Anyone got the 8gb msi 290x

[mattyc1977]

as title suggests, there are no reviews on the internet anywhere and none here either. On msi website is says it is a all new designed cooler so I presume it is better than the cooler on the 4gb version, I'm wondering on how good the cooler is and what the volume is? I have a 970gtx g1 gaming and can return but time is running out!
I presently game at 1080p but my Samsung monitor has 3d support with amd and doesn't work as well with nvidia. It's a Samsung s23a700d.
I think the 290x will have better resale value been the 8gb version in 2 years time when I will upgrade again.
I'm not concerned about the extra power requirement, just the volume! I don't have a spare card so can't really wait for the 300 series.

Thanks.

 

[mattyc1977]

I would just like to say, I don't really use the 3d mode but wonder if this monitor works better with amd in general as it was designed with amd in mind.

 

[cainer]

nvm

 

[snips86x]

AMDMatt had 4 in quad fire and had no complaints!

 

[thefogo]

Pretty sure it's the exact same cooler as the 4gb one.
It's one of the weaker coolers on the 290 series, I'd go for the Tri-X, Vapor-X or PCS+ instead if possible.

 

[mattyc1977]

Pretty sure it's the exact same cooler as the 4gb one.
It's one of the weaker coolers on the 290 series, I'd go for the Tri-X, Vapor-X or PCS+ instead if possible.

Ah, interesting, the 4gb version gets some bad reviews regarding noise levels. I thought the 8gb was different. Bummer. That's a deal breaker for me.

 

[pieman109]

Well, as it happens, I'm about to instal an MSI gaming 290X 8gb this evening. Can't speak for 3d use as I'm not interested in it, but comparison to a 970 is what I'm coming from.

 

[mattyc1977]

Let us know what you think please pieman.

 

[pieman109]

Just installing the latest drivers as I'm typing this. When I first installed the card I got no output to the monitor, I had to set that little bios switch to position 1 to get an output, is this the normal position to have this switch as theres no instruction in the box as to what this switch does?

 

[bake73]

Just installing the latest drivers as I'm typing this. When I first installed the card I got no output to the monitor, I had to set that little bios switch to position 1 to get an output, is this the normal position to have this switch as theres no instruction in the box as to what this switch does?

http://event.msi.com/2014/vga/Hybrid_BIOS/

Mine booted fine on 2. I'm using win 7 64.
Have you got gpu-z installed? can you check if both vrm sensors are working.
Temp 2 is always 57 and doesn't go up or down.
cheers

 

[pieman109]

Yep, both vrm sensors are working as far as I can see. card is running nicely so far with no real probs to speak of, just the usual issues you get with installing a major piece of hardware, rebooting, cleaning, etc.
Initial impressions are:

Very slightly noisier at idle than the 970 I had before
Gets a fair bit noisier than the 970 when gaming/ benching (expected) but not intrusive and this is in a very quiet room.
Only tried Crysis3, fps is down a tad when compared to the 970 but only by about 5fps ish.
Heaven benchie score is lower than with the 970, but again, not by much and appears to be comparable with all other benchies using a 290x.

General "feel" when gaming is that even though the fps in Crysis 3 is slighlty lower, it that its running "smoother" I can't really explain it and for all I know it might even be a placebo effect, but it deffo feels like it smoother.
Obviously the 970 a slightly better card all round when looking at benching scores, and the 970 is certainly quieter and cooler, but if gaming at 1440 with ultra settings or 4k, a pair of these in Xfire will certainly hold their when utilising the full 8gb "if and when" games start to utilise it, thats where these cards will obviously shine I reckon