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290X Lightning or 780Ti Windforce OC

Jarrod

Jarrod

Jarrod

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28 Oct 2011
Posts
539
Which will give me the better guaranteed performance? Gaming at 1080 (possibly soon 1440p)

I've had AMD for years, but after two faulty 290s I'm debating whether to switch and as the 290X Lightning has just be announced at the same price as the 780Ti Winforce OC I'm in a pickle over which to choose.

Currently got no GPU so need to get one quick sharpish

Any suggestions appreciated


EDIT : Oh yea, these will be on air I have no intention of wc
 
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I've got to wait until pay day anyway haha, but yea that review was pretty pants, almost as if they thought it was a reference card
 
pgi947 said:
I'd pay the ~£70 extra and go all out on a pair of 290p's if gaming is your main goal.
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This, so much this.

The RMA figures have been released to us and though you were unlucky with your 290's, the chances of it happening again are still low. two 290's are overkill for current 1080p but if you are looking to move toward higher resolutions and are willing to dish out for a TI, then i would definitely spend extra and go Crossfire. There are practically no issues these days with crossfire on single screens and one card can be disabled if by chance one of the games you play has an issue with it.

Also factory overclock performance is minimal and can be achieved with pretty much ANY chip in an hour, unless you really lose the chip lottery, so no need to aim for a lightning. If they smack a huge premium on it like they normally do with high end lightnings, then i would be looking at a cheaper aftermarket 290x over a 290p lightning, as that will give a boost similar to the factory overclock without the need for an overclocked core. Having said that, it would still be better value to go for one of the cheaper aftermarket 290p's and grab another if you need more performance at higher resolution.

Currently 290 tri-x's for under £320 on OCuk!!!

*Edit* realised OP was talking about a 290x lightning not a 290p lightning. If anything my statements apply more, as the premium would likely be extortionate for anyone not aiming for an ln2 record! Have seen plenty of reference or non lightnings hit some insane clocks on water/air.
 
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Yeah as sexy as the lightning 290x is you really cant argue with xfire 290s for not a whole lot more.
 
Jarrod said:
Which will give me the better guaranteed performance? Gaming at 1080 (possibly soon 1440p)

I've had AMD for years, but after two faulty 290s I'm debating whether to switch and as the 290X Lightning has just be announced at the same price as the 780Ti Winforce OC I'm in a pickle over which to choose.

Currently got no GPU so need to get one quick sharpish

Any suggestions appreciated


EDIT : Oh yea, these will be on air I have no intention of wc
Click to expand...

Something like the Lightning is wasted on aircooling, i would go with a pair of 290's as has been said or a single 780ti, my preference is always a single more powerful card and i'm not a huge fan of crossfire but the value is hard to beat imho.
 
Don't take this the wrong way but it does seem a bit of a gamble recently on the 290's front. Sure you can return them till you get working ones and if people are happy to do that, good shout but not something I would want to gamble on.

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18583410

Another factor is heat from CF and SLI and the fact his 850W is pushing it for a pair of 290's/780's.

For me, I would save a few squid and grab a decent 780 Classy and don't look back. If you want the top card, grab that Lightning as it does look awesome :)

Out of the box though, the 780Ti is still the winner :)
 
The way I see it, although not nessessarily the way some might is:

(Potentially if the clocks make the biscuit) 290X Lightening > 780Ti Ref / Windforce

780Ti Classified / ASUS DC2 > 290X Lightening.


Obviously there are other things to consider, like how many you're looking to buy. In which instance I'd take three reference 780Ti's from a reputable vendor, and put them on water ;)
 
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ndaar said:
Yeah as sexy as the lightning 290x is you really cant argue with xfire 290s for not a whole lot more.
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Lightning though is a great gaming card is not designed for gamers or for value for money. Its designed for benchers as it offers great OC potential.
 
Yep ^ . So being sexy has nothing to do with it. That cooler would be coming right off :D.

Much like the Kingpin/Classified, the coolers just there to sweeten the deal IMO lol
 
MjFrosty said:
Yep ^ . So being sexy has nothing to do with it. That cooler would be coming right off :D.

Much like the Kingpin/Classified, the coolers just there to sweeten the deal IMO lol
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Correct.

If your gaming, then yes a pair of regular 290's is faster and far better value for money, or a pair of 770's even. :)
 
MjFrosty said:
The way I see it, although not nessessarily the way some might is:

(Potentially if the clocks make the biscuit) 290X Lightening > 780Ti Ref / Windforce

780Ti Classified / ASUS DC2 > 290X Lightening.


Obviously there are other things to consider, like how many you're looking to buy. In which instance I'd take three reference 780Ti's from a reputable vendor, and put them on water ;)
Click to expand...

Unfortunately my DC2 barely clocks to 1.2ghz
 
That does seem quite poor. Put it on water. My best ref card couldn't manage 1240 without artifacts till I put it on water. Now I can hit over 1300+ without batting an eyelid.
 
I bought the Asus for the cooler :p Watercooling isn't for me.
My reference card hit 1260 but I prefer the cool and quiet of the asus.

Edit: the Asus artifacts at 1220 even at 50C, so I doubt wc would help.
 
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Your wrong cold always helps with Ti. Artifact on Ti does not mean GPU limit it means I need cold!!!
 
as above Ti's LOVE cold. Keep it under 40c and it makes the world of difference. I'd imagine the same applies to sub zero as Ian says.


Can only push so far on warm water and when my cards start reaching for 40c+ you get the odd artifact now and again
 
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vsg28 said:
Wait it out for more reviews man, that TTL review did the card no justice!
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TTL what da hell.

This is an interesting question. I believe my sample Lightening is here this week so I will review it on air for ya and then you can see where its at. 290X lightning does look the part and early ES we had was good and I know MSI have implemented what we recomended so... It shoudl be a cracker.
 
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