$400 for 290...say what!!!!

and more that 100$ gap between 290X and 290?. i think could be more This and 449$.
 
Would be great if you could use a bios update for R9 290 to be unlocked to R9 290X. For 400, I would seriously consider getting it just to play around with it :D.
 
that sounds like about the right pricing.
though I would have guessed MSRP in USA for the vanilla 290 would be $429

Leaving it at $400 leaves room for the 3rd party coolers to be priced at $450.
 
Bleh, forum ate my post, but saw the tech report review and then later the other reviews. Looks like 400 bucks for the 290, which makes it The Card to Get, period.
 
Wow, that is actually pretty impressive pricing.

Falling Anvil said:
Bleh, forum ate my post, but saw the tech report review and then later the other reviews. Looks like 400 bucks for the 290, which makes it The Card to Get, period.
Click to expand...

Not sure I'd go THAT far since the GTX 780 with non-reference coolers can be had at 499 or less, plus around $75 worth of games after fees to sell, but it's very strong pricing for sure. It does have one major drawback as well which is fan noise... http://tpucdn.com/reviews/AMD/R9_290/images/fannoise_load.gif .

Techpowerup Review said:
Idle noise levels are ok, but a few less dBs in that state would be nice since many productivity users prefer a quiet system for work.

As soon as you play any games on the card, though, the experience becomes extremely noisy. The card's noise will overpower any other component and possibly your game's audio; that is, unless you play with headphones or increase the volume.
Click to expand...
 
Damn, my Birthday is Wed. :D

Well....just bought one.
 
Last edited:
well, this is the killer blow imo. Only an idiot or someone with more than enough means would buy into the 780Ti or any of nvidia's price gouging anymore. 780 Lightning or AMD for me... wish I had sold my 780 SC's before this >_<
 
Had a brief moment of buyer's remorse (my pair of 7970 Matrix Platinums bought at deep discount are in transit), but there's still a big price delta (&#8364;110/card) between what I paid for one of the most premium 7970 boards produced, and the launch price of the 290.

Combine that with the same noise as a 290x, the higher power draw pretty much mandating that I replace my (newish) 750W PSU if I wanted to Crossfire, there's probably still at least a month before non-reference boards hit the market, and I don't feel quite so bad giving up 23% or so performance out of the box.

Plus hopefully my Matrix cards have some headroom, the equation changes more than a little bit if I can reliably run them at 1200+ MHz core/6600+ MHz memory.

All that said, if I wasn't fiending on BF4 at the moment and torturing my unlocked 6950's to death, I probably would have waited a month or so for the non reference 290s to hit the market. It's a seriously fast card at a very good price (well below the retail on my Asus boards when they launched, for instance, or even reference 7970's at launch).
 
I was thinking about a 780 GTX because of the three game deal... but holy crap... I want one of these with a non reference cooler so badly I'm going to wait until they launch. Hopefully I can nab one in December.
 
I am a true nvidiot and never thought I'd even consider an amd card... but this 290, at 400 bucks is probably going to drive me to team red. Amazing performance for the money... holy smokes.
 
Same boat here, I just bought one. Been hardcore green for years, and I still do appreciate the efficiency of NVIDIA's products, but $400 is a steal for a card with this performance. I figure I could buy a water block or an aftermarket cooling solution for the price difference between this and a 780 anyways, OC the bad boy and it'll be stomping Titans.
 
This is the best bang for the buck card no questions asked.

My god, what a deal.

I'm still waiting for the custom AIBs but if you need a card now, this is the card to get bar none.
 
Hmm should I cancel my order for the 290x? Were talking $180 difference in price compared to the 290x but its almost on par in terms of speed...

Only issue is I have an EK waterblock coming and wondering if it will fit the 290

Thoughts?
 
Waterblock should fit just fine, it's the same PCB and physical die as the 290X by all reports.
 
Since the v8 driver improved performance by as much as 13%, I wonder what it would do to a 290X. Damn I dont know what to do :( I sure dont want to shell out $180 for "some" small boost
 
Killer card for $399.99.

If I didn't own a 290X I would be all over this card right now before they sell out or the prices gets jacked up.
 
iGrooCk said:
Since the v8 driver improved performance by as much as 13%, I wonder what it would do to a 290X. Damn I dont know what to do :( I sure dont want to shell out $180 for "some" small boost
Click to expand...

Something tells me that driver didn't really improve performance. From what it seems, all it did was raise the fan speed while stabilizing the cards clocks (no throttling).

If you value your money, the 290 performs quite similar to the 290x.

SonDa5 said:
Killer card for $399.99.

If I didn't own a 290X I would be all over this card right now before they sell out or the prices gets jacked up.
Click to expand...

Same. Though I'm debating on upgrading my gaming puters card with it.
 
Canceled my order for the 290x and got a 290. Seeing as to how I already have BF4, I dont really see a reason to pay $180 more for a 290x. I will eventually Crossfire them which will last for a very very long time.
 
tonyftw said:
Something tells me that driver didn't really improve performance. From what it seems, all it did was raise the fan speed while stabilizing the cards clocks (no throttling).
Click to expand...

