Need to replace my R9 290 in a pinch

J

Jaymzkerten

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jul 30, 2012
Messages
197
So apparently last night my R9 290 decided to go up in blue smoke. Had to throw my 6950 in as a placeholder so my computer is functional, but I can already tell it's struggling with my 4k monitor ("You want HOW MANY pixels???"). While I hold my breath working with ASUS warranty support *cough*, I'm stuck needing a new video card that can handle the 4k monitor.

My local Fry's has some options, and while I'm not on such a budget that I need to get the cheapest possible, I'd prefer not to spend $500+. I also don't have to have the latest generation, I'm perfectly happy with an R9 390 if it will be good for the budget. In my limited knowledge of what I need to look for in a video card I know that VRAM and memory bandwidth are big factors for 4k gaming, but to what extent I do not know. The R9 290 that just died was a 4GB card, and there were occasions I would notice a performance hit as a result of that.

Any help is appreciated, for reference here's what I have to work with locally:

Fry's Electronics |
 
Get a 1070 if you can swing it. A 390 is almost the same performance you've had since you bought the 290.
 
I know the 390 wouldn't be much of a performance increase, was mostly looking at the increase in VRAM as being a big plus while trying to shy away from $500 cards. If a $500 card is the route I have to go, then so be it.
 
Jaymzkerten said:
I know the 390 wouldn't be much of a performance increase, was mostly looking at the increase in VRAM as being a big plus while trying to shy away from $500 cards. If a $500 card is the route I have to go, then so be it.
Click to expand...

You could also buy a 980ti then, used or new they are well under 400, like 350.
 
frys doesn't have any rx480's in stock? One of those would hold you over nicely for about 250 range
 
Jaymzkerten said:
I know the 390 wouldn't be much of a performance increase, was mostly looking at the increase in VRAM as being a big plus while trying to shy away from $500 cards. If a $500 card is the route I have to go, then so be it.
Click to expand...

VRAM isn't going to be a big plus, there are very few cases where the extra 4GB of RAM make a big difference in gameplay visuals. Either get a new RX 480 and gain some new tech and manufacturing process (while still performing close to your 290), or upgrade to a 1070;

Spending ~$300 on a 390 right now sounds crazy when people are getting 980Tis for right around that price and the 390 is an old hot card that won't be an upgrade..
 
Jaymzkerten said:
So apparently last night my R9 290 decided to go up in blue smoke. Had to throw my 6950 in as a placeholder so my computer is functional, but I can already tell it's struggling with my 4k monitor ("You want HOW MANY pixels???"). While I hold my breath working with ASUS warranty support *cough*, I'm stuck needing a new video card that can handle the 4k monitor.

My local Fry's has some options, and while I'm not on such a budget that I need to get the cheapest possible, I'd prefer not to spend $500+. I also don't have to have the latest generation, I'm perfectly happy with an R9 390 if it will be good for the budget. In my limited knowledge of what I need to look for in a video card I know that VRAM and memory bandwidth are big factors for 4k gaming, but to what extent I do not know. The R9 290 that just died was a 4GB card, and there were occasions I would notice a performance hit as a result of that.

Any help is appreciated, for reference here's what I have to work with locally:

Fry's Electronics |
Click to expand...

Why not just wait for the RMA?

I actually have one of my 290s with Asus tech support (Canadian site), and I was told 5 days till the card is replaced/repaired.

No point in wasting money behind a place holder card..... unless, you sell the 290 once you get it back from Asus.

If you really need to game in the immediate future, there are some great deals on the second hand market. I noticed 980Tis are going for $500CAD (So about $350USD).
 
Ocellaris said:
VRAM isn't going to be a big plus, there are very few cases where the extra 4GB of RAM make a big difference in gameplay visuals. Either get a new RX 480 and gain some new tech and manufacturing process (while still performing close to your 290), or upgrade to a 1070;

Spending ~$300 on a 390 right now sounds crazy when people are getting 980Tis for right around that price and the 390 is an old hot card that won't be an upgrade..
Click to expand...

