290 or 290x

[PainKiller89]

I am looking to upgrade to either 290 or 290x. Currently i am thinking about either MSI or Sapphire but i am not sure what i should go for 290 or 290x, please advise on what i should get.

 

Also which brand do you guys recommened MSI, sapphire or Asus?

[MbV93]

290 FTW

[FellTheSky]

R9 290 seems way better value

[WoodenMarker]

There's not much of a difference in performance and the difference is almost within margin of error.

[Mr.Dirt]

I'd get an Asus DCUII 290 best value choice.

[Sky Daddy]

290 or possibly msi lightning 290x

[LBJ]

I'd just go for an R9 290. Personally I chose the Sapphire Tri-X because all the reviews I read had it as the quiestest and coolest and it cost slightly less than ASUS/Gigabyte, that said the ASUS DirectCUII, Gigabyte Windforce and MSI Gaming are all solid choices as well, whichever you can get the best deal/bundle with I suppose. 

[K Rich]

I see no point in buying a AMD gpu that was a hundred dollars or more cheaper a month ago. I'd seriously wait till the market settles or buy Nvidia at that price range, for gaming at least. The 280x went from 300 to 400+, which is 33%+ increase in price....

 

 True fact a 290(non X version) retail debuted at 400bucks. Not the price you see now, which is said to be due to bitcoin miners buying out the stocks. When you slip into the 300-400 dollar range. Due to the price jumps, Nvidia is the only sane choice at the price range. I'm not sure about the 500dollar range. Check it yourself, then disregard about any review for a AMD card that is over a month old, for it is not taking the new price into consideration. Or simply equate that in yourself.

 

 But if that doesn't bother you. I'd go with the 290(not the X version) hands down.