ASUS R9 290X DirectCU II OC Video Card Review @ [H]

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FrgMstr

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ASUS R9 290X DirectCU II OC Video Card Review - The first customized AMD Radeon R9 290X GPU based video card is here. We take a look at the ASUS R9 290X DirectCU II OC video card, with better cooling, better performance, all while having a quiet fan profile. We will test this beast and find out if this is the answer all R9 290X interested buyers are looking for.
 
Just skimmed the review, good job as always.

If its actually available at MSRP next month, it will be a hot seller, matches 780 Ti performance at $130 less, very nice. Overall looks like a great card!
 
Finally the right R9 290X. Great results and cooling solution by ASUS. Now people should be buying these cards in droves. :D.
 
And why exactly have AMD engineers not been able to offer coolers like these on factory cards? Yes, it dumps heat in the case - make it a $$$ option at release for those who want it.
 
My only concern is the 108C VRM temp on the Quiet Mode. That would make me uncomfortable. I had a GTX280 back in the day that hit 110C on the VRMs regularly and that card died after a year. 90C on Performance mode is fine, but I wouldn't want to use Quiet Mode if the VRMs run that hot regularly.

Otherwise the card looks great. I'm interested to see MSI's solution as well.
 
KickAssCop said:
Finally the right R9 290X. Great results and cooling solution by ASUS. Now people should be buying these cards in droves. :D.
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I had "Radeon 290x" bookmarked on a few sites and monitored for AIB versions.

Finally I gave up waiting and bought an EVGA GeForce GTX 780 Ti Superclocked w/ACX Cooler. 2 days later this is out -- but not so fast: It's actually out NEXT month.
 
It's too bad that these will likely sell for upwards of $650 when they're released...
 
:eek: It would appear Asus has messed up the heat sink contact with VRM 1. Didn't this happen a little while ago where they had poor heat transfer and had to make a revision 2? The so called better Asus heat sink on uber has a 21 degree rise in VRM 1 over stock! Quiet mode showed a 42 degree rise ! I know Asus tunes these VRM's for a higher voltage threshold but this is not looking like a good tradeoff. These results scream poor contact. Guru3D also received 87 degrees for that VRM:
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/asus_radeon_r9_290x_directcuii_oc_review,11.html
Anyone else think this card was rushed out?
 
fast freddy said:
:eek: It would appear Asus has messed up the heat sink contact with VRM 1. Didn't this happen a little while ago where they had poor heat transfer and had to make a revision 2? The so called better Asus heat sink on uber has a 21 degree rise in VRM 1 over stock! Quiet mode showed a 42 degree rise ! I know Asus tunes these VRM's for a higher voltage threshold but this is not looking like a good tradeoff. These results scream poor contact. Guru3D also received 87 degrees for that VRM:
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/asus_radeon_r9_290x_directcuii_oc_review,11.html
Anyone else think this card was rushed out?
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Sure sounds like it based on what you're saying, what a QA mess-up!
 
good article, looking forward to the OC review. my guess is the 780 Ti will take the lead when overclocking is considered, guess we'll see.

edit: never mind, i see the explanation below the Power and Thermals Chart
 
i wouldn't expect a high oc with vrm1 temps. at least, with the concrete alloy chokes u won't hear the coil whine that you would get normally
 
Great review and good looking card!

If raw performance is your goal the definitely go with this card.
 
Nice review . Asus does a nice job lets hope that the rest can do as well :).
 
Having a tough time deciding between this and the MSI Gaming 290X. I am getting very impatient. I have been without a GPU since late November. I guess a couple more weeks will not kill me.
 
StormClaw said:
still too hot at 94'C

i'd rather overpay $100 for overall stability
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This is the 2nd time I've seen this exact post. Are schools not teaching people how to read charts?
It says 82C in Perf Mode.

You can make any GPU run at 94C if you turn the fans down low enough.
 
StormClaw said:
still too hot at 94'C

i'd rather overpay $100 for overall stability
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depends on what "too hot" means for someone..

considering the process used is rated up to 120C it is far from "too hot"
if one accounts for progression of performance vs power and thermal increases over last 10 years (hint it has been an almost constant increase), it's still a far cry from "too hot" ..
if you are simply looking at the numbers and still stuck using outdated comparison , then yes it would be "too hot" .. as would the generation before it when so compared, and the generation before that, and the one before that .. and so on..

People are still stuck on this idea of how heat is measured, and want to try to compare using past ideas of "how things should be" ..

The only real "too hot" is if someone has a system that is not properly setup to remove the heat generated. In this regard the "god awful" reference coolers are doing their job. Yes this can be improved upon however it's time people get out of the past and learn to start thinking forward.. it's like watching the 80 year old guy with the 58 Edsel complain about the new fangled automobiles looking down right horrid and ruining the driving experience.. while he gets 8 MPG and has to drive 30 miles to get a lead additive..

