wai nao?

[RainbowPee]

I saw this: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/177121-powercolor-r9-290x-under-500/#entry2376216 (thanks ItsPulse)

I was going to buy this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202103

 

God dammit, the Vapor X is the best aftermarket cooler and has a high overclocking potential but then the 290X PCS+ is a tiny bit faster with a okay cooler. Which one can I get the most performance out of?

[Liam-McShane]

I saw this: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/177121-powercolor-r9-290x-under-500/#entry2376216 (thanks ItsPulse)

I was going to buy this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202103

 

God dammit, the Vapor X is the best aftermarket cooler and has a high overclocking potential but then the 290X PCS+ is a tiny bit faster with a okay cooler. Which one can I get the most performance out of?

No card has a higher overclocking potential unless they have been binned. Honestly most of the R9-290 coolers perform pretty much the same. I say get the cheapest one that matches your colour scheme.

[RainbowPee]

No card has a higher overclocking potential unless they have been binned. Honestly most of the R9-290 coolers perform pretty much the same. I say get the cheapest one that matches your colour scheme.

You're missing my point. I was planning to get the Vapor X (and I have set my mind on that) but then I saw a 290X for the same price. Is it worth the change?

[Liam-McShane]

Not really. There is virtually no difference between them

[SymphonyX7]

Not really. There is virtually no difference between them

What? The R9 290X has 4 more compute units than the R9 290. If we're being specific, the R9 290 has 2560 GCN cores. The R9 290X has 2816. It also has higher clockspeed.

If it's the same price, of course you should get the R9 290X, despite the Vapor-X having the better cooler.

[RainbowPee]

What? The R9 290X has 4 more compute units than the R9 290. If we're being specific, the R9 290 has 2560 GCN cores. The R9 290X has 2816. It also has higher clockspeed.

If it's the same price, of course you should get the R9 290X, despite the Vapor-X having the better cooler.

If PCS+ has a lower overclocking potential than the Vapor-X. Then I can get more performance than the 290X ignoring the fact that the 290X has little more GCN cores. I mean, you're comparing a top of the line cooler to a sketchy brand of Powercolor.

[SymphonyX7]

If PCS+ has a lower overclocking potential than the Vapor-X. Then I can get more performance than the 290X ignoring the fact that the 290X has little more GCN cores. I mean, you're comparing a top of the line cooler to a sketchy brand of Powercolor.

That's like comparing a GTX 780 to a GTX 780 Ti. Even the best GTX 780s can barely match cheaper non-reference GTX 780 Tis. Even if the Vapor-X is the top of the line cooler, there's no guarantee that it will overclock like a beast. As they say, it's a silicon lottery. You may hit the physical voltage limit early on if you aren't lucky. At least the PCS+ R9 290X guarantees better performance.

If you want a clearer picture of the performance difference between the PCS+ R9 290X and other aftermarket R9 290s, please take a look at this:

 

[RainbowPee]

That's like comparing a GTX 780 to a GTX 780 Ti. Even the best GTX 780s can barely match cheaper non-reference GTX 780 Tis. Even if the Vapor-X is the top of the line cooler, there's no guarantee that it will overclock like a beast. As they say, it's a silicon lottery. You may hit the physical voltage limit early on if you aren't lucky. At least the PCS+ R9 290X guarantees better performance.

If you want a clearer picture of the performance difference between the PCS+ R9 290X and other aftermarket R9 290s, please take a look at this:

 

So I should get a 290X to guarantee the performance?

[SymphonyX7]

So I should get a 290X to guarantee the performance?

Yes. You aren't guaranteed to get a highly overclockable card just because you get the high-end Vapor-X cooler. At least the R9 290X PCS+ is guaranteed to perform very well out of the box, as you can see from the review.