Is vapor-x worth the premium price?

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MorgothPl

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I'm building new gaming pc for fiancee, and decided to go 290 way, as in Europe, due to high energy costs, we dont have miner tax :)

The question though is a brand. Was going to get MSI gaming or xfx dd, which are at about 1500 pln ($500) but recently noticed the 290 vapor-x. It costs about 1800 ($600) according to first rewiev at kit guru, it is fast, and it runs about 5C less than cheaper 290. It is supposed to OC very high, but thats lottery and I really doubt that every card goes that high.

Is the vapor-x really worth that premium cost, or are all those just marketing hogwash, and I can safely go with 290 gaming?
 
For $100.... I'd go with the MSI gaming.

Prices keep dropping too.
 
MSI's leaky fans.
The XFX runs hot but at least it works and you're more likely to get the warranty honored if you need a replacement. Although this being in the EU who knows how reliable any of the companies are.

I can't recommend Sapphire's custom boards in the slightest though.
See here, here, and here. Would avoid buying a card with zero user reviews as they're usually better at finding faults with a product line (a common problem with Sapphire).
 
I can only comment on the 270X Vapor-X models. I bought 3 of those and the rest of my 270Xs are XFX DD (the newer versions), and the Vapor-X are at minimum 10 degrees cooler in the same machine regardless of position. They are really quiet as well. XFX has a better warranty though.
 
I originally had a ref 290x on a waterblock that I sold and ordered this one. (got a killer price)
Email from Amazon
Hello,

We have good news! We're able to get this part of your order to you faster than we originally promised:

"Sapphire Radeon VAPOR-X R9 290 4GB GDDR5 DUAL DVI-D/HDMI/DP TRI-X OC Version PCI-Express Graphics Card 11227-04-40G"
Previous estimated arrival date: May 07, 2014 - May 15, 2014


New estimated arrival date: April 25, 2014
Click to expand...

Got solid reviews across the board so crossing fingers. To me its worth the price premium TBD based on what I can overclock this at.
 
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Thanks for all the advice. However, I got a good offer from a friend and bought his 2months old 290 Tri-X OC for like $450, as he is getting himself a 780 Ti. I guess, that the difference of more than $150 is crucial :) especially, as not all the 290 Vapor-X go over 1200... some are stuck at 1180 or lower.
 
MorgothPl said:
Thanks for all the advice. However, I got a good offer from a friend and bought his 2months old 290 Tri-X OC for like $450, as he is getting himself a 780 Ti. I guess, that the difference of more than $150 is crucial :) especially, as not all the 290 Vapor-X go over 1200... some are stuck at 1180 or lower.
Click to expand...

Well since then (not sure about EU) but here in the states prices for the Tri-X/Vapor-X was $479/$499 just last week. Due to prices on a downhill just went to $429/$449 just this week.

Anyway Tri-X is a reference with a custom cooler and just like with any card it will be a lottery. Though the biggest difference you will see between Tri-X (reference) and Vapor-X (non-reference) are:

Custom PCB
Custom Chokes
Additional Phases (6 vs 4)
2x 8pin power (vs 1x 8pin 1x 6pin)
Custom cooler (supposedly 5C~ better than Tri-X)/Hybrid mode turns off 2 fans on idle.

Now in regards to MSI Gaming and Tri-X cooler I personally think the Gaming is better on the silent side with having 2 larger fans rather than 3 smaller fans. Though the design was originally for the 700 series, not sure if it was tweaked for the 200 series, that being said some people might have higher temps and thus Tri-X would be the most efficient cooler at the time.

With Vapor-X just releasing this month there hasnt been many reviews out and the obvious silicon lottery will always be there for every card. Anyway debating whether I should just sell my Tri-X to my bro for $360 lol and either going Vapor-X or just going back to 770 as I don't need much power/heat for the games I currently play and just wait till next years card :D
 
With Vapor-X it's a lottery too. Kit Guru was able to push their card to over 1276, while Legit Reviews managed only 1180. So it's not that they binned the chips properly. Might be, they are saving best chips for Toxic 8GB version.
 
MorgothPl said:
With Vapor-X it's a lottery too. Kit Guru was able to push their card to over 1276, while Legit Reviews managed only 1180. So it's not that they binned the chips properly. Might be, they are saving best chips for Toxic 8GB version.
Click to expand...

Yeah I feel the Toxic will be an improvement over vapor. I'm on the edge of getting the vapor but at this point not sure if I really need it over the tri-x as i just run it stock for the games i play anyway. But if my bro decides to buy it (he doesnt upgrade a lot and likes to water his rig) i probably would jump on it dunno yet :p
 
one of the things i like about vapor-x cards is they're quiet running @ stock. if silence is your thing, cards that come with a non-stock cooler + o/c'd are nice.
 
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