7950CF or R9 290?

K

krazyatom

Limp Gawd
Joined
Nov 3, 2011
Messages
239
Hello guys,

I recently bought 7950 pair for CF, but I realized that R9 290 can be purchased for $400. I know that 7950CF will be higher performance, but single powerful card is also very tempting.
What do you guys suggest? I know gtx 780 is also very good card, but it's $100 more than R9 290.

My spec:

i7 920 D0 4.1ghz
6gb DDR3
850 PSU Seasonic
Dell u3011 (2560 x 1600)
 
Can you return them? or would you have to sell them at a loss. That would be the determining factor for me. I'd go with single card at the moment, just because its easier / less power hungry.
 
For 2560 x 1600? A single 290 isn't really enough if you want to max everything at 60 FPS. 7950CF would give you a better experience most likely.
 
geforce man said:
Can you return them? or would you have to sell them at a loss. That would be the determining factor for me. I'd go with single card at the moment, just because its easier / less power hungry.
Click to expand...

I can still return it and get a refund. Still not sure what to do.

x3sphere said:
For 2560 x 1600? A single 290 isn't really enough if you want to max everything at 60 FPS. 7950CF would give you a better experience most likely.
Click to expand...

Single R9 290 won't be enough for 2560 x 1600? If yes, by how much?
 
It won't play 60fps/Ultra on newer games, but neither will the 7950 xfire. The 2x7950 is faster than a 290X.

I'd be tempted to return the 7950s, wait for a 290 with a good cooler, buy one, wait for money money, buy another.
 
Why return them if there isn't anything wrong with them? I don't understand why people do that other than they get buyer's remorse and since they CAN return things they figure they SHOULD. 2x7950s are quite a bit more power than a 290. Quite a bit more power than a 290x... and totally reliable and proven already. Why fix something that isn't broken?
It's too late now since it's common practice but all the returning we do here in the US is part of why everything is so expensive everywhere.

You know what, though? Fuck em. If they made the return policy that says you can return it for such and such a period under such and such conditions then that's that. Can't really blame someone for making use of the policy.

Here's where I sell my 7950 and return the 280x with no restocking fee due to it being refundable and Iron Egg Guaranteed and plan for SLI 780s. :eek:

I'm just kidding. I'm returning the 280x and planning for CF 290x's when the affiliate coolers come out. Why am I doing it? To see if Newegg tries to deny the RMA due to damage or something shady, of course! (And because I can)...

Officially I am lying to myself and saying it's because the crossfire bridge didn't work properly with my 7950 (the bridge that came with the 7950 worked fine with the 280x), but the truth is I want more power than 2 280x's can give. So if Newegg accepts my return on a 280x and then sells me 2 more expensive graphics cards because of it... I begin to see why that's good business. There must be a delicate balance between a "good" return policy and a bad one.
 
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That is a very valid question to me as well. I have 2 x Gigabytes 7950's and they do run fast and quiet. However, sometimes the computer will lock up when turning Crossfire on and off. Also, with 2 cards in, Ultra Fast Boot on my 990FX Asrock board does not work. (Works with one card in though.) Let me know what you decide OP, thanks.
 
Fooshnik said:
It won't play 60fps/Ultra on newer games, but neither will the 7950 xfire. The 2x7950 is faster than a 290X.

I'd be tempted to return the 7950s, wait for a 290 with a good cooler, buy one, wait for money money, buy another.
Click to expand...

Why dont youpeople be more specific instead of just saying it will not play on ultra at 60 fps? 7950 crossfire will play almost all games at 1440p at 60 fps there might be a few like crysis 3 and farcry 3 but for the most part crossfire 7950's is more then enough for 2560x1440
 
Always buy a new model instead of CF. More power consumption, less compatibility.
 
I actually just bought a single 290 (non X) this morning. Will be replacing my 7970 Xfire setup.

Yes, I know it won't be as powerful till I throw in (another) 290. However my main reason was because I want the dual DVI-DL ports on the card. I want to be able to run both my 1440p monitors @ 96Hz and still have crossfire working flawlessly. With my setup now - I have to choose between crossfire or dual monitors.
 
Guys, thanks for the feedback.
I have similar problem with Manofgod. Sometimes, my crossfire won't detect when I boot up and I need to reboot my computer to detect it again. Not sure if it's mobo or GPU. I already tested the card individually and found no problem. I am still haven't decided what to do with my 7950s.
 
Are you sure the 7950s were pushed all the way down into the pci-e slot?

That has happened to me on my 7870 because I can't screw them down as it will off-set the card out of the slot. I just have to be real careful when I move my case. I think it has to do with my case (Coolermaster CM-690 II).
 
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