R9 290x

[Hieu]

Should I buy 2 week old xfx reference r9 290x for 300 or look for a non reference 290 for under 300$? I also see used r9 290 reference cards on eBay for less than 250.

[MattP123]

All three of those options seem REALLY sketchy. 

[Guest]

Non reference unless you are watercooling and buy new graphics cards.

[Hieu]

Is the reference really that bad, that it would require watercooling?

[orangecat]

The only way i see anyone selling a 290X for under 400 is if it was used for mining.

[seiny]

Is the reference really that bad, that it would require watercooling?

Yes

[Guest]

Is the reference really that bad, that it would require watercooling?

It depends on what you consider 'bad' a very good non-reference 290 such as the vapor-x can go toe to toe with a reference 290x, however, most R9-290's such as the Tri-X still cant beat even a reference 290x.

So performance wise, the reference 290x wins unless its one of the very top non-reference 290's such as the PCS+ or Vapor-X.

That being said, if noise is an issue for you, then you definitely dont want a reference 290x or 290, they are super loud, and most non-reference models are pretty quiet.

If you dont give a shit about noise or overclocking then a cheap reference 290x is just fine, people blow it out of proportion, I have tested all of these cards on my channel, so I know what I am talking about.

Tri-X R9 290 vs Reference 290x

[i_build_nanosuits]

Get a brand new non-reference R9 290 graphics card, it performs within 6% of the R9 290X clock for clock in our testing so it's really not worth the price premium to get the 290X...

I would suggest this one:

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-912v308002