Which R9 280 is more reliable? (HELP) XFX~PowerColor

[goldhound44]

PowerColor TurboDuo R9 280 3GB  ~~VS~~  XFX Black Edition Double D R9 280 3GB

 

Which one?

 

Hey guys, I would like to get your opinion on a comparison of these two cards.  I am a first time PC builder, and I am very strongly considering these two cards to go into my build.  I am really opting to get these because of the price (both ~$180 USD, both 280's). Here is the 'comparison' of the specs on NewEgg:

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=-1&IsNodeId=1&Description=R9%20280&bop=And&CompareItemList=-1|14-131-666^14-131-666-TS%2C14-150-705^14-150-705-TS&percm=14-131-666%3A%24%24%24%24%24%24%24%3B14-150-705%3A%24%24%24%24%24%24%24

 

But I am somewhat skeptical of both of these due to their reviews, or lack-there-of.  The PowerColor has only 2 reviews on NewEgg, and many of the PowerColor products seem to have very few reviews which leads me to be that it is somewhat of an "off-brand" which again makes me question it's reliability.  But, having that said, both reviews are 5/5, and the reviews on other products seem to be decent.

 

On the Flip-side of this, XFX seems to be more well-known (and definitely more reviewed) than PowerColor.  Again, the reviews seem relatively positive except on the  280 and 280X.  Screen artifacts and tearing seem to be common in the problematic reviews and many mention that this card runs hot and (again as a new PC builder) I'm not sure how bad or how much of an issue this is.

 

So, in short, I am most concerned about the reliability/longevity of these two cards.  I really like these both due to the cheap price and 3GB VRAM.  I am open to other suggestions and I am VERY grateful for any feedback. 

 

-Thanks, GH4

[Vebb]

Booth is good, well known in Europe

http://www.ocaholic.ch/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=1193v

[Aniallation]

Personally for me it's hands down PowerColor. Have had nothing but issues with XFX, from poor cooler designs resulting in high temps and noise levels, to artifacting and glitches, to outright card failures.

[Mindstab Thrull]

The XFX seems to have better clock speeds and *right now* is a few dollars cheaper. Once the sale is over, there's an actual price difference where the PowerColor is better if price is relevant. (Note that when I'm pricing out parts, I generally don't take sale prices into account unless it's something I actually plan on buying before the sale is over. If I'm pricing it for someone else, it could be more than the listed price by the time they get to it.)

 

PS: VOTE FOR TURNIP!

[-rascal-]

Turnip!

 

IMO, XFX used to be good...until they goof'd with the "Thermal Ghost" cooling with the HD 7000 series. The problem then trailed on into the R9-200 series. I believe they have fixed the issues now with version 2.0, but I'm personally still...eh about them since.

 

My XFX Radeon HD 5850 back in the day was awesome! Full voltage control for the Core through Sapphire TriXX overclocking software with the stock vBIOS. 

 

Personally, I would say go with Sapphire. They have been around since the ol' ATi days, and have been a board partner for Radeon cards for a long time now (Sapphire makes the reference PCB's for AMD).

 

I have used Sapphire since...the Radeon non-HD days; I know my Radeon X800 was made by Sapphire...but I think it goes back to even my 9600XT...Regardless, I currently have four Sapphire-made GPUs in three of my systems (HD 4850 in the HTPC, HD 7950 [AKA R9-280] in my Intel build, and two HD 7970's [AKA R9-280X] in my AMD system), and they are still functioning great -- performance and temperature wise.

 

If you can extend your budget slightly, from $180 for the GPU to about $190~$200, go for the Sapphire Dual-X R9-280 instead.

Another option is to look for a *used* R9-280(X) or R9-290 for $150~$200 ($200 being the R9-290).

[dragoon20005]

why the hell is turnip winning??!

[goldhound44]

why the hell is turnip winning??!

#VoteForTurnip

[Sovek]

Power Color. The XFX might have more reviews but their coolers are garbage on AMD card. Couple to the fact that it has a VERY agressive OC out of the box... If you read the 1 egg reviews (15% of reviews) there are alot of DOA, dead within months or horrible artifacting. Go with the PC