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Convince me why I shouldn't purchase an R9 280X/290?

645 views 27 replies 8 participants last post by  hollowtek 
#1 ·
So I've never owned an ATI/AMD card. I've always liked nVidia and eVGA. But with the prices I'm seeing on used R9 can someone here on the nVidia side convince why I shouldn't go that route?

Bear in mind my top top budget is $300 and I only have a 550w PSU.
 
#2 ·
550 Watts is plenty for a single card configuration with stock settings.

Since performance/price ratio is favored heavily on AMD this time around, get the R9 290. It is based on the new architecture and supports Mantle API.
 
#3 ·
I'm not big on AMD cards. But the reason I have a 280x right now is because it was so cheap. The bang for buck performance is hard to match. I have owned several AMD cards and several nvidia cards. The reason I prefer nvidia is driver support, I've always had less headaches with the green team. But I picked up that new Watch_Dogs game and it runs great on the 280x, which really surprised me being that it's a new game and all.

Whatever you choose, good luck!
 
#5 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by stickg1 View Post

I'm not big on AMD cards. But the reason I have a 280x right now is because it was so cheap. The bang for buck performance is hard to match. I have owned several AMD cards and several nvidia cards. The reason I prefer nvidia is driver support, I've always had less headaches with the green team. But I picked up that new Watch_Dogs game and it runs great on the 280x, which really surprised me being that it's a new game and all.

Whatever you choose, good luck!
Quote:
Originally Posted by mcg75 View Post

There is nothing to argue because there is no reason not to go with a used 290 for the price.

The cost gap between it and a used 780 makes the 290 a far better value.
Thanks guys! Just realizing though that my PSU probably can't handle a 290 right?
 
#6 ·
Although Lye, if you do get a R9 290, I'm sure you're aware to not get a reference cooler unless you plan on watercooling. Those things have to run at such a high RPM to maintain temps that the noise is unbearable IMO. Look for a nice dual/tri fan setup, or waterblock.

EDIT: You don't have the HX650 in your sig rig?
 
#7 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by stickg1 View Post

Although Lye, if you do get a R9 290, I'm sure you're aware to not get a reference cooler unless you plan on watercooling. Those things have to run at such a high RPM to maintain temps that the noise is unbearable IMO. Look for a nice dual/tri fan setup, or waterblock.
Yea I found a reference 290 but with an aftermarket cooler installed for $300 exactly but I don't think my PSU can handle it
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Edit: No this is a different rig unfortunately.
 
#8 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by PuffinMyLye View Post

Yea I found a reference 290 but with an aftermarket cooler installed for $300 exactly but I don't think my PSU can handle it
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I ran my old 290 (got one when they first came out before mining spiked the prices, I paid $375 for a used one), on a Seasonic X-650 with no issues. I remember doing a load test where I ran prime 95 and Unigine Valley and I was pulling less than 475w from the wall. This was with a 3570K @ 4.8GHz and the 290 heavily overclocked with a full blown waterloop and all sorts of fans, LEDs, a pump, you name it.

If it's a decent 550w I think you're A-okay.
 
#9 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by stickg1 View Post

I ran my old 290 (got one when they first came out before mining spiked the prices, I paid $375 for a used one), on a Seasonic X-650 with no issues. I remember doing a load test where I ran prime 95 and Unigine Valley and I was pulling less than 475w from the wall. This was with a 3570K @ 4.8GHz and the 290 heavily overclocked with a full blown waterloop and all sorts of fans, LEDs, a pump, you name it.

If it's a decent 550w I think you're A-okay.
This is my PSU.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171092&cm_re=Cooler_Master_V550s-_-17-171-092-_-Product
 
#10 ·
#11 ·
It looks like you PSU boasts 45Amps on the +12v rail, IIRC the R9 290 requires about 31Amps. I think you're good. I found an old post of mine when I was messing around with the R9 290 I had. It was a stock reference PowerColor. It didn't unlock but it did work with the custom ASUS PT1/PT3 BIOSes that are floating around.

http://www.overclock.net/t/1436497/official-amd-r9-290x-290-owners-club/13230_30#post_21521626

I pulled 560w from the wall with the unlocked modded BIOS. But with the stock BIOS I was around 450w.
 
#12 ·
Yes it is easy to overestimate PSU needs. I have two GTX 670s and a 3570K all over clocked plus a sound card and a pump and an optical plus a bunch of fans and it maxes at 500W under heavy 3D load.

Bought a Seasonic Plat 760W for "the future" that I don't even really need; good thing it was $100 AR which is a steal.
 
