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R9 290X vs 6950 CF

A

AgentMunroe

n00b
Joined
Mar 6, 2005
Messages
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Right now I have 2x6950 2GB (the HIS IceQ models). I've generally been happy with them, but I find CF to be a bit annoying to deal with, and I've started to see some games lately that I haven't been able to max out at 1920x1200.

A friend is offering me a used 290X for $475 (one of several brands, reference design). I know it's a good deal in itself, but I'm not sure how it stacks up to what I already have. Obviously the lack of CF would be a plus, but how would the card stack up otherwise? I'm having a really hard time comparing finding solid benchmarks to compare my cards in CrossFire to a 290X. My general impression is that it should be at least as fast if not significantly faster while using less power, but again... hard for me to figure out.

Also, noise is a bit of a concern of mine... I know it has a reputation for being a bit of a hot and loud card, but if I leave it in quiet mode, how much will I notice it sitting about three feet away from me in a P180?

I'm running a 2500K at 4.2Ghz, with 8GB of RAM... my understanding is that should still be pretty good, but I'm willing to hear otherwise ;)
 
Here is a HD 6990 vs 290X in Uber mode. I would go with the 290X. I think the pulled the numbers out correctly from Anandtech most likely ;).

Hitman Absolute 2560x1440 - Ultra Quality: HD 6990 62.3 FPS vs 290X Uber 63 FPS

Battlefield 3 - 2560x1440 - Ultra Quality + 4x MSAA: HD 6990 46.5 FPS vs 290X Uber 65.7 FPS

Crysis 3 - 2560x1440 - High Quality + FXAA: HD 6990 39.6 FPS vs 290X Uber 53.8 FPS

Bioshock Infinite - 2560x1440 - Ultra Quality + DDoF: HD 6990 48.6 FPS vs 290X Uber 62.2 FPS

From:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1059
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/976
 
OmgitsSexyChase said:
Yeah but that reference is loud, and 90 degrees is to hotz for my blood or my room
Click to expand...

My DC2 290x would beg to differ...

edit-oops reference :) Sorry I've been excited since I got this set up today...h100i and old ass Thermaltake Armor case, yeah that was fun...
 
Last edited:
ITSTHINKING said:
My DC2 290x would beg to differ...

edit-oops reference :) Sorry I've been excited since I got this set up today...h100i and old ass Thermaltake Armor case, yeah that was fun...
Click to expand...

Yeah, I have crossfire 290x under waterblocks, I love the 290x's just wouldn't run reference cards personally
 
no

The reference coolers are just fine. I used the reference cooler for about a month before I put my card under water. People are complaining the reference coolers are loud? mine wasn't loud, at stock settings. Even when I overclocked it and put the fan speed to 60% it wasn't what I consider to be loud, was it noticeable yes.

The stock reference cooler gets the job done, yes the card will run hot (90-95c) under full load but AMD says its fine and is designed to run that hot. If you don't like your card running this temperature you can reduce the temperature target in the software control panel.

R9-290X > 6950 Crossfire
 
I'm still debating on selling off 2 of my cards and sticking with a single 290x just because crossfire is still problematic. Not that it doesn't work, just that it is very undersupported in most of the games I tend to play.

So yes, upgrade.
 
I think you will be very happy with a 290x. I jumped ship from a Single 6950 to a 290x and the difference was night and day.

ITSTHINKING said:
Yeah the stock blower pretty much kills your card shortly...
Click to expand...

My VRM temps stay below 70c on a reference cooler and I have literally no problems with heating on my XFX. I don't think I've ever even saw the fan go above 55%... which isn't loud at all. This is playing BF4 on ultra @ 1920x1080 for hours on end.

I let the card run at 95c... AMD designed the card to operate at that temperature... who am I to tell them they are wrong? My hardware has worked fine at that temperature for the last four months. If it dies in the future, I'll send it out.
 
I was running 2 x 6950's with the 6970 shader BIOS. I replaced them with a single Sapphire Tri-X R9 290. The 290 runs all the games I play at a much better fps. Crysis 3 runs great on highest settings.
 
I replaced my unlocked 6950s with a 7970 and loved it. Then I replaced my 7970s with a 290 and loved that.

So I would gladly go from 6950s to a 290x! :)
 
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