Sure looks like AMD kept some reserve power doesn't it? Especially if further increasing the fan does nothing... ;)

Have to say well done AMD on this one!
 
I've always been an Nvidia fan for graphics cards, but I must say that I would be jumping ship if the 290 could render with Blender Cycles. It looks like a heck of a card!
 
dook43 said:
Brett debunked this.
Click to expand...

Not that I saw anywhere... every other review site is saying it's loud, both subjectively and measured objectively with decibel meters across a variety of environments. Owners have said they are very loud on its brother, the 290X. I don't know why he would say it isn't loud... at the 47% fan speed the new drivers set it to, the thing is louder than what people used to call the GTX 480 (terms such as "jet engine", "hairdryer", "wind turbine", etc.). Don't get me wrong, once the custom-cooled versions arrive it's going to be a very good card in the market, but the reference cooler is very obviously barely managing the thermal load and is loud when doing so.
 
http://youtu.be/QQhqOKKAq7o
r9 290x fan noise 40%fan/ 50% uber/ and full out
same fan as on the 290 (remember not in a case)
pcper 's ryan opinion that at 40% it was not quiet T_T , i disagree
55% man woo thats louder (not the 47% of the 290 but i m guessing the difference would be inbetween right?)

100% forget that #@$@ but thats forced to 100% ... uber + 100% = 65-75% in most case.

i wouldn't say it's a deal breaker, unless you your the type that wants a silent pc (not quiet )
 
I wonder if you go on a car forum and hear people whine about how loud there 1000hp mustang is and that it sucks because it so loud running 8 second quarter miles.
 
Filter said:
I wonder if you go on a car forum and hear people whine about how loud there 1000hp mustang is and that it sucks because it so loud running 8 second quarter miles.
Click to expand...

This comparison is so wrong on so many levels. Wow........
 
iGrooCk said:
Canceled my order for the 290x and got a 290. Seeing as to how I already have BF4, I dont really see a reason to pay $180 more for a 290x. I will eventually Crossfire them which will last for a very very long time.
Click to expand...

Heh, I already have my 290x, so I'll have to figure out how to return it to Amazon :( Ordered 2 XFX 290s. I'll only have 1 waterblock this weekend though. Rabble rabble rabble. Hopefully they get more in stock tomorrow and ship my 2nd one.
 
veedubfreak said:
Heh, I already have my 290x, so I'll have to figure out how to return it to Amazon :( Ordered 2 XFX 290s. I'll only have 1 waterblock this weekend though. Rabble rabble rabble. Hopefully they get more in stock tomorrow and ship my 2nd one.
Click to expand...

Fifty bucks for the 290x :D
 
Man, big applause for AMD. This series at this price point is just phenomenal. Nice to see them return to the top of the performance pile in a big way. I'd switch in a heartbeat if my 690 wasn't doing all I need it to do. Crossfire 290s water cooled are very tempting.
 
I'm also surprised that the [H] review downplayed the fan noise...literally every other review has made a big deal out of it
 
doz said:
This comparison is so wrong on so many levels. Wow........
Click to expand...

How so?


You want true performance there are trade offs?

People are complaing how many watts it pulls from the wall. Never heard a drag racer or road racer ever complain how much gas it takes to drive.

Alot of people are becoming little whiny !/&!# about video cards these days. It runs tooo hot. The fan is too loud. It sucks too much power. It costs tooo much.
 
polonyc2 said:
I'm also surprised that the [H] review downplayed the fan noise...literally every other review has made a big deal out of it
Click to expand...

Honestly its not even a big deal or that loud. If your expecting near silent operation then you shouldnt be looking at flagship cards
 
Filter said:
Honestly its not even a big deal or that loud. If your expecting near silent operation then you shouldnt be looking at flagship cards
Click to expand...

it's a big deal in comparison to other premium video cards...that's how video cards are reviewed
 
Filter said:
How so?


You want true performance there are trade offs?

People are complaing how many watts it pulls from the wall. Never heard a drag racer or road racer ever complain how much gas it takes to drive.

Alot of people are becoming little whiny !/&!# about video cards these days. It runs tooo hot. The fan is too loud. It sucks too much power. It costs tooo much.
Click to expand...

They gotta justify overpaying for a underpowered card somehow? Lol let them vent...
 
Filter said:
Honestly its not even a big deal or that loud. If your expecting near silent operation then you shouldnt be looking at flagship cards
Click to expand...

Because for $40 used, $60 new, you can buy an aftermarket cooler that will be better than anything any of these manufacturers will offer in another month. Would it have been so bad for AMD to design a halfway decent reference cooler and bump the cost by $20?

Imagine AMD selling these things for $420 w/ OC headroom and less noise. Instead, they chose the cheap and easy way out.

On a high performance machine, you cant have quiet and performance as one takes away from the other.

I can go out and get an AC3X and have a cool card thats quieter with increasing performance. Lets see you slap a quieter muffler on that 1000hp beast and see better performance ;/
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top