As far as stability, .. there is very little of anything to suggest the 290/290X suffer from ANY stability issues related to heat or other wise (outside of baseless forum posts)..
 
I bet this card will debut on newegg at 699.99$ just like the Gigabyte 290X windforce did. It isn't just newegg either. The MSI aftermarket cards on NCIX are 529/699, and amazon 290X prices are through the roof right now. It's pretty stupid that every etailer in the states takes what could be a great value of a card and shits on that value. All due to mining supply and demand. I could see getting these cards when they're 120$ cheaper than the NV solution. At the same price? Nah. AMD needs slightly lower prices than NV given that their software isn't as full featured or as good IMO.

Hopefully that entire mining bullshit situation auto corrects, and soon. This would be a great value and a damn great card at MSRP. I'd buy one in a heartbeat at 579$. At 699$? Yeah fuck that. Again..I hope something changes with mining and changes soon.
 
xoleras said:
I bet this card will debut on newegg at 699.99$ just like the Gigabyte 290X windforce did. It isn't just newegg either. The MSI aftermarket cards on NCIX are 529/699, and amazon 290X prices are through the roof right now. It's pretty stupid that every etailer in the states takes what could be a great value of a card and shits on that value, making it worthless. All due to mining supply and demand. I could see getting these cards when they're 120$ cheaper than the NV solution. At the same price? Nah.

Hopefully that entire mining bullshit situation auto corrects, and soon. This would be a great value and a damn great card at MSRP. At 699$? Yeah fuck that.
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@ $699. agree far from what one would hope.. BUT even at such price, as "bad" as it may seem, it is matching the 780Ti (at the SAME price).. should we expect you to populate the 780Ti threads declaring "F*ck That" too ?
 
FrameBuffer said:
@ $699. agree far from what one would hope.. BUT even at such price, as "bad" as it may seem, it is matching the 780Ti (at the SAME price).. should we expect you to populate the 780Ti threads declaring "F*ck That" too ?
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It is an overclocked card matching a reference 780ti. The overclocked aftermarket 780ti performs 20-25% faster than the stock reference card -- Hardwarecanucks has benchmarks of the 780ti GHZ edition from gigabyte, which benchmarked faster than the GTX 690. The Asus DC II 290x is slower than the GTX 690 even when overclocked.

You can view the GHZ edition 780ti here:

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/foru...gigabyte-gtx-780-ti-ghz-edition-review-8.html

They also have a review of the DC II 290X. When overclocked it is slower than the above card by a considerable margin. So yeah. If they're the same price, an aftermarket 780ti is the far better buy with software and overclocking headroom taken into consideration. But at MSRP? The DC II 290X would be a hell of a great value and great performing card. Don't get me wrong. If by some miracle this card ends up at MSRP, it's going to be great. A far better value than the 780ti if it is indeed at MSRP. I just don't think it will happen. We'll see though.
 
Are people mining with 290x's?
The cards are still sold out in a lot of places and being gouged, I would assume yes, but I thought there weren't profits to be had due to power consumption.

It's not the first time places like Newegg have profited from these 'good value' cards. If something is priced too good to be true, Newegg will make it untrue.
 
Good overclocked 780Ti vs 290x with OCed 780 and 290 is much needed. For me at least to draw conclusion what GPU is the best. Out of box, custom 290x is the best but overclock can change that for some of us.
 
Kyle, Brent Thank you.
Really hoping the prices on these stay at MSRP.

P.S. the editors note at the end of page 8 might need to be stressed more.
With these cards performing as they do.. any chance you could do a closed case test?
 
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The same performance as a 780ti while consuming between 50 and 80 watts more power at the wall, not yet available, and likely well over MSRP when it does drop?

Where exactly is the "value" in this card? The bias is showing clearly in your conclusion.
 
Daroller said:
Where exactly is the "value" in this card? The bias is showing clearly in your conclusion.
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Because they can't predict the future. The card has a MSRP of $570 so they're writing based on that. It doesn't release for another month, so there's no point in criticizing the price gouging now when things might change.

There's also a note about the current prices:
Editor’s Note: As many of you are aware, e-tailers have been selling AMD Radoen R9 290/X series cards above MSRP due to heavy market demands. Since this ASUS card is not yet in e-tail, and likely will not be for another 30 days, you will of course have to evaluate the value of this given video card at that time.
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Daroller said:
The same performance as a 780ti while consuming between 50 and 80 watts more power at the wall, not yet available, and likely well over MSRP when it does drop?

Where exactly is the "value" in this card? The bias is showing clearly in your conclusion.
Click to expand...
why exactly should availability and retailer price gouging factor into the conclusion of a review? It's not ASUS or AMD setting the prices of these cards at way above retail. At $569 it is indeed a considerable savings over the 780 TI. If you can't find it at MSRP that isn't the fault of ASUS so why should their review suffer? It's supply and demand economics. Complain to NewEgg.
 
