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** GIBBO's GUIDE TO WHICH 290 SERIES CARD TO BUY!! **

Whats the consensus, i got a ref 290, im going to add a 2nd 290 but the 2nd will be an AIB like the MSI GE or a Sapphire Tri-X if they come back into stock, should i then sell my ref and buy a 2nd AIB, or should i just forget about X-Fire 290's and just buy an AIB 290x and sell my Ref 290? confused.com :)
 
SiDeards73 said:
Whats the consensus, i got a ref 290, im going to add a 2nd 290 but the 2nd will be an AIB like the MSI GE or a Sapphire Tri-X if they come back into stock, should i then sell my ref and buy a 2nd AIB, or should i just forget about X-Fire 290's and just buy an AIB 290x and sell my Ref 290? confused.com :)
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I'd go for two identical cards if i was you. If you can afford two AIB cards then id go down that route and sell your ref 290. Two Sapphire Tri X's would look nice i think.
 
Hi gents, im a situation now where I am going to purchase 2x of either the gigabyte windforce cards r powercolor. I have heard excellent things about the pcs+ 290's but still hanging out for an official review. I will only be gaming not mining or benching however I do want to overclock the **** off it for maximum results. Gibbo - when do you think your review of the pcs will be complete?
 
If max OC is your aim, then the PCS+ is ideal. Though i would get the Sapphire tri-x instead, as it is very similar in terms of PCB and cooling ability but has the advantage of a higher resale if people are still mining by then.

Pretty long card though.
 
Yea the good old saphire cards are almost $100 more expensive here in nz compared to the powercolour and cause im looking at sli I just couldn't justify spending the extra $200. Really would love to see a hardware review though! !
 
Gibbo said:
Hi there



I've being as fair as possible and I'd buy the cards depending on what my primary usage was, so:-
AMD Reference Cooler: Mining with two or three in an enclosed case or benchmarking.
Asus DC2: Let me confirm the memory overclock first, otherwise it would have to be for 3yr warranty, as if it clocks poor and due to its price I'd simply not buy it.
Gigabyte WindForce: Where low noise and near silence is a priority, along with gaming.
HIS X2: Quiet, good cooling, so mining and gaming, but damn aweful colour scheme.
MSI Gaming: Gaming and where low noise is important, also mining if only using 1 or 2 cards.
Powercolor: Yet to be tested!
Sapphire Tri-X: My favourite, perfect card for mining and benchmarking, pretty damn good for gaming too. To think they put this cooler on 280 and 270's too. :D
XFX: For looks, stunning card visually, but all the other cards I'd choose over this as looks are not a priority for me.
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I know this is an old thread but can you add the Powercolor one to it please???
 
AMDMatt said:
Powercolor cooler is beast! It's probably the best 290 cooler bar the lightning. Ridiculously low temps that put lower TDP cards to shame.
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Cheers for that, are they putting new games on the AMD bundle? As I see the site is down.
Sounds like thats about the best 290 to go for then, are black screens still a concern? I take it this could be hynix or elpida?
There's not really many review on it.
 
los said:
Cheers for that, are they putting new games on the AMD bundle? As I see the site is down.
Sounds like thats about the best 290 to go for then, are black screens still a concern? I take it this could be hynix or elpida?
There's not really many review on it.
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Black screens are not a concern. If your card black screened it's faulty. Powercolor PCS cards now use Hynix so actually it's probably one of the best you can get.

As for the games bundle, it's got the best selection of games out of any bundle I've ever seen currently. No new games announced, but recent additions have been Civilization Beyond Earth, Alien Isolation, Sniper Elite V3, Star Citizen and Murdered Soul Suspect.
 
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One question for AMDmatt. Why would anyone choose the 290X over the GTX 970 when its trailing behind the GTX 970 in benchmarks yet is priced at about the same?

Surely it needs to be cheaper by about £20-£30.
 
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