#13 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by twerk View Post

You're definitely okay.
Sweet!
Quote:
Originally Posted by stickg1 View Post

It looks like you PSU boasts 45Amps on the +12v rail, IIRC the R9 290 requires about 31Amps. I think you're good. I found an old post of mine when I was messing around with the R9 290 I had. It was a stock reference PowerColor. It didn't unlock but it did work with the custom ASUS PT1/PT3 BIOSes that are floating around.

http://www.overclock.net/t/1436497/official-amd-r9-290x-290-owners-club/13230_30#post_21521626

I pulled 560w from the wall with the unlocked modded BIOS. But with the stock BIOS I was around 450w.
Yea I don't think I'll be modding it. I don't even need the power of a 290 right now I just figure if that's my budget I might as well max it out now to allow me some future headway. I'm not someone who likes to upgrade every year.
 
#14 ·
Yeah my main motivation for the 280X was that I had an open AMD GPU slot on my Folding @ Home team and I saw the card for $185 :O

The GTX 750 ti was good enough for my needs, I might have needed a little extra boost for Watch_Dogs (never tried it on the 750 ti) but this 280x is plenty for me.
 
#15 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by stickg1 View Post

Yeah my main motivation for the 280X was that I had an open AMD GPU slot on my Folding @ Home team and I saw the card for $185 :O

The GTX 750 ti was good enough for my needs, I might have needed a little extra boost for Watch_Dogs (never tried it on the 750 ti) but this 280x is plenty for me.
Yea I feel you. The 290 deal I found is good but since it's got an aftermarket cooler there is no warranty on it. I'm kind of a stickler for wanting my purchases to have warranty coverage so I may be looking back at a 280X.
 
#18 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by TopicClocker View Post

When are the new cards coming out? may not be a good time to be getting thie card so late into its life, if you have a 670 the 280X wont be a tremendous performance boost, maybe between 10-20%, the 290 is something you would want to shoot for performance wise imo.
I don't. My sig rig is misleading I don't have that rig anymore. I'm currently using an HD6450 for general computing no gaming at all. I don't know when the new cards are coming out but if I can get a 280X for around $175-$180 I won't be mad.
 
#19 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by PuffinMyLye View Post

I don't. My sig rig is misleading I don't have that rig anymore. I'm currently using an HD6450 for general computing no gaming at all. I don't know when the new cards are coming out but if I can get a 280X for around $175-$180 I won't be mad.
Oh then certainly you cant go wrong, I would shoot for a 280X minimum, the 3GB vram should help it last and it's pretty powerful still today, one of the best cards you can get for the price.
 
#20 ·
Being that I've only had nVidia cards I've always seemed to have good luck with drivers. I've heard there's been issues with ATI/AMD drivers in games and that concerns me. But furthermore, I just don't know what brands to go with when buying an AMD card. For nVidia it's easy I just go eVGA because of the lifetime warranty and I've always had their cards. But I'm clueless as to what brands are good and not with AMD.
 
#22 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by stickg1 View Post

I've had good luck with Power Color, Vision Tek, Sapphire, MSI, Gigabyte. I've only had a bad experience with XFX.
And no driver issues in games?
 
#23 ·
Not currently, a few months ago when I first got the 290 I had driver issues. And when I bought a 7870 when they first came out I had some trouble with it at first but could fix it tweaking some settings. Right now there aren't any issues with games that I'm playing.
 
#24 ·
Oh, I do have one issue though. I have three monitors, one 24" 1080p and 2x 21" 1680x1050. My latest nvidia GPUs (GTX 750 ti, GTX 760, GTX 780) all run three screens out of the box flawlessly. For my 280x I had to buy an active mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter for $25. The third screen (one on the adapter) sometimes wont come back on after long periods of idle. But I'm not idle, I'm folding the CPU and GPU so maybe that could be causing the problem. And sometimes the screens will flicker one time after coming back from screensaver. It's not a huge deal, but once again, was a non-issue with my nvidia cards.
 
#25 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by stickg1 View Post

Oh, I do have one issue though. I have three monitors, one 24" 1080p and 2x 21" 1680x1050. My latest nvidia GPUs (GTX 750 ti, GTX 760, GTX 780) all run three screens out of the box flawlessly. For my 280x I had to buy an active mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter for $25. The third screen (one on the adapter) sometimes wont come back on after long periods of idle. But I'm not idle, I'm folding the CPU and GPU so maybe that could be causing the problem. And sometimes the screens will flicker one time after coming back from screensaver. It's not a huge deal, but once again, was a non-issue with my nvidia cards.
Thanks for the info Stick. It had been driving me crazy how familiar your name was until I realized I sold you a PSU last year I think
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