I may have been misinformed at the time but I was lead to believe that as you get into the higher resolution monitors, such as my 4k monitor, that the amount of VRAM can have an affect on the frame rate. This was immediately apparent when I put in my 6950 (2GB) last night and the monitor became restricted to 4k@30Hz mode. Even without launching a game I can't stand to look at my computer right now. Maybe the jump from 4GB to 6GB+ isn't as significant?

caltech31 said:
Why not just wait for the RMA?

I actually have one of my 290s with Asus tech support (Canadian site), and I was told 5 days till the card is replaced/repaired.

No point in wasting money behind a place holder card..... unless, you sell the 290 once you get it back from Asus.

If you really need to game in the immediate future, there are some great deals on the second hand market. I noticed 980Tis are going for $500CAD (So about $350USD).
Click to expand...

When I attempted to put in an RMA ticket it kicks out a response, "An RMA ticket is already open for your product (SN: undefined), for more information look up the RMA ticket number: undefined," so I'm going to have to try calling them to put in an RMA ticket.

I have no problem getting a placeholder card as I've had 0 problems with returns at Fry's before.

I see the 980Ti mentioned a number of times but at least looking at Fry's website they are all actually $600+. I might try out the RX 480 though seeing as they have that in stock.

Also it is worth mentioning that I tend to prefer to shop at Fry's since if I have a problem with an expensive piece of hardware (or decide I want something different) I can drive right over, return it and get something else.
 
Jaymzkerten said:
I may have been misinformed at the time but I was lead to believe that as you get into the higher resolution monitors, such as my 4k monitor, that the amount of VRAM can have an affect on the frame rate. This was immediately apparent when I put in my 6950 (2GB) last night and the monitor became restricted to 4k@30Hz mode. Even without launching a game I can't stand to look at my computer right now. Maybe the jump from 4GB to 6GB+ isn't as significant?



When I attempted to put in an RMA ticket it kicks out a response, "An RMA ticket is already open for your product (SN: undefined), for more information look up the RMA ticket number: undefined," so I'm going to have to try calling them to put in an RMA ticket.

I have no problem getting a placeholder card as I've had 0 problems with returns at Fry's before.

I see the 980Ti mentioned a number of times but at least looking at Fry's website they are all actually $600+. I might try out the RX 480 though seeing as they have that in stock.

Also it is worth mentioning that I tend to prefer to shop at Fry's since if I have a problem with an expensive piece of hardware (or decide I want something different) I can drive right over, return it and get something else.
Click to expand...

More VRAM is better however the 390 can't utilize it enough to make a huge difference in 4K gaming. They could throw 16GB on the card and it wouldn't perform any better.

The cheap 980Ti cards are not at Frys. EVGA has been selling them super cheap.
 
Jaymzkerten said:
I may have been misinformed at the time but I was lead to believe that as you get into the higher resolution monitors, such as my 4k monitor, that the amount of VRAM can have an affect on the frame rate. This was immediately apparent when I put in my 6950 (2GB) last night and the monitor became restricted to 4k@30Hz mode. Even without launching a game I can't stand to look at my computer right now. Maybe the jump from 4GB to 6GB+ isn't as significant?



When I attempted to put in an RMA ticket it kicks out a response, "An RMA ticket is already open for your product (SN: undefined), for more information look up the RMA ticket number: undefined," so I'm going to have to try calling them to put in an RMA ticket.

I have no problem getting a placeholder card as I've had 0 problems with returns at Fry's before.

I see the 980Ti mentioned a number of times but at least looking at Fry's website they are all actually $600+. I might try out the RX 480 though seeing as they have that in stock.

Also it is worth mentioning that I tend to prefer to shop at Fry's since if I have a problem with an expensive piece of hardware (or decide I want something different) I can drive right over, return it and get something else.
Click to expand...