Daroller said:
The same performance as a 780ti while consuming between 50 and 80 watts more power at the wall, not yet available, and likely well over MSRP when it does drop?

Where exactly is the "value" in this card? The bias is showing clearly in your conclusion.
Click to expand...

I don't know about his, but your bias is certainly showing in your question...;) Talk about loaded questions...

It's fairly easy to understand that when people like something--are pleased with something--that generally tends to create a bias. That's normal. People have to get over the silliness of calling everyone who likes a product a "fanboy" and everyone who dislikes a product a "hater." It's idiotic to slap labels on people simply because they give you their unvarnished opinions. (It does nothing for their arguments, either.)

As far as "well over MSRP" goes, that would be a neat trick indeed, seeing that Asus has already announced its MSRP of $570....! I can see it *possibly* ratcheting up to $599 but only if supplies become limited and the demand is far greater. And to think that not all that long ago some people were talking about what a great deal a Titan was...!...:D
 
WaltC said:
As far as "well over MSRP" goes, that would be a neat trick indeed, seeing that Asus has already announced its MSRP of $570....! I can see it *possibly* ratcheting up to $599 but only if supplies become limited and the demand is far greater. And to think that not all that long ago some people were talking about what a great deal a Titan was...!...:D
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This card also has a 569$ MSRP:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125499

Hooray for mining. Like I said this card will be great at MSRP. A hell of a card for 570$. Chances of that happening if mining maintains pace? Slim to none.
 
BIGGRIMTIM said:
Having a tough time deciding between this and the MSI Gaming 290X. I am getting very impatient. I have been without a GPU since late November. I guess a couple more weeks will not kill me.
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I like Gaming coolers bit more. Dual slot DC2 are bit weaker on high end models and that shows when clocks and fans are up. Both are quiet, Gaming maybe bit more. Over here Gaming cards are cheaper and Asus is overpriced some reason so I dont even think about it,.

Custom 290x like this are great buy for most but 100$ or less premium for 780 Ti is not that much off. At lest from what I see from reviews on other sites. But i look at it bit past "out of box" perf. and bang for buck ratio.
 
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roki977 said:
I like Gaming coolers bit more. Dual slot DC2 are bit weaker on high end models and that shows when clocks and fans are up. Both are quiet, Gaming maybe bit more. Over here Gaming cards are cheaper and Asus is overpriced some reason so I dont even think about it,.
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Not that I'm doubting you, but are there any benches that show Gamings are quieter?
I'm looking for any reasons to prefer MSI over ASUS at the moment but from all accounts the DCII is more efficient than the Twin Frozr IV.

Although the VRM temps on this 290x are unsettling, if MSI can lower those then that's one point in their favor.
There aren't any MSI 290/290x benchmarks yet so at this point it's a guessing game.

It doesn't show as out of stock on newegg. I just ran all the way thru to check out and it didn't say out of stock. I didn't complete the transaction though.
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ASUS 290x doesn't release for 3 weeks, not the Gigabyte.
 
I am telling you this for DC2 and Gaming exp. with 280x and 770 cards. From what I see that DC2 is same thing with same number of heat pipes like on 280x and TF4 can be even stronger that one on 280x or 770. One pipe more I think on 780, not sure abut that. Look into that if you want. If DC2 coller is bigger or with more pipes han one 280x than it could bi better. I wasnt that much impressed with it on 280x..
 
Rizen said:
why exactly should availability and retailer price gouging factor into the conclusion of a review? It's not ASUS or AMD setting the prices of these cards at way above retail. At $569 it is indeed a considerable savings over the 780 TI. If you can't find it at MSRP that isn't the fault of ASUS so why should their review suffer? It's supply and demand economics. Complain to NewEgg.
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The review mentions price. Unfortunately, that shit ain't going to retail for MSRP. I want a 290X but no way in hell will I pay a 780 GTX Ti type price. And oh, the hell with new egg.
 
TaintedSquirrel said:
Not that I'm doubting you, but are there any benches that show Gamings are quieter?
I'm looking for any reasons to prefer MSI over ASUS at the moment but from all accounts the DCII is more efficient than the Twin Frozr IV.
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He's right. TPU and Guru3d have done numerous comparisons through various iterations of DC2 and MSI gamer cards and the latter generally is more optimized for noise levels and acoustics. However, Asus cards generally overclock slightly better. Although, discussing that is the nitpick level - BOTH of these cards are quiet. The MSI gamer is slightly quieter, generally speaking. That was true on the 780 and 760 iterations of the MSI gamer cooler, and other iterations as well. You really can't go wrong with either cooler IMHO.

Asus usually overclocks a tad bit better. MSI gamer is more acoustically optimized. But, again, this is nitpicking. Both coolers are fantastic.

That said, the VRM temps on this card are pretty unsettling. That and the probable inflated pricing due to mining. Heck, the VRM temps on this asus card are just flat out awful IMO. Maybe the MSI Gamer will be better all around than this card with that in mind.
 
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