Like Topgear posted earlier, its actually a very good idea to wait and see what the base 290 versions are like. These would possibly offer superior value in terms of price/performance over the 290x versions. Can't wait to see what ASUS does with the base 290. Have someone coming in from abroad end of Jan, was hoping that both versions would be out by then so I could buy the one I wanted. Very little chance of that happening.
And finally, MSI 290 cards are also reportedly available. Via Toms -
MSI is among the first, not to reveal, but to bring a custom Radeon R9 290 series graphics card to the market. The MSI R9 290 GAMING 4G and R9 290X GAMING 4G are now both available in stores.
The graphics cards feature MSI's TwinFrozr IV cooler, as well as a custom PCB design that carries the company's Military Class 4 Components. These components offer a longer lifetime and more stable performance.
The MSI R9 290 GAMING 4G card will feature clock speeds of 1007 MHz under OC mode, 977 MHz in gaming mode, and 947 MHz (reference frequency) in silent mode. The memory will always be clocked at 5.0 GHz.
In addition, the MSI R9 290X GAMING 4G will feature an OC mode clock speed of 1040 MHz, a gaming mode frequency of 1030 MHz, and a silent mode frequency of 1000 MHz, which is also the AMD reference frequency. Like the R9 290 GAMING 4G, the memory will be clocked at 5.0 GHz under all circumstances unless manually overclocked.
there are rumours that Nvidia will be announcing its 800 series in feb 2014. hopefully by that time the litecoin etc mining craze should also be subdued. then 280/290/X prices will be sane.
There's a comprehensive review on Anandtech for the Sapphire Radeon R9 290 Tri-X OC. Sapphire has set the MSRP for the R9 290 at $449, $50 above the official MSRP for the reference 290. Seriously doubt that will stick ATM judging by the current trend of R9 290/x offerings in the market. Here's the conclusion of the review for those that want a 'tl;dr' version of the article-
From a performance perspective and an acoustics perspective the 290 Tri-X OC has exceeded our expectations for an open air cooled card, and in the process proves that you can have a quiet 290. A very quiet 290, as it turns out. 41dB(A) under load would already be an impressive result for a high end card, but especially contrasted against the 57dB(A) reference 290 it becomes outright sublime.
And while a large part of these remarkable results has to do with the style of the cooler used, Sapphire deserves a lot of credit for seemingly doing everything right in putting this card together. Even among open air cooled cards the 290 Tri-X OC is well ahead of the pack on acoustics (all the more so when you consider the thermal loads involved) and at the same time Sapphire has hit the mark on build quality and overall performance. We've seen a number of open air designs over the years, but few of them would qualify as being as good as what Sapphire has pulled off for the 290 Tri-X OC.
On that note, while Sapphire’s mild factory overclock doesn’t significantly change the performance equation it does reinforce the 290’s strong points. For $450 the card will consistently outperform the GTX 780 or outright tie the 290X in quiet mode, offering equal-to-better performance than those $500+ cards without the noise drawback that came with the reference 290, making it an even more practical replacement for those cards. Given that, Sapphire is essentially charging $50 for a better cooler, but as we’ve seen from our results they can easily justify it due to the fact that there isn’t anything else on the market right now that can match both their performance and their acoustics at the same time.
Ultimately it is admittedly something of a narrow focus in recommending a card based on noise, but as far as high performance cards go Sapphire has set a very high bar here that we expect few other cards will be able to meet. Both as a 290 card and as a high performance card in general, Sapphire has managed to put together something special.
Also, XFX showcases its forthcoming R290/x. Via Toms -
XFX is joining the crowd with its custom Radeon R9 290 series graphics cards by releasing the Radeon R9 290 Double Dissipation and Radeon R9 290X Double Dissipation cards. They carry the model numbers R9-290A-EDFD and R9-290X-EDFD, respectively.
The graphics cards feature a non-reference PCB as well as a non-reference cooler. The cooler is the most noteworthy part, as it is designed to make the cards run considerably quieter and cooler. Reported numbers are 32 dB under load (vs 57 dB for the reference design) and idle noise levels between only 15 and 20 dB. Also, the 'XFX' text on the cooler is said to light up for those who want some extra bling.
The cards' clock speeds remain at reference clocks, meaning that the R9 290 will have a GPU clock speed of 947 MHz, and the R9 290X will run at 1000 MHz. Both cards will feature a 5.0 GHz effective memory clock speed.
XFX intends for the cards to have street prices identical to that of the reference models.
Well, I certainly hope that LAST LINE turns out to be true but somehow I doubt it...
Unfortunately, Nvidia's launch pricing is usually over the top (to put it mildly) for its upper end cards. I seriously doubt they will offer R9 290/x class competing cards at a reasonable price point. Nvidia doesn't believe in that sort of thing. They believe in charging a high premium for high end cards.
Even IF (and its a big IF) they make it here by Feb, I am extremely apprehensive about Indian pricing. I would still advise you to wait as the VFM these cards offer is unlikely to be matched by anything Nvidia sells here in comparison...
