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** SAPPHIRE R290 PRO REVIEW & 1000+ IN STOCK!! **

OcUK Staff
Joined
17 Oct 2002
Posts
38,205
Location
OcUK HQ
Hi there


First of all to celebrate simply how good this card is, we are doing a special *ONE DAY ONLY* launch price. We have allocated 250pc to this special price of £319.99 Inc. VAT, once these 250 have sold the price the price will increase to £329.99 Inc. VAT or tomorrow at 9am, whichever comes sooner:-



Sapphire R9 290 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card @ £319.99 inc VAT

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AMD Radeon R9 290 is a new graphics card powered by the latest AMD Radeon™ R9 290 graphics-processing unit (GPU). 4GB of super-fast GDDR5 memory for the best gaming experience at the highest resolutions including 4k and incorporates AMD Eyefinity and TrueAudio technologies to enable expansive multi-display setups and more accurate environmental sounds. R9 290 also includes support for both DirectX® 11.2 and AMD's new Mantle application programming interface (API) for great handling of even the most-demanding PC games.


Features:-
- DirectX 11.2 Support
- Open GL 4.2 Support
- Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio support
- Crossfire Support upto 4-way: Native software crossfire (No bridge required)
- Gaming @ 4k Resolutions (UltraHD)
- Synergy with next-gen game consoles (Mantle)
- Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture - optimized from previous generation products

Specification:-
- GPU: Hawaii Pro
- Stream Processors: 2560
- Core Speed: 947MHz
- Memory Speed: 5000Mhz
- Memory interface: 512-Bit
- Memory capacity: 4096MB GDDR5
- Cooling: 2-Slot Blower Fan
- PCI-Express X16 lane required
- 750W or greater PSU required
- Power Connectors: 8-pin + 6-pin required
- Display Outputs: 2x Dual Link DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort
- Warranty: 2yr


Was [£329.99] Inc. VAT

Only £319.99 inc VAT with FREE GAMES - 1000+ IN STOCK!!

ORDER NOW





My Review & Benchmarks - MAKE SURE YOU READ THIS!!



This review was conducted using AMD's latest 13.11 Beta 8 driver which offers some additional performance. The rig used was also a Haswell clocked at 5000MHz, compared to the previous rig which was 4800MHz. I also managed to clock the card further by flashing the Sapphire card with an Asus BIOS for voltage control, this allowed me upto 1185/6600 on the stock cooler. Changing to the MK26 cooler allowed me to increase core speed upto 1220Mhz, but unfortunately the memory overclocked decreased to 6400MHz, due to the MK26 not cooling the VRM's and memory as well as the stock cooling solution.

Water-cooling will be the solution to cool these bad boys if you intend on doing extreme overclocking, as a water-blocked card will see upto 1300MHz core and 6600-6800MHz on the memory, plus be about 30-40c cooler and silent.

This review is to merely show you what an R290 Pro can achieve in the right environment when properly cooled with the Asus BIOS to extra voltage.

To make it clear R290 Pro is not faster than R290X, it is only beating R290X due to the newer drivers and faster core clock along with slightly faster processor speed, when re-testing R290X we also found its performance improved in-line, making it still 6-10% faster than R290 Pro.

Download the Asus BIOS - HERE!


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CHARTS - UNFAIR COMPARISON DUE TO DRIVER / RIG CHANGE



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This is an unfair comparison against the R290X as the R290X results are two weeks old, using the launch drivers supplied on the CD out the box with cards and in a slightly slower clocked PC, Haswell at 4800MHz VS 5000Mhz, as we did not have the same PC available for testing. What these results show you is what R290 Pro is truly capable of and how it fairs against NVIDIA on their latest drivers, albeit again the R290 Pro has a slight advantage due to being in a faster machine. So please take notice of this!







Conclusion


In short for a little over £300, these things are an absolute steal. The card is identical to its bigger brother the R290X, the only differences being 2560 VS 2816 stream processors and the core speed downclocked to 947MHz from 1000Mhz. So about 6%-10% slower out the box but you save £100 / 30%

Please note an R290 Pro is not faster than an R290X, we did a quick re-test on R290X with the new drivers also at 1220/6600 and in Firestrike it scored over 6000 points in the Extreme preset, making it about 8% faster.

In short R290X is 6-10% faster than R290 Pro depending on the game / benchmark, but it is 30% more expensive, making the R290 Pro a bargain, especially when you consider the R290 Pro is beating overclocked GTX 780's and Titan by some margin. :eek:

Like R290X it still runs hot and can get loud, though it does run marginally cooler and marginally quiet, but not by much. An MK26 is ideal for anyone want to have a small/mild overclock on their card and enjoy silent running, but for maximum overclock attempts we recommend the stock cooler at 100% fan speed or water-cooling. :)

IN SHORT R290 PRO IS THE BEST VALUE FOR MONEY HIGH-END GAMING CARD ON THE MARKET!
 