I actually had the exact same problem (with respect to the RMA ticket - it says one already existed, when I had never filed one before).

I called into their NA offices, and was issued one by their support staff. Surprisingly, they were pretty helpful - I didn't feel like blowing my brains out trying to talk to their support people.

P.S: The asus RMA site has issues in Chrome apparently.
 
Bro I just grabbed a month old 390x msi gaming edition for 220. Fuck power usage that is a steal lol.
 
caltech31 said:
I actually had the exact same problem (with respect to the RMA ticket - it says one already existed, when I had never filed one before).

I called into their NA offices, and was issued one by their support staff. Surprisingly, they were pretty helpful - I didn't feel like blowing my brains out trying to talk to their support people.

P.S: The asus RMA site has issues in Chrome apparently.
Click to expand...

Yeah I noticed last night that in Chrome the page was extremely slow and locked up every time I put in the serial number, then I switched to Edge and was able to get the form to load without problem and submit it, but then I got that message. Also got that message when I tried again this morning using IE.

Edit: just got off the phone and now have a proper RMA ticket in, hopefully the fact that part of the S/N sticker seems to be ripped off won't make them void the warranty. I hadn't originally noticed it but as I never take any of those stickers off and I bought it open box I'm going to assume that the previous owner had something to do with it.
 
Last edited:
Jaymzkerten said:
So apparently last night my R9 290 decided to go up in blue smoke. Had to throw my 6950 in as a placeholder so my computer is functional, but I can already tell it's struggling with my 4k monitor ("You want HOW MANY pixels???"). While I hold my breath working with ASUS warranty support *cough*, I'm stuck needing a new video card that can handle the 4k monitor.

My local Fry's has some options, and while I'm not on such a budget that I need to get the cheapest possible, I'd prefer not to spend $500+. I also don't have to have the latest generation, I'm perfectly happy with an R9 390 if it will be good for the budget. In my limited knowledge of what I need to look for in a video card I know that VRAM and memory bandwidth are big factors for 4k gaming, but to what extent I do not know. The R9 290 that just died was a 4GB card, and there were occasions I would notice a performance hit as a result of that.

Any help is appreciated, for reference here's what I have to work with locally:

Fry's Electronics |
Click to expand...

I saw that frys is having a sale on the GTX 1070 starting tomorrow, for their email subscribers. I would try to get that. If you fail, a 980 ti is going to be easier to find, meaning you could get it sooner. Any 980 ti under $400 is worth it, over a 1070.
 
thesmokingman said:
But that thing sucks down like an extra 100 watts like a boss for no reason?
Click to expand...

Well it didn't fit in my case lol. So I had to resell it. But no 100 watts don't matter to me but I don't think it consumes that much more than a 290.
 
NKD said:
Well it didn't fit in my case lol. So I had to resell it. But no 100 watts don't matter to me but I don't think it consumes that much more than a 290.
Click to expand...

Read 'em and weep. A hundred moar watts or more for a couple fps. It's one of the worse performance per watt cards ever made. Granted perf per watt is not a hallmark AMD trait, but the MSI really takes it down a notch.

MSI R9 390X Gaming 8 GB Review
 
thesmokingman said:
Read 'em and weep. A hundred moar watts or more for a couple fps. It's one of the worse performance per watt cards ever made. Granted perf per watt is not a hallmark AMD trait, but the MSI really takes it down a notch.

MSI R9 390X Gaming 8 GB Review
Click to expand...

Like I said for 220 dollars I dont frickin care. I even resold the card because it didn't end up fitting in my case. Why does it bother you so much if I was to not care about 100 watts? I got the damn thing for 220, shit I wanted to use it still tried to make that sucker fit.

