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R9 290X TRI-X OC vs 290X VAPOR-X

Cornellius

Cornellius

Cornellius

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Joined
2 Feb 2009
Posts
3
Hi!

I am thinking of upgrading to a 290x but am stuck due to the many different versions available. I have sort of decided that I'm going with Sapphire and have 3 options that I'm considering:

Sapphire R9 290X TRI-X
Sapphire R9 290X TRI-X Overclocked
Sapphire R9 290X Vapor-X with Tri-X

Which one would you guys recommend? Is it worth getting the more expensive ones? Oh and will OCUK be stocking the Overclocked version of the Tri-X? Can't seem to find it in the store. I had set my mind on OC version of the vapor-x with 4GB RAM but that seems to have been discontinued. Only 8gb one left and thats way outside my budget!

Thanks
 
you can just overclock the tri-x, i would go for that, since its a bit thinner and will help if you go X Fire, thats one i am considering as a top card for X-Fire
 
Go for the Lightning.

But for the sake of the question, Tri OC is a reference board, Vapor-x are custom PCB and allegedly binned, but I've never seen any overclock very well. They're also three slot coolers so trying to crossfire them is both awkward and warm.
 
Since i wrote my first post, the lightning is on another thread, Forget my last advice, Go for the lightning. Only problem is they a 3 slot, and fitting two in crossfire could be a problem for most boards. But if you will be content with one, then they are the best IMO of all the 290x
 
rossiboy001 said:
Since i wrote my first post, the lightning is on another thread, Forget my last advice, Go for the lightning. Only problem is they a 3 slot, and fitting two in crossfire could be a problem for most boards. But if you will be content with one, then they are the best IMO of all the 290x
Click to expand...

Wouldnt say best, id take any ref over the 290x Lightning. But its definitely the best for air cooled overclocking and gaming.
 
Hmm not to derail my own topic but is the 290x worth the extra compared to the 290? My budget only really covers the 290 but after researching cards I've suddenly found myself wanting a 290x even though it will be more difficult to afford.

To give some background I upgrade every few years and so far have never overclocked anything but I can't say I never will. To give you an idea my first card was a Radeon 9200, then went on to a X1900XTX and then to a 5870! The 5870 has been amazing and if only I had got the 2gb instead of the 1gb like I wanted, I probably would have been happy to continue using it for another year but alas its starting to show its age! I've always stuck with single cards so won't be crossfiring hence size isn't too important.

That said if I do go with the 290x then to be able to afford it I'm thinking I'd have to stick it in my current build till next year. Do you think that would be okay or would it cause problems? My current build:

i5 750 2.66GHz (upgrading to 4690k)
Sapphire 5870 1GB
Corsair 8GB DDR3 1600Mhz Red Vengeance Memory Kit CL9 (9-9-9-24) 1.5V
Corsair 650W TX Series PSU - 120mm Fan, 80+% Efficiency, Single +12V Rail
Asus P7P55D LE P55 Socket (Want to get Asus VII Maximus Ranger but might go for something cheaper)
Antec 902 Case

The lightning sounds amazing especially with its OC! All my cards have been Sapphire thus far but that might be enough to make me switch to MSI.
 
Cornellius said:
Hmm not to derail my own topic but is the 290x worth the extra compared to the 290? My budget only really covers the 290 but after researching cards I've suddenly found myself wanting a 290x even though it will be more difficult to afford.

To give some background I upgrade every few years and so far have never overclocked anything but I can't say I never will. To give you an idea my first card was a Radeon 9200, then went on to a X1900XTX and then to a 5870! The 5870 has been amazing and if only I had got the 2gb instead of the 1gb like I wanted, I probably would have been happy to continue using it for another year but alas its starting to show its age! I've always stuck with single cards so won't be crossfiring hence size isn't too important.

That said if I do go with the 290x then to be able to afford it I'm thinking I'd have to stick it in my current build till next year. Do you think that would be okay or would it cause problems? My current build:

i5 750 2.66GHz (upgrading to 4690k)
Sapphire 5870 1GB
Corsair 8GB DDR3 1600Mhz Red Vengeance Memory Kit CL9 (9-9-9-24) 1.5V
Corsair 650W TX Series PSU - 120mm Fan, 80+% Efficiency, Single +12V Rail
Asus P7P55D LE P55 Socket (Want to get Asus VII Maximus Ranger but might go for something cheaper)
Antec 902 Case

The lightning sounds amazing especially with its OC! All my cards have been Sapphire thus far but that might be enough to make me switch to MSI.
Click to expand...

The difference of a 290x and 290 is tiny, really doesnt matter in games. If i were to buy one of those now , id rather get the 290.
 
Silent_Scone said:
Go for the Lightning.

But for the sake of the question, Tri OC is a reference board, Vapor-x are custom PCB and allegedly binned, but I've never seen any overclock very well. They're also three slot coolers so trying to crossfire them is both awkward and warm.
Click to expand...

I think the reason they don't clock that well is due to being voltage limited. My Vapor 290p only clocks to 1225/1650 because of this. Great card all the same running quiet and cool. Just can't eek every last bit of mhz out of it.
 
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