^Fingers crossed! If its priced decently then this is the card for me. BTW, check this out -
Also see this (via Toms) -
"MSI officially launched two new cards for CES 2014 in response to customer demands, a triple-fan R9 290X and a 6GB R9 280X.
Perhaps in response to Chris Angelini, who demanded a new cooling solution to reduce both temperatures and noise, and MSI has stepped up with a custom-fit sink and three lower-speed fans. We didn’t hear any screaming noises coming from the displayed configurations, but still look forward to seeing the noise data.
Next on display was a 6GB version of MSI’s famous R9 280X Gaming, aptly dubbed the R9 280X 6G. That’s twice the RAM of MSI’s original version."
I don't see the need for a 6GB 280x but I guess there's a multi-monitor market out there that does. One other article that really interested me was this. Check it out. If AMD can pull this off, it would be really cool - http://www.tomshardware.com/news/amd-freesync-nvidia-g-sync,25663.html
Oh Yes this card will last me many happy gaming years.. my 5870 is still running But time has come to replace it with something similar to It's caliber
VisionTek is announcing a new graphics card; this one is a bit interesting to say the least. The interesting thing about it is not so much the Radeon R9 290 graphics card or the EKWB water block that VisionTek has decided to equip it with, but rather the way it has been priced.
VisionTek's CRYOVENOM series cards are simply reference AMD Radeon R9 290 cards but with a water cooling block from EKWB slapped onto them. The clock speeds are set at 1175 MHz GPU, while the memory runs at an effective speed of 5.8 GHz. AMD reference clocks are 947 MHz GPU with memory clocked at an effective speed of 5.0 GHz.
We are used to seeing manufacturers sell graphics cards with water blocks on them, but normally when this happens you find a notable premium above the purchase price of both the graphics card and the appropriate water block. VisionTek has decided to take a different approach by pricing the set for less than that. It claims that its CRYOVENOM R9 290 graphics card is over $100 cheaper than doing it yourself, though that's assuming a $400 graphics card, $140 for the water block, $36 for the backplate, and testing and overclocking verification valued at $75. VisionTek even gives you a one-year warranty, which you won't have if you do it yourself.
The graphics card is already listed on VisionTek's website with an MSRP of $550.
Very interesting article on Toms that is now making me seriously reconsider my decision to go with Asus. It gets very hot where I live and I don't use an AC all the time. I like my cabinet closed (for very basic dust protection) and I certainly don't plan on buying an expensive, fancy cabinet. Will buy a couple of additional fans though.
For you TL;DR folks, here's a summary of the Toms article -
Sapphire's Tri-X OC Radeon R9 290X maintains open-air performance levels even in a closed chassis. More specifically, the board sheds .4% of its average framerate, which is within a margin of error.
Asus' R9 290X DirectCU II OC fares worse, losing 8% of its performance in the closed case.
Unoptimized fan cover designs negatively affect airflow, which we saw from Asus' card.
Certain vendors are leaving performance on the table due to their half-baked coolers. Direct-contact heat pipes that don't touch the GPU aren't effective in cooling it. In essence, a case is going to accentuate all of the shortcomings of a given thermal solution, some of which aren't evident during open-air testing. (<- They are referring to ASUS card here)
If AMD's Hawaii GPU does get too hot, it's due to high thermal density, compounded by insufficient thermal management from AMD and its board partners.
A commendable exception is Sapphire's effort.
The Sapphire R9 290 & 290X Tri-X are looking better and better...
Now am caught between PlayStation 4 And this. Guess the only smart thing to do is wait till March And hope that prices stabilize And buy the 290 non x hopefully we get more games to play by then
Problem is, the price for these cards is currently very high even abroad ATM.
The Sapphire's Tri-X OC Radeon R9 290X is selling around $700 (Rs.43,000) while the vanilla 290 is approx $580 (Rs.35,600). Mind you, even at these inflated prices, the GPU's are out stock and hard to find.
Going by the above conversion, plus add duty and dealer/distri margin, the Sapphire's Tri-X Radeon 290 is actually quite decently priced. I would still advise waiting for a bit though as the prices abroad are artificially high and are bound to come down in a couple of months.
Also, not so sure IT Depot has any of these cards in stock. Reason I say this is the product page itself mentions -
"Despatch Against Order : Product listed but dispatch depending on Availability"
Very tempted to buy the 290 even though I really wanted the 290x. Will call them tomorrow to check availability. Will post after I speak to them...
Seems like the price of the Sapphire's Tri-X OC Radeon R9 290 has already dropped!
Available now for Rs.36,875! Considering its price abroad (approx Rs.35,600), that's a really good price and similar to how the 7970's and GTX 680's were priced on launch. Amazing deal indeed. Really tempted now. Unfortunately, they don't seem to stock the 290x though... http://mdcomputers.in/sapphire-graphics-card-tri-x-r9-290-4gb-gddr5-oc-uefi.html