Again let me repeat I paid 220 for it! Oh yea if electricity means that much to you just know I have about 17 solar panels on my roof. Cheers
 
NKD said:
Like I said for 220 dollars I dont frickin care. I even resold the card because it didn't end up fitting in my case. Why does it bother you so much if I was to not care about 100 watts? I got the damn thing for 220, shit I wanted to use it still tried to make that sucker fit.

Again let me repeat I paid 220 for it! Oh yea if electricity means that much to you just know I have about 17 solar panels on my roof. Cheers
Click to expand...

It doesn't bother me. You're the one that made it a point by writing that you didn't think it consumed a hundie more watts, remember or did you forget why you even replied??
 
thesmokingman said:
It doesn't bother me. You're the one that made it a point by writing that you didn't think it consumed a hundie more watts, remember or did you forget why you even replied??
Click to expand...
thesmokingman said:
It doesn't bother me. You're the one that made it a point by writing that you didn't think it consumed a hundie more watts, remember or did you forget why you even replied??
Click to expand...

I first said 100 watts don't bother me. I didn't go dig up how much 290 uses because 290 were generally power consuming. So again why is such an issue for you I don't care about power usage? You keep pointing me to links when I have said repeatedly I don't care about 100 watts. Stop derailing this thread. You have turned this once again in to power usage. He was looking to replace with 390 and I said I got a 390x for 220 and said fuck power usage for that price.

Someone coming from 290 who can score a 390x for 220 or so would not be that much concerned with power usage. 290s were hardly the most power efficient cards. Now this is the last I respond to you because you seem to be one of those people who are all about power usage sorry it's a concern to you.
 
lol, you whining now about something I don't care about. 290x consume more power sure, but the MSI adds over a 100 watt on top of that. That is hilarious.
 
thesmokingman said:
lol, you whining now about something I don't care about.
Click to expand...
Whatever makes you feel better bro. I am too grown up to whine about shit like this. I am just saying it like it is doesn't mean I am whining. Yea something you don't care about but you felt you had to link it and prove yourself and derail the thread. Cheers grab and beer and celebrate your success. When you say someone is whining you are looking to start shit. Enjoy life in a little standard you have set for others. Sitting there typing on a keyboard doesn't give you any insight to how I am feeling. I am perfectly fine. Thank you for your concern. I chose not to derail this thread any further.

Good luck to the OP.
 
lol, you think because I am specific about the power consumption I'm some hater or some shit. I generally dont care about consumption as long as I'm getting somthing equivalent in return but that MSI is just flat out wasteful. Other custom cards consume 100w less for the same performance. And the kicker is that you don't even have the card anymore since it didn't fit. Yet you are making these whiny ass posts about power consumption. You have a chip. Hell, I've drawn more power out of 290x than you ever have for years.

I scored 28 374 in Fire Strike
 
Give it a rest you two, jesus christ.

OP if you still want to look into a replacement the 1070 Strix in the link you posted would be the one I'd go for.

Best of luck with your RMA. :)
 
I have the ASUS 1070 STRIX OC edition and I have absolutely no complaints so far. I had a hard cap of the price of the FE edition and these were 439.99 USD at Microcenter. I know you said Fry's is the option you have locally (and I don't know what locale you're in) but your pricing options may expand a bit if you're able to shop at another online store (Amazon, Microcenter (though their really good deals are in-store only, unfortunately) Newegg, etc.).

I'm not a Crossfire/SLI person at all and normally don't recommend it but if you have success with it and have a belief that your current R9 290 will come back through ASUS' legendary RMA you could pick up another R9 290. Yes, the 4 GB of RAM is going to suck for 4K but if you've been happy with the 290 so far having two will only not be great for games that don't support Crossfire properly.
 
I ended up grabbing an EVGA 1070 FTW, though I might have to take that back now...I've noticed quite a lot of coil whine from it, and I've also had lots of issues with random video freeze while gaming. Just started playing WoW again and this is most noticeable for the first minute after logging in to a different character, but I've also seen it randomly lock up for around 5 seconds elsewhere. I've tried tuning the settings back down from completely maxed out and not noticed anything better on either of these issues yet.

