Sapphire R9 290X Tri-X OC 4 GB

[W1zzard]

Sapphire's custom design R9 290X Tri-X OC impresses with low noise levels that still run the card at cool temperatures. The card is also overclocked out of the box, which makes it faster than the GTX Titan. In Europe, the price over reference is just 10%, which makes the choice a no-brainer.

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[Eroticus]

Thanks for the review =)

but you should add " no back plate to the half of the last reviews" on another cards =)

and about the price . is US problem >.< here it's normal ! =)

", I'd still go for the ASUS card, because it has higher clocks, "

10 MHZ + 94*c - 42 dba


-10mhz - 73*c - 37dba


Normal room temps + winter.

Go with asus guys ! =)

 

[human_error]

Nice job - interesting that the price is so high considering end-user experience isn't any better than some of the other 3rd party cooled cards.

As you seem to have the msi gaming card in the overclocking comparison does that mean there's a review coming for that card? Would be great to see a chart comparing the fan noise levels at idle and load between all the 290x variants you've reviewed/got your hands on.

 

[W1zzard]

Go with asus guys ! =)

MUCH lower noise, too

 

[Sah7d]

This should´ve been the perfect card but well... a little too late maybe for some ppl

Now the price is going to kill this option for must of the users and to be honest that was the candy on this cards.
Nice review, great card but not a good option any more since the price is too high in comparison when it was launched.

 

[eidairaman1]

Why does the Ref Model still OC higher? Wouldnt it be more plausible to get the ref model and strap a cooler on it anyway?

Its Nice but I miss the Blue Color Scheme of Sapphire.

Cant wait for MSI to launch a LightningII 290 and 290X to compare these 2

 

[W1zzard]

Why does the Ref Model still OC higher? Wouldnt it be more plausible to get the ref model and strap a cooler on it anyway?

luck has some effect on max. oc

 

[Casecutter]

Yea, the Litecion frenzy is still cause stupid pricing for everything from 270's on up, here in the States! For gamers here it stinks, but these still everything fly's out of stock. It could actually good for AMD AIB to really have a strong/high profit stream, sure not like they were hurting before, but rebates and AMD not needing move/return prices (kickbacks) is a wildly different market(ing) for them. You know Nvidia AIB's are wanting in on that action.

 

[W1zzard]

It could actually good for AMD AIB to really have a strong/high profit stream

what happens when gpu mining dies down and all these cards go on the used market with low pricing?

 

[Suka]

what happens when gpu mining dies down and all these cards go on the used market with low pricing?

I think they must be cautious about this

 

[Brusfantomet]

what happens when gpu mining dies down and all these cards go on the used market with low pricing?

They compete with both AMD and nvidia cards, as the ones going on the used marked usually go for the most bang for the buck.

The only group it takes away is people that want to add an extra card.

 

[W1zzard]

They compete with both AMD and nvidia cards, as the ones going on the used marked usually go for the most bang for the buck.

yup, so why would anyone buy a brand-new card at that time? revenue's gonna crash for manufacturers

 

[west7]

thanks for the review as for the card i think every gamer will be better of with 780ti if this card was selling at 600$ it will be a great deal

 

[MxPhenom 216]

That price is a little steep. I feel like people would just get a 780Ti, unless they are running multi monitor.

 

[W1zzard]

That price is a little steep. I feel like people would just get a 780Ti, unless they are running multi monitor.

Custom GTX 780 Tis, which are overclocked out of the box, run much faster than the 780 Ti ref. It's not uncommon to see +10% over 780 Ti

 

[erixx]

No Mantle tests, W1z?

 

[eidairaman1]

Waiting on finalized driver. Not some beta. If you wanna know now run yourself lol.

 

[Brusfantomet]

yup, so why would anyone buy a brand-new card at that time? revenue's gonna crash for manufacturers

Because most people would not look at the used market, and if there comes new cards before people stop mining with them the urge to upgrade would bee even bigger.

this is mostly how things work here tho, guess Scandinavia is a small market...

 

[Casecutter]

what happens when gpu mining dies down and all these cards go on the used market with low pricing?

Yeah, that’s something to have trepidation for, and I’m sure AMD does, but for AIB's it's 'Carpe diem'... at least for now! Especially for those that build/supply both AMD and Nvidia! I don't see AMD jumping much to increase their production just holding to “steady as it goes”. While you know Nvidia wants some of that action, however AMD probably isn’t liking that this situation disenfranchise gamers and their initiatives they’ve built and spent to entice gamers (Gaming Evolved, Mantle) aren’t doing what they intended. But do you kill a “golden goose”? It’s a weird market…

if there comes new cards before people stop mining with them the urge to upgrade would bee even bigger.

That's the best hope... new cards that don't raise mh/s matrix, while moving the gaming matrix. Making the cost to move to newer cards not as enticing.

Hey want to ask does that use a vapor chamber, or just a standard copper base?

 

[15th Warlock]

If you were to ask me whether I would buy the Sapphire Tri-X or ASUS DC II, I'd still go for the ASUS card because it runs higher clocks, has a dual BIOS that includes AMD's quiet/performance mode, and is shorter, and it includes a backplate.

Thank you!

Not only that but you can get the DCUII for $598 + free shipping (and no tax in most states) from ShopBLT

 

[Pixrazor]

don't forget that overclocking here is with default voltage so no voltage tweaking
so maybe the different cards have different load voltage, then overclock is proportionally to this

 

[W1zzard]

don't forget that overclocking here is with default voltage so no voltage tweaking
so maybe the different cards have different load voltage, then overclock is proportionally to this

voltages are listed on the "temperatures and clock profiles" page

 

[buggalugs]

Whats going to happen when Mantle is final as far as reviews go. Mantle changes things and makes the 290X faster than 780Ti in some games. I'm still going with a 290X, its a good time to be on an AMD card. Now that AMD has fixed frame pacing issues , and with mantle, I think a lot of people are ready to go back to AMD.

I cant see that the 780Ti is a better deal than 290X. They are around the same price and mantle evens things up further, Lets not forget, its meant to be $549, the retail price is higher because of bitcoin miners and AIB partners/retailers are inflating the price. Bottom line is, people want these cards and they're selling like hotcakes so the price is higher than it should be. This always happens with popular new cards, in a couple of months the prices will ease a little.

 

[qubit]

Clearly the MSI GTX 780 Ti Gaming is better, especially at this price. I'm thinking about the superior cooler, especially.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_780_Ti_Gaming/

 

[Fluffmeister]

One of the better custom 290X's doing the rounds for sure, but for that money a 780 Ti is clearly the better option.