R9 290 4GB review by HardwareCanucks

[mgsstar]

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/63863-amd-radeon-r9-290-4gb-review.html

 

This card is pretty close to the 290X and it beats the 780 most of the time.

 

More links: 

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2013/11/05/amd-radeon-r9-290-review/

http://www.guru3d.com/news_story/amd_radeon_r9_290_review.html

[Youbetternot]

[AlwaysFSX]

That card is insane for $400

[Exotath]

IMO this card is what has just put a spear through NV...not the 290X. This is like the card to have imo. The performance to price is killer.

 

But AMD needs to get aftermarket coolers out stat!

 

 

Unfortunately, much of this performance hinges on the fan operating at 47% and at that speed the reference R9 290 makes a bloody racket. The 290X had every reason to be boisterous in its search for class-leading performance but the R9 290’s high thermals, low efficiency and extreme noise output are disappointing. AMD would like you to believe these aspects are completely modifiable on their newest architecture and they are, but in order to achieve the strong results we’ve seen here, you’ll need to sacrifice at least part of your sanity.

[TheMissxu]

Very nice. I honestly see this as my next card.

[Matman24]

I smell a non-reference 290 in my near future...

[ofr057]

pcper just uploaded a review too, my guess is that the 290x is just a binned 290

 

the 290 seems a good deal for $400

[Derangel]

Well, I am very impressed by the 290. The GPU war got a whole heck of a lot more interesting.

[Lukiose]

Where the hell are the aftermarket coolers needed to unleash the chains of the 290 and 290X!

[beebskadoo]

Interesting to see that according to PCper.com, some benchmarks have the 290 pull ahead slightly above the 290X, apparently due to the 47% fan speed of the 290 compared to the 40% of the 290X. This happened in Crysis 3 @ 4K! this card seems the absolute bang for the buck card right now, If I were Nvidia,  I would be releasing the 780TI @ $550 and dropping the price of the 780 to $450.

Interesting time for GPU tech right now.

[Derangel]

Where the hell are the aftermarket coolers needed to unleash the chains of the 290 and 290X!

 

I asked the reviewer on [H]ardOCP and he said it looks like the PCBs for the 290 and 290X could be the same. So, current water blocks and 3rd party solutions that work on the 290X might also work on the 290. Of course we will have to wait for someone to try and confirm or deny that.

[beebskadoo]

I asked the reviewer on [H]ardOCP and he said it looks like the PCBs for the 290 and 290X could be the same. So, current water blocks and 3rd party solutions that work on the 290X might also work on the 290. Of course we will have to wait for someone to try and confirm or deny that.

According to Ryan from PCPER, the cards are identical other than the on-chip differences.

Meaning that they use the same PCB.

[beebskadoo]

Makes me wonder if there will be a BIOS flash for the 290...

that could be very interesting!

Though AMD should have learned their lesson with the 6950 and the early 7970 non GHZ editions...

We shall see!

[Humbug]

Not worried about temps because the third party solutions will fix that, but I'm disappointed with the high power consumption.

 

Makes me wonder if there will be a BIOS flash for the 290...

Probably laser cut and disabled additional resources.

[Exotath]

After seeing the reviews around the web I have my fingers crossed that this pushes another price drop from NV on the 780.

[Skanic]

Makes me wonder if there will be a BIOS flash for the 290...

that could be very interesting!

Though AMD should have learned their lesson with the 6950 and the early 7970 non GHZ editions...

We shall see!

What are you talking about? I have a 7950 1.2 GHZ edition

[Wint3rSh0ck]

Everyone is ripping on the noise + power consumption though. How do we all feel about that? Personally power isn't too much of a concern and I'd say non reference will fix noise

[chillxnate]

Been waiting for all the GPU beans to be spilled before finishing a new build. I think a non-reference 290 is just what the Dr. ordered.

[carolkarine]

Picking one of these up with an accelero x3. It may be a massive cooler, but it gets the job done.

[Agons]

I cant wait till I have 400 bucks saved, I'll be buying this first thing, its way better deal than a 780. im so excited for mantle! :DDD

[Humbug]

Now we know why AMD had a staggered launch. They needed to sell some 290-X cards. Nobody would have bought them otherwise if they say how close in performance this was for less money. I guess they also wanted to see how much the 780 would drop in price.

[bcredeur97]

The 290X (and maybe even the 290?!) is definitely a titan beater ONCE the Aftermarket coolers come out. The 780Ti will be interesting though, lets hope its not $1000

[Madbrood]

Noise and power consumption are my two primary concerns. I had my eyes set on a 780, but now... I dunno. I guess it's a good thing I won't be able to afford to start building my rig for another month or two... *watches the GPU world very closely*

[JLCitadel]

The 290X (and maybe even the 290?!) is definitely a titan beater ONCE the Aftermarket coolers come out. The 780Ti will be interesting though, lets hope its not $1000

 

Could you imagine if nvidia had the balls to make the 780ti the same price as 290x or cheaper.. and the 780 as the 290.. It'd be like a slap in the face to AMD.

[That Norwegian Guy]

I smell a non-reference 290 in my near future...

 

You smell something burning too?