is nice and quiet (Not seen this one personally other than videos) but it comes pretty stock as far as settings go. There are overclocked variants but they do not go very high.
MSI Gaming R9 290
A fun cooler, a fun design, and a nice overclocked card. Its a good balanced card that comes performing well out of the box and has the upgraded Twin Frozr cooler which has been a great performer. Its good especially considering the size and is not very loud.
HIS iPower IceQ X2
Its not very well changed out of the box more than a little bump on the core clock but the performance is very nice from this cooler in particular. Some reviews I have seen have put it as one of the top performing coolers out there missing great low noise performance while keeping things cool. Its actually shocking to me but its definitely worth taking a look at but its very massive in size.
Gigabyte Windforce 3X
Always a popular choice and a great cooler with a high performance bump from the beginning. I like this cooler as it fits nicely in a 2 slot config and is pretty silent while keeping temps down and allowing for higher overclocks.

There are a lot of others but I thought I would hit at least some of my favs/the bigger ones out there as far as coolers go. Some I did not mention were the PowerColor PCS+ (Which is ok just not my favorite design of cooler until the new reworked coolers come out), the diamond (Same as HIS but I am not a big fan of Diamond), and the PowerColor Turboduo/Visiontek dual fan mostly because these are just ok variants and only great if your getting a good deal on them.

TL:DR

Out of the choices depending on what you have available I will say the best option should go like this:
1: The Sapphire Tri-X is the best/most powerful cooler and comes decently equipped out of the box so if you can get that its my favorite choice (VaporX is the best in my book if you can get one for a good price!)
2: Gigabyte comes great out of the box and with a nice cooler to boot but I have noticed it generally being very pricey.
3: The HIS is great if you want a quiet cooler just do not expect the best performance out of the box spec wise.

That is the order of coolers I would pick.
 
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Well, if you want silence, then go for nothing else than Gigabyte WindForce 3X models. These are massive coolers and don't really require very high fan speeds. I have it on my HD7950 which is highly overclocked and BIOS modded to run at ridiculously low RPM and it works great. R9-290 shouldn't be much different and heat levels should be around the same or very similar as mine.

Then again, why are you at least at the moment insisting on Radeon where GTX 970 is clearly a better value despite slightly higher price? Or you really don't like NVIDIA this much?


your version and my version of "slightly" differ greatly
https://www.umart.com.au/umart1/pro/Products-details.phtml?id=10&id2=421&bid=9&sid=163981
https://www.umart.com.au/umart1/pro/Products-details.phtml?id=10&id2=409&bid=9&sid=204223

100$ or rather 33% price increase for 10% more performance doesn't seem like a better value at all, even when factoring in power and silence. Remember he's in AU and prices vary greatly from country to country.
 
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Well, only R9-290X can really compete with it andthat one has pretty much the same price as GTX 970. R9-290 however is significantly cheaper, but performance wise I'm nto so sure anymore...
 
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Well, only R9-290X can really compete with it andthat one has pretty much the same price as GTX 970. R9-290 however is significantly cheaper, but performance wise I'm nto so sure anymore...
errrrhh... if a 290X can compete then a 290 can too ... no difference between them, excepted for the shaders count and frequencies and a good OC 290 is, performance wise, still a good challenger (well ... )

i just think the "well, only" is wrong ;) i stoped even considering getting a 970 or a 980 since i have a 290 and decided to put it under water well ... even with the loop my 290 is cheaper than a 970 (at last where i am) and indeed yes a 290 is still a good competitor to the 970 (for anyone with a 780/780Ti/290/290X, they have no need to upgrade unless they care a lot about power consumption ofc)
 
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If you already have 290 then there is not much point, but going for a new card and deciding between 290 and GTX 970, I think the decision is pretty clear unless you want something only AMD offers.
 
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If you already have 290 then there is not much point, but going for a new card and deciding between 290 and GTX 970, I think the decision is pretty clear unless you want something only AMD offers.
technically not ... the 290 still has a better value (mostly due to retailer greediness ) where i am you can get almost 2 290 for 1 970 price or 1 ref 290 + all needed to do a custom waterloop

let say if you find a 290 real cheap (2nd hand or BNIB) jump on it, they still compete with the 970 (ok not on power consumption ... ) the only advantage of the 970 is the power consumption, in real situation (gaming): you will not tell the difference
go for nvidia only if you want something they offer :) (backward compatible :roll: ) ie: with my Shield controller ... thanks to nvidia ... i would need a nvidia gpu to use it on my computer :D

TL : DR : (i use my regions pricing) why paying 499 for a 970 when you can find a 290 from 190 (lucky strike in 2nd hand ) to 338 (a bit more real since it's the new average price) and take a 2nd one the next month (and buy a powerplant for your backyard... i intend to do so :roll: )

ok i agree to your point, a 970 would be a wiser choice but i add a little negation: it does not offer a better value than a 290 for the actual pricing.
 
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Power Supply Corsair RM1000 & Corsair RM850
Mouse Generic
Keyboard Razer Blackwidow Tournament & Corsair K90
Software Win-10 Professional
Benchmark Scores yes
I have a Sapphire Toxic GPU with the three fan cooling. (like the Sapphire Tri-X cards)

It's quieter than my HI Ice-QX2 and also my Asus DirectCU-II TOP.

I would choose the Sapphire if a GTX-970 doesn't make sense for you.
 
Joined
Sep 29, 2011
Messages
217 (0.05/day)
Location
Ottawa, Canada
System Name Current Rig
Processor Intel 12700K@5.1GHz
Motherboard MSI Pro Z790-P
Cooling Arctic Cooling Liquid Freezer II 360mm
Memory 2x16GB DDR5-6000 G.Skill Trident Z RGB
Video Card(s) MSI Gaming X Trio 6800 16GB
Storage 1TB SSD
Case Cooler Master Storm Striker
Power Supply Antec True Power 750w
Keyboard IBM Model 'M"
In case anyone is visiting this thread looking for info to buy a used R9 290, I can say that I'm still very happy with the Gigabyte Windforce 3 R9 290 that I bought in December of 2013 for $259 Canadian. An unbelievable value when looking at:

1) how much performance I've been enjoying for nearly 4 years for the money I paid.
2) how well the Radeons in general have held up over time - they just seem to get faster, and remain very competitive, while the GeForce equivalents seem to lose steam much earlier
3) how much you'd have to pay to get the performance of the R9 290 now in a new card with the etherium mining craze pushing prices of RX 580 cards into the $340-$400 (Canadian) price range, when these cards were $200-$260 just a few months ago.
 
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