OcUK Staff
OP
Joined
17 Oct 2002
Posts
38,205
Location
OcUK HQ
HI there


Here are the other cards, also all in stock:-



Asus Radeon R9 290 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card @ £379.99 inc VAT

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AMD Radeon R9 290 is a new graphics card powered by the latest AMD Radeon™ R9 290 graphics-processing unit (GPU). 4GB of super-fast GDDR5 memory for the best gaming experience at the highest resolutions including 4k and incorporates AMD Eyefinity and TrueAudio technologies to enable expansive multi-display setups and more accurate environmental sounds. R9 290 also includes support for both DirectX® 11.2 and AMD's new Mantle application programming interface (API) for great handling of even the most-demanding PC games.


Features:-
- DirectX 11.2 Support
- Open GL 4.2 Support
- Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio support
- Crossfire Support upto 4-way: Native software crossfire (No bridge required)
- Gaming @ 4k Resolutions (UltraHD)
- Synergy with next-gen game consoles (Mantle)
- Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture - optimized from previous generation products

Specification:-
- GPU: Hawaii Pro
- Stream Processors: 2560
- Core Speed: 947MHz
- Memory Speed: 5000Mhz
- Memory interface: 512-Bit
- Memory capacity: 4096MB GDDR5
- Cooling: 2-Slot Blower Fan
- PCI-Express X16 lane required
- 750W or greater PSU required
- Power Connectors: 8-pin + 6-pin required
- Display Outputs: 2x Dual Link DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort
- Warranty: 3yr


Only £379.99 inc VAT.

ORDER NOW






Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card @ £339.95 inc VAT

GX-126-GI_400.jpg


AMD Radeon R9 290 is a new graphics card powered by the latest AMD Radeon™ R9 290 graphics-processing unit (GPU). 4GB of super-fast GDDR5 memory for the best gaming experience at the highest resolutions including 4k and incorporates AMD Eyefinity and TrueAudio technologies to enable expansive multi-display setups and more accurate environmental sounds. R9 290 also includes support for both DirectX® 11.2 and AMD's new Mantle application programming interface (API) for great handling of even the most-demanding PC games.


Features:-
- DirectX 11.2 Support
- Open GL 4.2 Support
- Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio support
- Crossfire Support upto 4-way: Native software crossfire (No bridge required)
- Gaming @ 4k Resolutions (UltraHD)
- Synergy with next-gen game consoles (Mantle)
- Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture - optimized from previous generation products

Specification:-
- GPU: Hawaii Pro
- Stream Processors: 2560
- Core Speed: 947MHz
- Memory Speed: 5000Mhz
- Memory interface: 512-Bit
- Memory capacity: 4096MB GDDR5
- Cooling: 2-Slot Blower Fan
- PCI-Express X16 lane required
- 750W or greater PSU required
- Power Connectors: 8-pin + 6-pin required
- Display Outputs: 2x Dual Link DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort
- Warranty: 3yr


Only £339.95 inc VAT.

ORDER NOW






HIS Radeon R9 290 Boost 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card @ £323.99 inc VAT

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AMD Radeon R9 290 is a new graphics card powered by the latest AMD Radeon™ R9 290 graphics-processing unit (GPU). 4GB of super-fast GDDR5 memory for the best gaming experience at the highest resolutions including 4k and incorporates AMD Eyefinity and TrueAudio technologies to enable expansive multi-display setups and more accurate environmental sounds. R9 290 also includes support for both DirectX® 11.2 and AMD's new Mantle application programming interface (API) for great handling of even the most-demanding PC games.


Features:-
- DirectX 11.2 Support
- Open GL 4.2 Support
- Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio support
- Crossfire Support upto 4-way: Native software crossfire (No bridge required)
- Gaming @ 4k Resolutions (UltraHD)
- Synergy with next-gen game consoles (Mantle)
- Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture - optimized from previous generation products

Specification:-
- GPU: Hawaii Pro
- Stream Processors: 2560
- Core Speed: 947MHz
- Memory Speed: 5000Mhz
- Memory interface: 512-Bit
- Memory capacity: 4096MB GDDR5
- Cooling: 2-Slot Blower Fan
- PCI-Express X16 lane required
- 750W or greater PSU required
- Power Connectors: 8-pin + 6-pin required
- Display Outputs: 2x Dual Link DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort
- Warranty: 2yr


Only £323.99 inc VAT.

