Sapphire Quietly Releases Most Powerful R9 290x with 8GB

[madeNaccount]

Sapphire has very quietly released and started to sell what is currently the most powerful R9 290x available.

 

I have yet to see any videos or benchmarks on this card. Sapphire Technology have yet to add this card to their website.

 

I think the price is about as extreme as it gets, incredibly expensive more than GTX 780ti. The may want to re think their price point with this card.

 

Features:

 

Vapor Chamber Cooling (Sapphire Vapor X)

 

8GB GDDR5

 

Really nice looking back plate

 

2 of these cards in crossfire (can be further overclocked) will beat the Radeon R9 295X2 according to the article (unconfirmed currently no benchmarks to support this)

 

GPU is clocked at 1060MHz (up from 1000MHz),

 

8GB of memory operate at 5600MHz effective frequency up from 5000MHz on default

 

 

May 7th, 2014 - Anton Shilov

 

Sapphire Technology has quietly started to sell the most powerful single-chip graphics card based on AMD Radeon R9 290X graphics processing unit, the Sapphire Radeon R9 290X Vapor-X. The graphics board is exclusively available from Overclockers.co.uk now, but over time it can reach different stores as well.

 

The Sapphire Radeon R9 290X Vapor-X OC 8192MB graphics card comes with slightly increased clock-rates: the GPU is clocked at 1060MHz (up from 1000MHz), whereas 8GB of memory operate at 5600MHz effective frequency (up from 5000MHz on default graphics cards).

 

 

Thanks to the vapour chamber-based cooling system with three fans, it can be safely said that the Sapphire Radeon R9 290X Vapor-X OC 8GB will provide a lot of headroom for further overclocking due to the ultimate efficiency of such cooler.

 

 

Since the Sapphire Radeon R9 290X Vapor-X OC 8GB graphics card is currently exclusive and is also the only R9 290X-based model with 8GB of GDDR5 memory, it is clearly not affordable. Overclockers.co.uk sells it for £599.99 ($1015, €730).

 

 

While one Radeon R9 295X2 will clearly outperform Sapphire Radeon R9 290X Vapor-X OC 8GB, a pair of the pre-overclocked graphics cards with 8GB of memory from Sapphire will beat the Radeon R9 295X2 in high resolutions at basically similar cost. Therefore, if you are on the market for en exclusive single-chip offering, or a multi-GPU combination that beats the world’s highest-performing graphics card, the Sapphire Radeon R9 290X Vapor-X OC 8GB is a product to consider.

Article: http://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/anton-shilov/sapphire-quietly-starts-to-sell-radeon-r9-290x-8gb-graphics-cards/

 

 

Only currently Available here: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-353-SP&tool=3

 

The entire stock of 8GB Sapphire models are solely for OcUK (and possible partners outside the UK), meaning that if there is interest outside the UK, Sapphire will have to make some more. Currently no more are being made.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ivhyn]

I love how it's only 730€! You get two 290s for this price, crazy.

[LawrenceBarnes2013]

$1015 !!!   you can get a Titan Black or a GTX 780Ti kIngpIn witch will Smack the shit out of this, having an 8GB frame buffer doesn't mean it's the most powerful ! yes it has the bandwidth do drive it but it's not as powerful as the GTX 780Ti, even with 10GB Frame buffer ! and how can this with a single GPU beat the 295x2 with the same 8GB Mem and Two, ! goddamn it, two full 290 GPUs ? does that make sense to any of you guys ? No hell No

[Paralectic]

Nothing uses 8GB vRam

 

next

[Misanthrope]

I love how it's only 730€! You get two 290s for this price, crazy.

 

Aye, almost as stupid as a single 760 mars!

[LukaP]

old news. has been announced. amd shut it down, now there are some 600 made and they are selling them

[WiiManic]

OcUK has a worldwide exclusive on the only 8GB 290X in existence

That is why its so expensive.

That said, direct conversions to USD are slightly unfair as most tech in the UK is higher prices anyways, import taxes and all.

 

There is limited supply, and no more 8gb versions are being made by Sapphire or anyone else.

[ivhyn]

That is why its so expensive.

That said, direct conversions to USD are slightly unfair as most tech in the UK is higher prices anyways, import taxes and all.

 

There is limited supply, and no more 8gb versions are being made by Sapphire or anyone else.

Yet, several hardware shops (caseking, mindfactory, mylemon etc.) offer this card.

Do you think they buy it off ocUK to supply their customers?

[WiiManic]

Yet, several hardware shops (caseking, mindfactory, mylemon etc.) offer this card.

Do you think they buy it off ocUK to supply their customers?

Not sure actually, when I first saw the card, it was only OCUk that had stock and they claimed they where the only ones getting it.

Its possible they sold off stock to other vendors, as its obviously a very niche card to buy, or Sapphire did start making more.

[Guest]

It's overkill but it looks reallt sexy. I hate that there arent many blue GPUs for a blue-colored build

[Ashaira]

It's overkill but it looks reallt sexy. I hate that there arent many blue GPUs for a blue-colored build

 

There is a blue vapor-x 290 which at least here is priced a bit above the tri-x version since it has a vapor chamber.

[TechFan@ic]

This isn't the most powerful version, they still have the 290X Toxic which is coming soon.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/7860/cebit-2014-sapphire-shows-two-r9-290x-8gb-gddr5-gpus

[Ashaira]

This isn't the most powerful version, they still have the 290X Toxic which is coming soon.

 

I have a tough time believing anything will beat the lightning version.

[TechFan@ic]

I have a tough time believing anything will beat the lightning version.

I'm talking specifically about Sapphire, the Toxic is the most powerful version they will offer. Whether it's faster than the MSI Lightning or not is still unknown.

It will depend on the clock speeds, the 290X Vapor-X is only 20mhz shy of the Lightning on the core & actually 150mhz (1400mhz vs the Lightning's 1250mhz) higher on the memory so it's very likely the Toxic will be clocked as high as the Lightning or even slightly higher.

[Tam3n]

Nothing uses 8GB vRam

 

next

https://forums.robertsspaceindustries.com/discussion/comment/2390049/#Comment_2390049

[Karumu]

what. the. fuck.      ?

[mogan23]

Nice cooler and backplate ,the colours are awesome

[brownninja97]

Nothing uses 8GB vRam

 

next

maybe we could somehow get ramdisk on our gpu because standard ram isnt fast enough these days.

[Paralectic]

People in the UK always get the best stuff.  America always gets crap...

And in The Netherlands we have crap at an overpriced price point.

[wilbso]

I got to get me one of those.

[DavidTheWin]

repost http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/147323-overclockerscouk-world-wide-exclusive-sapphire-r9-290x-8gb/?hl=290x+8gb