280x Crossfire VS Single 290x

[Butterfish]

So as the title says... 

 

In my country i can get 2x 280x at the same price as one 290x. Actually a bit cheaper! Looking at benchmarks i've found out that at 2560x1440 (my monitor res) the benchmarks in BF3 are the following:

 

280x Crossfire = 96 FPS

 

290x = 70 FPS

 

It should be obvious what to pick looking at the performance but im just a little confused about this. I know that drivers are an issue at launch, but is the 280x crossfire the way to go, or am i completely missing something here?

[Guest]

Dual gpus are never as good

[CwGoh]

Just get a 290X less the hassle.

[ChicagoRAW]

2 cards will usually give you higher fps and better performance. But there are issues that arise with having 2 cards. But if you're looking at overall performance, then 2 cards is the way to go. And, in your case, you can get them cheaper than the 290x. I'd go with the 2 card setup.

 

(also consider, if you get a 290x, if you want to upgrade you can get another 290x and do crossfire that way. Three way crossfire with the 280 isn't a good idea for many reasons)

[AMICLG]

Single 290X and get another one later when you need it.

[Sundanc3]

290x doesn't allow crossfire I though

[Alex(PlayMedium)]

290x doesn't allow crossfire I though

It just doesn't need a cf bridge, it does it all over the pci-e slots

[Sundanc3]

It just doesn't need a cf bridge, it does it all over the pci-e slots

oh...interesting

[Jumper118]

So as the title says... 

 

In my country i can get 2x 280x at the same price as one 290x. Actually a bit cheaper! Looking at benchmarks i've found out that at 2560x1440 (my monitor res) the benchmarks in BF3 are the following:

 

280x Crossfire = 96 FPS

 

290x = 70 FPS

 

It should be obvious what to pick looking at the performance but im just a little confused about this. I know that drivers are an issue at launch, but is the 280x crossfire the way to go, or am i completely missing something here?

280x cf will make mince meat of a 290x so i'd go with that but you will need a more powerful psu.

[notenoughtv]

I you really want to save some money get some cheap 7970's and put them in crossfire.

[Butterfish]

I you really want to save some money get some cheap 7970's and put them in crossfire.

Isn't that the same as getting me another 680?

[notenoughtv]

Isn't that the same as getting me another 680?

Yes. If you already have a 680, either get a 290X or another 680. 

Since the 280X is just a rebrand of the 7970 with a little more performance you are better off with another 680, or sell your 680 and get the 290X

One other thing to consider is the stock cooler, you will have to choose on the 290X being either really loud or really hot

 

I would personally wait for aftermarket coolers on the 290X, or for the 780ti to come out and see how the prices of the 780 vary

[Saladin]

Honestly until non-reference coolers manage the temps on the 290x (Tiny Tom Logan says not until 2014) I would go with a different card. 95c at load is entirely too hot, I don't want that in my gpu, my case, or my room.

[Butterfish]

Yes. If you already have a 680, either get a 290X or another 680. 

Since the 280X is just a rebrand of the 7970 with a little more performance you are better off with another 680, or sell your 680 and get the 290X

One other thing to consider is the stock cooler, you will have to choose on the 290X being either really loud or really hot

 

I would personally wait for aftermarket coolers on the 290X, or for the 780ti to come out and see how the prices of the 780 vary

Yea, but a 280x costs the same as a used 680. And i cant find a second 680 anywhere

[notenoughtv]

Yea, but a 280x costs the same as a used 680. And i cant find a second 680 anywhere

Then if I were you I would sell my 680 and get a 290X

[DrainDoc]

So as the title says... 

 

In my country i can get 2x 280x at the same price as one 290x. Actually a bit cheaper! Looking at benchmarks i've found out that at 2560x1440 (my monitor res) the benchmarks in BF3 are the following:

 

280x Crossfire = 96 FPS

 

290x = 70 FPS

 

It should be obvious what to pick looking at the performance but im just a little confused about this. I know that drivers are an issue at launch, but is the 280x crossfire the way to go, or am i completely missing something here?

I really can't speak to Crossfire, but I have been in SLI for years with different cards and have never had an issue.

 

I don't understand why guys are always saying, it's worse to have cards in SLI/Crossfire, when it's not.

 

Yes, there are certain titles and/or benchmarks that do not like the configuration. But on the whole, it is worth the performance gain in general.

 

Especially at 1440.

[Gdourado]

Saw this:

http://www.techspot.com/review/727-radeon-r9-290x/page4.html

The 7970 ghz crossfire is way faster than the 290X and the 290X is usually on par with the 970.

If there are no frame pacing issues and stuttering in games that have crossfire support, the 280X crossfire seems like an excellent option.

Is the 280X crossfire the same in performance as a 7990?

Cheers!

[TiberiusJonez]

2 cards will usually give you higher fps and better performance. But there are issues that arise with having 2 cards. But if you're looking at overall performance, then 2 cards is the way to go. And, in your case, you can get them cheaper than the 290x. I'd go with the 2 card setup.

 

(also consider, if you get a 290x, if you want to upgrade you can get another 290x and do crossfire that way. Three way crossfire with the 280 isn't a good idea for many reasons)

 

To say 2 cards will "usually" give you higher fps and better performance is simply not true. They will SOMETIMES give higher performance based strictly on the game and drivers. And the trade off is HEAT and POWER CONSUMPTION every time. And that heat is going to kill all your other components slowly over time... not a great trade off really, especially when crossfire and SLI drivers are consistently a pain in the ass compared to regular drivers.

[App4that]

I really can't speak to Crossfire, but I have been in SLI for years with different cards and have never had an issue.

I don't understand why guys are always saying, it's worse to have cards in SLI/Crossfire, when it's not.

Yes, there are certain titles and/or benchmarks that do not like the configuration. But on the whole, it is worth the performance gain in general.

Especially at 1440.

I had 2 cards in crossfire just a month ago, not one of the games in my library worked. Literally the best performance I saw with crossfire was it matching the performance of the single card.

So...