ORDER NOW






MSI Radeon R9 290 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card @ £329.99 inc VAT

GX-224-MS_400.jpg


AMD Radeon R9 290 is a new graphics card powered by the latest AMD Radeon™ R9 290 graphics-processing unit (GPU). 4GB of super-fast GDDR5 memory for the best gaming experience at the highest resolutions including 4k and incorporates AMD Eyefinity and TrueAudio technologies to enable expansive multi-display setups and more accurate environmental sounds. R9 290 also includes support for both DirectX® 11.2 and AMD's new Mantle application programming interface (API) for great handling of even the most-demanding PC games.


Features:-
- DirectX 11.2 Support
- Open GL 4.2 Support
- Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio support
- Crossfire Support upto 4-way: Native software crossfire (No bridge required)
- Gaming @ 4k Resolutions (UltraHD)
- Synergy with next-gen game consoles (Mantle)
- Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture - optimized from previous generation products

Specification:-
- GPU: Hawaii Pro
- Stream Processors: 2560
- Core Speed: 947MHz
- Memory Speed: 5000Mhz
- Memory interface: 512-Bit
- Memory capacity: 4096MB GDDR5
- Cooling: 2-Slot Blower Fan
- PCI-Express X16 lane required
- 750W or greater PSU required
- Power Connectors: 8-pin + 6-pin required
- Display Outputs: 2x Dual Link DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort
- Warranty: 3yr


Only £329.99 inc VAT.

ORDER NOW
 
Soldato
Joined
24 Jul 2004
Posts
22,594
Location
Devon, UK
The Good:

Well NVidia's price cuts have been completely nullified in terms of performance. What a performer for £320!

The Bad:

Hotter, noisier, and more power hungry than the R290X, to the point where Anandtech won't recommend it.

Gibbo, is it really as bad as is being made out?
 
Soldato
Joined
15 Jun 2005
Posts
2,750
Location
Edinburgh
Just reading that the launch delay was so that AMD could turn up the fan! So the default fan profile is basically the more active and louder uber mode. Quite scary how much effect temperature throttling is having on these. It will be interesting to see how well they perform next summer.
 
Soldato
Joined
24 Jul 2004
Posts
22,594
Location
Devon, UK
Can't you wait a few hours with that rubbish? Anand doesn't like it, big deal, [H] gave it gold.

It's hardly rubbish - it's a simple tradeoff. You can get GTX780 rivalling performance for a lot less money if you're willing to put up with the noise or seek other means of cooling the card.
 
Last edited:
Caporegime
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
33,188
It uses an entire 6W more in Crysis 3, what it does in Furmark is completely irrelevant, no game every comes close to matching Furmark, don't want Furmark power draw...... don't run furmark, solved.

Noise wise, who cares. Get a 290 for 30% less than a 290x, watercool it(would cost the same to do so on the 290x obviously) have awesome overclocks, Nvidia beating performance at a lower cost, silently.

For all we know Anandtech got a slightly higher vid 290 and a lower vid than average 290x.

It's a great card offering the value lots of people are seeking. I was sure that Gibbo was saying his 290x was running 1.25v stock, where as Anand are stating theirs is running 1.11v, a stonking difference.

Generally speaking I haven't trusted Anandtech for a long time with glaring errors for years in their power testing/conclusions.

290, 25% faster than the 770gtx it's priced against, or the same speed as the 780gtx, a card that costs $100 more, a card that ONLY costs $100 more because the 290x forced Nvidia to drop the 780gtx price, otherwise we'd be looking at closer to $200-300 cheaper. As in Nvidia were happily screwing their customers over with unfair pricing and Nvidia customers were happily paying WAY over the odds for it.
 
Soldato
Joined
15 Jun 2005
Posts
2,750
Location
Edinburgh
It's not just Anandtech though, the techPowerUp review which is on the whole positive, concludes with:

AMD's reference design cooler gets completely overwhelmed by the card's heat load once you start gaming. With load temperatures of 94°C, the card already runs very hot, but even at those temperatures, the fan needs to run at a deafening 49 dBA to handle the heat.

Water cooling is obviously the answer but then you have got to factor that into cost comparisons and the majority of purchases won't want the extra hassle. I do feel that AMD have pushed this card a bit further than they should just to skew the benchmarks in their favour.

Hopefully the custom coolers will come along soon to make this card a viable option for those running on air.
 
Soldato
Joined
24 Jul 2004
Posts
22,594
Location
Devon, UK
I'll see how it goes. I have 14 days to change my mind, in which case i'll either plump for a 280X Toxic or wait for custom coolers.

One man's loud could be another man's silent, etc. I admit that on the whole it's not looking good, but there's no way to be definitive without sticking a toe in the proverbial water. :)
 
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