Funny thing is I vaguely recall before I got the R9 290 I had actually picked up a 970 that also had coil whine and possibly some performance issues. Maybe I just have bad luck with GTX X70 cards.

Algrim said:
I'm not a Crossfire/SLI person at all and normally don't recommend it but if you have success with it and have a belief that your current R9 290 will come back through ASUS' legendary RMA you could pick up another R9 290. Yes, the 4 GB of RAM is going to suck for 4K but if you've been happy with the 290 so far having two will only not be great for games that don't support Crossfire properly.
Click to expand...

Not sure if it's different for other 290 flavors but the 290 I had did not have a Crossfire connector.
 
Last edited:
When moving from AMD to Nvidia, make absolutely sure you use the right tools to clean out all references to AMD drivers and utilities. That might help with the video freezing. Can't help coil whine.
 
Jaymzkerten Just lower your resolution to 1080p or 1440p for the time being until your card goes through RMA. Does Asus have a service where they ship you a card in advance? They offered to do that for my motherboard.
 
Jaymzkerten said:
I ended up grabbing an EVGA 1070 FTW, though I might have to take that back now...I've noticed quite a lot of coil whine from it, and I've also had lots of issues with random video freeze while gaming. Just started playing WoW again and this is most noticeable for the first minute after logging in to a different character, but I've also seen it randomly lock up for around 5 seconds elsewhere. I've tried tuning the settings back down from completely maxed out and not noticed anything better on either of these issues yet.

Funny thing is I vaguely recall before I got the R9 290 I had actually picked up a 970 that also had coil whine and possibly some performance issues. Maybe I just have bad luck with GTX X70 cards.



Not sure if it's different for other 290 flavors but the 290 I had did not have a Crossfire connector.
Click to expand...

The latest AMD cards don't require a crossfire bridge. All the crossfire related traffic is handled through the PCI-E bus.
 
RazorWind said:
The latest AMD cards don't require a crossfire bridge. All the crossfire related traffic is handled through the PCI-E bus.
Click to expand...


I have been running 2 290x in crossfire since launch.. Best Cards I've ever had got rid of my gtx 780tis back them that cost me a hell of a lot more. I have no reason to upgrade still.. Unless I want to buy the new Titan but it's a small gain.. and I'm not struggling playing games in 4k 10 bit.. I am able to force 10 bit color in games which is @#$%ing sick. I even play Doom with Vulkan in 4k 40 fps in 4k... in 1080p is over 150 and it dones't even support crossfire. Sadly most people have to listen to review sites and don't have Hands on experience with the current products.
 
ApeXiTT said:
I have been running 2 290x in crossfire since launch.. Best Cards I've ever had got rid of my gtx 780tis back them that cost me a hell of a lot more. I have no reason to upgrade still.. Unless I want to buy the new Titan but it's a small gain.. and I'm not struggling playing games in 4k 10 bit.. I am able to force 10 bit color in games which is @#$%ing sick. I even play Doom with Vulkan in 4k 40 fps in 4k... in 1080p is over 150 and it dones't even support crossfire. Sadly most people have to listen to review sites and don't have Hands on experience with the current products.
Click to expand...

lol that is a crazy statement.
 
thesmokingman said:
lol that is a crazy statement.
Click to expand...

I love how you can force 10bit color in games that don't support 10bit color

ITT: using 10bit color to represent 8-bit color space

"I have two more bits than you! "

'yes, but you're not using th-'

" I HAVE MORE BITS THAN YOU"
 
Add to that... it's kinda funny. 1300w and up power draw at crazy clocks vs 580w power draw w/o voltage control. I still like AMD, I just cannot wait around forever. *Changed the comparo so we can see the difference between a high overclock 3x vs max overclock 2x vs a titan xp. Not much difference right?

Result
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top